Worst Case Scenario For Travellers - Be Prepared With Alternative Travel, Accommodation And Food

Worst Case Scenario
I like to travel fully prepared to re-route in an emergency. What are the alternative modes of travel?

USA
You can get delays anywhere. We were bumped off flights in the USA at Xmas. (Bumped meaning denied boarding, or boarded and found your seat already occupied and were asked to get off the plane.


The first time I experienced a major delay was on a flight to India.

Indian flag.

INDIA
The first travel delay I had was outgoing from Heathrow, London, on a flight to India. Engine trouble. We were told to wait. Another plane was due in from the USA and we would be transferred to that flight. Wait a couple of hours.

An American was canny. He told me and other passengers, "Goodbye folks. I'm going to book on another airline. The plane will not be arriving in the next two hours."

I asked, "How do you know?'

He replied, "I phoned the USA and it has not taken off yet. the flight takes five hours or longer. So it cannot arrive here at the time they told us. You will be hanging around all day."

What could possibly go wrong?

EUROPE - UK, London
We were at home asleep before midnight, in a quiet suburb, woken when we heard banging. A woman was driving out our car and shouting.

We called the police. She drove off but we had the number plate.



EUROPE - France
We overnighted in a small hotel garni (guesthouse). We woke in the morning to find a large vehicle, possibly a delivery van, or cleaning vehicle, had damaged my mother's car.


EUROPE - Madrid, Spain
We drove out car to Spain. We parked outside Madrid Zoo for a few hours. We returned to find the window broken by thieves. We had to hire a car one way back to our home, leaving our car to be repaired and shipped back.



The flag of the Czech Rpublic and the former Czechoslovakia.

EUROPE - Prague, Czech Republic
One year we drove our car from the UK across Europe to Prague in the Czech Republic. Our car was broken into. Windows smashed. Over Xmas and New Year garages were shut, police stations were shut or they were out manning the crowds. Parts needed to be ordered were from factories shut over the holidays.

Make sure you are fully insured and have the insurance company numbers.



EUROPE - Spain - Marbella
My handbag was snatched as I was unloading the car. My husband chased after the assailant's car, put his hand through the window, and was dragged around the corner and disappeared.

I ran after the car, screaming, "Let go!"

My husband reappeared but had to go to hospital to be patched up.

A passer-by, alerted by my screaming, saw the car dragging my husband and memorised the numberplate. I could not write down the number because the bag containing my pen had been stolen.

We reported the crime. The police had arrested one of the four boys in the car, a stolen car, when it went around the corner and crashed into parked cars. I was left in the waiting room with my small son, sitting opposite the lad who had stolen my bag and whose gang had injured my husband.

Alternative Transport
Can you go buy a low cost flight, another airline,or hire a helicopter? Could you take a train, a ferry, a bus, a taxi, hire a self-drive car.

Could buy a motorbike, rent a bicycle?

Even if you have the money, and can afford to pay a driver, and have a driving license for that vehicle, what if the emergency means all the hire cars are booked?

What about hiring a minivan or coach to drive a whole group of people? I read of one incident where an airline had no plane able to take people back to the UK.

Somebody said, "They could hire a coach and take us back!"

What about everybody hiring cars? No cars were available. Besides, the price quoted for hiring a car was equal to or more expensive than hiring a coach!

An enterprising passenger with initiative and funds decided he would hire a coach. To recover his money, and do everybody a favour, he sold tickets to all the other passengers. He got everybody back from Europe to the UK.

The moral is, always have your international driving license, or a photocopy of it, even if you had not intended to drive.

Alternative Routes
Go to an intermediate country away from terrorists, natural disaster, medical emergency or quarantine?

Alternative Accommodation
What about accommodation? Could you hire a flat, or a caravan to live in at lower cost than staying in a hotel for months?

ISRAEL
I heard from people in Tel Aviv that they were in what I call a semi-quarantine, not confined to their rooms but allowed to leave so long as they kept distance from others. They said they were allowed out to exercise and had walked along the beach.


Flag of Israel

QUARANTINE and homestay and isolation
What about food? Can you pack tinned food in your suitcase or carry on bag or briefcase or handbag. I like to travel with a small tin of sardines, and another of baked beans, and a third of fruit, in case we arrive late and the hotel restaurant is closed, or we are stuck at an airport, or stuck on the runway for hours.



Flag of Singapore

Home Delivery
Find out who does home delivery? My family renting a condo in Singapore found out about a shop selling provisions in the condo. We asked if they would deliver if we were ever quarantined. It turned out that the shop already offered delivery to the 1000 people on the estate. But few people bothered to use this service. So we took their names and phone number and put it in our phones and on the fridge in case we ever needed it.

About the Author
Angela Lansbury is a British citizen and also had family who are Singapore Permanent Residents (a renewable legal status).

Is your family safe while travelling? Motorbikes in Singapore and worldwide

I am going to tell you about luck, police investigate, DIY first aid, and the cost of repairs to vehicles.

