【今日の放送の英語文字起こし】

**Introduction**

Hey, it’s Backstage, your theater director!

**Today’s Topic**

The theme for today is “the cost of learning.”

Why, you ask? Well, there was a hashtag challenge about the most expensive lesson you’ve ever learned, and it reminded me of a story I went through a while ago. So, I thought I’d share it with you today.

This episode might be a bit on the negative side, but given the topic, I feel like I need to dig into some not-so-great experiences. So, bear with me!

**Content**

To get straight to the point: I’ve vowed never to use foreign travel booking sites again.

I travel quite a bit for work, both domestically and internationally. Since my student days, I’ve been backpacking and traveling abroad, so I’ve never really felt any hesitation when it comes to going overseas. And since my wife is also a big fan of traveling, I’ve always enjoyed planning trips.

But after one specific experience, my wife and I made a rule: never book through a foreign travel site—especially those offering cheap bundles of flights and hotels.

Here’s why: I once had a very bad experience that I’ll never forget.

It was around the start of 2020, just before the pandemic really hit. At that time, COVID was something people were talking about in China, but it hadn’t become a global issue yet. I was planning a trip to Asia, not so much for leisure, but more for research on a project I was working on—a sort of study trip.

Coincidentally, my parents also had some free time, so I thought, “Why not make this a family trip? I’ll take care of everything!” Feeling a bit proud, I decided I’d pay for their flights and hotel, and we’d enjoy some quality family time.

So, I started searching for flights and hotels, and eventually found something that would cost about ¥250,000 ($2,000) per person. Not bad, I thought. But then, I came across a well-known travel site—one that starts with an "e"—that offered a package deal for flights and hotels. The price was almost ¥100,000 ($750) cheaper per person!

Naturally, I thought, “Wow, what a deal!” So, I triple-checked everything: same flights, same hotel, same dates. It all seemed legit. I clicked “book,” paid, and thought I’d gotten incredibly lucky.

And that’s when the nightmare began.

As COVID started spreading, the news grew more alarming by the day. It wasn’t just a China issue anymore—it was spreading across Asia. Given the circumstances, I started feeling uneasy, especially since I was taking my elderly parents. What if something happened while we were there?

After talking it over with my parents, we decided to cancel the trip. It felt too risky. We made the decision about 1-2 months before departure, which should’ve been well within the cancellation window, or so I thought.

I went online to cancel, but the site wouldn’t let me do it automatically. It said I needed to call customer service. I thought, “Really? Shouldn’t this be easier?” I was already comparing it to how smooth cancellations are with Japanese sites like Rakuten Travel or JTB.

So, I called. And called. And called. No answer.

I get it—COVID was causing chaos for everyone. But this was an international site, and the customer service number was overseas. After about an hour of waiting, I finally got through to a representative who spoke broken Japanese.

They told me I could cancel the trip, but I’d have to pay the **full** cancellation fee.

Wait, what?! I had been assuming that, like with Japanese sites, I could cancel early without any major penalty. But apparently, this site had a policy where once you booked and paid, there was no turning back. The full amount would be charged as a cancellation fee, no matter how early you canceled.

That’s when it hit me. The reason the package was so cheap was because they had such harsh cancellation policies.

I was in shock, but what could I do? I hadn’t thoroughly checked the fine print, and I’d been lured in by the cheaper price. In the end, I had to accept the situation and kiss nearly ¥200,000 ($1,500) goodbye. A tough and expensive lesson.

Looking back, I’m glad I didn’t take my parents on that trip during such a dangerous time. But man, the frustration of losing that much money still stings.

Since then, I always make sure to check the cancellation policies carefully, and I stick with Japanese travel companies whenever possible. At least with them, if something goes wrong, I know I can reach someone right away.

For solo trips, I’m a bit more relaxed about it. If something happens, I can usually handle it. But when it comes to family trips, it’s all about safety first. I’m not taking any chances anymore.

**Conclusion**

So, in conclusion:

I’ve sworn off using foreign travel sites for booking trips. It’s just not worth the risk.

That’s my story for today. If you enjoyed it or found it helpful, feel free to leave a comment or follow me!