Okay, this will be the third and last edition of ’a time when things didn’t go quite to plan,’ and I’m hoping I’ve saved the best for last (you can find the first and second edition here). After this one, all my travel is going to be smooth sailing with no hiccups (fingers crossed).
Continue reading: A Series Of Unfortunate Events #3: Last SECOND Award Travel
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
Why you always post old stuff @@ You don't have any new stuff talk about? Almost all articles you posted are experience from awhile back.
Had a similar story trying to get a tourist visa for Vietnam, I had assumed you could get one at the airport, but I did a quick search 1 hour before we left the hotel. I saw you needed some sort of recommendation from the government or something, so I quickly went to a government page, which gave me a phone number. The guy said he would be able to get it for me in an hour. An hour later, and a lot of money sent to a sketchy paypal account, I received the letter by email, printed it out in the business centre, and left Hong Kong.
@ RonPaul - the 'funny' bad luck stories tend to be from a few years back, when I was a less experienced traveller. My current travel is much smoother, but not nearly as interesting to write about.
I do also write about current experiences, such as this from last weekend's trip - https://onemileatatime.com/heathrow-terminal-2-people-mover/
Thank you for this amazing story ! I'm crying au laughter because I can relate to it so much :')
I mean each and every one of your "Unfortunate Events" serie is something that more or less happened to me at some point... The great thing is that you take a laid back approach to everyhting afterwards !
My only regret is not hearing it from you directly with an audience !
Great article! Just a slight confusion: earlier in the article you said the visa must be picked up within 30 days in the UK after it's approved, but then obviously it was attached to your passport when you received it back in Australia. Perhaps you meant the biometric resident card must be picked up in the UK in 30 days after receiving the visa?
I don't understand why you went through such stress to rebook yourself last minute on the Tuesday flight when you'd already succesfully pushed it forward to the next day. Especially since you didn't even have a job lined up yet...
No offense, but this doesn't really fall under the category of "unfortunate events."
Unfortunate events include flight cancellations, lost hotel bookings, missed connections, rejected visa applications on arrival, say, in Turkey, natural disasters, food poisoning, insect and snake bites, a switch to lower-quality champagne in first class, crowded airline lounges, insane Uber drivers, false arrest, screaming quintuplets in business class, involuntary downgrades to non-reclining economy seats, broken IFE on a 14-hour flight, two broken toilets on a 737, four hours stranded on the tarmac, an equipment switch to the old business class coffin seats on AA, and candiru attacks.
@ AS - my partner was booked (separately) on the flights leaving Tuesday and I wanted to travel with him.
And after 32 years in Australia I was very eager to get to London.
You say that you picked up your passport at the embassy. Unless you were living in Canberra, wouldn’t have you retrieved your passport at a consulate?
I enjoyed your story but had to give it a second read over to make sure I'm getting things correct.
1. "I used Virgin Australia Velocity points to a book a one-way Etihad first class award to London. I’d picked Tuesday April 26 as the date to leave Australia, though was flexible in my travel as I did not have any commitments in London until 4 days later."
2. "that once approved, it(visa) must be collected in the UK within 30 days.
3. "I called Velocity, moved the flights 24 hours later as a buffer. "
I understand the anxiety not knowing if when your visa would be approved or even if it would be approved. But after approval, what was the urgent rush that you absolutely needed to leave on Tuesday as you made it sound? Why not just leave on Wednesday, reduce the panic, and take advantage of the chauffeur?
@putout you receive a temporary one month visa to get you to the UK. As I understand it, the BRP is technically the document that will carry your full visa (and must be collected in the UK)
Like others I didn’t understand the urgency of getting on the Tuesday flight. I know you explained it in the comments but perhaps add that detail to the story too.
@ Leo Guam, @ Huy - I knew there was a good reason why I wanted to leave on the Tuesday, and I've gone back to look at the multiple itineraries to check. Sure enough - the AUH-LHR flight on the Wednesday only had business class awards available, so I had to book a mixed-class award when I built in the buffer and would have missed out on the A380 Apartment altogether (MEL-AUH was operated by a 77W).
First class all the way was available on the Tuesday hence I was very keen to leave then. I've updated the post to reflect.
RonPaul DON"T BE SUCH A FUCING ASSHOLE!!!!!!!1!!!!!! YOU'RE NEGATIVE 'FEEDBACK ' IS ONLY NEGGATIVE IS IS NOT EVENN FEEDBACK!!!!!!!!! FUCK OFF!!!!!!!!!!!!!1!1!!!!
JAMES THANKS FOR CONTRIBUTING!!!!!!!!!
Thanks for the story James.
I will add that i have greatly enjoyed your articles since joining the team. You definitely writing talent and a way of expressing yourself that communicates an element of joie de vivre that I think is very engaging. Looking forward to more stories and articles.
Cheers!
The Queen of Australia is head of state of Australia, not the Queen of England (which title fell out of use after the Union of the Crowns in 1707). Although the person is the same at present, the office is distinct.
I was sweating for you as I go through the story. Glad things workout in the end. Happy you are part of the OMAAT family.
