With travel opening back up, there’s a rush to get out and go somewhere! Traveling allows you to experience other cultures and helps break up your routine-based lifestyle. But you must be careful when booking online travel because there are scams and traps. This is precisely why we made a guide on booking your online travel safely.
When organizing travel, make sure you always use reliable and legitimate sites. This applies to purchasing airplane and cruise tickets, amusement park passes, and sightseeing packages. Additionally, if you plan to do any adventurous activities like boating, make sure you search for reputable and trustworthy agents (such as this firm for Smith Mountain Lake boat rentals) so that you can avoid the risk of online fraud.
Scammers often track the search volumes for popular destinations and try to stray people away from secure websites and into potentially malicious ones. Some keywords, such as “all-inclusive vacation,” “cheap trip deals,” “last-minute vacation,” “travel deals” and “vacation deals,” increase the risk of unwanted pop-ups and fraud attempts.
Others may create fake travel agencies to lure innocent bookers to their site where it allows them to gain nonrefundable payment and personal data. Some online scammers even go so far as to secure cheap fares and find ways for consumers to buy their extra inventory.
This is why it’s a good idea to book through websites that your friends or family can vouch for, if they’ve already used it. When it comes to day-long activities like Tamarindo fishing charters or Maasai safaris, it can be hard to find reliable booking pages. Asking the hotel you’re staying at for recommendations, or looking for one that has been verified by a credible travel-booking platform would usually be safer options.
Even when using legitimate websites you have to be careful. Many travelers say they have concerns over their personal data and internet security so it is surprising when many use unsecured public wi-fi or unencrypted internet access to book travel online. This carries the risk of having personal data and financial information stolen by a hacker listening to the network. Using a vpn service such as avg secure vpn will encrypt your data so that hackers cannot access it as it is being sent between your computer and the target website.
Taking control of your data and being mindful of Internet security can help you avoid online scams. Booking direct also helps eliminate risk. Use third-party sites to research your options, but once you know where you’d like to make your reservation, use that company’s website to do so. You’ll often find packages and specials you won’t find on third-party sites and can communicate directly with the business to ensure that your trip exceeds your expectations! Learn more about how travelers are affected with our accompanying resource.
