Paying the Travellers' Stupid Tax

I've paid this before, and this trip is no different! 🙄 Stupid things, forgetfulness, and mistakes we've made on our travels that we've had to pay "big bucks" to correct! 

Here's a list so far (and I'll continue to updated if we still don't learn from mistakes)!

1. Stolen cash
Where: Homestay in Fiji

Mistake: not locking away $500 in cash in am envelope! Argh! We had locked away devices, laptops, passports and most of our foreign cash. But there was a certain special stash of cash I was transporting from my mom to our kids and niece/nephew for Christmas. I thought it was hidden inside a notebook. Our homestay host warned us to lock up our things, as everyone in the small village knows each other so no one has locks. And I guess the idea that is foreigners had gone out for the day was too tempting for someone. 

Cost: $500 to replace all the cash! 

2. Missed flight
Where: Brisbane to Prosperine (Airlie Beach) Jetstar flight 

Mistake: Looking at the time in our TripIt app and not double checking the actual flight time. TripIt showed it as 3 hours later than the actual time! Still not exactly sure how that happened but it did. 

Cost: we paid $80x 4 = $320 to re-book on the next flight and waited 6 hours in the airport (eating more expensive airport-priced food). Luckily, it was a fairly small re-booking fee rather than having to book whole new flights!

3. Not having Davie's entry Visa, paying again for "on-arrival" processing

Where: Cambodia, Phnom Penh airport

Mistake: I somehow (can't even remember the details) made a mistake on Davie's evisa application for Cambodia so it wasn't approved. 

Cost: We had to pay $30 USD ($40 CDN) to apply and process it a second time, upon arrival at the airport.

4. Not having Davie's entry Visa into Vietnam, being denied getting on a plane 

Where: Cambodia (Siem Reap airport) to board flight to Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam

Mistake: I didn't learn from the Cambodia experience! In applying for all of our e-Visas, I made one digit mistake on entering Davie's birth date. They alerted me 4 days before we were going to enter, I immediately corrected it... But the day of our departure, it still hadn't been approved. And the airline wouldn't let him on unless we had his paperwork sorted (they are apparently fined $500 US for letting someone board without an entry Visa)! 

But I wasn't the only one that made a mistake! Mike E made a similar mistake and was also denied! The rest of the 5 of us all had our Visas. But not Davie and Mike E.

Cost: At the check-in counter we were given a contact for one of the 3rd party rush services. He processed it in 15 minutes and we had to beg the counter to wait for this. It cost us $220 USD ($295 CDN) for this extra rush service!

5. Another Vietnam Visa problem! Mine this time!

Where: Laos (Luang Prabang airport) to board flight to Hanoi, Vietnam

Mistake: I had used my Vietnam Visa successfully to get into Ho Chi Minh a few weeks ago. I didn't check this, but it was issued as a single entry Visa (whereas Dave, Simone, and Davie's corrected one) were all properly issued as multi-entry Visas (as I had applied for)!

So upon checking into our flight into Hanoi (our 2nd entry into Vietnam), I was denied boarding this time. What's worse, it's a holiday (Lunar New Year), so even the paid-for agency couldn't help me out that day! Dave and the kids left without me, and I am -- as we speak -- waiting in Luang Prabang for expedited processing of an urgent Visa and crossing my fingers to get onto the sold-out flight tonight on standby!

Cost: Extra cab: $6; extra hotel: $60 CDN. Rush visa service: $180 USD ($240 CDN). So far....!!

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