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Suitcase Divas: Travel Agent Tips, Tricks & Travel Tales
Join co-hosts Denise and Cheryl as they chat about the journey of life and how travel plays an intricate role in navigating its twists and turns. Whether it's sharing travel tips, swapping stories over a glass of wine or mimosa, or welcoming special guests, there's always something new to explore! Grab your suitcase, pour a drink, and let’s dive into the adventure of life together—because travel makes everything better!
Suitcase Divas: Travel Agent Tips, Tricks & Travel Tales
Scam, Set, Go! Travel Scams to Watch Out For
Whew, honey… travel scams are out here multiplying like bad airline snacks—with a jaw-dropping 900% spike in just the last year! 😱 Scammers are getting slicker, and their schemes? Way too convincing. From charming con artists to full-on digital deception, it’s getting harder to tell what’s legit and what’s just plain shady.
This week, your favorite Divas are calling out the trickiest travel scams in the game—from those oh-so-friendly bracelet peddlers who won’t take no for an answer to the “helpful” stranger offering to snap your vacation photo (and maybe run off with your phone 💨📱).
We’re dishing on:
- Sneaky taxi switcheroos 🚕
- Fake menus slid under your hotel door 🍕🚫
- Dreamy beachfront rentals that actually overlook a parking lot 🚫🏖️
- And the WiFi trap: how scammers use public networks to snatch your info faster than you can say “boarding pass.”
Plus, we break down skip lagging—is it a savvy savings hack or a risky ticket to travel trouble?
So, before you pack those bags, press play and get scam-savvy with us. And hey—if you’ve got your own scam story (or near-miss!), spill the tea and help your fellow globetrotters stay one step ahead. 🎒💻✈️
Golden Rule: If it sounds too good to be true… it probably comes with a fake booking confirmation and a side of regret. 😬
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hey there. So um happy thursday, is it thursday?
Speaker 2:I think it is. I think it is thursday. We don't usually record on thursdays.
Speaker 1:I think that's why I'm off this week we've been all out of sorts this week and the allergies are still kicking our ass, both of us. So if we're snotty or sniffling or crying, just bear with us. Um, so this week, uh, this week's episode is kind of it's trending and relevant because scams we're talking about scams, travel scams specifically. But I will say that, doing a little bit of research in this, travel scams have gone up 900% in the last year. 900%, that's a lot. With the eye out there, it's getting trickier and trickier to spot a scam and I think that the um, I think the telltale sign and we always are such so naive to this, but if it seems too good to be true, it probably is correct, yes, but we want it to be true and we want to be trustworthy and be like well, well, and some of these scams are just so savvy I'm like man that it took a lot of work just to come up with a scam.
Speaker 2:So I don't know, I just I, I have you fallen for a scam? Oh yeah, what did you fall for? Um, the Facebook. I still have not received my Facebook ad or my Facebook purchase from the bookshelf. I spend probably a year and I still haven't received that bookshelf.
Speaker 1:Oh my God, I was saying the same thing at the same time. Facebook I got, yeah, and the stupid thing was it wasn't even anything for me. It was like this it wasn't an LL Bean backpack, it was one of like a trendy backpack and they're like, oh, it's from you know, and you can get it for $9, and it's normally a hundred dollar backpack. It was like a trendy backpack and they're like, oh, it's from you know, and you can get it for $9, and it's normally a hundred dollar backpack. And I was like you know what? I don't have a great backpack, but I can always gift this la la la.
Speaker 1:And I was like a backpack, denise, like so stupid I had to get my credit, my car changed out and all that stuff.
Speaker 2:So that's the key. If it seems too good to be true, it usually is. That is the theme that we're going to carry through this whole thing. So, just kind of going over some of this, let's start with the small ones. Yeah, the ones that you would typically see just kind of out and about. We'll get into like the bigger ones. So what's one that you think of when you're in a touristy spot?
