When Things Go Sideways

When Travel Goes Wrong

Practical fixes for the stuff nobody plans for. Lost luggage, flight chaos, money headaches, and everything in between. Real situations, real steps.

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24 millionbagsMishandled worldwide each year

1 in 5flightsDelayed or cancelled in Europe

Up to €600compensationYou could be owed

24 hoursaverageTo trace most lost bags

Figures checked

SITA Baggage IT Insights, mishandled baggage volumes and recovery times.
EU Regulation 261/2004, compensation bands for delays, cancellations and denied boarding.
UK retained version of EU261, the rules that apply to UK departures.

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Do this first

The first 30 minutes

Whatever's gone wrong, the opening half hour looks much the same. Get these four things right and every claim afterwards gets easier.

Report it before you leave

Baggage desk before you exit the airport. Police station before you leave the city. Reception before you check out. No report, no claim, and nobody makes an exception later.

Photograph everything

The damaged bag, the tag, your boarding pass, the departure board showing the delay, the hotel room that looked nothing like the listing. Timestamps do a lot of heavy lifting.

Get it in writing

A reference number, a PIR, the reason the airline gave for the delay. Ask them to email it to you while you're standing there. Verbal promises have a habit of evaporating.

Keep every receipt

Reasonable expenses are usually claimable, but only with proof. Tell your insurer inside their reporting window too, often 24 to 48 hours, or they can refuse the lot.

Luggage Nightmares

Your bag's gone, damaged, or delayed. Here's what to do at each stage.

Airline Broke My Bag: A Calm, Universal Guide to damaged Luggage

Lost Luggage Nightmare: How to Track It Down in 24 Hours

Travel Mishaps? No Worries! Conquer Common Travel Problems Like A Pro

Passport & Document Emergencies

Lost it. Damaged it. Name spelled wrong on the booking. None of it's ideal, but all of it's fixable.

Misspelled Your Name on a Flight Booking? The 2026 Fix Guide for Every UK Airline

5 Tips for Facing Common Travel Problems: Lessons from a Lost Passport

Can I Travel With A Damaged Passport? Tips, Truths & Tales From The Road

Money & Currency Problems

The ATM swallowed your card. The exchange rate was a rip-off. Here's how to deal with both.

Currency Exchange Rip-Off: 5 Smarter Ways to Swap Money Abroad

ATM Ate My Card Abroad: 4 Ways to Get Cash Fast

Flights & Bookings

Delayed. Cancelled. Name typo. Unprotected holiday. Everything you need to know about getting what you're owed.

easyJet Flight Delay Compensation: The Honest Guide to Getting Paid Out

Ryanair Flight Delay Compensation: How to Get the Money You’re Actually Owed

Delayed or Cancelled Flight? Here’s How to Get Paid

Why Booking ABTA and ATOL Protected Holidays Is Your Smartest Travel Decision

How to Handle Flight Delays Without Losing Your Cool

The Lighter Side

Because sometimes the best you can do is laugh about it afterwards.

The Comedy of Errors: Hilarious Travel Fails and How to Avoid Them

For platform comparisons and booking tips, see our Transport hub.

View all travel tips

Worried about scams?

Theft & scams hub

Pickpockets, taxi scams, fake tickets, dodgy card readers. How to spot them, avoid them, and what to do if you get caught out anyway.

See scam guides

Related guides

Other places to look

Quick answers

Travel problem FAQs

The questions people ask most when things go wrong. Answered straight.

What should I do if my luggage is lost?

Report it at the airline's baggage desk before you leave the airport. You'll get a PIR number, which is your tracking reference. Keep all receipts for anything you need to buy in the meantime, because airlines have to cover reasonable expenses. Most bags turn up within 24 to 48 hours. See our full lost luggage guide for the step-by-step.

Can I get compensation for a delayed flight?

