Advisors: Share your craziest client story for a report in Travel Weekly
Travel Weekly is collecting advisors' stories for a published report about the craziest requests their clients have made.
Did they ask to travel with an emotional support aardvark? Need a flock of a dozen white doves released at their destination wedding? Something else entirely? We want to hear about it and how you handled the situation.
Send us your story.
The best stories, which may be edited for length and clarity, will be published in a future report in Travel Weekly.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
24 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Canadian firefighter says he was denied entry to U.S.: 'Good enough to fight their wars but not good enough to cross their borders'
A B.C. firefighter says he was denied entry into the United States, where he was going to take part in a competition for First Responders from different countries around the world. Jamie Flynn posted on social media on Thursday to detail what happened to him when he was en route to Birmingham, Alabama. He said he was supposed to represent Vancouver firefighters in the Jiu Jitsu category at the World Police & Fire Games. He described the games as an 'international event uniting frontline responders through sport,' in a post on Instagram. 'Being denied entry to the United States is deeply upsetting,' he told National Post in an emailed statement on Friday. 'I lost my flights, my time away, and my opportunity to compete at the World Police & Fire Games in Alabama — an event I had trained extensively for.' Flynn said he is a British citizen living in Canada as a permanent resident. He is a firefighter in Vancouver and volunteers with Squamish Search and Rescue. He has served in the British Parachute Regiment (SFSG) and has also served alongside U.S. forces under Joint Special Operations Command. 'I operated under U.S. command, wore the American uniform, and fought under the American flag. I've always felt a strong bond with the United States,' he told National Post. 'I have no criminal record and no known issues that would justify this denial.' In his post on Instagram, he said he trained for the competition in the U.S. for months. 'And still, I'm grounded — sidelined not by injury or lack of effort, but by bureaucracy and silence,' he wrote. Flynn intended to fly to Alabama from Vancouver International Airport on Wednesday. He never made his flight because his Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) had expired and would not be renewed, Global News reported. He said he received an update on the ESTA app that said, 'Travel not authorized.' ESTA is an automated system used to determine the eligibility of visitors to travel to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. It is valid for two years, or until a passport expires, and allows for multiple entries. If a traveller receives a 'travel not authorized' response to their application, CBP says online that they can look into applying for a visa if they still wish to enter the country. The denial only prohibits travel under the Visa Waiver Program and does not determine eligibility for a visa, per the agency. Canadian citizens travelling with a Canadian passport do not need to apply for an ESTA. Flynn said that he did not receive an explanation from anyone at the U.S. border, the U.S. consulate or the ESTA program. 'This feels like a clerical error,' he said, and, he added, it's cost him thousands of dollars. 'I'm gutted. I'm angry. And I want answers.' He ended the post with the line: 'We were good enough to fight their wars — but not good enough to cross their borders.' Flynn told National Post that he is looking forward to being able to visit the U.S. again in the near future. He has since submitted a visa application. Unfortunately, he said, the earliest available appointment is Feb. 11, 2027. University of Toronto law professor and Rebecca Cook Chair in Human Rights Law Audrey Macklin said her advice for travellers going to the U.S. is to avoid it altogether 'unless absolutely necessary.' 'Even at the best of times, states often treat non-citizens arbitrarily, and do not feel obliged to explain their actions,' she told National Post over email. 'This is sometimes justified on the ground that non-citizens do not have a right to enter, and therefore have no standing to complain about how a decision to admit or exclude is made. Since the rule of law is in free fall in the United States at the moment, the arbitrariness is more extreme, more coercive, and more frequent. That is why travellers should avoid the United States if they can.' U.S. Customs and Border Protection Public Affairs Officer Jessica Turner said in an emailed statement to National Post that 'CBP cannot comment on specifics regarding travellers' ESTA denials.' 'U.S. Embassies and Consulates are not able to provide details about ESTA denials or resolve the issue that caused the ESTA denial,' she said. 'Embassies and Consulates will process an application for a non-immigrant visa, which, if approved, will be the only way that a traveler whose ESTA application has been denied would be authorized to travel to the U.S.' U.S. deports 70-year-old man after he 'violently' kicked a customs dog at an airport U.S. man drives into Canada by mistake, gets busted with 78 pounds of pot on the way back Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here.