Speaker 1:what's one that you think of when you're in a touristy spot? Well, so I've heard of the whole. I see I don't. I've only been to Vegas once. That whole three card money where the cup, the shell trick and stuff like that, where they want you to, they essentially want you to bet, they want you to try to figure out what when it's under like that. I would never do anything like that with you. I'm not a better. You're a gambler, I'm not. I am a gambler.
Speaker 2:I mean because I love Vegas and I do gamble. But would I do it on the street? Probably not, not something like that, because I know it's a sleight of hand trick. I mean it's like a magician's trick when it comes to that. Now, if it a game of chance, I would probably be suckered into one or two of those for a buck or two hero there, just for shits and giggles kind of thing.
Speaker 1:and I don't. I'm too shy to do that. I wouldn't be.
Speaker 2:I wouldn't want to be the center of attention, getting like being the person that's getting you know what I mean, like I especially now with everybody having a camera and ending up on TikTok, because I don't want to be that person and be like where everybody's chatting. Did you just see her get scammed? How did she fall for that? Like? That's a bitch. Exactly, that's what I don't want.
Speaker 2:Um, one of the things that I've seen in and I can't remember if it was I don't think I saw it in Vegas, I think it's in New York. Um, it is, but especially over, like in Nassau, this is where I saw it the most the bracelet scam. They do that. They want to give you something and then the second they put it on you. You're there like um, you know now wanting a donation or wanting something because they made it custom for you or whatever, and I I don't. I get suckered into those. Although I don't pay, I make sure I give it back and it does become, it does cause a scene, but I don't like that. And the reason why I'm suckered into them is because I'm the type when they do it to the kids.
Speaker 1:They give it to the kids is what happened to us in San Juan. They they tried to give a gift to the kids and then the kids don't know to not take it or to give it back. You know what I mean. And then they want your, then they want you to give them money. So it's like, oh, that's not cool man.
Speaker 2:Yeah, um, one of the others. I was just trying to think of what it was. Uh, oh, the photos, taking photos with people. This is big in vegas and new york city, new york with characters like hello kitty or the or even them.
Speaker 2:Just dress vegas. It was more of them being dressed up, not necessarily characters that you would recognize, but character whatever their costume. Character is, um could be an extravagant. I actually followed this stripper um, I think she's called her, it's on tiktok and she's like old ass stripper or something like that and she, her whole.
Speaker 2:It's a persona that she does and she was never a stripper, but she's an older lady with I think she's freaking hilarious and that's great um, she goes out there and she, she will take pictures, and but she was talking about it and I you want to take pictures with people.
Speaker 1:Well, but there should be an understanding whether there's money involved or not. You know what I mean. Like it's kind of like a bait and switch at that point. You know what I mean. Like hey, come, get in the picture. But then you're like, oh, that's going to be $10. Like that's not cool, I don't know. Yeah, another thing I will say.
Speaker 1:So the other thing you have to be careful with now is when you're in a hotel and this happened to us last year like when you're in a hotel, if they ever call you and want to read it, if they're like oh, the machine, the front machines are down. We need to verify your credit card number to bill your room. Don't ever, ever, ever give any information. Just be like okay, I'll come handle it at the front desk, right, so? And then the same thing, even though it wasn't giving my actual credit card information, last year, when we grabbed a couple of drinks and we had already checked in the hotel, the lady is like what's your room number? I'll just charge it to your room. I fucking shouted out our room number. Yeah, I didn't even think about it. So now I've told somebody my room number and then they could be like yeah, put it to room two 11, Denise.
Speaker 2:Not only could they charge it, but now they know these two ladies are in a room and what their room number is. And I, yeah, I did. I looked at you and I was like did you just do that? I?
