Travel scams are "cheat" schemes

 

     A "travel scam" is another version of the "cheat" philosophy, which is to obtain something dishonestly, and the unwary tourist is always the victim, I've researched "travel scams" you should be aware of, including the tips to avoid becoming a victim.

     The wise travelers who travel for a living are especially adept at spotting a "travel scam" and it would be prudent to read what they say, for example according to Rick Steves, in Europe the travel scams are particularly inventive, he offers his advice about how to avoid it.

     There are also those ubiquitous "free" cruise "scams," and I've found advice about it too, however, recently, cruises that were supposed to journey the world for years have been disappointing to those adventurous souls who sold everything they own to join others like them who wanted to experience their best life now, instead it was a life jolting disappointment.

     Although the Irish ship now plying the Irish sea has a good outcome, from what I read, this is a very old ship, which doesn't bode well for future delays, adding to the cost of being a passenger are the extras, like hotels and meals that expands the total cruise cost, some passengers had the option of buying their cabin outright for $99,000, but during the delay they still had to leave for the night to stay in a hotel.

     If you are an avid traveler you will eventually be faced with a "travel scam" so bone up on this important subject, and remember if it's too good to be true, it is.

     Meanwhile, happy traveling!

 

https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/avoid-scams-when-you-travel 

https://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-blogs/avoid-travel-scams/ 

https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/theft-scams/tourist-scams 

https://thepointsguy.com/cruise/free-cruise-scams/ 

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8ely932d64o 

https://www.cnn.com/travel/villa-vie-odyssey-delayed-departure-september/index.html 

"Truth" in Travel suggests integrity

 

     The motto of the United States Tour association is "Integrity in travel, and in my "truth" theme based blogspot posts for this month, the principle of "truth" matters, moreover according to Google, "In ethics, integrity is regarded as the honesty and truthfulness or earnestness of one's actions."
     Let me remind you, when you take a tour, you are dependent on the integrity of the tour operator.  The company that operates the tour is responsible for the reliability of their local contractors, but if they aren't a member of USTOA, there is no bond that guarantees the down payment of your tour deposit or at least partial payment for your tour if you fail to receive what  you paid for with a debit card.  When credit card users pay for a tour they can dispute the charge for services not received and the credit card laws back them up.

     Although there is a CLIA, the cruise operators association, sadly, there is no backup bond to guarantee your down payment or full payment for cruise services not received if you pay with a debit card.

     However, when you take a cruise, you are paying for other amenities as well.

     For example, you have booked a certain location for your cabin and you may find that because the cruise was overbooked, you may not get the cabin you expected, and CLIA has no bond to refund your over payment, plus the cruise line may not be a US registered vessel, which is the case if you book a cruise that takes place outside the USA, thus you will have to depend on the cruise line's integrity to get your over payment.

     Some years ago, I found out that Carnival Cruise lines DBA's other cruise lines they took over when they merged, for example, the venerable Cunard Line is a DBA of Carnival Cruise Lines, and to receive a refund for services not delivered is a question of hoping your state's Attorney General will investigate.

     Also, for all other matters about refunds or claims for luggage lost, you will have to determine whether the country of registry adheres to the laws of the European Union, and even so, the return of your money is a very complicated process that will eventually be a waste of your time.  A warning for cruise lovers, beware, check out your cruise line, even if your travel agent has booked your cruise, you cannot sue your travel agent in many states, like New York, where the laws favor your travel agent.

     Therefore, in travel, "truth" matters because your money is involved, but regardless, I can still say, travel whichever way, expect a memory building opportunity to connect with people you ordinarily would never come in contact with, and at the same time you are collecting photos for your photo album.

     Happy traveling!

 

 https://ustoa.com/ 

https://cruising.org/en/about-the-industry/about-clia