Singapore Flag

Lucky Numbers And Sale Prices In Singapore
 In Singapore buyers of motorcars and bicycles are interested in the car or bike having lucky numbers in the numberplate.  Eight is lucky. Number four is unlucky inspiring death because the word for four sounds like death. The good news is that if you have to sell your vehicle, you will get a better price if it has eights in the numberplate, and if you are buying you can pay a lower price for a vehicle with fours in the numberplate.

Flag of India

Indian Safety & Insurance
I am a Westerner, a Caucasian, so I am more inclined to rely on caution and prevention - and insurance. I was amused in India to see vehicles plastered with images of sacred cows and Gods, supposed to protect the vehicle.

I was less pleased to learn of the high accident rate, to see cows wandering along the motorway towards or across traffic, or lying dead in the road. The accident rate was scary.

Superstition & Prevention
I read a book about superstitition and an investigation was done in hospitals. It was found that the days 12 and 14 were no luckier than the 13th of the month in terms of admissions and deaths. Another finding was that swift attention and acurate diagnosis of  illness and injury affect statistics. So a quick response by medics on bikes to both heart attack victims and road accident victims saves lives in countries such as states in the USA which have introduced such a service.

 At weekends and holidays when medics are in short supply, overworked by drunk drivers causing accidents, or junior doctors are on call in hospitals and reluctant to attend quickly at evenings and weekends and national and relidigous holidays you get less attention and less quick attention and less accurate diagnosis.

My Many Accidents
I have been in several accidents. Once as a driver turning right at the lights in the UK.

UK flag

Now I understand why many junctions do not allow right hand turns, or prevent traffic oncoming, only allowing each lane to move seaprately.

Once, in 1984, as a pedestrian in a crowd crossing the road in Corsica. The moral of the story was, look both ways when starting to cross and reaching the centre of the road. Try not to cross a road below the brow of a hill. Remember that in the UK, cars are on one side of the road, in France and Corsica they drive on the other side.

Later, my car was hit from behind on a motorway in England. (By a dozy driver who had just come to the UK on an overnight flight from the Indian subcontinent.)


In Singapore I waw a passenger in a car which hit a pedestrian. (The pedestrian was jaywalking so was deemed at fault. The driver was in a hire car so any fault in maintenance was not the driver's fault.)



Singapore flag

I was reminded of all these factors this week when my husband came off a bike after being hit by a vehicle in Singapore. Since he rides for business and pleasure, on public roads and on racetracks, has taken courses by professional drivers, and watches racing on TV, he has been in or seen many accidents. You need to think of prevention of accidents and cure.

As far as I know, he was not doing anything wrong or careless. His bike was not out of fuel. He was wearing a helmet.

He claimed another vehicle hit him from behind. Fortunately they were near a junction so public independent cameras recorded the incident. In any case drivers have a duty of care and if it can be shown that you are hit from behind, even if you are stationery, it is the fault of the driver which hits you, in the UK as well as Singapore. (You can check with the insurnce company, the AA, or your lawyer.)

Photo Records
It is useful to take a picture of the position of the vehicles after the accident, to remind yourself and as evidence. Photos might show signalling and skid marks on the road. The length of the skid mark might indicate direction, position and speed. You also need the damage to the vehicles.

I like a record of the people involved (in case they give false identities or you lose their details). But they probably won't want to be photographed, suspecting you might have some ulterior motive such as blackmail, character assassination, revenge, who knows.

If you have a dashcam (dashboard camera) that will automatically record the other vehicle with the people inside and them as they get out, without them taking issue with you for photographing adults or children.

Statements
Insurance companies tell you not to admit you are in the wrong (to the other party) as this can be used against you by the other party's insurance company. Your insurance company might take issue with you. Check your insurance document. You will probably be able to find the clause which tells you not to say anything, because that might invalidate your claim.

Preserving Personal Documents
It would be handy to have your identity on your person, not in a bag left behind in a broken down or inaccessible vehicle. Imagine trying to claim for a car which burns out when you have jumped out and left all your documents in the glove box with no record on your person nor at home nor in the workplace.

So it's handy to keep records duplicated on your person and elsewhere. Also a credit card or travel card in your pocket in the event that you have to leave your vehicle and travel onwards or back home on public transport or must hire a vehicle.

The same goes for a driving license, even if you were not planning to drive.

Another useful item is some kind of first aid. Even a plaster to cover a wound, and a length of sterlile bandage and a piece of waterprrof tape or a safety pin. Plus a quick link to a first aid book or website and a knowledge of  first aid. I have a first aid kit in the boot (Americans say trunk) of my car in the UK. However, if you are hit from behind and the boot is not accessible it is handy to have a plaster in your pocket or purse. (The British word purse is more like wallet, whilst the Americans use the word purse to mean a small bag.

First Aid
By chance the very day of his accident, the Singapore government had delivered to every resident in the neighbourhood a fridge magnet with advice on DIY first aid for burns, scalds and accidents and emergency number.

