Travel Tips: Avoiding Travel Fraud, Overcharges and Identity Theft

By Sandy Ingram


Whether you travel abroad or at home, alone or with family it can be a fun filled time, but just because you are away from home, it does not mean you can drop your guard. Unfortunately there are people out there who prey on tourists and travelers. Here are some of the most common travel scams and how you can avoid them.

Most people sometimes forget these simple things, and therefore may end up having a very stressful trip. Here are the three important air travel tips of things you must do at the airport before you fly out.

At Your Service Fraudulent room service charges are becoming more common. You order your food and 20 minutes later your meal arrives at your door. Before handing over the food, your waiter or waitress demands that you pay them the full amount for your food in cash. Unfortunately, many travelers are falling for this scam. If you order room service, your meal will be billed to the card that the hotel has on file for you. Never pay cash for room service. If this happens to you, call the front desk and tell the hotel manager immediately.

Therefore it is recommended to arrive to the airport about 2 hours before the scheduled departure to check in your luggage. This optimal timing should provide you enough time to check in, cross through customs and security, and have a minimal waiting time to board your flight.

Public Transportation Taxi drivers know when they are dealing with tourists and they will often take the longest route possible, or they will start the meter off at a higher rate because they think they can get away with it. The best way to avoid this is to agree a fee upfront before you even set foot inside the taxi. Also make sure that the there are handles on the inside of the doors. Yes it sounds crazy but, there have been reports of travelers not being able leave the taxi with out paying a ridiculous fee first. When you get to your destination, if the driver starts to create a scene over the fee, shouting police a few times will make the driver leave the scene in a hurry.

The dropped wallet If you see a wallet or other valuable item on the floor, do not pick it up, this is the classic dropped wallet scam. If you touch it, someone will be running at you screaming thief. They will make you pay a large sum of money or they will threaten to call the police on you. Go to the nearest store and tell an employee what you have found. Let them be the ones to pick up the wallet or call the police, it is best to just leave it well alone.

In conclusion, flying can be a stressful time for everyone, but also can be a fun time too. So by keeping things fun and upbeat, it will help create a positive environment for your kids. Flying with your kids should be an enjoyable experience, if you follow some of these helpful air travel tips.




About the Author:





No comments:

Post a Comment