Weirdest Travel Agent Requests
The Request: Book a trip with a pet Chihuahua. The destination? Chihuahua, Mexico, of course. The reason? To help the pet discover his roots.
The Results: “I’m good at keeping a straight face,” Steven informed. “I’ve seen it all.” Showcasing a well-rehearsed stoicism, the canine-centric trip was planned with only the dog in mind. Both a pet-friendly flight and hotel were booked, and the dog finally received his opportunity to delve deep into his heritage.
The Request: Transport a bag of the traveler’s own blood to South Africa, in case there was an accident and he needed a blood transfusion.
The Agent: Diane Hilliard
The Results: “I thought it was, at first, kind of sensible,” said Diane. “But when I realized the logistics, it just didn’t make sense.” After discussing the extensive requirements necessary to haul one’s own blood overseas — namely equipment rental to preserve the blood — the traveler decided to take his chances and travel without a standby transfusion. He survived the trip.
The Request: Book a cruise with a room near the elevators. The reason? The traveler explained that sometimes she drinks too much, and that’s the only way she can find her room at the end of the night.
The Agent: Francine Dumont
The Results: “I didn’t really react,” Francine said. “I kept my feelings to myself, but I thought this was really, really strange.” Feelings aside, Francine’s client was given her elevator-adjacent room and was able to spend her trip hitting the bottle with nary a concern about finding her way back.
The Request: Sneak a Snickers candy bar into a destination spa to fulfill a craving.
The Agent: Heidi Schwartz
The Results: The agent purchased a single bite-sized Snickers bar—just enough to take off the edge, and not too much of a rule-breaker during a trip intended to focus on health and wellness—and sent it via FedEx to the client, who was able to satisfy her craving between treatment sessions.
The Request: To book a room in Orlando. A room, that is, with a view of the ocean.
The Results: As Orlando is a good 40 miles from the coast, this one took a little extra effort. When Garfi said that ocean view rooms weren’t a possibility, the client replied, “That’s not true. I looked it up on a map. Florida is a very skinny state.”
The Request: Get married in Las Vegas, The catch? To be married by an Elvis impersonator impersonating a rabbi. Yes, you read that right.
The Agent: Paul Gilbert
The Results: Anything can happen in Vegas. Gilbert — who laughed when the request was made — made several phone calls and managed to track down a few wedding factories that assured him they would be able to procure a kosher King of Rock 'n’ Roll. However, the client eventually canceled his request.
The Request: To go on a cruise, but due to some gastrointestinal complications, the traveler could only drink green Gatorade.
The Results: Always aiming to please, this agent gave the ship several weeks notice and informed them of this special circumstance. Six cases of green Gatorade were flown in, and by the time the client boarded, every bar and restaurant aboard the ship was fully stocked with the fluorescent beverage.
The Request: To camp in the Sahara Desert in the middle of August. The traveler also wanted to make sure his tent was kept nice and cool, to shield him from the desert’s intense summer heat.
The Agent: Joel Zack
The Results:Temperatures in the Sahara that time of year can easily exceed 130 degrees, so to fulfill this request, the agent had to purchase a massive generator from nearby Casablanca. It was used to power an air-conditioning unit that had to remain full blast at all times, because the cool air easily escaped through the tent’s walls.
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