{"id":7502,"date":"2018-07-17T16:28:55","date_gmt":"2018-07-17T16:28:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/?p=7502"},"modified":"2018-07-18T13:17:39","modified_gmt":"2018-07-18T13:17:39","slug":"how-to-shop-for-travel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/spring-summer-2018\/how-to-shop-for-travel\/","title":{"rendered":"Travel Tips"},"content":{"rendered":"
N<\/span>eed a vacation? Before you start relaxing to the sound of the waves or skiing the slopes, do some smart travel shopping first \u2014 not only to end up with a great trip and a good deal, but also to avoid a scam. Deal with businesses you trust, get a copy of the company\u2019s cancellation and refund policies, and ask \u201cWhat if…?\u201d And if someone says you\u2019ve won a \u201cfree\u201d vacation but need to pay? Just walk away. This guide, provided by the Federal Trade Commission<\/a>, is a helpful cheat sheet when you are planning a trip.<\/em><\/h5>\n

The key to planning a good trip is making sure you\u2019re buying from travel businesses you know and trust:<\/p>\n

Get recommendations<\/h3>\n

Ask family and friends about the companies they use and like, and look online to see what people are saying about their service and prices.<\/p>\n

Call to verify your reservations and arrangements<\/h3>\n

Get the details about any \u201cfive-star\u201d resorts or \u201cluxury\u201d cruise ships they promise \u2014 including what other travelers have had to say about them. Some companies market below-average vacation accommodations as \u201cluxury\u201d or \u201cfive-star.\u201d When you have the names, addresses, and phone numbers of the airlines, car rental companies, and hotels you\u2019ll be using, confirm all arrangements yourself. If you can\u2019t get a person from the travel company on the phone to answer your questions, consider taking your travel business elsewhere.<\/p>\n

Get a copy of the company\u2019s cancellation and refund policies before you pay for the trip, and ask \u201cWhat if…?\u201d<\/h3>\n

Consider whether some form of travel cancellation insurance is appropriate. Make sure the product you\u2019re being sold is a licensed insurance policy. The U.S. Travel Insurance Association<\/a> maintains a list of licensed travel insurance companies.<\/p>\n

Pay by credit card<\/h3>\n

It gives you more protection than paying by cash or check. If you don\u2019t get what you paid for, you may be able to dispute the charges with your credit card company. However, don\u2019t give your account number to any business until you\u2019ve verified its reputation.<\/p>\n

Consider using a travel app<\/h3>\n

Travel apps can help you search for airfares and hotel rates, get fare alerts and real-time deals, and manage your itinerary.<\/p>\n

Ask about mandatory hotel \u201cresort fees\u201d<\/h3>\n

When you book a hotel room online, you expect that the rate you see is the rate you\u2019ll pay. But extra costs often called \u201cresort fees\u201d \u2014 for services like fitness facilities or internet access \u2014 can add to the per night cost of your stay. More important, the fees are mandatory: you must pay them regardless of whether you use the services.<\/p>\n

Many people don\u2019t find out about the fees until they arrive at the hotel \u2014 or worse, when they check out. You can\u2019t compare rates for different hotels unless you know all the fees. If you\u2019re not sure whether a website is showing you the total price, call the hotel and ask about a \u201cresort fee\u201d or any other mandatory charge.<\/p>\n

Listing the \u201cresort fee\u201d near the quoted price or in the fine print \u2014 or referring to other fees that \u201cmay apply\u201d \u2014 isn\u2019t good enough. If you find out a hotel hasn\u2019t told you the whole story about mandatory fees, in addition to complaining to the company, file a complaint<\/a> with the FTC.<\/p>\n

Ask questions before joining a travel club<\/h3>\n

Sometimes, a \u201cfree trial\u201d membership can result in monthly charges on your credit card. Find out what you\u2019ll get for your money and how you can cancel.<\/p>\n

Signs of a Scam<\/h2>\n

Scammers may call or use mail, texts, faxes or ads promising free or low-cost vacations. In reality, those vacation offers may end up charging poorly disclosed fees or may be fake, plain and simple. Here are some tell-tell signs that a travel offer or prize might be a scam:<\/p>\n

You \u201cwon a free vacation\u201d \u2014 but you have to pay some fees first<\/h3>\n

