As you’ve seen, HostelTraveler.com has been raising some controversial questions and issues in the online world of travel. Here’s some more food for thought:

When booking your trip online, is it better to make your reservation on a hotel’s own website, or on an online booking service that deals with many hotels and destinations?

While we would never tell you NOT to book on your chosen hotel’s website (we avidly support small-busines), why not consider what you’re signing up for before you make your choice. When you book online, you will likely be making a payment in advance, or committing to a payment. If you are using an individual hotel’s website, your are committing to making payment to the hotel. the terms and conditions of payment and cancellation will be displayed before you book. Let’s say you have to cancel prior to arrival for any reason. You are now bound by the cancellation terms you agreed to when you confirmed your reservation. This likely means you owe some cancellation payment to the hotel. Or, if you receive a credit, you will only be able to use the credit if you travel to the given hotel in the given city at a later date. If your plans are permanently altered, you lose this value.

Now let’s say you made your reservation on an online booking service that guarantees your reservation at your chosen hotel. While payments conditions are usually be defined between yourself and the hotel, the booking service is experienced in dealing with cancellations. If you have to cancel, you may be offered a credit or value towards another booking in the future. With the online booking service, this credit can be applied to a booking anywhere you decide to travel in the future. You are not tied to a payment at the original hotel, which if you cancelled your plans, you may never visit again.

Of course there are other benefits to using the online booking service. They can better deal with language differences, and in the event of disputes with your hotel, will often assist in mediating.

So, next time you plan on booking your travel online, consider the benefits of booking with individual hotels yourself, or using a reputable online reservation service like HostelTraveler.com.

Scams abound on the internet, and scammers usually send mass emails to small businesses, but also to individuals. You may think these emails are intended solely for you. But, here’s how to spot scammers.

The scammer’s goal is to get you to send them money. They will often request your assistance and offer to send you a certified check . They’ll claim that the check was already made out by a vendor or partner of theirs, and they need help cashing it. The scammer will request you to cash the check, then send them a part of the funds to them, usually by Western Union. Scammers are very creative and there are many variations. However, they will always offer to let you keep a large sum in return for your assistance.

Since the funds are drawn on a foreign bank it may take up to three months to learn that it is fraudulent. You will then be short the amount you have sent to the scammer. The scammer cannot be found, since they are operating out of public internet cafes, usually in far away countries.

Signs of a Scammer

Overseas/International: Typically the scammer will be overseas or out of country. They know authorities rarely pursue this kind of international crime.

Urgent: Often the scammer will be acting in an urgent manner and ask you to assist them with short notice.

Large amounts: The check will always be for a large amount, intended to lure you into their fraud.

No interest in location: Scammers will not care about your location. In fact, they will always be from foreign countries, and you may wonder why they decided to contact you.

Will not address you by name in the first e-mail: The first e-mail you receive will likely not address you specifically. This is because it will be a general email sent in mass to many people.

Strange grammar, spelling, and choice of words: The scammer’s grammar, spelling and use of punctuation will be unusual. Often the scammer will present themselves as a doctor. Another frequent ploy is that they indicate they are from a religious organization, are holding meetings in your country, and make specific reference to their “delegates” or “delegation” coming to your country.

Free e-mail account: Often the e-mail will come from a free email service like Yahoo or Hotmail. Legitimate travel agents or businesses rarely use free email accounts.

Send money: They want you to send them cash, usually by wire, and quick.

Advice:
If you get one of these emails or letters, remember that if it is too good to be true, it probably is. Whatever happens, do not send them any funds, regardless of what form.