CNN
26 minutes ago
- CNN
How one couple saved nearly $3,000 a month by moving to Italy
In travel news this week: how to get the Italian lifestyle when you don't have a billionaire's budget, plus we reveal CNN's pick of America's Best Towns to Visit in 2025. Only 10 made our list: Did somewhere near you make the cut? Money can't buy you love, but it can get you a mammoth celebration of matrimony and mammon that has the whole world talking. All eyes are on Venice this week for Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's big-bucks big day, an event mired in controversy as protesters rail against the damage done to their city by overtourism. However, you don't need a net worth of $263 billion to enjoy the dolce delights of the Italian lifestyle, or the sweet highs of amore, as our CNN Travel picks this week will show. The Smarrellis, from Syracuse, New York, were in Venice for their 50th wedding anniversary when they decided to quit the US and move to a coastal town in Calabria, southern Italy. They told CNN their living costs have dropped by nearly $3,000 a month since making the move. 'It was a good choice,' said Tony Smarrelli. We first reported on rural Italian towns selling one-euro homes back in 2019, as a savvy way to revitalize dwindling communities. The most successful of the schemes has been in Sicily's Sambuca di Sicilia, aka 'Italy's Little America,' but while Americans kickstarted the town's resurrection, young Italians are now grabbing up homes for themselves too. 'Why leave such opportunities to foreigners?' 25-year-old Sicilian Paolo Morabito told CNN. Season two of our 'Chance Encounters' podcast launched on Friday, bringing you a summer's worth of true stories of friendship and romance formed while traveling. CNN's Francesca Street presents the series based on her hit column of the same name. The first new episode follows Catherine Tondelli, a Californian woman who met her Italian husband, Fausto, in front of Rome's Trevi Fountain right after she threw three coins into the fountain's waters and made a wish. There are also six episodes to catch up on from season one, such as the tale of Rachel Décoste who traveled to Benin in West Africa, anticipating a life-changing experience. She jumped on the back of local man Honoré Orogbo's motorbike and the trip changed her life in more ways than she ever could have imagined. In this Unlocking the World roundup we promised you love and we promised you thriftiness. Our partners at CNN Underscored, a product reviews and recommendations guide owned by CNN, have some tips that cover both. Emily McNutt booked her $18,584 honeymoon business-class flights from the US to Southeast Asia for less than $200. Here's how she did it. Also returning this week is CNN Travel's second annual list of America's Best Towns to Visit. After considering hundreds of nominations from our readers and contributors, our editors whittled those down to this year's magic 10. Our choices range in size from about 15,000 residents to about 115,000. They're spread across the United States and capture the remarkable variety that defines the country — from culture and food to history and outstanding natural beauty. Each of these towns is testament to how Americans can build towns and communities that add up to more than the sum of their parts. Our No.1 for 2025 is Ithaca, New York, a lively college town with an outsize number of cultural offerings for its modest scale. There's plenty of natural 'wow factor' as the area around Ithaca is filled with gorges and cascading falls, while refreshment awaits in the many wineries and cider houses in New York's Finger Lakes region. Explore the rest of our top 10 here. North Korea has just opened a massive new beach resort on the country's east coast. The Kalma beachside resort includes waterparks, high-rise hotels and accommodations for nearly 20,000 guests. Could one of the world's most secretive nations be turning towards more international tourism? CNN explains what the new resort could mean for Kim Jong Un and his regime. Visitors keep breaking stuff in Italian museums. First, a man in Verona busted this crystal-covered chair inspired by Van Gogh. Then another guy stumbled back into a 17th-century painting while taking a selfie in Florence's Uffizi Gallery. A Californian woman paid to be on a cruise ship for 15 years. Here's how it's going so far. A private Scottish island has gone on sale for $7.5 million. It comes with its own castle.
