Travel Troubleshooter: Rescheduled Asia expedition includes 6 extra hours of travel

Q: I booked a 17-day National Geographic Expedition to Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. Our group recently discovered that on Day 11, our itinerary had been changed. Instead of a day of sightseeing, we were scheduled to spend the entire day traveling from Hanoi to Luang Prabang.

The original itinerary included a 1-hour 10-minute nonstop flight, but National Geographic now has us on a flight with a stopover. Our revised itinerary now includes a 1-hour-50 minute flight from Hanoi to Bangkok, a three-hour stopover, then a 1-hour 25-minute flight from Bangkok to Luang Prabang.

I’m not getting anywhere with National Geographic. Can you help me?

A: National Geographic should have done what it promised in your original itinerary. What was that? Day 11 says: “Begin the day with a morning cruise by sampan through the stunning landscapes of Tam Coc. Then explore the cave temples of Bich Dong Pagoda and the serene 13th-century Thai Vi Temple, surrounded by beautiful scenery.”

I don’t see anything about spending more than 6 hours in transit. But have a look at the terms of your tour: National Geographic reserves the right to change the itinerary or activity “as appropriate for safety, security, comfort or convenience without liability or notice.”

In other words, National Geographic was both right and wrong. The fine print, which you agreed to when you signed up, allows National Geographic to turn your nonstop flight into an all-day affair.

But there’s also an implied agreement that your tour operator will be respectful of your time. Seeing three countries in 17 days is pretty ambitious, and the tour itinerary certainly leaves you with the impression that you won’t waste a minute.

It’s hard to know what was happening behind the scenes, but as someone who has spent a fair amount of time in Southeast Asia, I can tell you that flight schedules change all the time. This might have been the only available flight to Luang Prabang.

National Geographic Expeditions is operated by Global Adrenaline. I list the names and contacts for their executives on elliott.org. A quick note to one of them might have helped.

I thought it was worth asking National Geographic what was going on with your flights. (Full disclosure: I spent 17 years as an editor at National Geographic. I also published my book through National Geographic.) I reached out on your behalf. The company switched your flights back to the nonstop ones as you requested.