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A TIME-TRAVEL POSTCARD...
(c) Theolonius McTavish 2004. All rights reserved. Seeking a spot of serenity somewhere in the universe, I recently booked a deep-discount dodgy berth on the ‘White Elephant Express Space Shuttle’, to a little known place in a galaxy far, far...
Is there Really Free Travel on the Internet?
If you go to Google and enter the term "Free Travel" you would find 2,200,000 Entries. If you check All-the Web, you find 3,990,000 Entries. You find a similar number on any search engine. Obviously these are highly competitive search terms. It is...
Must Read Tips For Shopping & Booking Your Travels Online
Booking & shopping online has proven to revolutionize the travel industry. There are many pros to utilizing online booking sites to plan your trip. Bottom line is, it saves you time and money, both important factors when planning your trip. Before...
Travel Insurance Polices
Tips on Travel Policies
Getting travel insurance before traveling is a smart idea.
All-inclusive travel policies cover trip cancellation and even
medical and theft circumstances. Check out the following tips to
land you on a better...
Traveling on business ? Need Internet access?
Travelling on business? Need Internet access? iRoam now offers Internet access at over 22000 access points worldwide. This includes dial-up, wired broadband, and wireless broadband at the many hotspots worldwide. This includes hotels, airports,...
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Travel Bargain Or Travel Scam? How To Know The Difference
Congratulations!!! You have been selected to win an exciting
luxury vacation to.......
Where have you heard that one before? Although there are many
genuine travel offers, there are also many travel scams that
defraud innocent travelers out of millions of dollars each
month. Travel is a big ticket item and most people would like to
save some money or even travel for free. Unfortunately, it opens
the door to some unscrupulous individuals and companies who try
to take advantage of this.
Travel packages turn out to be very different from what was
originally offered or what the "winner" expected. Sometimes, the
company just takes the money and runs! So if you get a phone
call or email offering a free or extremely low-priced vacation ,
keep these tips in mind:
The Most Common Travel Scams
- Emails, phone calls, or snail mail advising that you have been
selected to "win" a free vacation, free airfare, or a hotel
stay, especially when you haven't entered anything.
- Ads for great travel deals or discounts with the condition
that you agree to a time share presentation. You will be
subjected to a high pressure sales pitch that is really not
worth your time - unless of course you really are interested in
buying a timeshare!
- Travel clubs that charge a fee for their great travel
discounts and offers. There are of course may legitimate travel
clubs but there are just as many that are not. Do your research
well to make sure it is worth it.
- Contests which do not post or provide rules or requirements or
even any details about the company running it. A legitimate
contest will provide rules to participants and if it does not,
it is probably just a ploy to get information on you.
How to Spot the Red Flags
- Does the price seem too good to be true? If so, it probably is.
- Are you pressured to make a decision on the spot?
- Did you get the call after business hours. Legitimate
businesses normally operate between regular business hours.- Did
they require you to pay before you receive any details about the
trip, or ask you to pay for more information.- Are you told
you
can't leave for two months? This should be cause for concern
because the deadline for disputing a credit card charge is 60
days. - Is the supplier simply identified as "a major airline,"
or a "popular hotel" without getting into specifics?
- If you have won a free vacation, you should not be asked to
pay hundreds of dollars in order to "claim" your prize.
How to protect yourself from Travel Scams
- Determine the complete cost of the trip in dollars, including
all service charges, taxes, processing fees, etc.
- Pay by credit card, if you don't get what you paid for, you
may be able to dispute the charges with your credit card
company. - Don't be pressured into buying anything, legitimate
businesses don't pressure you to make a purchase.
- Get a receipt in writing. If you make reservations online,
print out the itinerary and receipt.
- Find out the exact names of the hotels, airports, airlines,
and restaurants that your package includes; if they tell you a
"major hotel chain" or "major airline" ask for specifics
- Always ask for a copy of the cancellation and refund
policies.- If you are told that you've won a free vacation, ask
if you have to pay any money in order to get it.
- Be aware of what "subject to availability" means may not get
the accommodations you want when you want them.
- Be aware that if you have been "specially selected to receive
our Super Duper Travel Deal offer" doesn't mean you'll get it
free, it means you'll be offered an opportunity to pay for a
travel deal!
And last but not least, be skeptical. Read or listen to
carefully what is being said, not what you want to hear. We
would all like to win that all expenses paid dream vacation to
Hawaii, but like everything else, you get what you pay for if
you don't pay attention first.
About the author:
Jolana Klobouk is a former travel agent who has traveled
extensively for work and vacations with her family. She is
currently the editor of Best Family
Beach Vacations and Fly From Canada
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