An air passenger made an unfortunate visa mistake which meant she couldn't go on a trip that she put a huge amount of planning into.
Avantika Chaturvedi, 26, from Delhi, India, was heading on a trip to Iran to visit friends and experience what the country has to offer visitors. However, her trip didn't come to life after she was refused boarding at Delhi Airport.
Chaturvedi had a layover in Kuwait, where she would switch flights to reach her destination, she told Newsweek. She was left disappointed when she couldn't board her flight because she didn't have a transit visa for the Middle Eastern country, something she didn't think she needed.
In a video shared to Instagram, which has received 5.9 million views since it was posted on May 22, Chaturvedi looked distressed as she explained why she was denied boarding.
"I had everything ready: a really exciting tentative itinerary where I invested a lot of time and energy for research, my flight tickets to Tehran, my visa, an internal domestic flight, my first night in a hostel," she told viewers in the video's caption.
"This was one trip which required a lot of planning," she told Newsweek. "Iran is of course not the easiest country to travel to and I had spent weeks in research and gathering information from previous travelers to ensure I was as well prepared as I could be.
"The airport staff was also apathetic and didn't care that I would be unable to travel. They broke the news to me with a shrug and I felt really shattered. It's these moments of trouble that test you as a solo female traveler the most.
"I really would have liked to have some support to help navigate that situation. I wanted to cry, but I also didn't want to appear weak in front of a whole crew of just men. I wanted to have my wits about to see what next steps I could take."
Chaturvedi revealed that she had asked a number of organizations if she needed a visa and they said she didn't. However, Kuwait Immigration states that anyone who has a layover of more than four hours or people who intend to leave the airport during their time there must obtain a transit visa.
There is an exemption for citizens of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, which are the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, and Oman, as well as Kuwait.
After speaking with airline staff, Chaturvedi was offered a full refund on her flight to Kuwait.
People took to the comments section of Chaturvedi's video to share their thoughts. "I am sorry for you experience, But, thanks a bunch for sharing this! I'll definitely keep this in mind for my next trip," @roadmaster3 shared.
@divsigupta wrote: "What a nightmare. But you handled it so well! Iran will happen soon one day."
Travel company Journey2Iran commented: "Oh I am so sorry to hear that, we have to see you soon in our beautiful country."
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