I was with a group of 25 who were flying to a total of 9 different airports in the UK, so for the journey back to Palma airport our Tour Manager divided us into 3 separate groups leaving the hotel up to 2 hours after each other. The TM was on the second coach with me and half way to Palma started receiving panicky text messages from one of the passengers who had already arrived at the airport, saying that she had lost her pre-printed Easyjet boarding pass. There wasn't anything the TM could do directly so he contacted the Duty Officer in London but fortunately, before London could take action, a final text came from the passenger to say that she'd arrived at the Easyjet desk and they had just printed off another boarding pass for her (whether because she was elderly, distressed or both, I don't know).

Resolving the problem had been complicated for our TM by the fact that the passenger had a new mobile phone and seems only to have found out how to text on it but not how to use the phone part. He tried several times to speak to her to find out what was happening but each time was switched to voicemail. So, please, if you get yourself a new mobile phone just before you go on holiday, familiarise yourself with it so that you can use it properly and contact/be contacted by your Tour Manager and others. You never know when an emergency situation may occur where speaking to someone directly is more important than sending a text or series of texts.

Ann

I've just come back from a lovely week in Mallorca; something that occurred there has prompted me to write this. Please keep your boarding pass(es) safe and somewhere you can find it/them. And, if you get a new mobile phone just before going on holiday, make sure you know how to use it (the phone part as well as how to text).

I was with a group of 25 who were flying to a total of 9 different airports in the UK, so for the journey back to Palma airport our Tour Manager divided us into 3 separate groups leaving the hotel up to 2 hours after each other. The TM was on the second coach with me and half way to Palma started receiving panicky text messages from one of the passengers who had already arrived at the airport, saying that she had lost her pre-printed Easyjet boarding pass. There wasn't anything the TM could do directly so he contacted the Duty Officer in London but fortunately, before London could take action, a final text came from the passenger to say that she'd arrived at the Easyjet desk and they had just printed off another boarding pass for her (whether because she was elderly, distressed or both, I don't know).

Resolving the problem had been complicated for our TM by the fact that the passenger had a new mobile phone and seems only to have found out how to text on it but not how to use the phone part. He tried several times to speak to her to find out what was happening but each time was switched to voicemail. So, please, if you get yourself a new mobile phone just before you go on holiday, familiarise yourself with it so that you can use it properly and contact/be contacted by your Tour Manager and others. You never know when an emergency situation may occur where speaking to someone directly is more important than sending a text or series of texts.

Ann

Following on from Ann's post: I got a new mobile with BT naively assuming I would be able to use the phone part in Italy. WRONG!! Unless I was connected WiFi, via the BT Smartphone app the darned phone was useless. Not a lot of good when you are away from WiFi, trying to meet up with someone, and can't ring them!

Unlike Vodaphone, my old, now resurrected phone, you are not automatically connected by BT to the local service. Vodaphone's "welcome to ......." may be amusing, but at least you know you have a phone connection.

Sylvia