The holiday season is upon us and most of us are getting ready to jet off. I am badly in need of a holiday; a break from the real world, so I have a few holidays planned for the rest of the year, and I shall be sharing more on that soon. I have not done as much travelling in the last few years, but I am hoping to make up for that in the coming months.
Speaking of holidays, one of my most memorable trips was my first trip to Dubai a few years ago. I have been to Dubai twice now, and I think it is a great holiday destination for everyone. There is so much to do and see in Dubai; it is a country I don’t think I would ever get tired of visiting.
Having said that, I remember my first time in Dubai, and the first few hours not being as amazing as I imagined it would be. After the incredibly long wait at the airport to get through immigration, we quickly grabbed our luggage and got a taxi to our hotel. We got into a taxi that ended up being a nightmare. The taxi driver informed us that he was charging us separately for the ride to our hotel. I found this weird, and deep down, I knew he was trying to play a fast one, but it was late at night in a country we have never been to, and I was too tired to argue, so we agreed.
I insisted he gave us receipts to confirm payments, which he reluctantly did, After speaking with the concierge at the hotel, it was confirmed that the taxi driver cheated us by charging us twice the amount for our trip. We later spoke with the taxi company and the police even got involved at some point. To cut the very long story short, we got our money back and the driver was giving a warning from the police.
I recently came across this infographic by The Taxi Centre, and I saw the funny side to it. It got me thinking of how expensive taxi rides can be, and how the fares quickly add up when you are on holiday. Especially if you are unlucky enough to get scammed like we were.
Most of us are usually left at the mercy of taxi drivers on holiday, especially when travelling with young children or when your hotel is not close to any other means of transport. We are left hopping from one taxi to the other, and it can leave a massive hole in our holiday money purse.
The cost of the taxi fares on this infographic are exorbitant, but I do get the message. If taxi rides are expensive for people like us, I can only imagine what the footballers and their managers have to pay out.
The figures on this infographic made me laugh. I am very aware of how much money goes on taxi rides, so I am very observant when I am in a taxi, especially in a foreign country. I check the meters, if any, to make sure I am paying the right amount, and not an amount the driver thinks I should pay. And I will never be made to pay a taxi fare twice ever again.
Do you struggle to keep up with the cost of taxi fares when on holiday? Do you have any tips or horror taxi stories to share?
*Collaborative post.
