by Robin Amster
Last updated: 11:00 AM ET, Thu February 2, 2017
Never overestimate travelers' sophistication-or, uh, smarts. That's the takeaway from a list of what ASTA has dubbed "bizarre requests made to travel agents."
The association decided to share these - we have to admit - fun questions, in honor of National Plan for Vacation Day.
"These are real requests made by real travelers," ASTA assures the skeptics among us who find it hard to believe that someone would actually ask: "Are there toll roads on the way to Hawaii?"
ASTA President and CEO Zane Kerby pointed out that, "There are 658 million unused vacation days left on the table every year by American workers."
"Consumers have a wealth of information available to them via the Internet," he added. Looks like that information though doesn't include the answer to another client's question: Can we take a cruise to Las Vegas?
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"This list is proof that some consumers need a little extra help when they plan vacations, and that's where we come in," said Kerby.
Here then are ASTA's 22 "Bizarre Requests made of an ASTA professional travel agent," in no particular order:
1. Can I fish off of the cruise ship?
2. Do they speak English in Britain?
3. Can I bring a 12 pack of Tab on the plane? (Agent responds: First of all, where did you find Tab? And no, you can't bring it on the plane).
4. Are there toll roads on the way to Hawaii?
5. Can you make sure I don't get a window seat on the plane because I just had my hair done?
6. Can you set it up so that the whales jump in the background at the same time I'm proposing to my girlfriend?
7. I was looking online at the picture of our room. I hate the curtains. I don't think I'll be able to sleep in that room with those curtains. Can you cancel the whole trip?
8. Don't tell my fiancé this is where I took my first wife for our honeymoon.
9. I'd love a train trip to Africa . . .No, I mean I want a train trip from New York to Cape Town.
10. Guest in the aft of the ship asks, Which elevator takes you to the front of the ship?
11. "I had a grandmother and granddaughter who wanted to visit China," reports one agent. "When informed them that they needed visas, the grandmother responded, "No we don't. I went to China with my church group last year and I was able to use my American Express card all over the country."
12. Can you please book the honeymoon suite for us and another couple?
13. I want to take a cruise to Las Vegas.
14. Does the crew actually sleep onboard the cruise ship?
15. Can we drive our rental car in Hawaii out of state? We want to go to Alaska. After all, they are the 49th and 50th states on the map . . . so there must be a bridge, right?
16. I would like to go somewhere where there are not a lot of men.
17. I'd like to get married in the Caribbean on an island where the marriage is not legal in the U.S.
18. Will there be shadows on my face at 4 p.m. when the pictures are taken?
19. Will you watch my pet while I'm away?
20. How can I get to Europe without going by air or sea?
21. I'd like to visit Scotland and Denmark on the same trip. (The agent then tells the client he does not have time in his schedule to travel the distance). But they're only an inch apart on the map, the client says.
22. Can you ask the airline to block the seat next to me so I can stretch out?
ASTA reminds travelers that they can find an ASTA agent, sorted by location or specialty, through its consumer-facing website atTravelSense.org.
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