What To Do When Things Go Wrong

 "You’re either part of the solution or you’re part of the problem."

 Eldridge Cleaver

Imagine you are on a vacation, one you have paid a lot of money for, and have spent many months anticipating.  It is a tour you booked through a company.  But things are not quite the way you pictured them.  Things are not going smoothly, for what ever reason.  Do you continue along with the tour and complain when you get home, or do you take action to change things while you are on the trip.  And if you decide on the last, how do you go about doing that.

We recently took a trip to Africa.  The trip was very expensive, probably the most expensive trip we have ever taken.  And yes it was through a tour company.  Going to Africa is possible on your own, but certainly easier with a tour company, which will set everything up for you.  We thought the trip was excellent.  Sure, there were a few little snafu's, but after all it is Africa, so some allowances should be made.  But there were several in our group who were not happy.  We didn't even realize they weren't happy, because the way things were set up, we didn't always have interaction with other members of the group.  We were separated into 3 different land rovers for our daily safari's, and we tended to stick with the same group even in the evenings, to a certain extent.  So we were surprised when we found out that some of the group did not feel they were getting the right service.

At the Tanzania Border
We had vendors and others who approached us 

Everything was fine with the whole group until we crossed the border into Tanzania.  We had to wait at the border to pick up new drivers and tour guides, because the law says that the drivers from Kenya cannot continue on into Tanzania.  In a perfect world the new drivers would have been there waiting for us, since they knew we were arriving.  However, we did have to wait for over an hour.  We found out that the Tanzania drivers had a flat tire, and they got delayed partly because of that.  But our Kenyan drivers stayed with us until they arrived, and yes, it was hot, and yes there were people there who were asking for handouts and to sell us things.  I did not have a problem with that, having seen the roads throughout Africa I could certainly understand how there could be delays, and I was enjoying interacting with the people, and even bought a few things.  But that was a major complaint of some of the group.

Some also complained that the luxury tents we had along the way were not as luxurious as they thought they would be.  I personally found them to be quite comfortable, and felt they were part of the experience. 

One person in our group was traveling with her 2 teenage daughters and she was the first one who complained to the company.  She actually called the company that she booked with and had her driver fired on the spot.  She later said that she did not feel safe with him, which surprised all of us. But having got to know her a little bit, I tend to think she over-reacts.  She may not have in this situation, but I know she over-reacted to some other things with the group, which led most of us to believe she was over-reacting again.  Whether she was right to do what she did or not, who knows, but she did take action.  Would you have done the same?

Our group with our driver Juma

After this incident there was more talk between the group about how we felt.  The 4 other people my husband and I were with were happy with our driver and with the service we were receiving.  We had no problems.  We did find out that there were others in the group who had some complaints. They had decided to wait till they got home to put in their comments, but since action had already been taken, the company was immediately wanting our feedback.  They wanted to know if we were unhappy with our drivers and did we want them replaced also.  We loved our driver, Juma, and were concerned he would lose his job because the other driver was fired, and there were some complaints about the third driver.  Everyone in our land rover expressed our happiness with our driver. 

After we returned home the company contacted me and wanted to know everything that had happened and how I felt about the trip.  They were accessing whether to keep the company they had hired in Tanzania or to get a new company.  They were interested in everything that had happened and our feelings.  They sent me a voucher good for a discount on our next trip with them, even though I was basically happy with the service we received.  I'm not sure if they sent the unhappy people a larger voucher, it is certainly possible.

So, if this happens to you, would you call immediately, or wait until you got home.  I guess it would depend on how unhappy you were, and if calling then would change anything.  In her case, she was happier with a new driver.  If you were unhappy about something that had already happened and it couldn't be changed, then complaining when you got home might at least give you a partial refund or a voucher for future travel. 


