I should have probably said something before the trouble started.

I was stuck in seat 36J on a flight from Tampa to Zürich, Switzerland, and before the plane even started down the rain-slickened runway, I had my warning. The passenger in front of me turned to her companion and asked, “How do I recline this seat?'”

Was it reclining the seat? That’s a bad idea! Edelweiss Air, the Swiss charter airline I was on, offers a scant 31 inches of seat pitch in economy class. I’m 6′ 1″. The physics translates into nine hours of torture on an overnight flight.

As a traveller, you can spot trouble, too — and this holiday season, with travel hitting more records, there’s plenty of trouble to be spotted.

“Travel problems can be mitigated before they become problems,” says Harding Bush, associate director for security operations at Global Rescue. But it takes something that’s in short supply today: situational awareness, research, and common sense.

I learned a lesson from the Swiss seat leaner.

Back to my overnight flight airline disaster. I peered over the seat and saw that the passenger was short, but she seemed articulate and well-dressed. Surely, someone like this would never lean her economy class seat back, I thought. I don’t need to say a word.

Wrong. No sooner had they served dinner (unfit for human consumption) than she jammed her seat as far back as she could. Her seat nearly locked my knees in place. I was already half asleep, but my son, seated beside me, took a picture of the spectacle. I was wedged in like a cork in a bottle of Port. There was not even an inch between her seat and my face.

“Never be afraid to speak up,” says Becky Blanton, a writer and frequent traveller from Richmond, Va. “But don’t be a Karen, or a jackass, or demanding and rude. That doesn’t get you anywhere.”

I’m embarrassed, but I didn’t say anything for the duration of the flight. I just suffered quietly. In retrospect, I should have struck up a friendly conversation when she asked about recliner seats. I could have said something like, “Save a little space for me, maybe?”

But Blanton is right — don’t be a pushover. But also, don’t be a jerk.

What kind of trouble should you expect when you’re travelling?

Trouble comes in all shapes and sizes when you’re going somewhere. Here are a few recent run-ins our readers have had.

The fake cop

Every trip has its risks. For Lauren Milligan, a career advisor from Glen Ellyn, Ill., it was a run-in with a fake traffic cop. It’s a good thing she’d brushed up on Mexican scams before her last vacation. Sure enough, on the way home from an outdoor market, they were pulled over by a fake cop, who quickly offered to settle her “ticket” for a cash payment. (The counterfeit cops demand you pay your ticket immediately.) She talked her way out of the fake ticket by saying she had to fly back to the States the following morning and had no cash. “¡Que aventura!” she says.

The ding and dent scam

One of the biggest problems travellers run into when renting a car is a bill from their car rental company for damaging their car. I’ve also seen this in hotels and vacation rentals. There’s only one way to avoid that problem: Take “before” and “after” photos of the vehicle, including the license plate, VIN, and dashboard readings (mileage and fuel level). And if there’s even the most minor ding or dent, ask for a different car. “Don’t leave the rental car location if you are not 100 percent satisfied with the condition of the car,” says Tom Harriman, an attorney from Clarksville, Md. “Even if you are in a hurry.”

Bogus travel sites

Yep, they’re still out there, and they’re pretty clever. Scammers try to mimic or impersonate popular travel websites, spoofing familiar branding, logos, and company jargon. They’re so convincing that even an experienced consumer reporter sometimes has trouble recognizing them. Darius Kingsley, head of consumer banking practices at Chase, said there’s an easy solution. Go directly to the website instead of finding it through a search. “Always pay through the service’s official website,” he says. Going off-site or paying with a money transfer is just asking for trouble.

Unruly guests

When you travel, your powers of observation are essential, says Kellee O’Reilly, a consultant and frequent traveller from Wayzata, Minn. For example, look around if you’re having a romantic dinner at a restaurant. “If you see a family with three unruly children, ask the host to seat you somewhere else,” she says. Always step ahead to avoid trouble, and ask the staff to become your ally. She says this applies to other situations, including hotels with potentially destructive rooms, airline seats, and even a rideshare driver who gives you an “off” vibe. Think two or three moves ahead like a chess game.

Say something

What do all these things have in common? Savvy travellers are proactive when it comes to trouble. They anticipate everything from dented rental cars to bogus sites, and they speak up right away instead of waiting for someone to address the problem.

“Don’t settle for the dregs when you were promised high quality,” says Mitch Krayton, a Denver-based travel advisor.

Oh, and one more thing.

Don’t forget to do this.

I always deal with consumer problems, and I can tell you they’ve gotten much worse this year (here’s my advice for resolving any consumer problem). I’m sitting on a record number of cases for 2024. I expect that trend to continue.

How not to become a statistic? One of the best ways to sidestep trouble is to pack your manners.

“Remain pleasant,” says John Gobbels, chief operating officer of Medjet, an air medical transport program for travellers. “That’s the number one way of preventing escalation. You could approach the situation with hostility, but honestly, you will get your problem handled much better if you’re nice.”

Next year, travel trouble can come in many forms, from seat leaners to rowdy travellers. And while the problems don’t fit into a neat category, the solutions do. Look around, be prepared and use common sense. You would be shocked how many travellers fail to pack these simple strategies when they hit the road.

Then again, if everyone did, I might not have a job.

 

 

 

Written by: Christopher Elliott

 

 

BIO:

Christopher Elliott is an author, consumer advocate, and journalist. He founded Elliott Advocacy, a nonprofit organization that helps solve consumer problems. He publishes Elliott Confidential, a travel newsletter, and the Elliott Report, a news site about customer service. If you need help with a consumer problem, you can reach him here or email him at chris@elliott.org.

 

 

 

 

 

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