Check a visa rule with a quick Google Gemini answer, and get denied boarding to Honduras
- Posted
- by Daniel Ross (Upgraded Points)
- Last checked
- Method:
- How we verify
Evidence: Article or interviewA newsletter, journalist or interview account of what happened.
FailureThe source says the agent did not get the job done.
What went wrong: The AI answer said no visa was needed; one was, and the traveller was denied boarding.
Beginner-friendlyNo logins, payments or coding needed. Low risk: paste the prompt and you should get something useful.
Outcome
Daniel Ross, a UK citizen travelling through Central America, was in Medellín when they realised they hadn't checked whether Honduras needed a visa. They searched in Chrome on their phone, and Google's Gemini answer said US, Canadian, UK and EU citizens don't need a visa for tourist stays of up to 90 days. They took its word for it. At the airport the agent asked for a visa, and the UK government's travel page showed one was needed, obtainable only at a Honduran embassy. Airline staff helped them rebook to end in Panama instead. The mistake cost $457, and Ross says they will stick to official sources for visa rules.
Agent
Prompt Original prompt
Exact prompt as published in the source.
Do I need a visa to travel to Honduras?
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Optional stronger version
Our rewrite with extra checks. The poster didn't test it.
Run this task now, exactly as written below. Everything you need is here, so start straight away and only stop if something required is missing or a rule below tells you to. Goal: Tell me exactly what I need to enter a country on my passport, using only official sources. Fill in before running: - My nationality and passport: [PASSPORT] - Where I'm going and any countries I transit: [ROUTE] - Purpose and length of stay: [DETAILS] Rules: - Use my own government's travel advice page and the destination's official immigration or embassy site, and link both. - Answer for my exact nationality; never generalise across nationalities. - Include passport validity, visas, e-visas or travel authorisations, and transit rules. - If sources disagree or you can't find an official page, say so clearly. - Ask for my OK before you pay, book, send, submit or cancel anything. - Check facts that can change (prices, opening hours, dates, availability, rules) against the official source, and tell me anything you couldn't verify. Output: A yes or no on visas for each country, with what I need to do, how long it takes and links. You'll know it worked when: I board every flight with the right documents. Before you finish: re-read my goal and constraints, check your answer against each one, and list anything you assumed or couldn't confirm.
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Your prompt
Run this task now, exactly as written below. Everything you need is here, so start straight away and only stop if something required is missing or a rule below tells you to. Goal: Tell me exactly what I need to enter a country on my passport, using only official sources. Fill in before running: - My nationality and passport: [PASSPORT] - Where I'm going and any countries I transit: [ROUTE] - Purpose and length of stay: [DETAILS] Rules: - Use my own government's travel advice page and the destination's official immigration or embassy site, and link both. - Answer for my exact nationality; never generalise across nationalities. - Include passport validity, visas, e-visas or travel authorisations, and transit rules. - If sources disagree or you can't find an official page, say so clearly. - Ask for my OK before you pay, book, send, submit or cancel anything. - Check facts that can change (prices, opening hours, dates, availability, rules) against the official source, and tell me anything you couldn't verify. Output: A yes or no on visas for each country, with what I need to do, how long it takes and links. You'll know it worked when: I board every flight with the right documents. Before you finish: re-read my goal and constraints, check your answer against each one, and list anything you assumed or couldn't confirm.
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Source
https://upgradedpoints.com/news/ai-visa-advice-denied-boarding/
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