One of the visitors last week came in for a presentation, and left without joining, to discover that their vehicle had a flat tire. One of the staff, who prefers to remain anonymous, noticed the lady back in the room, and learned about their misfortune. He went to his own vehicle, found his flashlight, and stood in the cold giving light to the fellow while he changed his tire. He said he’d have helped more, but the guy knew what he was doing, and besides, changing a tire is kind of a one-person job anyway.

I was a kid in college. A friend was returning from a visit to England, and she has a stopover in Chicago.  Swain that I was, I decided to surprise her with a personal welcome-back-to-the-US greeting. So without consulting anyone, I hitchhiked across Wisconsin to Chicago. This was back in the mid 1960′s, so it wasn’t as impossible or foolish as it would be today.

Anyway, I arrived at the Palmer House hotel, where my family had taken me on a trip when I was in sixth grade, so I had some affection for the place. I stopped in the men’s room, and the hand towel dispenser happened to be empty, revealing a sign asking the reader to notify a bellhop for a refill.

I stepped into the lobby and spotted a uniform off to one side, so I went up to the gentleman and announced that the towel dispenser was empty.

He looked at me like I was nuts and said, “So?”

I explained that the dispenser had a sign, etc. etc. Thinking to myself that I had heard about city folk being rude, but hadn’t believed it until now.

His lip curled involuntarily, and he said, “Who do you think I am? I’m an airline pilot!”

Oops. I turned around and walked out. Never did connect with my friend, either.

Have you ever committed a gaff on a trip? Click the comment link below and spill your guts.