Flight ticket mistake leaves tour group traveler stranded in Arctic

Flight ticket mistake leaves tour group traveler stranded in Arctic

2026-03-25

A Taiwanese traveler was left stranded in the Arctic for a whole day after booking a group tour to Scandinavia. During a flight transfer in Norway, the tourist discovered that her onward flight had been booked erroneously. That meant she was left behind by her group and had to wait for another flight on the following day to rejoin them. Let’s hear more.

Member of public
Commenting on incident
She was all alone? That’s outrageous. If the travel agency had any decency, they would offer some compensation, because it’s clearly their fault.

Member of public
Commenting on incident
That shouldn’t have happened. What a mess! How could they let one person get stranded away from the group. They should at least offer more compensation. At the very least, reimbursing the expenses should do it. She must have felt terrible.

Lee Chi-yueh
Travel Quality Assurance Association
Since the issue was caused by negligence on the part of the travel agency, they must bear responsibility for the corresponding compensation. The amount depends on the statements from both parties and the situation, as well as the terms of the contract.

The traveler says she felt helpless and frustrated, as she missed two full days of her travel itinerary. She says she’s hoping to get triple the compensation. But the travel agency says that since they assisted her in purchasing an onward ticket, it counts as an itinerary change and not a case of abandonment. The agency says the compensation will be based on the actual expenses incurred, but no agreement has been reached yet.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
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#taiwan #travel #scandinavia #arctic #arcticcircle #cold #snow

旅行社買錯機票! 全團僅1人滯留北極圈.賠償談不攏

2026-03-25

有民眾跟旅行團去北歐玩，過程中要搭機轉點，卻發現自己的機票被買錯了，只有她一個人被迫留在挪威，等待隔天班機才能前往會合。

[[其他民眾]]
“一個人欸，太誇張了。如果有誠意的話，就多賠一點點，因為這是旅行社的錯。”

[[其他民眾]]
“不應該發生，太烏龍了。旅行社怎麼會突然間，有一個人沒有辦法跟上行程呢？至少多賠一些啦，如果真的不行的話，實報實銷也是可以接受，只是說旅客在當下的時候，是不舒服啦。”

[[旅行業品質保障協會公關主委李奇嶽]]
“因為旅行社的過失，必須有相關的一些賠償的責任，至於賠償的程度，要聽兩邊的說法跟情況，還要看他們當時，簽訂的內容來做判斷。”

旅客無奈又無助，因為兩天行程都泡湯了，希望旅行社應該給予三倍賠償，但業者強調，有幫忙買機票協助返程，屬於變更行程，不算棄置或滯留，會依照調整期間的實際支出，作為補償，目前雙方仍談不攏。

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民視台灣台（152頻道）週一至週五晚上9:30
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The Pingtung County Government has revitalized the area around the historic Zhutian Station, bringing together Hakka restaurants, accommodation, art spaces, and more to create the new "Zhutian Station Takeda." At the formal opening of the site, Pingtung County Commissioner Chou Chun-mi praised the township’s slow pace of life and deep Hakka influence. She hoped that with the revitalization of the space, more visitors would come to experience the charm of this new Hakka landmark.

Golden scissors in hand, Pingtung County Commissioner Chou Chun-mi cuts a ceremonial ribbon to mark the official opening of Zhutian Station Takeda, Pingtung’s new Hakka landmark.

Chou Chun-mi
Pingtung County Commissioner
Zhutian Station was a major hub for freight shipping for a while during the Japanese era. So nearby the station, there were lots of warehouses for storing goods. We’ve preserved them well. Now that many young people from Zhutian are coming back, the county government has stepped in to restore two large railway warehouses.

Inside, you can still clearly see the building’s original structure. The county government refurbished the buildings surrounding Zhutian Station, which now house Hakka restaurants, a hostel, and arts spaces. Every corner contains traces of its locomotive history.

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Everyone is invited to come visit, just like it were a Hakka village or restaurant. They can also walk around and stay in the rest of Zhutian Township. I think it’s a great place for the trend of “slow travel.”

Many tables were also set up in front of the station for Taiwan’s first-ever immersive Hakka theater banquet. Guests were treated to theater and music while enjoying Hakka cuisine, giving them an authentic cultural experience. The county hopes the new space will become a jumping off point for people to experience the many charms of Zhutian.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
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Keratoconus, a disease affecting vision, needs to be caught early

Many people are nearsighted, but if you find that your myopia or astigmatism is getting worse, that your glasses are no longer effective or you experience double vision, beware! You may be having symptoms of Keratoconus. If you delay in getting treatment, it can lead to irreversible damage to your vision. Let’s find out more.

Ms Chang, a sprinter, had a history of allergies but did not have symptoms such as coughing or sneezing. She’d unconsciously rub her eyes. Because she often felt like she had a foreign body in her eye and even experienced vision abnormalities, she got a check up and was diagnosed with Keratoconus.