Speaker 1:wasn't even thinking the other. I'm so naive, I really am. And then the other thing that I didn't even know was a scam. But apparently and even Disney is putting out things in the room you know how they slide shit under your door and typically it could be like a menu for a restaurant people order. So there's been a lot of scams in that. It's a menu, it's not going to a restaurant and you're calling in this order for, like pizza or whatever, and you've been out all day. Remember how at our pod fest, we were just exhausted. It was so easy to just order room service, right, you got to be careful because you can't trust anybody anymore. Go with your Uber Eats or your DoorDash, because don't ever just follow anything under a flyer that came under your door, because it's not a real restaurant. You call in, you give your order, you give your credit card number and you're never going to get that pizza but they're just going to take your money. You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 2:When you told me that I didn't know this was a thing, I hadn't heard about it, I was kind of shocked because I remember, because we road tripped a lot, especially because we always lived away from family, so we would, wherever we were stationed, we'd visit and tour, be a tourist in that state. And I remember that was one of my things is we would, when you would check in sometime, either that evening or the next day, you'd have the local places flyers under your door and we would we want local stuff. So back then we didn't have DoorDash or anything like that and we always referred to those flyers. But also and I miss this, I still look for it every hotel I go to I miss the book that they used to put, the little binder they used to put in your hotel that had the menus of the local restaurant.
Speaker 1:Yeah, the local restaurant, that were legit.
Speaker 2:And I still, to this day, look for that because I appreciate the local I can call.
Speaker 1:And you can still get that. You can still find that, sometimes Like we stayed in Nashville oh God, it's been like five years now.
Speaker 2:So maybe they don't do it anymore, cause the last I'd say.
Speaker 1:I mean, I think, the scammers have kind of ruined it for people to be able to just call in and think that they're getting something now, you know.
Speaker 2:Well, I think maybe if hotels would go back to putting that in the rooms of hey, these are the local mom and pop places or our top whatever it was really like when you stay out by the beach, like out in the outer banks or something, having that is, it was really nice I. I liked having that. I liked having the um recommendation from the locals of where I should go. So I would absolutely fall victim to the scam under the fire. I would just try the local stuff. Yeah, do your diligence now at this point, because it is a thing like and even under the door flyer, I want to try the local stuff.
Speaker 1:Yeah, do your diligence now at this point, because it is a thing like and even the Disney flyer I saw this on um, I guess on my feed the other day. They were saying even Disney is putting things in the room saying don't fall for any flyers that come under your door, because we've had so much scamming going on Um, and so people are just trying to make themselves more aware. Um. The other thing and I I just dealt with this yesterday. Uh, we rented an Airbnb for Napa and we just got an email the other day saying um, double check to make sure that you're really booked at this Airbnb, because the owner has had some fraudulent activity on their account. Make sure that if you already have paid, you paid to the right person and you got a confirmation. I'm like it's really scary.
Speaker 1:The other thing is you have to make sure that you're looking for reviews, because a lot of Airbnbs or VRBOs, all of that stuff they do like a bait and switch where you they're showing pictures of this one place. Another thing is, if it seems to the price is too good to be true, it possibly is not. You're not getting. What you roll up in is not the pictures you saw online um, have you ever had anything like that happen to you with an airbnb? Luckily, ours is still okay for Napa, but that is a. That is definitely a concern is the Airbnb scams.
Speaker 2:Well, you know, I'd prefer hotel or resorts over Airbnb and VRV. That's not my jam I do. It makes me nervous because when I get clients that request that first of all those locations don't pay commission, so usually you'll have to go through. A third party like Expedia will let us book Airbnb and VRB. I don't like using third parties like that, so they're a little trickier to verify and to do.
Speaker 2:You have to go a little bit further to be for yourself as well as for our clients to make sure they are legit. But I will say, when we were creating this topic and I was researching this episode, one of the things that came up that I didn't know was a thing because we had started this conversation all about, like AI travel and we didn't know quite enough about it. So we started researching and it kind of led us down this rabbit hole. But during research I found something about AI generated fake reviews and then that led to people that are hired to give travel reviews.
