17 True Confessions From Travel Agents Who’ve Seen Everything

Traveling is often associated with vivid stories, full of unexpected twists, funny moments, and sometimes outright chaos. And this isn’t only true for lucky holidaymakers who experience these adventures firsthand—travel agents, the people who organize and manage these trips, have their fair share of stories too. Many of them are more than happy to share the wild, humorous, and sometimes outrageous moments they encounter while helping clients make their dream vacations happen.

• So this girl walks into the office. We found her an amazing last-minute deal to Greece at a rock-bottom price. Booked it, confirmed everything immediately. Next day, she storms back crying, like full-on sobbing: “I want my money back!” I start explaining the cancellation fees, and she goes, “Don’t you see who you’re selling this tour to?” I’m like... okay, what’s wrong with this person? Should I have asked for a mental health clearance or something? Turns out, she just hadn’t checked with her husband.
• Three guy friends fly to Bali. Everything’s perfect the first couple of days—sun, beach, cocktails. Then on day three, total meltdown. Late at night, my phone rings. I don’t pick up—like, come on, 3 AM. He calls again. And again. Finally, I get a text. I open it and just... freeze. “Hi Kate, got back to my hotel room from the beach, someone stole my underwear. Please handle.” I honestly didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
• So this guy couldn’t come to the office to book a trip. I asked him to snap a photo of his passport so I could book it for him. What does he send me? A picture of the cover—not the page with his info, just the closed passport. I guess he thought this counted as “proof I have a passport.”
• A woman asks:
  — What should I put in the husband’s name field?
  — You’re not married, right?
  — No.
  — Then leave it blank.
  — But it says I have to fill it in!
  — Just put a dash.
  — But it asks for a full name! © Oleandra / Pikabu

• A family of 5 was stayed at a hotel on the wrong side of a one-way street. They told us it was too far for them to walk across the street for their bus pickup. They were going on a hiking tour. © MizukiYumeko / Reddit
• A woman wanted a trip to Turkey for 2 adults and 3 kids of middle school age. 2 of the kids were basically grown-ups already. The price for 5 people was pretty steep.
  We told her the price of the very first 4-star hotel that came up in our search — let’s say, X thousand. She said:
  — Our budget is only Y (almost half).
  — Unfortunately, prices start from this number. Even a 3-star hotel wouldn’t fit your budget.
  — But you’re a travel agency! I came here specifically for this! Work it out!
  — I’m not sure what you mean.
  — What do you mean? Why do you even work?! I tell you my budget, and you’re supposed to make it work!
  She huffed, muttered something under her breath, and walked off. © Unknown author / Pikabu
• A customer asked if they could get a refund for canceling their tour because the forecast said it was going to rain. Their tour was 2 weeks away. © MizukiYumeko / Reddit
• At a hotel in Thailand, a guest was explaining at the front desk that the microwave in his room wasn’t working. The Thai receptionist didn’t understand. I translated for her, and she was shocked — they don’t have microwaves in the rooms. A technician went to check and found sausages... inside the safe. © Oleandra / Pikabu

• One of my clients called me from Egypt and asked, “Why isn’t the TV working?” I told her to call the front desk. That same day, our company suddenly dropped the prices for the same hotel. I had a few days off coming up, so I arranged it with management and flew there.
  The next morning, I’m walking to breakfast and see her sitting at a table! She looks at me in shock and says, “What are you doing here?” I answer, “I’ve come to fix your TV!”
  Then I explained everything, and we laughed for a long time. In the end, we became friends and enjoyed the rest of the vacation together. © Ekaterina S. / Dzen
• Some new clients came in. We were helping them pick a tour, and they said, “No, thanks, it’s too expensive. We found the same hotel cheaper online.” Okay, I said, no problem — go ahead and book it there.
  A few days later, they call. I don’t even remember what their problem was. I told them to contact the website where they booked the tour, and they said, offended, “Who can we contact? It’s a website, there’s no one to call!” © Lilu / Dzen
• We were having a really boring day. Just the 2 of us in the office, counting mosquitoes.
  A man’s head appears in the doorway, then he cautiously steps inside and says the most expected words for a travel agency, “Hey ladies, do you need stun guns?” He totally made our day. © Aliakini / Pikabu
• A family is at the office arranging their trip. The wife is running the show, the kids are running around, and the husband is just sitting there staring into space — he looks like he’s in nirvana. The wife asks the manager if flying business class is possible. We say yes.
  Then the man turns to the manager and asks seriously, “So what’s the difference between business and economy? We’ll get there faster, right?” © Aliakini / Pikabu

• A man booked a seaside trip for 2 people — himself and a woman. The day before departure, as usual, we called the tourists to confirm details and times. He called, and the staff member told him that his wife had already received the information. He panicked and exclaimed, “How did she find out?!” © Victoria A. / Dzen
• We once needed a photo for an electronic visa to India. You could send it from your phone, as long as it was good quality and had a plain white background. We’d then crop it to the right size and upload it to the consulate’s website.
  The tourist sent the photo from their phone — standing in front of their fridge (white, of course) with magnets all over it! © Elena E / Dzen
• A non-refundable trip to Egypt. The child caught chickenpox right before departure. The mom painted her son in daisies and sent me a photo, asking, “Do you think it will look like a kids’ tattoo?” And this was the night of the flight.
  Throw whatever you want at me, but I reported it to the company, and she and her child were removed from the flight. © Victoria / Dzen
• I work as a travel agent, and some of my clients have money but also have been to many places and want something unusual. In this case, I open a list of time zones on my computer and just randomly click on any city. The client is always happy! © Podslushano / Ideer
• “Willing to pay anything!”
  “Okay, we have an amazing tour for $950 for two.”
  “What? We only have $700... Alright, show us a 3-star, but a good one, beachfront, sandy beach, rooms can’t be old, and seafood for dinner is a must! Oh, and, like... cheaper if possible.”

And here you can read a story about someone who was expected to act as the family babysitter on vacation, but had other plans.