Beware of Vacation Package Discount Scams..

Usually I take a lot of time and effort pouring through emails, sites, blogs and mailings that tell me about the up and coming vacation deals. All the time it never occurred to me that out there are many, many scams that fill these ads, just as much as the good deals that are out there.

So sitting here at my desk I thought the noble thing to do is to get a little into how not to get scammed with a vacation package that seems to good to be true.

The biggest scams when it comes to vacation deals usually come along with contests or awards. That is the infamous "You've Won a Free Vacation"...But with these come along so much bad I may not be able to finish my report in one readable post..I sure will try. Let's get into some of the "hooks" as we'll refer to them.

First there are the infamous free plane tickets. You get a call or something in the mail that says "Congratulations, you have been chosen from a select few people as are award winner and have received free plane tickets. These are usually pretty obvious when it comes to the scam because when it comes to free plane tickets most of the people I've spoken to usually want to know where the heck they are staying. When you look into the details about this kind of stuff, you see very quickly, that the company offering the free plane tickets requires that you book your hotel, get all of your meals and have to buy all the other things that go along with the vacation directly through them. When it comes down to it, you have a hugely inflated price tag that would have been less even if you included the plane tickets in the first place.

The second is a real beauty of a scam. I've found that this one catches many consumers off guard than probably any one scam. It's the Free Vacation Package. The reason this one is so tricky is that you don't know that you're screwed until you actually end up at your destination. The horror stories I've heard are anywhere from ending up in deplorable hotels, having to eat at run down restaurants and ending up in parts of towns of the destinations where they wouldn't house criminals. What's more, with these types of scams, they usually pull the old bait and switch. That is, ok, you're pissed off about your situation and want to upgrade. The vacation property will gladly do so, but only after you sign away your soul and your first born. What's worse is they won't even let you leave. Many of these scams make you stay the entire time, and if you want to leave, yep once again, get ready to hand over the first born. It's terrible.

The third that I've heard is really just awful. I mean, at least the others I mentioned above have actual places to go and see, but this one is a scam I feel that puts those that do it on a direct path to hell. Say you get the typical notification that you've won a trip or vacation like I mentioned above. All that is necessary is that you pay a modest fee to secure the vacation and you're all set...or are you?...Time goes by, you anxiously await to go on your trip and you never seem to get the confirmation papers or call you're waiting for to get going on your excursion. You try and get in touch with the Travel Agent that helped you book the trip and process your award...it's a dead line !! No lie...I've heard this referred to as the disappearing travel agency...Quite a disappearing act..and with your money.

The thing is there are things you must always be aware of when looking at deals that seem to good to be true. It's just the cold hard facts of today's world of technology and global economy. You could be receiving a deal from a company in a country that has no tie or oversight by any regulatory agency in the United States. Even when they're in the United States it can be tricky, but here are some strategies.

1- First and foremost, it should be common sense, but any travel deal that comes to you via email, mail or phone should always be looked at cautiously. The biggest stat to know here is that every scam comes in this form so be on the look out.

2- It's been my experience when it comes to buying anything why not just go with brand recognition. Sure, times are tight and the economy is down, but why not go to a travel company that is well known, or at the very least is reputable if you look them up at the Better Business Bureau, or other legitimate travel associations. I know it sounds like a pain in the neck, but I'll tell you what's worse...trying to hunt down the $1000 you put down on a trip that doesn't exist.

3- This last tip I really think is a big one. I know we all want to take the path to least resistance and not have to deal with the details or bs that comes along with anything. Ok that's fine. It's also fine to be interested in a deal that sounds pretty good, because, yes, times are tight and in times like these looking for economical alternatives makes sense. So do a little homework. Get the information from the person or company soliciting you...Make sure you get the name of the hotel and any other place that the promoter says they are offering to you..Then follow up with a call to the official office of these places. See if the name of the promoter and the company they represent are for real. Sometimes you may be pleasantly surprised and the company is legit. It's better than being unpleasantly surprised to open the door to your "vacation getaway" and see a family of roaches playing poker on the hotel room table.

There are definite ways to get a deal when it comes to travel and vacation packages. Let me also tell you that not everyone else out there is a scam artist. It's sad and it's a tiring, but the truth of the matter is you just have to take time to investigate just a little more into deals that sound too good to be true.

If any of you have stories, suggestions or anything to add to this post I certainly welcome them. This is an all too important subject.