Speaker 2:I went down a complete rabbit hole on this that this is a remote job apparently, that that part can be a scam too. So just check into that. But some of these reviews are paid for that. They will get a booking, like whoever's doing the reviewing will get like five or 10 bookings to review and then they will have to go in and review maybe like an itinerary or something, and they will take that itinerary and go and add reviews to all those places and they've either never been or they've done like 10 of these a day. So they and I rely heavily on reviews for um just research, because like I said, I didn't want to look at those reviews.
Speaker 2:We want to know. So now I and you can sometimes tell when reviews are.
Speaker 1:If the English isn't, if there's like it's not proper English, you can tell that.
Speaker 2:Or if it's just if one site, if one, if something has a lot of the same style reviews, because you can search for wording on that and that's what I might. That's what I have to do sometimes is like control, find and search all that review page or reverse search.
Speaker 1:Yeah, reverse search.
Speaker 2:The images.
Speaker 1:The images.
Speaker 2:all that review for reverse search, yeah, reverse search the images. The images, yes, because that was another thing I read was um, and this was uh, this was from a travel agent who put this out there. She said I'm not going to say the hotel or where the location is, but there is this um, smaller boutique hotel that had like five locations in this area and say I don't remember the exact numbers but say three are on the beach and two are not, but if you stay at any of their five you can use all of their properties and all the pictures for all five properties are the ones from their best beach property.
Speaker 2:So if someone gets the city location and they're expecting the beach and it could be 30, 40 minutes away while they can't access it.
Speaker 1:It's misleading.
Speaker 1:So it was very interesting how this I know we were talking scams and stuff, but I was making notes of like, ooh, this is something we got to kind of make people aware of, yeah, and also be mindful because a lot of the scammers, instead of it being like bookingcom not that I would advise you to go to that book, because that is also a third-party vendor, but I always go straight to the hotel but when you are on websites like that, another thing is make sure you're hovering over the URL, make sure it's got the little lock on it. It's an actual legit site. It's an actual legit site. Another thing that's odd is if, like I'm, if I'm used to logging into my Marriott and if I, normally it would auto-populate, like my name, denise CDIU, and then my whatever. If you're used to going on and booking that way and all of a sudden your stuff is not auto-populating, there's a good chance. Like they've made it, like it's a fake link.
Speaker 1:So you just really have to be just more mindful every day, all the time, especially when there's money involved.
Speaker 2:You know what I'm saying and that leads into and we've actually had this conversation within our work chats the customer service lines. When, if you get an email or you get a text that says there's something wrong with your account, your trip or whatever, please call this customer service number or reply back. Don't do that. Go to the actual website, and I've seen this on a specific cruise.
Speaker 2:I'm not going to throw it out there, but there's a specific cruise line where I have been reading about clients calling to the cruise line to make a change or make a payment or whatever and they will get. Oh well, you still have a balance on your account for port fees or something or whatever, and they'll pay it. But that number they called was not the correct customer service. And come to find out if you Google the say XYZ cruise line customer service and that's the first number that pops up, don't just dial that number because, if you notice, usually the first one that pops up says sponsored People can pay to have that up there. You want to actually go to that vendor, go to wherever you are, whoever you're using, go to their website, scroll down, find their actual information, their actual number and call directly to there, cause this, that has been a big thing that's been going on right now.
Speaker 2:Yeah, calling the wrong customer service numbers.
Speaker 1:Yeah for sure, and like when you're out. So another thing is and I think I mentioned this the other day and you're like I never thought of that. So people that are like trying to be overly helpful or friendly in a touristy area like, oh, let me take your picture, let me take your picture and you give your phone that's got like your Apple pay, your everything in it, and and then the next thing you know, you guys are all posing in a cute group and they've run away with your damn phone that has all of your, all of your information. So now I'm very leery to to ask people, but here's a key that I would say is safer Ask a mom with small kids, cause she's not going to run away with her phone with little kids in tow and a mom is going to be is definitely more trustworthy anyway, if it's just this random, overly friendly person I'm going to.