Ms Chang
Keratoconus sufferer
When I was in high school, I found that my astigmatism was especially severe. By the second examination, my astigmatism was over 800 degrees. Last June, I started to feel that my eyes were red and itchy. Actually, I have never realized that I rub my eyes, but I went to see an ophthalmologist and they said that I might have a slight allergy that was causing me to rub them.

Keratoconus is related to factors such as constitution, genetics, and prolonged eye rubbing. It is estimated that there are as many as 40,000 people in Taiwan with the disease. Because symptoms often appear between adolescence and age 30, and are frequently mistaken for worsening myopia or astigmatism in the early stages, most people only discover the condition when their vision has severely deteriorated, at which point irreversible damage has already occurred.

Sun Chi-chin
Keelung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital
If your astigmatism or myopia is constantly worsening and cannot be corrected with lenses within a short period, you should seek help, as this usually indicates a problem with your cornea. We have found that about 90% of clinical cases are related to allergies, so you need to be more vigilant.

Fortunately Ms Chang received a course of treatment involving new technology and her vision has improved significantly. This surgery is considered to be a major advancement in Taiwanese medical circles. Doctors also remind high-risk groups to take good care of their corneas, including avoiding rubbing them, avoiding over use of the eyes, and most important, getting regular checkups to effectively protect their vision.

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Two years ago, plant lover Tu Sung-i from Tainan created his own business selling staghorn ferns that he learned to cultivate entirely on his own. In a greenhouse he built himself, he has crossbred ferns to produce over 100 different varieties. He’s participated in regional plant expos many times as well as the Taiwan International Platycerium Competition, drawing attention from international buyers. He now sells the ferns to Japan, after successfully turning his passion into a career.

Tu Sung-i carefully scrape the spores from under a leaf. All starting from these spores, he’s grown an entire garden of staghorn ferns.

He built his own greenhouse and taught himself how to grow the ferns, from crossbreeding to spore propagation. Two years ago, he created his own business. He takes studio photos of every fern he grows and gives them an ID tag. He’s made a name for himself by participating in expos and competitions, and now even sells to the Japanese market.

Tu Sung-i
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I made improvements to create the most suitable environment for staghorn ferns to grow. I’ve made everything they need by myself.

The daily work of caring for his plants is what makes Tu happiest. To him, the ferns are not just beautiful, but also therapeutic.

Tu Sung-i
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It’s like food for the soul. When you’re feeling down, if you look at them, you’ll feel, wow, it’s not bad. It relieves stress. I’ll probably be with these ferns the rest of my life.

Learning to put all of his passion into what he loves is the most valuable lesson his experience has taught him. And luckily, his family also supports what he does.

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This younger generation is so creative. They can think for themselves. We older folks shouldn’t limit them. We should support them as much as we can.

The family has a background in farming. Tu studied aquaculture in college, but following his childhood passion fell head over heels for plants. In his eyes, Taiwan’s staghorn ferns have just as much market potential as its orchids. When watered properly, the plants will flourish in the most spectacular fashion.

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Traveler cautions others of hidden cams ‘everywhere’ in South Korea

A Taiwanese traveler visiting Busan in South Korea, made a shocking discovery right after landing, finding hidden pinhole cameras installed in an airport restroom. Thankfully, she had prepared in advance by bringing opaque stickers, which she quickly used to cover the suspicious lens. What’s even more alarming is that she later found similar hidden cameras in restrooms at subway stations and department stores. Disturbed by how widespread the issue seemed, she took to social media to warn others, reminding travelers to stay vigilant and take precautions when using public facilities abroad.

A woman had just entered the restroom when she noticed punctures on the partition panel. She covered them with round label stickers she’d prepared specifically for this trip.

Voice of Ms. Lee (voice altered)
Tourist
Just two to three days before I was about to leave for Korea, I saw a Threads post cautioning that the punctures you see on restroom partitions are in fact, pinhole cameras. The video was taken at the airport. Yes, this happens even at the airport. So I reached for the stickers to cover up the two punctures.

Ms. Lee had just landed at Gimhae International Airport when she noticed the hidden cameras. But that would only be her first encounter with this notorious activity in Busan.

Voice of Ms. Lee (voice altered)
Tourist
Every single day, I’d run into this problem in one or two stalls. Usually it’s at the restroom in metro stations. The wooden partition panels would have four punctures, and you’d see that someone had already tried to cover them up. There’s sticky residue where the stickers were and got peeled off. It’s really frightening.

Fortunately, Ms. Lee made sure to carry stickers with her on the trip, so that she could cover up suspicious-looking holes whenever she saw them. Voyeuristic secret photography is not unheard of in South Korea.

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Honestly, I’m devastated. After all, they’ve been with the company for so long, at least 10 to 20 years.

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The other party is actually a Taoist priest, in other words, a religious worker. So when we found out that he was involved, we were shocked. It’s like his identity doesn’t align with his character. The impression he makes on others is someone with a strong conviction for justice, and someone who makes a case for good morals.

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In total, nearly 5,000 units of goods were stolen from the shop. But the suspects had stored them in several places, which took the police more than seven months to round them all up for seizure. The suspects are now being prosecuted for occupational embezzlement and theft.

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