Got your bags packed and ready to go? Traveling is a way to recharge your energy and especially rest, but you can also get off on the wrong foot by falling victim to these travel scams. Hope this will never happen to you. But it is better to be prepared.
Beware of people who try these travel scams. Always be alert and have a safe trip!
1. Finding a hotel
As you leave the airport, you will probably be greeted by several people who promise all good deals if you are staying at their hotel or apartment. You choose one of them and find upon your arrival that their offer is really not worth it. You are therefore faced with a waste of time and money. A good piece of advice, book your hotel in advance from hotel comparison sites to assess and find the best.
2. Getting to your hotel
You have just arrived and left the airport to reach your home or hotel. A driver approaches you and tells you that he can take you to your hotel without making you wait. Make sure you have an official or private taxi driver driven as needed.
Also, prefer to book your driver in advance. Check the prices in advance so that you don’t have any unpleasant surprises on the spot and during your ride.
3. An irresistible offer from your room
An unknown person slips a menu under your living room door! You call the number displayed on the card and place an order. You will notice that the food never arrives and they keep all of your credit card information.
If you want to make a reservation, check with the hotel for recommendations before calling an unknown number from a leaflet slipped under your door.
4. The bad awakening
You’ve been traveling all day and just want to rest before you start your day. The phone rings, you answer it to find the receptionist on the other end and ask to verify your credit card information. You tell the receptionist that they have the wrong number and you give them the right information. Problem? You just gave someone pretending to be a receptionist your credit card information.
You go back to bed to find in the morning that your credit card has been used by someone else. If this happens to you, call the front desk or, better yet, come down in person. To avoid these types of travel scams, never give out your credit card information on a call that was not initiated by you.
5. Don’t let them distract you
You grab something for lunch from a vendor. Someone standing nearby offers you a meal or a drink. They only offer to help find out that they helped you get out of your wallet.
6. Take a picture of me
Oh, how many times have you asked someone to take a picture of you? Keep an eye on your camera. They can easily disappear when they have your camera in hand. You may also have issues if they ask you to take their photo.
They give you their camera, you tell them it’s not working, and they end up in a scene screaming “you broke their camera”. They will continue to get everyone’s attention in the hopes that you will give them money to fix the camera. These travel scams work because most people will pay to stop them from paying attention to you.
7. Watch your luggage
Have you ever thrown your luggage on the roof of a train (in Asia)? Be careful when walking through dark tunnels. Thieves are waiting in these areas and just grab your bag and keep going to the next car while the car you are driving is dark. You don’t get wiser and realize your bag has been stolen until you are ready to grab your bag. Try to secure the bag to the luggage rack when you take a train so that it is not easy to take.
8. Stop for a minute to explore the street artists
It’s very funny, there is a big crowd. Sometimes these performances require the audience to come out and form a larger circle. Then they all ask to move in. At this point, people meet. Now is the perfect time for your pockets to grab your belongings. Be careful when forming large groups to attend a performance.
9. The attraction is closed
This is how this usually happens: On your way to visit an amusement park or another type of attraction, someone will approach you and tell you the park is closed. This is a fake guide. They will then offer to take you on a private tour elsewhere and bring you back when the park opens again. This is a scam. Don’t fall for it.
10. Return of change
When you pay for something, make sure you know how much you are going to get back. If you seem in a rush, the vendors can count your change very slowly and drag things out. Their hope is that you think the transaction is complete, take your money and go, not realizing that they have only calculated part of your change.
Now that you are aware of these scams, you can keep your eyes open and stay away from the dangers of vacationing. The world is a beautiful place but it isn’t perfect. People will always want to try to take advantage of things you do not know.
But we’ve helped you out of that disadvantage. You can now enjoy a safer holiday and create beautiful memories you’ll cherish forever.
If you plan your vacation for Suffolk County, Long Island, you can avoid airport scams and hotel scams by traveling with a trusted personal chauffeur. You can reserve our car service to pick you up at the airport, take you to your hotel or other destination, and help you along the way with directions, suggestions, and your luggage — if you want it. Fast Break Limo is positioned to serve you in the best way possible.
