Pro tip: Always check the local holidays before you book a month-long stay

I was in Da Nang, Vietnam, last month, set up for a big project with a tight deadline. I didn't know that the first week of my stay was Tet, the Lunar New Year. Everything shut down for days, including my co-working space and the cafe with the good Wi-Fi I relied on. My mobile hotspot was too slow for video calls, and I missed a key client meeting. I ended up having to explain the situation and ask for a deadline extension, which was pretty stressful. Has anyone else had a work trip derailed by not knowing about a major local holiday? How do you check for these things now?

3 comments

3 Comments

victor_stone27d agoMost Upvoted

Ouch, that's a brutal way to learn that lesson. Do you just google the country and "public holidays" now, or have you found a better site for it?

derek_burns8727d ago

Victor_stone is right, that lesson stings. I got burned once showing up for a pickup when everything was closed, total waste of a trip. Now I just google "public holidays in [country]" and check the first government or tourism site that pops up. It's not perfect but it's saved me a few times. You really don't forget after the first time you're standing outside a locked door.

terry_martinez12d ago

Yeah, I just check the embassy website now.