The Travel Thread

[Back2Lawrence]

Would this discipline apply to f@#king in the restroom? Asking for a friend.

3 knocks means…run.

Unless that’s your thing.

[pdub]

Why, with today’s tech, is renting cars so difficult?

An app should verify everything you need for those who don’t want to deal with a human. Scan your phone, get your keys from a lockbox of some type.

Instead I pre-checked in only to be in line for, at this point, half an hour.

[RainbowsandUnicorns]

Why, with today’s tech, is renting cars so difficult?

An app should verify everything you need for those who don’t want to deal with a human. Scan your phone, get your keys from a lockbox of some type.

Instead I pre-checked in only to be in line for, at this point, half an hour.

Welcome to my world of car rentals! I understand the frustration.
Unless I rent a car at a major airport, I fully expect the experience to suck. As my last two car rentals (West Hollywood California and Natick Massachusetts) lived up to my expectations of suck/ed.

[Overlander]

I have been renting my cars on Turo for about 6 years.
Love it. Never in line, ever.

[jfish26]

Why, with today’s tech, is renting cars so difficult?

An app should verify everything you need for those who don’t want to deal with a human. Scan your phone, get your keys from a lockbox of some type.

Instead I pre-checked in only to be in line for, at this point, half an hour.

It's horrible, up and down the industry. For the most part, I've found that picking and sticking to a loyalty program helps...but even then there are inexplicable failures that cause you to, for example, be in a three hour line at LaGuardia.

[TDub]

I avoid all of that by not going to airports, works great

[KUTradition]

I avoid all of that by not going to airports, works great

^^^^

there are maybe 2 or 3 places, internationally, that i’d still like to visit before i die

otherwise, i could never set foot on another plane for the rest of my life and die a happy man

[Sparko]

Want to tour Scotland, but ditto on aircraft

[pdub]

Why, with today’s tech, is renting cars so difficult?

An app should verify everything you need for those who don’t want to deal with a human. Scan your phone, get your keys from a lockbox of some type.

Instead I pre-checked in only to be in line for, at this point, half an hour.

It's horrible, up and down the industry. For the most part, I've found that picking and sticking to a loyalty program helps...but even then there are inexplicable failures that cause you to, for example, be in a three hour line at LaGuardia.

I was in a one hour line, had a reservation for 1 PM, it was 3 PM when I got to the front desk, only to find out they had run out of cars and I was now 12th in line...I was wondering what all these people were doing on the floor from Hertz to Budget to Enterprise to Avis...and why people from those counters were shouting names in between dealing with people in line ( I thought it was member rewards people getting special treatment ).

No, the entire rental system at the airport didn't have enough staff to handle the car turnovers.
I waited over 2 more hours on the floor with my BUD and mini BUD and missed a gorgeous afternoon of vacay.

At least I didn't rent from Avis...30 minutes before I got my car the agent came out and said no more cars for anyone today ( I think they closed at 6 ). Holy shit - there were around 30 people around the counter who had reserved cars and weren't going to get them.

[jfish26]

Why, with today’s tech, is renting cars so difficult?

An app should verify everything you need for those who don’t want to deal with a human. Scan your phone, get your keys from a lockbox of some type.

Instead I pre-checked in only to be in line for, at this point, half an hour.

It's horrible, up and down the industry. For the most part, I've found that picking and sticking to a loyalty program helps...but even then there are inexplicable failures that cause you to, for example, be in a three hour line at LaGuardia.

I was in a one hour line, had a reservation for 1 PM, it was 3 PM when I got to the front desk, only to find out they had run out of cars and I was now 12th in line...I was wondering what all these people were doing on the floor from Hertz to Budget to Enterprise to Avis...and why people from those counters were shouting names in between dealing with people in line ( I thought it was member rewards people getting special treatment ).

No, the entire rental system at the airport didn't have enough staff to handle the car turnovers.
I waited over 2 more hours on the floor with my BUD and mini BUD and missed a gorgeous afternoon of vacay.

At least I didn't rent from Avis...30 minutes before I got my car the agent came out and said no more cars for anyone today ( I think they closed at 6 ). Holy shit - there were around 30 people around the counter who had reserved cars and weren't going to get them.

And, it's sort of amazing - all of the car rental websites and apps are barely functional when they function at all. We have talked about it on here before, but someone that just brought Target- or Starbucks-type reliable competence to the industry would run away with it.

[pdub]

You could charge 10-15% more than your competitors and just be honest about when reservations got booked up and then focus on customer care, responsible practice and ease of use.

