When University of Memphis students imagine sandy beaches, scantily clad coeds and cold alcoholic beverages, two words come to mind: Spring Break. Each year, numerous online travel agencies offer student packages to some of the most popular destinations, including Cancun and Panama City.
But the devil is in the details.
Just ask Eric Hinderhofer, 23, a senior marketing management major at The U of M. Last year, Hinderhofer and a small group of friends decided to spend a fun-filled week in the spring break mecca known as Panama City. After reading an advertisement in a newspaper, he decided to make their travel plans through an online agency. That decision turned out to be a big mistake.
“The ad was really misleading. They advertised cheap prices and good hotel rates, but they didn’t tell us how many people it took to get those prices or that we wouldn’t be staying in a nice hotel like the one being advertised,” Hinderhofer said. “It ended up costing a lot more money than it should have, and I couldn’t afford to do as many things as I wanted to do.”
According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), students buy into these offers without reading the fine print or accurately evaluating the sales promotion. Ultimately some students fail to recognize whether these online agencies are scamming them out of their money.
So how can you make sure your spring break vacation is not a spring disaster?
The FTC and the American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) offer several tips to students to help them avoid student travel scams.
First, check out the online agency’s credentials. Contact local travel agents to see if they know whether the agency is legitimate and find out how long they have been in business.
The longer they have been in business, the better.
Next, check your flight schedule. Flights for many of the spring break packages are public charter, not commercial flights. If the trip involves a charter flight, make sure the charter operator is licensed to fly from your departure city to your destination. Flight delays are common in charter flights, so plan ahead.
Most importantly, make sure you read the fine print of the package contract. This will explain the conditions in which the travel agency can change any portion of your flight schedule or hotel accommodations.
According to the Department of Transportation, you have the right to cancel a charter package without penalty if any major changes are made.
The FTC and the ASTA recommend that students pay for the travel packages by credit card. The use of a credit card gives students more protection than cash or a check.
Esther Roberts, office manager of Gulliver’s Travels in Oak Court Mall, believes that students should take time to read the travel promotions carefully, in order to avoid being scammed or misled.
“Its usually about time share and advertising. Students do not take the time to read the fine print,” Roberts said.
Roberts advises students to make their travel plans carefully and to be cautious of online agencies targeting students for spring break.
For more information on spring break travel plans and scams, contact a local travel agency or visit the Federal Trade Commission Web site at www.ftc.gov.
