101 Dream Vacations

Avoid Being Scammed on Your Next Vacation

Today we are covering a topic that usually travel professionals avoid, but we feel it is way to important of a topic to keep quite about. How can you avoid being scammed on your next vacation?
You have probably heard of this happening before, it is not a common thing but it does happen. Unfortunately we have spoken with families that have had this horrible experience of being scammed and the vacation they thought was paid in full for was in fact not paid for at all. When you have a mom ask you how is she going to explain to her child that the trip they have been dreaming of isn’t going to happen, it does something to you. It makes you mad, it makes you so mad you feel you can’t stop until everyone can know how to protect themselves from being scammed.
[bctt tweet=”it makes you so mad you feel you can’t stop until everyone can know how to protect themselves.” username=”101_dreamvacations”]
First we want to give you some red flags to look for.

1. Insanely good deal. – You know the adage, “If it seems to good to be true, it probably isn’t true” We can’t say how true this statement is with travel. Yes using a travel professional can save you money sometimes, because we stay on top of offers and apply promotions when they come available. If someone is telling you they have coupons they will apply or a special code they have that will make your $10,000 dollar trip only $3,000 that should be a red flag.
2. Cash, Check or Transfer into an account. – Many travel agencies do NOT accept money directly to the company. Some agencies policies are slightly different and they will accept checks to the company but not a particular agent. Some agencies charge fees so that would be a little different. Here I have to say trust your gut. Make sure all the policies are outlined to you clearly, and make sure you feel 100% comfortable with them. My recommendation is to ALWAYS pay with a credit card which would be processed directly through the vacation vendor directly (cruise line, Disney, Universal etc.).
3. Options – Are you being told that to get this AMAZING deal you have to book this particular package? This could be a red flag. YES promos do have restrictions sometimes but I have never seen a promotion that is exclusive to one room.
4. Getting new reservations or confirmation numbers – If you did not make a change to your package or a payment to your package but are constantly getting new numbers or new information this should be a red flag. If you have not received a confirmation for something you booked and paid for, like airfare this is a red flag. Once you pay for air you should get a confirmation number.
5. Constant Excuses – Things happen, we understand that, but when the dog dies, and the dad is sick and the mom is sick and any and everything else is always going on then maybe that should be a red flag or maybe it is time for that agent to take a break and deal with the immediate needs in their life. When you book with a travel agent you are booking to have someone when you need them, as harsh as this sounds their problems are not your problems… You have a vacation to think about.
6. Gut feeling – Go with your gut… I have been told countless times this week I thought that seemed weird or I was uncomfortable with that or I really had a bad feeling.

So as you can imagine we really really believe using a travel agent is a great thing and has many advantages to you. We know you work really hard for your money and want to be able to get the most out of your vacation. So how do you look for the right travel agent for you?

1. Research – Okay this seems simple, but do they have a social media page? (these are great because you can see what others are saying about this person) Do they have a website? Go check them all out.
2. Recommendations – Ask around, make sure you are speaking with people who not only got a killer deal but have actually traveled and had no issues.
3. Services – What services are you wanting? Can this person provide them?
4. Options – Are you given the options you want with the different prices components of these options? What if you want to add a particular dining? What does that do to you price. Make sure all of this information is available to you if you need it.
5. Payment policies – Do you understand and are comfortable with all the payment policies?
6. Availability – What is your prospective travel agents availability? Yes travel agents sleep (sometimes) but for the most part many make themselves available to you when you need them.

So what happens if you stumbled across this blog to late? What happens if you have several red flags already and don’t know what to do now? What if you believe you have already been scammed?

1. FIRST and most importantly if you feel you may be a victim of a scam contact your local police department. There is no way to stop these people unless people report them. Get together any correspondence between you and the person. Try to write a timeline with as many details as possible so you won’t forget anything when you make your report.
2. Contact the vendor and see if they can give you any information about the status of your trip. *Disclaimer most vendors will not give you information if you booked with a travel agent, but if something seems off or if it has been canceled they may be able to tell you. Also if it is booked under an agency host you can maybe contact that agency and find out information.
3. Do not give this person any more money. If you have red flags do not keep throwing money at this person and hope for the best.

As a travel agent it completely breaks my heart that this happens, which is why we decided we would not sit back and remain quite. At 101 Dream Vacations we want to take a stand against this behavior and help not only bring attention to the fact that it is happening but help stop it. We could write a book on the reasons to use a travel agent, but if we can’t help you to know when not to book with one that is out to scam you, we are not doing enough. Please help us spread the word and help others to avoid being scammed on their next vacation. If you have any questions we are more than happy to speak with you and discuss any of this. If you have an upcoming trip you would like to talk to us about, one of our amazing travel professionals will be more than happy to help and answer any questions you may have.