Planning a trip these days can be a daunting process, especially if you are traveling to other countries, as some travelers found out the hard way. The reason I bring this up is that these types of situations are not covered by any travel insurance plans that I am aware of, so even though some of these people had travel insurance they were out of luck and missed out on part of their cruise.
With many travelers planning their own trips these types of situations are happening more often, but even trips booked through travel agents – who are supposed to be aware of what documentation you will need – are running into problems. From the article:
This problem isn’t just within the do-it-yourself crowd. There is a growing problem with online agencies, too. Many are employing inexperienced travel agents that are not versed in the nuances of foreign travel documentation. That is leading to huge problems for clients of those agencies.
When this happens there might be some recourse by going after the travel agency, but its better to avoid the problem altogether by making sure you are conforming with all the countries you are traveling to regarding proper paperwork. You can get more information visiting the State Departments site concerning travel document requirements.
Updated June 16, 2014