Stranded in the UK: an online booking nightmare shook my overseas travel trust

I'm a meticulous researcher: from location to pubs, analysing reviews, proximity to attractions, you name it, all boxes ticked.

I take the horror stories about non-existent accommodation with a grain of salt, until a disastrous trip to Bath, UK, proved me dead wrong, shaking my conviction to the core.

My tale started on our arrival in the gorgeous city, in England's Somerset region, late on a Sunday evening.

My sister, Lyne, and I planned this adventure to celebrate her 70th birthday, which included visiting the Cotswold region (known for its rolling hills and honey-coloured stone villages), as well as to commemorate Jane Austen's 250th birthday.

Bath was a great central spot to all the tours and adventures we'd planned. All my T's crossed and I's dotted, we arrived around 7.30pm at our "luxury two-bedroom apartment" with the lock box code in hand.

We agreed with the booking advertisement that the apartment location was just "superb", and it was high fives all round.

But alarm bells began ringing when we discovered the lock box was empty.

Surely we were at the wrong spot, or some other logical explanation, so I tried to SMS the host.

No reply, just the sound of crickets. I tried calling directly, and still nothing.

We found the 24-hour Customer Service number for Booking.com, but calling that number was another fruitless endeavour.

The emergency number diverted to recorded messages which told us to email them, of which I frantically did.

At the mercy of a panic attack, I wondered if puffing into a paper bag to calm myself would work.

We needed to figure out what to do.

Suddenly, a family arrived at the door to our apartment but then proceeded to open the door to our booking with what we presumed was the key we should be holding.

Turns out they had been in the apartment for the last few days and were staying for the next week.

Needless to say, the penny dropped that we had nowhere to stay. Two Australian women, alone, stranded in Bath on a late summer's night.

Ding. Finally, a message to my phone from the owners.

"We are really sorry, but your booking is an error by Booking.com. Please contact Booking.com as the apartment ... has been double booked ... this is not our mistake."

Beep. Another message, this time from Booking.com, advising cancellation of my accommodation.

It was nice of them to finally get in touch to alert us to the error.

What were we to do, stranded at 9pm on a deserted cobblestoned street, thinking it could quite possibly be a park bench for us, unless Jack the Ripper got in first.

By now hours had gone by, while Lyne and I still had all our bags with nowhere to go.

A stranger then wandered past and must have noticed the anxiety on our faces.

He was literally the only other person on the street and asked if we were alright (like a true gentleman).

After explaining our situation, we discovered that this man owned apartments nearby and would look to see if he had anything available - and he did!

At least we had a bed for the night.

Once in the life-saving accommodation at 11pm, an email from Booking.com had arrived to announce they had found us alternative accommodation - at tent that was 2.8 kilometres away.

Not exactly a fair swap for the luxury two-bedroom, two-bathroom, fully furnished self-contained apartment we were expecting to relax in after a transit flight.

Not keen to camp, I advised I would be seeking a full refund plus any out of pocket expenses due to their error.

We missed several planned tours while we looked for alternative accommodation the following day, and Booking.com made no further contact.

While I'll still use online booking websites in the future, I have decided to stick to established hotels for any overseas travel - the peace of mind will be worth it.

My main takeaway from this experience was how disappointed I was with the lack of reliable emergency support in this situation.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) or the nearest Australian Embassy may also provide assistance in some situations.

In an emergency situation, you can call the Consular Emergency Centre (CEC) in Canberra 24 hours a day on: 1300 555 135 within Australia, or +61 2 6261 3305 from anywhere in the world if you are unable to contact a local embassy.