What to do if the tour bus left without you. Here’s a real story

We are continuing our column “Debriefing”. Today we will tell you about a case from the life of a traveler who was literally left on the side of the road in a foreign city with her child because of the inattention of her guide.

Marina Avramenko

traveler

Tells her story, which happened many years ago.

My preschool-aged daughter and I were vacationing in Lazarevskoye, from where we later went by train to Sochi. Before that on the beach “Chaika” we bought tickets for a bus tour around the city. The last stop was “Tea houses” in Uch-Dere village, where you can get acquainted with the traditions of Russian tea drinking. The excursion ended shortly before the departure, which was scheduled for 17:00, three hours before our train departed back to Lazarevskoye.

“No one heard our screams.”

Heading with the others to the bus, my daughter and I decided to take a photo against the backdrop of the complex. In full confidence that there is a little more time in reserve, suddenly we notice that the driver starts to drive away. We thought it was a joke, because usually tour guides check everyone’s lists before they leave, especially when they are far away from the city. Our screams, of course, were not heard by anyone.

Slowly picking up speed, the bus was moving away from us. The worst thing is that we did not exchange contacts with any of the organizers of the excursion, and there were no phones at that time. Our things were left in the bus on the back seat, but we had money and documents with us. Until the last we were sure that after some time they would come back for us. But everything turned out to be much sadder – nobody really missed us.

“I had to contact the police.”

And here we are standing, my daughter is in tears, I’m calming her down, saying that everything will be solved, although I don’t really know how. There are no other tour buses – our group was the last one. Public transportation doesn’t run either. Fortunately, there was a roadblock (checkpoint) on the horizon. There we got acquainted with one of the employees, who offered us to get to the city together with the staff in a foreign car, where, by the way, there were five people.

Already on the road we began to look for a solution to our problem, as they could not take us directly to the city. It turned out that the head of “Tea Houses” had connections in the traffic police, thanks to which we managed to contact the checkpoint at the exit from Dagomys and ask them to detain our bus. On arrival we saw three big red buses matching our description.

Actually, there we met our guide, who only at that moment noticed our absence. Until the bus was stopped at the checkpoint, none of the passengers even suspected that anyone was missing (despite the fact that our belongings were lying there). Eventually the tour guide apologized and we were safely transferred to the bus. Nevertheless, the residue remained.

About what to do if you missed the plane in a foreign country, told in this material.

“The main thing – do not give in to panic

The most important thing I realized is that you can not panic. Because all the worst has already happened, and nothing can be changed. It is important to be able to abstract, and that’s what I did – I needed it, because I had a child with me. If you can’t stay calm, ideally find a person who is not emotionally involved in your situation and can suggest solutions.

Now that everyone has cell phones, it’s harder to get lost. Although, for example, abroad, where there is not always a connection, such a situation can happen. Therefore, be sure to exchange contacts with the guide or representatives of the travel agency, especially when you go on a group excursion, where no one knows anyone. It will not be superfluous to write down the number and brand of the tour bus.

If you still had such an accident, try to remember where you stayed with the guide near the place of disembarkation. Most often guides have agreements with store owners and establishments, through which you can get directly to your guide. You can also always contact other tour operators in the neighborhood and the tourist police, which just and solves such issues.

Unscrupulous travel agency: how to assert your rights

Kristina Chepinogo

owner of Che Tour travel agency

In non-standard situations, when you have to act on your own, which heroically and made a passenger with a child, it is important to remain calm. After all, you can always find ways to solve the problem.

Contact the police. Or call the emergency service – the number “112” can be called free of charge and around the clock from any device. If there is no such opportunity, get to the destination on your own. In this case, it is better to keep all receipts – documents about the costs incurred on the way, you can present to the travel agency.

Return the day for a poor-quality vacation. In cases of poorly organized travel, the tourist is obliged to pay compensation. The vacation should not pose a threat to the life and safety of the tourist. Since the representative of the company is responsible for the quality of the tour, it is logical to appeal to him, attaching copies of documents confirming the violation of the terms of the contract. If the firm gave a negative answer, you have the right to sue.

Work through your fears

On the eve of the trip it is worth thinking through all possible situations that may happen to you, and find ways to solve them. A trusted member of the travel industry can help you with this. Do not book a trip through aggregators, where getting through to the operator is a quest. A person needs a person. Let it be your personal agent, who will always be in touch with you and will help in any situation.

At the booking stage, check the contact details of the tour organizers and detailed information about the trip. They may become known later, but a competent specialist will always send them to you himself, even without your request.