But it meant rushing things, so I got a bit sloppy in my scheduling and wound up getting screwed over by a company that was really sneaky.
In order to travel to the UK from the US, now, you have to have an ETA -- an Electronic Travel Authorization that gets linked to your passport and is good for 2 years. I looked online for who to submit it through and the organization that I connected with sure seemed like it was part of England's government, but it's wasn't.
They charged me nearly $125 for them to do the form, when it would have cost me nothing had I connected with the correct agency. But when I mentioned it to some coworkers, they were shocked...and the company refused to cancel the application and refund the money. At least I already have the ETA.
This is the first time I've dealt with needing one so I plead ignorance, in this case. Live and learn, right? Take it off on my taxes.
Next I set up a hotel room by Heathrow Airport for 2 nights, thinking I was doing it through the hotel's website. I wasn't. Again, it was a third party...and they pre-charged my card for the two nights.
My one saving grace is I booked it as cancellable so could have just dumped it...but then I'd have had to deal with setting it up, again, and the final cost was the same, so since I'm leaving so quickly...I just let it slide.
But I don't like being rushed into having to set up travel. I drop into this mood of just get it done and on occasion it bites me in the ass.
At least I learn from these mistake, somewhat. I don't book non-refundable anything, anymore, thanks to getting screwed over by a Holiday Inn in Lisbon...and by having American Airlines steal $400 from me, once. But it's getting harder and harder to catch out those nasty little sneaks running around trying to mess with you.
Another reason not to rush.
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