Our Tent in the Serenget
Some didn't think these qualified as luxury tents

If you do need to put in a complaint, then how do you go about it.  In her case, she used her cell phone and called.  I know my cell phone would not have worked in Africa, but I could have emailed the company and probably have gotten a quick response.  If you are complaining after you get home, then there are several ways to go about it.  If you booked through a travel agent then I would go and tell the agent what happened.  The agent will have a company representative with that company and going directly to the rep will have more pull then on your own.  As a travel agent I handled complaints such as that for clients, and usually got very positive results.  If you booked on your own then the best thing is to put it in writing and either email or mail the letter to the company.  Even if you call them, they will ask for something in writing, so best to just start that way.

But however you handle it, if you are unhappy then you should let the company know.  It is your vacation, you paid a lot of money to go, and you should have happy memories when you come home.  If something has spoiled it, then talk to the company.  You may get a refund, or not.  But by telling them the problem, you may stop it from happening in the future, and help someone else.

Next Up - An African Safari

 “There is language going on out there- the language of the wild. Roars, snorts, trumpets, squeals, whoops, and chirps all have meaning derived over eons of expression... We have yet to become fluent in the language -and music- of the wild.”

   Boyd Norton, Serengeti: The Eternal Beginning

 "Reminds me of my safari in Africa. Somebody forgot the corkscrew and for several days we had to live on nothing but food and water. "

   W. C. Fields

 

When I first started writing this travel blog, I did a series on tours vs. independent travel.  When going someplace such as Europe, I am more of an independent traveler, and that probably came through when I wrote about tours.  I’m not big on spending my days going from one place to another on a big bus, with a bunch of other Americans, some of whom I’m probably not crazy about.  I can see Americans at home.  I go to Europe with the hopes of meeting, or at least talking to people of other cultures.  And I hate being told, “you have 3 hours here, be back on the bus at 3PM or we will leave you.”  And usually that 3 hours includes a 2 hour walking tour, which if you decide to take that, then you have an hour on your own, so you can either check out the shops or have a beer and do some people-watching, but you certainly can’t do both! 
 

A Typical Tour Bus

So, while I have done some tours at different times, and I did enjoy them simply because I was seeing something new, they are not usually my favorite way to travel.  There are a few exceptions to that.  My girlfriend and I took a tour of the Christmas Markets of Germany and Austria about 10 years ago.  For that trip the tour was perfect, because it would have been difficult to have gotten to all those markets on our own, in the short time we had.  It was basically a Christmas shopping trip, and the Christmas Markets were our main goal.  It was a fun tour.
 

Our tour guide, Tony and our
driver - in China

Another tour I really enjoyed was our tour of China.  There are some places that I think having some kind of a guide with you, just makes sense.  China is one of those places.  Yes, people do go there all the time on their own, and do just fine.  But for me, having someone along who explained what we were seeing, and got us to the things we wanted to see, was nice.  However, I still would not have wanted the big bus tour in China.  Our tour was arranged through a company that does small tours.  Our group was a total of 6 people, and we were driven in a van.  We had 6 different guides during our trip.  We flew from destination to destination, and our guides met us when we landed.  All of our guides were local to the area, and they were all very interesting people that we got to know, because we were with them for several days each.  They were interested in us, and I found them all fascinating to talk to.  And they showed us their country, which they were proud of.  It was a great tour.



 

Victoria Falls

So now I am in the midst of planning next year’s vacation.  I’m always looking ahead to what is next.  Top of my list is Tanzania, with a balloon ride over the Serengeti, with a side-trip to Zanzibar.  Number 2 on the list is Victoria Falls.  My thought - why not do all 3 things in one trip?  It might be a stretch, but it is definitly doable.

 

 

But would I want to do any of that on my own?  I have decided I would not even know how to do that.  Africa seems like one of those places where you need to have someone along who knows the lay of the land.  And the good thing is, I’m pretty sure there are not any big bus tours in Africa.  There are certainly tours that are more luxurious, and those that are less.  There are tours that have large groups, and some that stay with smaller groups.  And you can spend your nights at hotels and lodges along the way, or in tents. 


