Love of places with ties to family
By Jae-Ha Kim
Born in Puerto Rico, actress, writer and producer Alondra Delgado is best known for her role as Vanessa — the football coach’s daughter — on the CW series “All American.” She also won best actress at the Austin Micro Short Film Festival for “Bygone,” which she wrote and produced. Based out of Los Angeles, the 23-year-old said she looks forward to traveling to Greece soon. “I can’t wait to go there,” she said. “It was in my plans for 2021.” Fans may follow her on Instagram (https:// www.instagram.com/ ialondradelgado/) and Twitter (https://twitter. com/alondraamariee1).
Q: What kind of vacations did you take during this pandemic?
A: I’ve been to the beach many times. My family and I went to San Diego and Las Vegas as a road trip. And I’ve been taking walks with my new puppy.
Q: If you had travel plans for the past year and a half and had to cancel, where were they to?
A: I had my usual yearly trip planned to Puerto Rico to see all of my family and friends. I also had plans to go to Europe and take my grandma, since it has been her dream for as long as I can remember. Hopefully, we can go soon!
Q: What is your favorite vacation destination?
A: I would have to say Puerto Rico, just because it is my home, and every time I go it is so special. If you go there, you have to go to El Viejo San Juan and visit all the Spanish buildings and castles and the restaurants and bars. And you definitely need to visit Cabo Rojo and go to the beach there and do a road trip down the coast. It is beautiful and there is a lot to do and a lot to eat.
Q: What was the first trip you took as a child?
A: My first trip was actually to Chicago. My mom’s aunt and all of her first cousins are there. I remember it was very cold, but it was a lot of fun because I got to play with my cousin, who was also my age. We used to go every year. I love Chicago!
Q: What’s the most important thing you’ve learned from your travels?
A: You have to be willing to try new things and experiment. I am very picky with food, but now I’ve learned to just give things a try, because every place has its own thing and food connects you a lot to the culture.
Q: If you’ve ever gone away for the holidays, which was the best trip?
A: My favorite trip was to Utah. We went two years ago, and it was beautiful. There were so many things to do in the snow, the mountains were breathtaking and the whole city had a beautiful Christmas spirit.
Q: Where have you traveled to that most reminded you of home?
A: Mexico! The people were so nice and warm over there!
Q: What would be your dream trip?
A: I would love to go to Africa so I could interact with the animals and nature.
Q: What is your guilty pleasure when you’re on the road?
A: Coffee is always necessary. I also love chocolate on the road and, I’m not going to lie, I take a bunch of selfies.
For more from the reporter, visit www.jaehakim.com.
A: If your airlines canceled your flights, you should get a fast and full refund. I can’t believe your credit card company didn’t see it that way and sided with the online travel agency.
Yours was a complicated case. For starters, Ovago preferred communicating by phone. That means you never received anything in writing to confirm your refund request last year. The only written response appears to be Ovago’s rebuttal to your credit card dispute and a brief acknowledgment that it would process a refund earlier this year. That’s unfortunate.
It looks as if your online agency made some claims about your tickets that you say were untrue. That further clouded the issue, and it may have confused your credit card issuer. Another unfortunate fact: Filing a credit card dispute can further slow a refund. I think that may have happened in your case.
In a perfect world, both your online travel agency and credit card company would be on your side, fighting to ensure you receive a timely refund from an airline.
Remember, under Department of Transportation regulations, if an airline cancels your flight,
you’re entitled to a refund within seven business days if you paid by credit card and 20 business days if you paid by cash or check. The airline can’t force you to accept a ticket credit.
I think Ovago just needed a nudge. It had already agreed in writing to give you a full refund. I contacted the company, and you received your $4,722 back.
Christopher Elliott is the chief advocacy officer of Elliott Advocacy, a nonprofit organization that helps consumers resolve their problems. Contact him at elliott.org/help or chris@ elliott.org.