It’s a small world, and for some it’s smaller than for others. Cathedral City Travel’s Maria Millard had me in stitches when she related the story of her recent birthday treat.
Because it was a significant birthday, Maria’s husband Rob had organised a surprise trip to Reykjavik to enjoy a few days of Icelandic culture.
On the evening of their arrival, while dining in a smart restaurant, it occurred to Maria that they hadn’t advised their credit card provider, Tesco, that they would be using their card abroad.
Rob decided to make a call to ensure they didn’t encounter any problems and eventually got through to the company’s financial call centre.
“I’m just ringing to let you know that I’m in Iceland and I will be using my card”, said Rob to the call centre worker.
There was a short silence at the end of the line, before the operative replied, “Has there been a problem? Has the card been refused?”
“No,” said Rob, “I haven’t paid for anything yet.”
“That’s ok. There should be no problem,” reassured the young man, “Tesco’s card is accepted in all supermarkets.”
I understand that both Maria and Rob drank a schnapps toast to him – when they’d stopped laughing.
Getting the hump in Egypt
A couple who had recently returned from a Nile cruise with Classic Holidays came in to let me know that not cancelling their trip when the troubles began was the best decision they’d ever made.
Classic had kept us and the clients informed of the situation, assuring us that it was safe to travel and the happy holidaymakers had nothing but praise all round.
“Because so many passengers had cancelled, it was like a party on a private yacht,” they said. “The staff were so attentive and pleased that not all tourists had given up on them.”
It was their first trip to Egypt and they wanted the full tourist experience, including a photo opportunity with a camel.
“We were told by a very charming, smiling old camel handler that it cost 10 Egyptian pounds for a photo next to the animal,” said my client. “Then he said it was no extra to sit on it, which I did. He then said it was no extra for the camel to stand, so up it got.”
It was only as she smiled into the lens, resplendent on the upright beast that the handler told them it would be 20 Egyptian pounds for the camel to set her back down again. Enough to give anyone the hump!