I think you'd clean up.

[KUTradition]

A United Airlines (UAL.O) jet lost a main landing gear wheel while taking off from Los Angeles, it said on Monday, months after a similar incident at the carrier involving a Boeing jet.

The United Flight 1001, a Boeing 757-200 (BA.N), safely landed in Denver after losing one wheel on takeoff, the carrier said in an emailed statement…

[Overlander]

When we were kids, we used to play in the wooded hills north of the river in KC. There were 2 complete wheel assemblies from airplanes out there. 2 different sizes

[Sparko]

Yep Mx errors.

[Shirley]

For these renters, hidden cameras at their Airbnbs have spiraled into nightmares. CNN’s Kyung Lah investigates how the company keeps its hidden camera problem quiet.

‘So creepy’: Inside CNN’s investigation of Airbnb’s hidden camera problem

[RainbowsandUnicorns]

For these renters, hidden cameras at their Airbnbs have spiraled into nightmares. CNN’s Kyung Lah investigates how the company keeps its hidden camera problem quiet.

‘So creepy’: Inside CNN’s investigation of Airbnb’s hidden camera problem

I need to get ready for work but without giving it too much thought and taking too much time.....
Justifiable or not, extreme or not, my biggest fears of renting an Airbnb are.....
1. You don't really know the person you are renting from. What if this person is someone that is shady? For example, someone else has a vendetta against them. They see someone (you) in the house. They do (or have someone else do) something to harm YOU thinking you are the person.
2. I assume it states in the contract but let's say someone robs the house and steals your belongings. Who is liable and how big of a pain in the ass is it to make claims?
3. If you rent from an Airbnb and then the person who rents you their home/apartment gets in trouble for violating their lease, and they have to go to court, can you possibly have to be involved in the legal proceedings?
4. Does the host have the ability to cancel your booking at the last minute and/or deny you access if they decide they don't want to rent to you
5. Who else has keys to the home/apartment and is there a risk they will enter the home/apartment?

[Overlander]

You worry too much.

[Shirley]

Of course! Now that I'm at a place in life where I have the time and means to travel, if it isn't a world-wide pandemic, it's (totally understandable), local hostility.

So many landlords have converted apartments in tourist destinations into short-term rentals, (1/3rd of all apts in the city of Malaga, Spain), people who live there can't find or afford a place to live in their home towns anymore. "...it's like living in a theme park, that everything is not really for living there..."

(Reminds me of how the residents who lived and worked in the city of Aspen, were already being priced out and forced to move to Basalt, in the mid-80s.)

The Spanish economy has been growing faster than most of its European neighbours recently - and that's in great part due to its tourism industry.

Tourism contributes around 13% of GDP growth to the country's economy thanks to a model based on sand, sea and sun.

This year, nearly 100 million foreign visitors are expected - a new record - and not everyone is happy about the influx of tourists.

Anti-tourism protests have been taking place across many parts of the country, including popular destinations Barcelona and Malaga

Anti-tourism protests across Spain continue despite economic growth

Protesters carrying signs with anti-tourist slogans and chanting "tourists go home" took to the streets of Barcelona, saying mass tourism is making the city unaffordable to residents.

Thousands join anti-tourism protests in Barcelona

[RainbowsandUnicorns]

Somewhat reminds me of the HUGE wave of foreign travel after the Covid travel "restrictions" were lifted. Locals (in foreign countries) weighed if it was a good thing or a bad thing. Many felt it was too much too soon. They (locals) themselves were trying to get back to their own "normalcy" and it was all but impossible to do as such so quickly.
Heck, got to the point Americans were traveling to foreign destinations and rightfully complaining that they were way too crowded with Americans.

I remember when Chicago was trying to get the 2016 Olympics. The majority of people I discussed it with said they would gladly rent out their home/apartment and leave town. I would have been involved in the Olympics had Chicago won the bid so I would have stayed in Chicago. My primary thoughts were, sure it would be really cool to have the Olympics in Chicago but a) What a massive cluster fuck it would be so many people, b) it very well may suck more for me than be cool for me, c) I have no idea how the city could/would continue to run as "business as usual" and there would have to be shut downs of many things that would have significant consequences for the residents.

[Shirley]

Meanwhile, it's a good day to not be flying. The Crowd Strike glitch on Microsoft systems has grounded many airlines domestically and around the world. My daughter is currently stuck in Malaysia having flown there on her way from Thailand to Bali.

Thanks, Biden!