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One of the things I love most about being The Points Guy is getting to hear stories from readers about all the positive ways award travel has affected their lives. That being said, while I love hearing about your successes, I think there’s also a lot we can learn by sharing our mistakes, and I’m calling on readers to send in your most egregious and woeful travel failures.
From time to time I’ll pick one that catches my eye and post it for everybody to enjoy (and commiserate with). If you’re interested, email your story to info@thepointsguy.com, and put “Reader Mistake Story” in the subject line. Include details of exactly how your trip went wrong, and (where applicable) how you made it right. Please offer any wisdom you gained from the experience, and explain what precautions the rest of us can take to avoid the same pitfalls. If we publish your story, I’ll send you a gift to help jump-start your next adventure (or make up for any blunders from the last one).
Recently, I posted a story from Kimberly, who missed out on a sign-up bonus after applying for the wrong credit card. Today, I want to share a story from TPG reader Jeff, who learned a hard lesson about passports at the start of a family vacation. Here’s what he had to say:
It’s easy to take your passport for granted until it doesn’t work as needed, and then it can be a painful, frustrating headache. I can understand why Jeff was taken by surprise, as I’ve seen some pretty shabby-looking passports work with no problem. However, US passport books specify that they aren’t to be altered or mutilated in any way. What counts as mutilation is open to interpretation, but if scanners sometimes have trouble reading your passport, then it’s time to get a replacement.
If you’re prone to misplacing or mistreating your belongings, consider getting a passport wallet. Apart from keeping your passport in good condition, a good wallet can shield you from anyone trying to extract personal information from your RFID chip — even if concerns about skimming are overblown, a little extra protection won’t hurt.
I appreciate this story, and I hope it can help other readers avoid making the same mistake. To thank Jeff for sharing his experience (and for allowing me to post it online), I’m sending him a $200 Visa gift card to enjoy on his travels.
I’d like to do the same for you! If you’ve ever arrived at the airport without ID, booked a hotel room in the wrong city, missed out on a credit card sign-up bonus or made another memorable travel or rewards mistake, I want to hear about it. Please indulge me and the whole TPG team by sending us your own stories (see instructions above). I look forward to hearing from you, and until then, I wish you a safe and mistake-free journey!
Source: thepointsguy.com