In a lot of cases, yes. If you're flying from or to the EU or UK and your flight is delayed by 3+ hours, you could be owed between €250 and €600 (roughly £215 to £520 / $280 to $670) depending on the route distance. That's EU Regulation 261/2004 and the UK's retained version. Airlines don't exactly volunteer this information. Check our flight delay compensation guide for how to actually claim it.

What do I do if I lose my passport abroad?

Call your nearest embassy or consulate immediately. They can issue an Emergency Travel Document to get you home. Most countries also need a police report before they'll process anything, so file that first. Bring passport photos if you have them, and a digital copy if possible. The full process is in our lost passport guide.

Does travel insurance cover lost luggage?

Most policies do, but read the small print. Standard cover is typically between £1,000 and £2,500 ($1,300 to $3,200 / €1,150 to €2,900), but there are usually single-item limits around £200 to £300. And you'll need proof of ownership for anything expensive. Sort the insurance before you travel, not after something goes wrong.

How long does an airline have to find my lost bag?

Under the Montreal Convention, if it hasn't turned up after 21 days, it's officially lost and you can file a full claim. Most airlines settle around £1,000 to £1,300 ($1,300 to $1,700 / €1,150 to €1,500) under the convention limits. That said, about 95% of mishandled bags do come back within 48 hours, so try not to panic on day one.

What should I do if an ATM eats my card abroad?

Call your bank straight away. The card might be held for a security reason they can explain. If the ATM is in a bank branch, go inside and ask. Keep any receipt the machine gave you. Travel with two cards from different providers if you can, and mobile payments as a backup. Our ATM guide covers all four ways to get cash fast.

Can I travel with a damaged passport?

It depends on the damage. Minor wear and tear is usually fine. But if the photo page is damaged, the chip won't scan, or the cover is seriously torn, most airlines and border agents will refuse you. They have discretion, and they tend to be cautious. If you're not sure, replace it before you go. Our damaged passport guide breaks down exactly what counts as too far gone.

What happens if I miss a connecting flight?

It hangs on how you booked. One booking with a single reference means the airline has to re-route you at no extra cost, plus food and a hotel if you're stuck overnight. Two separate tickets, even on the same airline, means the second one is legally your problem and you're buying a new seat. That's the hidden cost of a cheap self-transfer, so leave a proper gap between flights if you're building your own connection.

How long do I have to make a claim?

Baggage runs on the tightest clocks. Under the Montreal Convention you've got 7 days from collecting a damaged bag and 21 days from delivery of a delayed one. Flight compensation is far more generous: in England and Wales you generally have six years, and five in Scotland, while EU countries set their own limits. Insurance is the one that catches people out, because many policies want to hear from you within 24 to 48 hours. Check your own policy wording rather than assuming.

The hotel was nothing like the listing. Can I do anything?

Raise it at reception first and give them a chance to move you, because platforms will ask whether you did. Photograph the room before you touch anything, then contact the booking platform while you're still on site, not once you're home. If it was a package holiday, the tour operator carries the responsibility and ABTA can step in. A card chargeback is the last resort and works better when you can show you tried everything else first.

Five minutes now, hours saved later

Sort these before you fly

Every guide on this page gets easier to follow if you've done the boring bit in advance. I learned most of this the hard way, usually at an airport, usually at night.

Photos of your documents. Passport, visas and insurance policy, saved offline and emailed to yourself.
Your insurer's emergency number. The 24 hour line, saved in your phone before you need it at 3am.
Embassy details for your route. One per country you're passing through, not just the destination.
A second card from a different bank. Kept somewhere separate from the first one. This has saved me twice.
A tracker in the hold bag. It won't stop an airline losing it, but it does end the argument about where it is.
The airline app installed. Rebooking through the app is usually faster than the queue at the desk.

Plan before it goes wrong

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Planning checklists, printable templates and money-saving tips. The best way to handle travel problems is to prepare for them before you go.

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Sorted? Not quite?

More guides for when things get complicated

Browse every travel problem guide, or use the free planning tools to make sure you're ready before you go.

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When Travel Goes Wrong

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