Luxury Tent in Tanzania

  

Wildebeast

We have found what we hope will be the perfect fit.  It is a safari where you stay in tents, although the tents are quite luxurious, and because they are tents, will be closer to the wildlife, we hope.  Although we wouldn’t want to be TOO close.  It comes with a balloon trip over the Masai Mara, where we will touch down for a champagne breakfast.  My husband is hoping that we will not be the breakfast for the lions.   I know, my list says that I want to take a balloon trip over the Serengeti, and my balloon trip is actually over the Masai Mara, but the idea is the same, and the main thing is that I get a balloon trip over an African wildlife area, and I wanted to see the Serengeti, which I will.

The tour is 12 days on land and guarantees that there will not be more than 16 guests, and it will go with as few as 4.  So that should be a nice size group.  It also includes a night safari and a bush walk as well as a meeting with a Masai chief.  And of course, all meals are included, since we won’t be anywhere near any restaurants.
 

Zanzibar

There are post and pre night packages that can be added to our tour, and both Zanzibar and Victoria Falls were available.  So we are adding 3 nights in Victoria Falls and the flights to get there, as a pre-package, and Zanzibar for 3 nights at the end.  So the top 2 things from my list will come off next year after we take our trip.
 

Masai Warrior

The trip and the airfare is booked and paid for, as I got a discount if it was paid before the end of the year.  We have one overnight in Johannesburg, South Africa between our visit to Victoria Falls and the flight to Nairobi, there was no way to do that flight straight through, so we were forced to do an overnight there.  I am now looking into a day tour of that city.  I love planning the trip, although this one is pretty well planned out ahead of time, but there will be some free time to plan things.  We will have some free time at both Zanzibar and Victoria Falls.  So I will be studying those areas as to things to do while there.  But besides the planning I have five months of anticipation ahead of me.  Anticipation can be fun too.

So where do you want to go on your next vacation?

My new updated Travel List

"Goals that are not written down are just wishes."

 Unknown
 

To my readers who have been following this blog, you know I have a list of 10 Places To See or Do Before I Die.  But I don't just keep deleting as I do things, until I run out of things to do.  Instead, as I do things on my list, I cross them off and add new places.  That way there are always 10 things to see or do.  Well, we just got home from a cruise, which we took to celebrate our 45th anniversary.  We actually flew to Buffalo, New York, went over to Niagara Falls for 2 nights, then drove up to Montreal and got on our Holland America ship, the Maasdam.  The ship sailed up the St. Lawrence River and stopped in Quebec, Charlottetown on Prince Edward, Sydney, Halifax, Bar Harbor and ended in Boston.  On my list of "10 Things to See or Do" I had both Niagara Falls and Quebec listed.  So those 2 things are coming off my list and here is the new list:

Iguassu Falls, at night

My (Updated) List of Places to & Thing To Do Before I Die

1.  Tanzania & Zanzibar - balloon trip over the Serengeti

2.  Victoria Falls in Africa

3.  Night skiing on a ski bicycle in the Alps

4.  Australia/New Zealand - snorkeling the great barrier reef

HaLong Bay, Vietnam

5.  HaLong Bay, Viet Nam 

6.  Take the Moonlight walk at Iguazu Falls, Argentina

7.  Canal barge trip in France with a visit to Monet's home

8.  Stay at Sanctuary Lodge at Machu Picchu

9.  St. Petersburg, Russia

10. Go zip-lining in Costa Rico

 

 

Balloon over the Serengeti

We are currently making plans to do the first 2 things on the list next year.  All three places can be combined on one trip to Africa.  So hopefully, those will come off next year.

 

 As we have done with all of our recent travels, my husband writes emails home to family and friends and when we get home we put that into a report with pictures.  If you would like to read about our most recent trip to Niagara Falls and our cruise on the St. Lawrence, which took us to Quebec and other places, go to the side bar under Trip Reports of Trips we have taken and it is the last in the list.  Or you can click on this link and it will take you to it.
http://havelistwilltravel.blogspot.com/p/trip-to-niagara-falls-and-st-lawrence.html