The Magic of Ice Packs
The ice pack advised for reducing pain and swelling for minor scalds was also useful in reducing the swelling on his leg. First he photographed the injury, the blood and the swelling. Then showered to remove dirt which could infect the grazing. Finally we secured an ice pack to his leg with large rubber bands. We used face flannels to protect his skin from ice burn or being indented by the rubber bands.

Morale
Often you are busy tending to the injury and trying to reassure the patient. Only the next day or the next week do you start to feel anxious, especially as you tell family or friends or colleagues or relive events for a hospital report or police or insurance assessors who look at the vehicle, as well as the repair shop.

By now we are quite philosophical. Although shaken, we keep telling ourselves, we were very lucky. It could have been much worse. We are the survivors.

Useful Websites
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_emergency_telephone_numbers

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

Can you save milk and food from your fridge for the plane or food from the plane?

Problem
What do you do with leftover food at home when you are going away? I like to have some food and drink with me. At very least an empty container for saving leftovers, in case I am called away for departures in the middle of a meal.

Empty soup containers with lids which seal well are good. So are yogurt containers from supermarkets. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Answers
LEAVING HOME
When I am just away for the weekend, I buy milk with an expiry date at least 24 hours after I get back so I have milk for coffee and breakfast cereal when I get home.

Once we saw our hire car coming to collect us and left our flowers and milk on the neighbour's doorstep. We texted them from the car to tell them it was us who had left it, and take it in out of the sun.

I take with me a tin of sardines. I make sure that even the tins are stored in waterproof containers.

A tin of sardines in a leak-proof container.

RETURNING HOME
Sometimes, whilst waiting for the hire car to arrive at an airport, I am able to buy either a carton of milk from a nearby supermarket in the arrivals lounge, or a takeaway coffee from the nearest airport coffee outlet. I might even ask for a glass of milk, poured into a sealable container.

You could ask your taxi to stop en route. We have a Tesco nearby. One person can continue home with the luggage. The other person does not have to worry about waiting in a queue (line-up) or a taxi impatient on a yellow line.

MILK
When the taxi drops me off at a nearby supermarket, I can walk home with the milk. This is helpful after an all-night flight when you are tired and don't want to walk and make decisions. At least I am walking home, not having to take the double trip, out from home to the shop and back.

On the plane which arrives in the morning; it's too early for coffee. I don't want to be hunting for a loo at the airport. But I will want a coffee when I get through the door at my destination and have to plan my day.

Sometimes I don't drink my coffee on the plane because I want to sleep, but consider saving the tiny carton of milk. Or I don't drink the coffee in the hotel bedroom, but save the milk for a cup on arrival home.

Milk cartons. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

I have tried looking at the base to see the expiry date but it's hard to decipher, even if you photograph the packet and blow it up and darken and lighten the photo.

I reckon that the airline has a turnover of milks and it will be safe to drink within the two hours it takes me from the five am arrival at the airport to the 8 am breakfast at home / destination.

But milks kept for months in the fridge, just in case I run out.? Not too sure. I must email and ask them. What do you think?

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer.

Air Con Cars and Parking At Airports

Problem
It's so hot in London. That's bad and good.

Answer
In Madeira, we opened both doors before driving off, to cool the interior.

Air Con Cars In the UK
Cars have air conditioning. In Madeira lots of small white Clios were hired out by companies at the airport and in Funchal. Remember to note your car number plate.

My UK Clio had air conditioning and I never noticed for years because I never needed it and didn't realise I had it. As everybody says: READ THE MANUAL!

Look for the fan sign. Ask for the demo when hiring the car.

Collecting A Car From Gatwick Airpot
When we collected our car from Gatwick airport, we found a sign saying that in order to move our car, they had probably adjusted the seat and mirrors and turned on the aircon to de-mist. Thank you for your understanding.

Valet Parking At Airports
That printed notice was very good. Otherwise, you would be puzzled. That was reassuring. The notice was a helpful reminder to adjust your seats and mirrors before driving off.

Useful Website
https://www.gatwickparking.com/our-car-parks/parking-options/summer-special/

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer

Paying Bills When You Are Away On Business Or Holiday

Problem
How do you pay bills when you are away? How do you keep track? How do you spot surprise payments?

Lists
Before going away for a long trip you need to make a list of your outgoings throughout the year.

Take into account when holiday bills will fall. Your accountant or tax return may be able to tell you.

Note your income and savings.

Alerts
You can get alerts on your phone for high amounts paid out of your accounts such as Santander.

Passwords
Be aware of your passwords needed for credit cards and mobile phone and google and Facebook and gmail and all the others.

Don't leave your book of passwords behind. Nor carry it on you in a bag which could be stolen along with credit cards and phones.

Divide a code so somebody back home can send you your passwords in two or more parts. For example, you could ask a colleague, "How old is your grandad?" for the first two, four or six numbers of the password. And so on.

Or ask, "What is the name of your dog?" (Translating the letters of the answer into numbers.)

Outgoings and Credit Cards
In Romania, I have been warned, when you hire a car in Bucharest the credit card company will 'block' take? from your credit card the estimated cost of the car hire plus insurance.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker, language teacher. Please share my posts.