39 Of The Strangest Questions Travel Agents Have Been Asked

Person waving at a car drive off into the mountains

2.42min read

Published 18 November 2019

Flight Centre Author

By

Sam Aldenton

Writer and content creator


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Need a hand with passport requirements?  Confused by cruising or lost when it comes to the best time to travel?  You’re not alone, but you may be surprised by some of the questions fielded by our travel experts from some Aussie travellers.

According to agents from Flight Centre, there are no stupid questions with many travellers coming instore seeking advice on their first trip overseas, however there have been a few funny queries that have customers stumped.

Some travellers seem to share confusion around how much spending money they should take, while others are apparently unsure of Tasmania’s ties to Australia.

Others seem to have gotten mixed up about the requirements for cruising, namely water for the ship to sail on. 

Time zones are another source of uncertainty, with some mystified by the International Date Line and even unsure whether 12pm is midday or midnight.

 

Here are a few of our favourite questions that Flight Centre travel experts have been asked in store:

Friends on holiday
Just need to get the sticky tape out and they'll never know!

1. If I tape two suitcases together then that counts as the one piece of baggage allowance right?

2. If I am flying to Sydney can I bring a quiche on board?

3. Where can I buy an inflatable mattress in Tokyo?

4. Can you pre-book oats at all the hotels I’m staying?

5. Can you post my passport interstate?

6. Are you open on Sunday (asked on a Sunday)?

7. Can I copy my work documents here?

8. How do I charge my phone on a cruise?

9. Where can I buy mobile phone batteries?

10. Do they drive on the other side of the road in NSW?

11. Do you have astronomy books?

 

Star watching at night
Celestial Navigation - the next big thing in travel.

12. Is this the TAB?

13. Where can I pay my parking fine?

14. Can’t they just fly direct from Melbourne to London and if they run out of fuel just glide the rest of the way?!?

15. Where can I exchange my phone battery?

16. The flying doctor goes there, so why can’t I?

RELATED: All The Times When A Travel Agent Saved Someone's Holiday

17. That Jetstar deal to Hawaii, can I get the same price all the way to New York because the plane flies in the same direction from Melbourne anyway?

18. Does APT do land cruises?

19. Should I take tea bags to Japan?

20. Do you learn in training about what to pack for a trip?

21. “Could you please print my ticket?” - Person who hadn’t booked travel with Flight Centre.

22. How much money do I take with me for spending money daily in japan?

 

Woman holding money as she uses her laptop
How long is a piece of string?

23. Random woman walks in store: "Can you have a look at my phone and try and update my Fitbit app?"

24. Is Tasmania a part of Australia?

25. Does your shop have wifi, if not can I use your hotspot?

26. Do I need a passport for Tassie?

27. *Booking a tour in France for the 28th*: “Is this the 28th in Australia or the 28th in France? They are a day behind right? Will we have to remember that while following this itinerary?”

28. Can you top up my Gocard?

29. Can I book a flight here and use a Webjet gift card?

30. I want to do a Cruise, but I hate going on boats. What do you recommend?

31. I don't want to fly to Kuala Lumpur, I want to fly to Malaysia!!!

32. Can I go to Hawaii with a stopover in Dubai?

33. Customer: ‘Can I take a Palm Tree on a flight to Brisbane as carry on?’ Agent: ‘Ahh, no sorry.’ Customer: ‘But it’s under 6 foot! That’s less than a person! Okay okay, what if it was under my 7kg carry on allowance?’

 

Plane flying through pink skies
A palm tree as carry on? That's a new one.

34. Agent asks: ‘Have you ever been overseas before?’ Customer: ‘Yeah, I went to Tassie as a kid’

35. Is 12pm, Midday or Midnight?

36. Will I get sucked out of the plane?

37. How far away is England from London? -- while looking at a map in a brochure.

38. You booked me to the wrong place? I wanted to go to Bali not Denpasar!

39. I don’t want to cruise to Tasmania because I’ll need a passport?

 

View from Lookout Point at Mount Wellington
PSA: You don't need a passport to travel to Tassie if you already live in Australia.

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