Travel Case Studies & Practical Application 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Maria books a non-refundable flight but her passport expires 2 weeks before departure. What is her best course of action?
- Request an expedited passport renewal immediately (Correct answer)
- Cancel the flight and accept the loss
- Travel on an expired passport and explain at the border
- Contact the airline to transfer the ticket to a friend
Correct answer: Request an expedited passport renewal immediately
Expedited passport renewal through the U.S. State Department can typically be completed in 2-3 weeks, which may still allow travel.
Question 2: A traveler arrives at a foreign hotel and discovers their reservation was given away due to overbooking. What right do they typically have?
- Nothing — overbooking is legal and hotels owe nothing
- A full refund plus accommodation at a comparable property at the hotel's expense (Correct answer)
- A coupon for a future stay only
- The right to sleep in the lobby until a room opens
Correct answer: A full refund plus accommodation at a comparable property at the hotel's expense
Reputable hotels and consumer protection laws in many countries require an overbooked hotel to arrange comparable accommodations and cover the cost.
Question 3: Jake is on a cruise when a fellow passenger has a medical emergency. The ship diverts to the nearest port, causing Jake to miss a prepaid shore excursion. Who typically covers this loss?
- The cruise line reimburses all missed excursions automatically
- Travel insurance with a trip interruption clause may cover it (Correct answer)
- The passenger with the emergency is liable
- Nobody — it is considered an unrecoverable loss in all cases
Correct answer: Travel insurance with a trip interruption clause may cover it
Trip interruption coverage under travel insurance can reimburse prepaid, non-refundable expenses lost due to unforeseen diversions.
Question 4: A couple rents a car abroad and is involved in a minor accident. The rental company claims damage that was pre-existing. What should the couple have done at pickup to protect themselves?
- Signed the rental agreement quickly to save time
- Photographed and documented all existing damage before driving off the lot (Correct answer)
- Declined the car and rented from another company
- Paid for the full collision damage waiver to avoid any liability
Correct answer: Photographed and documented all existing damage before driving off the lot
Documenting pre-existing damage with timestamped photos at pickup protects renters from being charged for damage they did not cause.
Question 5: Sophie is traveling internationally and loses her wallet containing all cash and cards. What is typically the fastest way to access emergency funds abroad?
- Wait for a wire transfer via her bank, which takes 5-7 business days
- Use a Western Union or MoneyGram emergency cash transfer from a family member (Correct answer)
- Apply for an emergency loan at the nearest U.S. embassy
- Sell personal belongings at a local market
Correct answer: Use a Western Union or MoneyGram emergency cash transfer from a family member
Wire services like Western Union allow family to send emergency funds that can be picked up within minutes at thousands of global locations.
Question 6: A traveler's flight is delayed 4 hours, causing a missed international connection on a separate ticket. Who is responsible for rebooking?
- The original airline, because the delay was their fault
- The traveler, because the connecting flight is on a separate ticket (Correct answer)
- The destination airport's transit authority
- Travel insurance pays for rebooking automatically without filing a claim
Correct answer: The traveler, because the connecting flight is on a separate ticket
When connections are booked on separate tickets, airlines have no contractual obligation to rebook passengers for a missed connection caused by a delay on a different ticket.
Question 7: A traveler returns home and finds unauthorized charges on the credit card used abroad. What is the first step?
- File a police report in the foreign country before disputing
- Contact the card issuer immediately to report fraud and dispute the charges (Correct answer)
- Wait to see if the charges reverse on their own
- Pay the charges to avoid interest and then sue the merchant
Correct answer: Contact the card issuer immediately to report fraud and dispute the charges
Reporting unauthorized charges to your card issuer promptly triggers fraud protection and limits your liability under the Fair Credit Billing Act.
Travel Case Studies & Practical Application 2
Maria books a non-refundable flight but her passport expires 2 weeks before departure.
What is her best course of action?