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Are you America's "most frustrated traveler"?
Does the saying, "if it weren't for bad luck, I'd have no luck at all," describe you perfectly?
Are you a traveler who can't get his or her preferred flights booked because of all your credit card's black-out dates?
Do you invariably wind up next to the guy on the airplane who talks non-stop and dribbles food on his shirt the entire flight?
Well, wipe that sad face off your sour mug, Faithful Traveler! Gadling and Capital One Venture are teaming up to make five lucky winners a lot less frustrated. If you're America's "most frustrated traveler," you could win one of these great prizes:
- One Grand Prize Winner will receive a free 3 day/2 night trip to the destination of their choosing for two, including roundtrip airfare (within the continental United States) and hotel* – valued at $3,000.
- One Second Prize Winner will receive a hassle-free travel essentials pack consisting of items such as a Garmin GPS and Bose noise canceling headphones – valued at $1,500.
- Three Runner-up Winners will each receive a Marriott TravelCard – valued at $100 each.
What's the catch? Well... you have to relive your experience one more time. To be eligible for the fantastic, frustration-reducing prizes in this contest, head to the comments and describe in 250 words or less your most frustrating travel moment, and why you deserve to win a free (and frustration- and hassle-free) trip courtesy of Gadling and Capital One Venture.
Before we get to the legal bits, let us remind you of some of the travel-friendly features of Capital One's Venture card:
- You can earn 2 miles per dollar on all purchases, every day;
- There are NO foreign transaction fees;
- You can receive 10,000 bonus miles when you spend $1,000 in the first three months;
- You can enjoy the freedom to redeem your miles on any airline, any time, with no blackout dates;
- Your rewards don't expire; plus there's no limit on how many miles you can accumulate, no special spending categories and no separate rewards enrollment requirements;
- You can have the flexibility to redeem for any travel purchase – air fare, hotel room, rental car, you name it!
- To enter, describe in 250 words or less your most frustrating travel moment, and why you deserve to win a free (and frustration- and hassle-free) trip. Leave your story in the comments section below. Be creative and descriptive!
- The comment must be left before Friday, November 5, 2010 at 5:00 PM Eastern Time.
- You may enter only once. Winners will be selected at random.
- One Grand Prize Winner will receive a free 3 day/2 night trip to the destination of their choosing for two, including roundtrip airfare (within the continental United States) and hotel* – valued at $3,000. One Second Prize Winner will receive a hassle-free travel essentials pack consisting of items such as a Garmin GPS and Bose noise canceling headphones – valued at $1,500. Three Runner-up Winners will each receive a Marriott TravelCard – valued at $100 each.
- Open to legal residents of the 50 United States, and the District of Columbia who are 18 and older.
- Click here for the complete official rules of this giveaway.
Happy travels and good luck!
The Gadling Team
* The total cost of airfare and hotel can not exceed $3,000, but you can stay at a more expensive hotel, if you choose cheaper flight options. Alternatively, you can choose a more expensive flight, if you stay at a cheaper hotel.
[Photo: Flickr | rudlavibizon]
Filed under: Stories, Hotels and Accommodations, Airlines, Transportation
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 18)
Bill Oct 25th 2010 9:31AM
What a deal!
StanleyJ Oct 27th 2010 6:12PM
When traveling from Cleveland to Vegas via Chicago our initial flight was 45 minutes late leaving due to having to burn off fuel to compensate for the additional weight of some last minute passengers. We made up the time in the air only to find our gate blocked by a baggage cart of a baggage crew on break in Chicago. Made it to our connecting flight with 15 minutes to spare only to find our seats had been given up - so we would have to take a flight two hours later although our baggage would be on the original flight. Got to Las Vegas, no baggage because the flight it was on never left the ground. Baggage was finally delivered to our hotel 8 hours later.
Maneesh Sethi Oct 25th 2010 10:12AM
I had been traveling around the world for 3 years, and I hadn't seen my family in a very long time. Even though I had tickets to World Cup in South Africa, I decided to surprise my mom for her 60th birthday. Only my siblings knew I was coming, and they decided to throw a HUGE family picnic...with family flying in to eat, all so I could surprise everyone.
Unfortunately, I was flying US Airways. Instead of flying to NYC, they flew us to Atlantic City to wait on the runway for 4 hours because of some aircraft trouble. Then, they took us to Philly, where I had to take out my luggage and recheck it in, causing me to miss my connecting flight. When I finally arrived, my family had already returned home, and I missed my own surprise party.
