A furious Brit was escorted off a £600 flight and left stranded abroad after a simple admin error ruined her journey home.
Amanda Vicent’s backpacking trip of a lifetime ended in chaos when she was pulled off a plane and lost her seat.
The 24-year-old had spent six months travelling across Latin America, visiting 10 different countries.
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Her final two weeks were spent in Mexico, where she was due to fly from Mexico City to Monterrey, then on to Miami before heading back to London.
The first leg of her journey went smoothly, but trouble began as she boarded her Viva flight to Miami.
After taking her seat and waiting for take-off, Amanda suddenly heard her name called over the tannoy.
Moments later, an airport worker wearing a high-vis jacket approached her and asked to check her passport.
That was when the staff realised she did not have an exit stamp.
“I was confused when I heard my name through the announcer, I’ve never had that before,” Amanda told Need To Know.
“Walking off the plane, I was more concerned about what this meant for my next flight.
“After travelling for six months and using my last funds for the flight, I really couldn’t miss it.”
The embarrassed Brit was escorted off the plane and taken back through the boarding gates.
Although Amanda managed to get the missing stamp sorted within 15 minutes, it was too late.
Her original £300 flight had already gone, with the next one to Miami not departing for another two days.
Airline staff helped rebook her on a £300 flight to Texas, but then left her to figure out the rest of her journey alone.
With no onward flight to the UK for another two days, Amanda ended up stuck at the airport for 24 hours.
Her mum stepped in to help her find a place to stay, booking a cheap hostel for the night.
But it turned out to be filthy, packed with men and full of broken beds.
Thankfully, a chance social media post changed everything.
After sharing her ordeal online, a friend Amanda had met months earlier in Colombia, who now lives in Texas, came to her rescue.
Amanda said: “My mum called and then helped me get a place to stay for the night.
“It was a cheap hostel I found on Airbnb but it ended up being full of men, dirty and it had broken beds.
“I posted a story on social media that said I was in Texas and a friend I’d met a few months back in Colombia told me she lived there.
“I went back to the airport, she picked me up and showed me the city.
“We went to a baseball game, she let me stay at hers and then she dropped me to the airport the next day.
“When I arrived in Texas I was initially angry but it worked out so well seeing my friend Jess.
“It was a nice little introduction to America and everyone was super friendly and helpful.”
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