Travel and vacation Tips

Whether it’s the beach or the mountains, the U.S. or abroad, chances are you’re going on a vacation sometime this summer. Before you leave, take a moment to read these travel tips and learn how you can avoid some common vacation woes.

Scammed?
Be on the alert for the latest travel scams, which often take the form of mailed or emailed solicitations telling you that you’ve won a special “Vacation Offer!” Most such offers require you to make a payment before you can claim your “prize” and at every stage of your supposedly cheap vacation. You may have to attend a hard-sell presentation on time-share vacations. The cruise you’ve “won” may actually take place on a ferry; the free airline tickets may require you to stay at a specified hotel and pay hundreds of dollars per night; the major hotel may be a run-down motel miles from anywhere. In short, if something sounds too good to be true, there’s probably some kind of scam in play.

The Federal Trade Commission recommends that you buy your vacation package from a business you know in order to avoid being scammed. Verify all your travel arrangements with your travel agent in writing, before you pay. And pay by credit card—that way, if you don’t get what you paid for, then you can try to dispute the charges with your credit card company.

Plane Delayed?
Even with the best plans, you may face travel problems before you leave the ground, in the form of flight delays and overbooking. The best way to avoid delays at the airport is preventative action: a departure early in the day is less likely to be delayed than a later flight; and you are less likely to be delayed on non-stop flights. If your plane is delayed, then each airline has different policies on what it will do for passengers—there are no federal requirements in this area. Airlines are not required to compensate passengers when flights are delayed or cancelled. But it might be worth asking airline staff whether they will pay for meals or at least a phone call while you wait. Their response may depend on whether the delay is their fault (for example, a mechanical problem with the plane), or outside their control (for example, poor weather conditions). You can link to more information about the policies of fourteen major airlines on delays and other issues for consumers at http://airconsumer.ost.dot.gov/customerservice.htm.

Bumped?
If, on the other hand, you buy a plane ticket, check in on time, appear at the gate on time, and are told that the plane is overbooked and you are being “bumped” from the flight, then you are entitled to compensation. Federal Department of Transportation regulations require that if you get bumped, the airline must give you a seat on the next available flight and perhaps compensation, based on how long the delay will be from your original planned arrival time. If the alternative flight is scheduled to arrive within one hour of your original flight, then you are not entitled to compensation. If the next available flight arrives within two hours (for a domestic trip) or four hours (for an international trip), then you are entitled to compensation equal to the cost of a one-way fare or $200, whichever is less. And if the next available flight arrives later than that, then you are entitled to compensation equal to twice the cost of a one-way fare to your destination or $400, whichever is less.

DOT rules do not apply to charters, planes with 60 seats or less, inbound flights to the United States or to flights between foreign cities. But airlines in foreign countries have rules of their own.

Hotel Overbooked?
What if you find your hotel overbooked when you reach your destination? Overbooking by hotels violates your contract to rent a room—if you have paid in advance. Otherwise, the reservation is just a “courtesy.” These days, most hotels will ask you to provide a credit card number to guarantee your reservation. This is still no guarantee that you will have a room, but it will help protect the reservation, even if you are late checking in, and also means that the hotel is required to find alternative accommodation if it is overbooked.

If your hotel is overbooked, ask if there are other rooms available—such as more expensive suites—but only agree to pay the original rate you were guaranteed when you made your reservation. If there are no rooms in the hotel, ask staff to find you a room at a different hotel. The original hotel should pay for the first night and for transport to take you to the new hotel. Moreover, if the other hotel is more expensive, the original hotel should pay the difference in the rates for all the nights of your reservation.

If you’re particularly concerned about your hotel booking, it may be worth paying for a hotel reservation by credit card when you make it. If you cancel within a couple of days before the reservation date, you will probably get a complete refund, depending on the credit card company’s arrangement with the hotel.

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