I should win this trip because I want to take my parents out for a trip, since it didn't work out perfectly last time!
SirJman Oct 25th 2010 10:17AM
On a mileage run, from Seoul-Honolulu-Los Angeles-Minneapolis-Detroit-Chicago-Delhi, I missed a connection each stop, causing my 2 day mileage run, to become a 6 day trip! Being rebooked into Full Y-Class, caused me to earn double mileage and easily bring be back to Platinum Elite.
Allison Oct 25th 2010 10:44AM
I was flying from MIA and meeting up with travel mates on our Sao Paolo to Buenos Aires connection because they were coming from JFK. My flight was rerouted to Rio instead, but cell phone didn't work so I couldn't call to tell them not to wait for me, counter attendant wouldn't help deliver the message--friends had already boarded in NYC--and couldn't reach family in Miami for help. Random airport health inspector finally got Varig, the airline, to help me. I waited for my friends in Buenos Aires airport, but my baggage never made it. I was transferring to Ushuaia, the world's southernmost city, in the winter. Was in freezing weather without a coat.
On the way home, my flight was canceled to MIA, so I got on friends’ flight to JFK and would go from there back to Miami. My seat was broken on that 7-hour flight. At JFK, someone from Varig was supposed to meet me with a connecting ticket, but no one was there. Apparently Varig had bought a paper ticket, not an e-ticket, so AA wouldn’t let me board. Kept shuttling between terminals but no one would help me; a lady from Thai Airways tried, at least. Only after my father pulled the lawyer card on the national Varig phone line did a ticket materialize. I ran back to AA, nearly missed my flight, and my luggage didn’t get on. Again.
Varig went bankrupt a few weeks later.
Cheryl MacDonald Oct 25th 2010 10:48AM
As I exited the RER B at the Denfert-Rochereau station in Paris, I struggled through the head-high, tight turnstile, backpack on shoulders when a man got in right behind me. I thought he was trying to jump the gate for a free ride, but unfortunately his goal was my wallet, which he quickly found. He had come up behind me and pushed me tight against the gate so I had nowhere to go. He reached into my Velcro pocket and grabbed the wallet.
Doing a quick, shaky assessment, I determined my wallet to have two credit cards, $25 in US bills, 40 Euro, and a drivers license. Thankfully my passport was deep in my backpack. In the 30 minutes it took to get to a place to report my cards stolen, $3000 dollars had been charged.
After a few glasses of wine I forgave myself and tried to move on to enjoy the Paris setting. The VERY NEXT day, in the same station, it happened again!! I learned my lesson and had all my remaining valuables locked in a big pocket of my pack with a small luggage lock. This time the pickpocket found his way into a small zipper area of my bag which held a map and a baggie with some tampons in it. Needless to say he was quite surprised with this find! I guess it was some sort of justice as he walked away with his friends laughing at him.
http://www.whatboundariestravel.com
Ann Oct 25th 2010 12:07PM
My most frustrating travel moments are having to sit next to loud, undisciplined children and not being able to change seats.
Angie Oct 25th 2010 2:02PM
My most frustrating travel moment happened the minute I decided to be come a flight attendant. I deserve to win this contest, because I have to deal with 1,000 of America's most frustrated travelers every day, all with a smile on my face, and no one to yell at.
Jim G. George Oct 31st 2010 11:17PM
Back a few years I turned in frequent flyer miles to get two tickets to London. Two weeks before flight date I had not received the tickets. Called the airline and was told they could reissue tickets only if I turned in the original ones.
Talked to person after person, 8 in all. They either repeated this offer or saw what was wrong with their offer but were not empowered to do anything about it.
Finally I called the office of the CEO and found someone who had both a working brain and the power to send me the two tickets.
Becca Oct 25th 2010 4:00PM
Flying home for grandmother's 100th birthday. It’s the US Thanksgiving holiday, but I thought I was smart flying the Tuesday before. No problems getting to JFK and I’m even upgraded for no reason! What could go wrong?
Overbook flight. The majority are business travelers and I'm feeling nice so I volunteer to take the first flight the next day. I get up at the crack of dawn and go back to JFK. Check in/security is a breeze. But, once again: overbooked flight. I’m the one bumped because the airline “forgot” about me. They’re apologetic- give me food coupons, a credit. The next flight is soon and I’m guaranteed on it.