It wasn't until the restrictions flowing from the UK's entry to the EU that there were any constraints on Australians ( and Canadians, Kiwis and other commonwealth countries) living and working in England. London in the 60s was full of Australians; many of them are still there.
Living/working abroad for a period, even studying, is a very healthy thing to do and should be encouraged.
"The Queen of England is Australia’s Head of State, and Australia is a proud member of the British Commonwealth."
Really?? The head of state isn't the prime minister of Australia? I will truly never figure out all this UK/commonwealth stuff. Queen Elizabeth as I understand things (which is admittedly a very limited understanding) has no power whatsoever and is purely a figurehead. Can she declare war? Can she ultimately command armies? Can she force Australians, Canadians, etc. to fight in a war declared by the UK? Can she abolish Australia's government and institute a monarchy with an appointed regent? I always thought the answer to such questions was "no."
Anyway, that's neither here nor there. Great article James!
@Jay: There's a BIG difference between "head of state" and "prime minister".
@James: I can't tell how old you are from your picture (you look awfully young), but I find that as I get older, I do more and more of these sorts of stupid things like forgetting to apply for a visa. Not that I've ever done that, specifically - but anything that involves remembering to do something at some unspecified time in the future has a pretty good chance of not getting done, especially if there's some unpleasant aspect to it (like dealing with bureaucrats).
Sucks to get old, and it's only going to get worse. The only way to avoid this forgetfulness bug is to set hard deadlines, put them in my calendar, and apply willpower to not just blow them off.
@James - two glaring issues:
1. Elizabeth II is the 'Queen of the United Kingdom (of Great Britain and Northern Ireland)', not the 'Queen of England'; also in her capacity as Australia's head of state, she is the 'Queen of Australia'.
2. Australia isn't a member of the 'British Commonwealth', it is a member of the 'Commonwealth of Nations'.
Your terminology is out of date by centuries for the first and half a century for the second.
WOW what a nail bitter! So glad it worked out at the 11th hour and 55th minute! So great to read a blogger who is can relate to so many of us who experience our own woes as we navigate the travel process! May your fish & chips be crispy and delicious!
Hi James, great story... but just one thing, being Australian gives you no rights whatsoever to move to the UK and work there. Unless you have the right - and recent - ancestry connections like you have, or another approved means, e.g. as the partner of a Brit or of an EU national (well, until Brexit happens), Australians can’t just up and move to the UK apart from on a 1-2 year working holiday visa for those under 31. Having The Queen as Head of State and being part of the Commonwealth means very little for Australians where UK immigration is concerned. (Speaking as an Australian who lived in the UK for 7 years with no recent ancestry options).
"there are generous working rights given to Australians wishing to move to and work in London"
This is not true! These rights are only available to those with recent British ancestry, like a parent or grandparent. They are not available to all Australians. The only country with generous working rights given to Australians (as far as I am aware- happy to be corrected) is New Zealand.
This may sound extremely selfish, but James, I do kind of hope more of these unfortunate events happen to you, because they sure do make for one hell of a good blog post!
Thanks James, that was a gripping story. It also reminded me to go and organise my passport renewal so that I can go to the USA later in the year. Really enjoy hearing travel stories from a fellow Aussie.
To all the people who consistently make negative comments about people's posts, I hope that you eventually find a way to make an escape from whoever it is holding against your will and forcing you to read and comment on this blog.
@ Emily Moss
Ancestry rights ( and obligations) can be double-edged sword. EG, my dear friend born in Italy but moved to Australia at 3 months old. Went back to Italy for the first time on his honeymoon...promptly landed in jail for failing to complete his national military service. 3 days in the clink before he could get temporary release and it took forever/a lot to have it resolved. 40 years on he can laugh about it.
MY reaction to your comment:
What a load of drivel. WGAF. This only demonstrates what a DH you are.
(now if only I knew what WGAF and DH stood for)
@RonPaul
There is nothing old or dated about James's post; it could have happened yesterday. And it was most enjoyable regardless of when it occurred.
HM The Queen is the Queen of England - not by title but by fact. I don't suppose James was quoting her formal title but giving information on why he could apply for a visa. So please back off such negative pedantic comments.
Nigel, you are wrong. While it may seem pedantic to you in this context, understanding this detail has significant constitutional ramifications.
Another great story James. Well done, how did you like the lounge in Abu Dhabi ?? I think it’s great on a trip to the uk from Aus. Any chance of a review for us velocity members on best ways to earn and redeem VA points esp on international long haul
James , unless they have changed the rules recently (which they may well have done) it would have been a lot easier if as you state your grandfather was English for you and also your father to get a British passport ,, no problems with work visa,s. Dual nationality is allowed in Australia (unless you are a politician- joke).
Frederic Great Britain includes England, HM The Queen is Queen of Great Britain therefore she is Queen of the countries that make up Great Britain. Queen of England is not a title she holds for constitutional reasons, but I am speaking about territory, as I am sure James was. The Land Registration acts give to the Queen all the land in England, and we only own our homes by her gift ( that is why there can be legal compulsory purchase by the state to build motorways etc). She owns all the land in England because she is Queen of it.