A legitimate company won\u2019t ask you to pay for a prize. Any company trying to sell you on a \u201cfree\u201d vacation will probably want something from you \u2014 taxes and fees, attendance at mandatory timeshare presentations, even pressure to buy \u201cextras\u201d or \u201cadd-ons\u201d for the vacation, etc. Find out what your costs are before you agree to anything.<\/p>\n

The prize company wants your credit card number<\/h3>\n

Especially if they say it\u2019s to \u201cverify\u201d your identity or your prize, don\u2019t give it to them.\nThey cold-call, cold-text, or email you out of the blue<\/p>\n

Before you do business with any company you don\u2019t know, call the Attorney General<\/a> and local consumer <\/a>protection agencies in the company\u2019s home state to check on complaints; then, search online by entering the company name and the word \u201ccomplaints\u201d or \u201cscam\u201d and read what other people are saying.<\/p>\n

They don\u2019t \u2014 or can\u2019t \u2014 give you specifics<\/h3>\n

They promise a stay at a \u201cfive-star\u201d resort or a cruise on a \u201cluxury\u201d ship. The more vague the promises, the less likely they\u2019ll be true. Ask for specifics, and get them in writing. Check out the resort\u2019s address; look for photos of the ship.<\/p>\n

You\u2019re pressured to sign up for a travel club for great deals on future vacations\nThe pressure to sign up or miss out is a signal to walk away. Travel clubs often have high membership fees and limited choice of destinations or travel dates.<\/p>\n

You get a robocall about it<\/h3>\n

Robocalls from companies trying to sell you something are almost always illegal if you haven\u2019t given the company written permission to call you. That\u2019s true even if you haven\u2019t signed up for the national Do Not Call Registry<\/a>.<\/p>\n

If you think you may have been targeted by a travel scam, report it to the FTCT<\/a>. For more on travel scams, visit the Federal Trade Commission website.<\/p>\n

Special Considerations for Charter Travel<\/h3>\n

Some people who have signed up for charter packages have learned that the package they paid for really was a scam. Here\u2019s how to make sure a charter package is the real deal:<\/p>\n

Look up the government\u2019s list of all public chartered flights<\/h3>\n

The U.S. Department of Transportation\u2019s (DOT) Special Authorities Office maintains a list of approved public chartered flights<\/a>. The charter filing must be approved by DOT before the package can be sold.<\/p>\n

Make sure your check is payable to an escrow account<\/h3>\n

If you pay by check for a charter package, federal law requires that it\u2019s payable to an escrow account. Call the bank handling the escrow account to verify that the account is valid. Charter operators who don\u2019t want to give you escrow bank information may be selling another firm\u2019s space. Avoid operators who tell you they\u2019ll send a courier to pick up your money. That\u2019s a sure sign of a rip-off.<\/p>\n

Check out the operator<\/h3>\n

Ask them to send you information about the business and the names of satisfied customers, and ask family and friends about their experience. Check with local travel agents to see if they know if the operator is legitimate, or contact the American Society of Travel Agents<\/a> (ASTA) for more information. Don\u2019t give in to pressure to pay before you\u2019ve had a chance to check a company out.<\/p>\n

Get a copy of the contract<\/h3>\n

The operator\/participant contract tells you when the operator can change flight schedules and hotel accommodations, and the rules and penalties for cancellation. Usually, charters can be canceled for any reason up to 10 days before the trip, and operators may put you up in another hotel listed in the contract, even if it\u2019s not as nice as the advertised hotel. Ask about cancellation insurance. Rules state that an operator can\u2019t ask for \u2014 or accept \u2014 your payment until you\u2019ve signed and returned the contract.<\/p>\n

Understand your rights<\/h3>\n

According to DOT rules, you have a right to cancel a charter package without penalty if the operator makes a \u201cmajor change.\u201d That includes a change of departure or return date or city, a hotel substitution to a property not named in the contract, or a package price increase of more than 10 percent.<\/p>\n

Expect flight delays<\/h3>\n

They\u2019re common on charter flights. DOT rules allow a charter flight to be delayed up to 48 hours for mechanical difficulties. The operator doesn’t have to provide alternate transportation or compensate you for your expenses. Check the contract to see if the operator will cover any costs \u2014 like lodging and car rentals \u2014 if the delay isn\u2019t because of mechanical difficulties.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

How to shop for travel<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":7594,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[93,94],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7502","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-spring-summer-2018","category-spring-summer-2018-columns"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7502","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7502"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7502\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7845,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7502\/revisions\/7845"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7594"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7502"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7502"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7502"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}