On the next flight I’m getting comfy and then the dreaded announcement - 2 seats are broken. No one volunteers to forfeit and I’m cutting it close for grandma’s birthday. The FA attempts to bump the 2 passengers who checked in last. They refuse claiming they didn’t check in last. They become belligerent with the FAs and we can’t leave until they or someone get off. At this point, I’m so ticked off at them for being rude I loudly volunteer. As I grab my things, I turned to the two jerks and tell them I will sacrifice my flight AND my grandma’s 100th birthday so the other passengers can get home. I then wished them a Happy f*cking Thanksgiving and hoped they got food poisoning. The passengers cheered, the FAs actually hugged me, but I missed her party.
Judy Oct 31st 2010 2:24PM
Good story, but you're over the 250 word limit.
leanne Oct 25th 2010 7:49PM
I was leaving Alexandria Egypt and was sitting in the terminal for almost half the night (by the way it was standing room only and full of cats) evidently cats roam the airport there..when we were finally loaded into the plane they decided that the plane was broken and we were then hauled to the terminal again..after 3 hours it is now 3 am and you can't go to sleep or your stuff magically disappears, we get on another plane and take off for Germany...then on the plane there is no food except the cold leftovers from a previous trip since this plane came to our rescue...so we had cold old food from who knows where and then I was violently sick the rest of the way to Germany and then the 9 hour flight to Minneapolis, then the connecting flight to St. Louis....what a night then what a day...
Paula Oct 25th 2010 8:17PM
I was flying out of Boston to Phoenix via Chicago on US Air and they told me that I couldn't have two seats together due to some booking problems. Since my daughter was very young, I decided to wait for the next flight so that I could sit next to her. We boarded the next flight three hours later and sat on the ground in Boston for over six hours. Three movies two of which were scary movies not particularly appropriate for a young child. (You know where the dead girl comes up out of the swimming pool?) I played Super Mario Brothers for hours until the batteries went dead. There were granola bars and water. Bathrooms backed up. When we got to Chicago many hours later, we had missed our flight to Phx. Slept in the chairs in the airport. No food at the airport b/c the food all closes at night except in the International Terminal. Which we couldn't get into because we weren't flying internationally. Hungry kid, slept in chairs at the airport all night. Arrived in Phoenix and was yelled at by the US Air baggage people. My suitcase was sitting right there. I picked it up and brought it to them to check out. I didn't know that they had to get it FOR me. It was the most miserable flight of my life.
Rose Pender Oct 31st 2010 11:26PM
I was flying from L.A. to Raleigh Durham Airport during Christmas week. I had just spent a week with my family.My hsuband was based at Camp Lejeune, North CarolinaStarted out at Lax around 3pm. Got to Jacksonville Florida where it was fogged out about 12midnite. was traveling with a 5monthold, and 17 piecees of luggage and boxes. lew to Atlanat Georgia where a plan ran off the main runway, flew back to Jacksonville, and sat on the tarp for 2 hours,disembarked and was advised we would fly back to Atlanata in the morning. Could not get a room as all were booked. Kind ticket person got us a place to stay in the VIP lounge for the nite. Got back on board in Atlanta-flew to North Carolina-Raleigh Durham closed because of storm. Landed in Greenfield and took a bus to Raleigh Durham. My husband stayed at the airport for over 24 hours waiting for us. The we had a 200 mile car trip back to Camp lejeune. My daughter and i and 17 pieces all made it home.
Julia Oct 25th 2010 8:19PM
I have never flown before in my life nor can I afford it. I have traveled to Gulfport, Mississippi in the past 6 months and the hotel we stayed in was horrible. They didn't even thank us for killing their roaches! It looked like a nice place but as we all know looks can be deceiving. They would not even give us a discount. I could not locate the board of health for the state of Mississippi so I guess they won this round. There were other issues but I think the roaches far exceeded the other problems.