CNN
28 minutes ago
- CNN
How one couple saved nearly $3,000 a month by moving to Italy
In travel news this week: how to get the Italian lifestyle when you don't have a billionaire's budget, plus we reveal CNN's pick of America's Best Towns to Visit in 2025. Only 10 made our list: Did somewhere near you make the cut? Money can't buy you love, but it can get you a mammoth celebration of matrimony and mammon that has the whole world talking. All eyes are on Venice this week for Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's big-bucks big day, an event mired in controversy as protesters rail against the damage done to their city by overtourism. However, you don't need a net worth of $263 billion to enjoy the dolce delights of the Italian lifestyle, or the sweet highs of amore, as our CNN Travel picks this week will show. The Smarrellis, from Syracuse, New York, were in Venice for their 50th wedding anniversary when they decided to quit the US and move to a coastal town in Calabria, southern Italy. They told CNN their living costs have dropped by nearly $3,000 a month since making the move. 'It was a good choice,' said Tony Smarrelli. We first reported on rural Italian towns selling one-euro homes back in 2019, as a savvy way to revitalize dwindling communities. The most successful of the schemes has been in Sicily's Sambuca di Sicilia, aka 'Italy's Little America,' but while Americans kickstarted the town's resurrection, young Italians are now grabbing up homes for themselves too. 'Why leave such opportunities to foreigners?' 25-year-old Sicilian Paolo Morabito told CNN. Season two of our 'Chance Encounters' podcast launched on Friday, bringing you a summer's worth of true stories of friendship and romance formed while traveling. CNN's Francesca Street presents the series based on her hit column of the same name. The first new episode follows Catherine Tondelli, a Californian woman who met her Italian husband, Fausto, in front of Rome's Trevi Fountain right after she threw three coins into the fountain's waters and made a wish. There are also six episodes to catch up on from season one, such as the tale of Rachel Décoste who traveled to Benin in West Africa, anticipating a life-changing experience. She jumped on the back of local man Honoré Orogbo's motorbike and the trip changed her life in more ways than she ever could have imagined. In this Unlocking the World roundup we promised you love and we promised you thriftiness. Our partners at CNN Underscored, a product reviews and recommendations guide owned by CNN, have some tips that cover both. Emily McNutt booked her $18,584 honeymoon business-class flights from the US to Southeast Asia for less than $200. Here's how she did it. Also returning this week is CNN Travel's second annual list of America's Best Towns to Visit. After considering hundreds of nominations from our readers and contributors, our editors whittled those down to this year's magic 10. Our choices range in size from about 15,000 residents to about 115,000. They're spread across the United States and capture the remarkable variety that defines the country — from culture and food to history and outstanding natural beauty. Each of these towns is testament to how Americans can build towns and communities that add up to more than the sum of their parts. Our No.1 for 2025 is Ithaca, New York, a lively college town with an outsize number of cultural offerings for its modest scale. There's plenty of natural 'wow factor' as the area around Ithaca is filled with gorges and cascading falls, while refreshment awaits in the many wineries and cider houses in New York's Finger Lakes region. Explore the rest of our top 10 here. North Korea has just opened a massive new beach resort on the country's east coast. The Kalma beachside resort includes waterparks, high-rise hotels and accommodations for nearly 20,000 guests. Could one of the world's most secretive nations be turning towards more international tourism? CNN explains what the new resort could mean for Kim Jong Un and his regime. Visitors keep breaking stuff in Italian museums. First, a man in Verona busted this crystal-covered chair inspired by Van Gogh. Then another guy stumbled back into a 17th-century painting while taking a selfie in Florence's Uffizi Gallery. A Californian woman paid to be on a cruise ship for 15 years. Here's how it's going so far. A private Scottish island has gone on sale for $7.5 million. It comes with its own castle.
