Travel advisor reveals red flags to look for to not get scammed when planning trips
CHICAGO (CBS) – Spring break may be over for students, but summer vacation is right around the corner.
It's time to start planning.
CBS 2 has reported on stories about travel deal rip-offs in recent months. So here is how to make sure your next trip goes right.
Pinky Jackson earned major grandma points with a surprise trip from Chicago to Broadway in New York City.
"She was so elated," Jackson said of her granddaughter. "She's the biggest fan of Hamilton."
The city that never sleeps showed them a fantastic time, except for the part where the hotel room Jackson's family paid for never materialized.
"I just knew it was, it was a loss," she said. "I had to take it as a loss."
She and other travelers got burned and it wasn't from too much sun. They blamed their vacation fails on a Glenwood man hawking travel packages that left them out of a place to sleep, stuck in airports and more.
Months earlier, CBS 2 met another group duped by Discounted Travel. They were all in court for a theft case against a so-called travel agent from Oak Lawn.
CBS 2 tapped travel advisor Cheryl Richardson from Travel 100 Group in Northfield for help recognizing red flags in the world of trip planning. She said watching CBS 2's previous stories of people losing their money just looking for a deal to go on vacation left her "heartbroken, because people do save for a long time to get on a vacation."
She's seen many parts of the world in her 35 years as a travel advisor. Richardson said to run if someone offers countless flights for a bulk price.
"There is no such thing as a pass for unlimited amounts of flights with any airline," she said.
Another big no-no: booking a trip with Venmo or similar apps.
"I don't even offer Zelle or Apple Pay, anything like that," Richardson said. "Not even Paypal."
She said most people use a credit card because "you have a trail then." Using a credit card also provides a way to dispute a charge if something goes wrong.
Of course, plenty of people schedule their own travel online with no issue, but Richardson said using an experienced agent is safer for their wallet.
"We have vetted all the tour operators, hotels, cruise lines, so, therefore, there's recourse should anything come about," she said.
Consumers can find further protection through the American Society of Travel Advisors. The nonprofit mediates complaints and offers a directory of agents who pledge they'll comply with a code of ethics.
Not on the list is the man Pinky Jackson used for her non-existent hotel room.
"At the end of the day, I had to take accountability for the part I played," Jackson said. "Because I, I should've known better."
Now, she does know better and looks forward to sunnier skies ahead.
An American Society of Travel Advisors spokesperson said the organization is "beefing up" its certification program to help consumers separate good agents from the bad.