This Is Why I Don’t Talk Much About Upcoming Travel Plans
Sometimes, people just suck. I know that sounds harsh, but there’s no other good way to say it. I didn’t think much about talking about my future plans on my blog until a few years ago when a friend who’s also a blogger had some pretty messed up things happen with some of his upcoming flights.
I’ve generally been careful since then about revealing future trip details, just to be safe.
Well, unsurprisingly, there are still crappy people in the world, including the guy who decided to change this hotel reservation a friend of mine posted on his blog (accidentally) recently:
Well, it has just happened again, not surprisingly. On Saturday I posted about the pre-stay email I received from the Ritz-Carlton Almaty, including a screenshot. I accidentally forgot to cross out the confirmation number in the screenshot. I quickly fixed it. Oops — lesson learned, I’ll quadruple check the screenshots I post in the future.
Well, just an hour ago I received an updated email confirmation from the Ritz-Carlton for my stay. Someone rebooked me in the most expensive available room at the most expensive special rate (“romance package”).
Really? That’s what you want to do with your free time, screw with someone’s hotel reservation?
I hope the 2-year old that pulled this trick gets secondary screening from TSA for the remainder of his/her travel days.
The post This Is Why I Don’t Talk Much About Upcoming Travel Plans was first published on Pizza in Motion
I wish I could get that 30 seconds of my life back.
Me too!
Mark and Tweetie, wow. Is it just that you don’t like that blog, or you’d be fine if someone messed with your travel reservations as a random bad act?
Sounds like someone has a dislike for someone and/or someone’s ways/words and decided to act in a spiteful manner.
Asking for the TSA to harass people is not a solution to hotel companies making it so easy for their customers to be financially messed over if not catching such unauthorized activity.
GUWonder, plenty of blame for the hotel companies here. Given the tone of comments so far, maybe I’m missing the mark here. But as a guy who puts a lot of time into my blog helping others without much in the way of financial return, I’d be pretty steamed if someone did this to me.
I find it so hard to believe that someone would do this to anyone. I don’t blame you for not revealing details of your upcoming trips – I am just as happy reading about them afterwards!
Denise, plenty of bad people in the world, much worse than this person. But, with a wife and kids on some of my travel, it does make me a bit nervous.
Every so often we’re reminded there are unpleasant people in the world. One can contemplate what motivates them to hang around “happy places” like blogs that share details about the joys of travel, but at the end we’re left with the fact that some people enjoy being mean.
The world has changed and much to our personal safety. The malicious act of making a false reservation in your name is most likely ‘identity theft’ and could possibly be subject to law enforcement action. I’d bet the hotel has the phone number (i.e. to protect their interests) of the individual that made the false reservation. Perhaps law enforcement should pay a visit?
Michael, unfortunately my guess is that someone either figured out how to do this online or it’s unlikely the hotel chain tracked the phone number tied to the caller. It’s also pretty easy to disguise phone numbers and IP addresses if this is something you do on a regular basis.
I watched that RC being built when I visited Almaty 6 years ago. I stayed at a Holiday Inn instead, which was $300/night. The alternative was a converted sanitorium spa resort.
You have a job as a travel blogger. You have a great job. People shouldn’t mess with your reservation but come on you travel and write about it for a living. There are bigger injustices in the world.
Sure there are much bigger injustices, but this kind of travel hacking behavior is not excusable just because of that reality.
There are some jurisdictions in which this kind of behavior may even be subject to criminal prosecution. Whether or not a prosecutor wants to make the case or not, welcome to “justice” being selective.
GUWonder, I have no illusions about someone like this being prosecuted. But, yeah, disappointing.
Captain Kirk, I have a job. It’s NOT travel blogging. I make a few bucks from ad revenue, but if I ever calculated my hourly rate I’d be waaaaay below minimum wage. That being said, way bigger injustices in the world.
i do not post about trips till i return home!!
Dot, ditto!