17 Stories That Prove the Working Life of Travel Agents Can’t Be Boring

Traveling is often associated with vivid stories. And this can be proved not only by lucky holidaymakers, but also by travel agents who organize these trips. And some of them are happy to share work stories online.

• A family of 5 was stayed at a hotel on the wrong side of a one-way street. They told us it was too far for them to walk across the street for their bus pickup. They were going on a hiking tour. © MizukiYumeko / Reddit
• Agent: What’s the budget? How many people, adults and kids? What are the dates? What type of vacation do you prefer? Destination? Tourist: You ask too many questions! Goodbye! © accent_by
• Tourists scratched the TV set in the hotel. The hotel issued a fine. The tourists paid. They call me and ask, “Since we paid for it, can we have the TV set?”
  I said, “Try to negotiate with the hotel.” And yes, the hotel packed this TV set, and they brought it back home. © isayev_adylzhan
• A customer asked if they could get a refund for canceling their tour because the forecast said it was going to rain. Their tour was 2 weeks away. © MizukiYumeko / Reddit
• A tourist went on vacation with his family. I offered him the option to pay extra for a sea view since his room faced boring walls. He said he had a “life hack” and went for it.
  That same evening, he calls me, furious that the hotel won’t upgrade his room. He said, “I’m their customer, and I’m always right! Until they give me a sea view room, I’m not coming back to this hotel!” And then he went to sleep... on the beach.
  The hotel didn’t care, the family didn’t care, and honestly, neither did I. He ended up spending the night on the beach and came back all sweet and polite, but he kept pestering them until checkout. © datayeva.k

• A woman wanted a trip to Turkey for 2 adults and 3 kids of middle school age. 2 of the kids were basically grown-ups already. The price for 5 people was pretty steep.
  We told her the price of the very first 4-star hotel that came up in our search — let’s say, X thousand. She said:
  — Our budget is only Y (almost half).
  — Unfortunately, prices start from this number. Even a 3-star hotel wouldn’t fit your budget.
  — But you’re a travel agency! I came here specifically for this! Work it out!
  — I’m not sure what you mean.
  — What do you mean? Why do you even work?! I tell you my budget, and you’re supposed to make it work!
  She huffed, muttered something under her breath, and walked off. © Unknown author / Pikabu
• We were having a really boring day. Just the 2 of us in the office, counting mosquitoes.
  A man’s head appears in the doorway, then he cautiously steps inside and says the most expected words for a travel agency, “Hey ladies, do you need stun guns?” He totally made our day. © Aliakini / Pikabu
• A family is at the office arranging their trip. The wife is running the show, the kids are running around, and the husband is just sitting there staring into space — he looks like he’s in nirvana. The wife asks the manager if flying business class is possible. We say yes.
  Then the man turns to the manager and asks seriously, “So what’s the difference between business and economy? We’ll get there faster, right?” © Aliakini / Pikabu
• A woman asks:
  — What should I put in the husband’s name field?
  — You’re not married, right?
  — No.
  — Then leave it blank.
  — But it says I have to fill it in!
  — Just put a dash.
  — But it asks for a full name! © Oleandra / Pikabu
• At a hotel in Thailand, a guest was explaining at the front desk that the microwave in his room wasn’t working. The Thai receptionist didn’t understand. I translated for her, and she was shocked — they don’t have microwaves in the rooms. A technician went to check and found sausages… inside the safe. © Oleandra / Pikabu

• One of my clients called me from Egypt and asked, “Why isn’t the TV working?” I told her to call the front desk. That same day, our company suddenly dropped the prices for the same hotel. I had a few days off coming up, so I arranged it with management and flew there.
  The next morning, I’m walking to breakfast and see her sitting at a table! She looks at me in shock and says, “What are you doing here?” I answer, “I've come to fix your TV!”
  Then I explained everything, and we laughed for a long time. In the end, we became friends and enjoyed the rest of the vacation together. © Ekaterina S. / Dzen
• Some new clients came in. We were helping them pick a tour, and they said, “No, thanks, it’s too expensive. We found the same hotel cheaper online.” Okay, I said, no problem — go ahead and book it there.
  A few days later, they call. I don’t even remember what their problem was. I told them to contact the website where they booked the tour, and they said, offended, “Who can we contact? It's a website, there’s no one to call!” © Lilu / Dzen
• A man booked a seaside trip for 2 people — himself and a woman. The day before departure, as usual, we called the tourists to confirm details and times. He called, and the staff member told him that his wife had already received the information. He panicked and exclaimed, “How did she find out?!” © Victoria A. / Dzen
• We once needed a photo for an electronic visa to India. You could send it from your phone, as long as it was good quality and had a plain white background. We’d then crop it to the right size and upload it to the consulate’s website.
  The tourist sent the photo from their phone — standing in front of their fridge (white, of course) with magnets all over it! © Elena E / Dzen

• A non-refundable trip to Egypt. The child caught chickenpox right before departure. The mom painted her son in daisies and sent me a photo, asking, “Do you think it will look like a kids’ tattoo?” And this was the night of the flight.
  Throw whatever you want at me, but I reported it to the company, and she and her child were removed from the flight. © Victoria / Dzen
• I work as a travel agent, and some of my clients have money but also have been to many places and want something unusual. In this case, I open a list of time zones on my computer and just randomly click on any city. The client is always happy! © Overheard / Ideer
• 3 young women came in, around 20–22 years old. They were picking a hotel in Turkey for the summer. Their criteria: 4-star, not too expensive, close to the airport, all-inclusive, clubs nearby, and the one that really threw me off — “And... please, we want as many single men as possible to be there. What would you recommend?”
  We tried to find an option like this with the entire team. Honestly, it’s a solid criterion for catalogs. © Overheard / Ideer

And here are best travel tips for a smoother journey. Check them out!