Amanda Oct 25th 2010 8:29PM
My husband, our children and I took a trip with our inlaws to Myrtle Beach. His parents left a day earlier with our older children and we took our youngest one on an over night trip so she would sleep.. HAHA She was up all night long through our 10 hour drive and we arrived at the hotel 2 hours early and NO INLAWS. They we still 3 hours out. Decided to go siteseeing and get something to eat, our truck broke down, so we walked around for 3 hours. His parents show up, the hotel had messed up all of our rooms, the kids were tired and hungry and crying, it took over an hour to get the rooms straight. Get to our rooms and our key card doesnt work have to wait 30 minutes on the maintenance man to fix it. Get inside to find the room dirty with an air conditioner leak on the tile floor.. accident waiting to happen. The air filter was so dirty it was falling out of the wall so we had to change rooms again! That was the worse beginning to a vacation EVER
FREYA MASLOV Oct 25th 2010 8:40PM
Coming home from LA last July was horrific. 2 screaming children behind me and 1 several rows ahead. The 2 behind me were entertained by their parents after takeoff. The parent's of the 3 year old in front of me brought 1 small stuffed animal to keep the child busy on a 3 1/2 hour ride- no books, no games. The entire plane was frustrated. A unified "at last" was heard when he fell asleep 20 minutes before landing.
Now to make matters worse, the Airline lost my luggage and all the new things I purchased along with all my conference materials obtained during the week. So the whole week was a bust. And I even had the privilege of paying $25 for them to lose my luggage! Migraine anyone?
Michelle Aulicino Oct 28th 2010 10:06AM
My family and I decided to take a cruise, we had never been on one before and heard how great they were. Well the horror began when we got on the ship and realized that it was the smallest of their fleet, there was one swimming pool on the entire ship, it was the size of my bathtub! Then we hit a storm on the way out and my son and I got so sea sick we spent 3 days in our cabins in bed. The trip was so bad that people were vomiting in halls, elevators, on the decks it was so disgusting. We finally docked in Bermuda and everybody at once wanted to get off so bad because of how sick they were, so it took hours to get off, then we could'nt get a taxi to the beach because they were all taken. So we had to rent a minivan, we finally got to the beach we went into the water and there were so many jellyfish that one of my family memebers got stung so bad she had to be medically treated. On the way home the weather was'nt so great we still could not eat very much without feeling sick, finally we docked back to our ending destination and we got our luggage and headed home, thinking my nightmare was over I went to unpack and realized my husband picked up the wrong luggage! So we had to drive all the way back to the port and return the luggage and locate ours. This was truly the trip from hell!
Tracy Oct 25th 2010 8:37PM
I was in the military and had orders to be stationed back in the US from a three year tour in Panama. My first objective was to fly to New York where my car had been going through a complete restoration while I served our country overseas. I booked a flight into New York. I was so excited! I had never been to New York!
My flight arrived right on time. My friend was waiting for me to grab my luggage and hop in his car for a quick ride to pick up may car. Except, he wasn't there. I looked, I called, I searched. He looked for me, he called me, he searched for me. I was standing right where I said I was and he was standing right where he said he was...300+ miles away in another airport.
Who knew there were three airports to choose from in New York? Not me! I felt like the Home Alone kid. Totally alone in a HUGE city I had never been to and my flight to the correct airport wasn't until the next afternoon.
The good news was, my friend's sister was able to pick me up and I got a quick night time tour of New York. (I have yet to actually see NY!) The bad news is, I brought the Panama weather with me and the worst, and hottest heat wave New York had ever experienced happened the night I was stuck in New York.
Connie Oct 25th 2010 8:50PM
I was flying to Greece on frequent flyer miles - my first trip to Europe. The American Airlines booking agent booked me into Heathrow and out of Gatwick in London enroute to Athens. I had no idea how far apart the airports were and booked the ticket. A friend was meeting me in the airport in Athens. My flight was delayed and arrived late at Heathrow. After finding the train and changing some money I was on my way to Gatwick airport. After traveling for about 30 mins. I asked a passenger next to me how long the trip was to Gatwick. I was told about an hour which meant we were to arrive at the time my flight was scheduled to leave. When we arrived at Gatwick I went to the first ticket counter I saw to let them know I was there. They radioed the gate and told them I was there. I was told to hurry that they were holding the plane for me. I ran through the airport and as I ran completely out of breath up to the gate I was told the plane had left. "We can't wait all day," is what they said. I then had to go back down to the ticket counter to find out when the next flight to Athens was. I was told it was in a few hours out of Heathrow!!!! I had to get back on the train and go back to Heathrow while they tried to find my luggage to reroute it. I had no way to reach my friend who was waiting for me in Athens and the airlines were supposed to try to page her at the airport to let her know. Needless to say I arrived about 6 hours later than I was originally scheduled and my friend had no idea where I was or what had happened to me since the airlines did not follow through with their promise to notify her.
I think I should win since the airlines should have known better and never booked me on such a ridiculous flight plan in the first place.