Speaker 1:First of all, you know I'm all about a selfie, but I do think there is good things with people still taking your picture and I offer, I do offer. So I was like I wonder if I'm shady, like I'm just saying, be a little sus If somebody is overly wanting to take your phone and offer to take pictures, just be mindful that you don't realize how much you're. My phone is like my kidney, you know what I mean. Like I, I need that. I feel lost without it. So, um, they did say the other thing you can do is do like, kind of like a throwaway phone. If you really want to do a phone or just a cheap, um, a cheap camera that you can then put your USB drive in, they just said don't offer your phone up to pass anybody, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:And that's another thing and I didn't even think of this. Another scam for people to get your phone is if there, if you have your phone, and I do this all the time. This is why this was actually a really good research lessons, cause I'm like, okay, don't do this to me, don't do this, you do this. But the other thing is I always have my phone out on the table at the restaurant. Okay, so the other thing that is a scam is if they have a newspaper or if they have a menu, they'll come and talk to you, they'll distract you and get you know, get your attention by having a conversation, and they'll set down the menu or set down a newspaper or whatever. And then when they walk away to say, oh, have a good day, they're picking up your phone with the menu or with the newspaper, and I always have my phone out on the table. Yeah, just be mindful.
Speaker 1:Especially if people are trying to distract you there, that is a good possibility that they're either trying to pick your pocket, pick pockets as a really really, really trendy, more so over, you know, in Europe or other abroad countries. I don't, I don't know, and maybe, no, maybe we do have pickpockets here. I just don't go to the big cities. But the other thing is be careful when you have a cross body. That's another thing is the slash and grab. If you're not paying attention or people you know with the expensive beats like mopeds and stuff will come. They'll just come with a moped and pluck them off your head and steal them.
Speaker 2:Yeah. It's a wild world, cheryl, I know, and it's all about being aware of your surroundings One of the things that on the list that I am guilty of, and when you talk about what we're learning, that we the bad habits we do ourselves. Free wi-fi hot spots yeah, I connect almost all the time, um, and they have.
Speaker 2:You have a lot of personal information on there yeah, and I don't know what I'm and this this is probably we shouldn't be putting this out there, but I don't know what I need to do or should be doing to protect if I'm connecting to Wi-Fi, if like what they can access.
Speaker 1:Never give any financial information. Never give any credit card information.
Speaker 2:Well, I know, but they also say that you shouldn't if you're on a public Wi-Fi server, whatever it's called, you should not be logging into your own bank account, logging it, making purchases on your own, because you're using your financial information on a public network, on an unsecure network. So when I was reading that, I was like, hmm, I don't know how many times I've been sitting at an amusement park or whatever, or just killing time, amazon shopping or something, and I don't know. That's just something that I don't know if what they can get access to on a public Wi-Fi system.
Speaker 1:Well, I would just be cautious. I would just be cautious, don't, don't put anything. This is the world going to enter the information.
Speaker 2:But can they pull it if you're on the server, Like if you just connect to Wi-Fi in the airport or something? Can someone with a device two rows over if they've got?
Speaker 1:that scammy, fake wifi. Yeah, they can pull shit off your phone, I think if, if you have, if you have stuff existing on there, I don't pay, I don't, I don't do a lot of the Apple pay and stuff, but your stuff is on your phone, so just be mindful.
Speaker 2:I don't log into free wifi Like I just just I try to you don't connect to like a restaurant's wi-fi if you're hanging out, I don't, or the hotel.
Speaker 1:I mean, I have before at the hotel when we were at podfest I did, but I feel like if that's the hotel, that's the hotel, but it's still not as secure it's not.
Speaker 2:I'm thinking and maybe we're thinking differently is an unsecure, like my Wi-Fi at home has a password. You can't log on to my Wi-Fi until you know the password. If I go to the hotel, I can log on to theirs, but it's an unsecure. Anybody. What I'm envisioning is waves of info just floating all around so anyone can reach, reach up, who knows what they're doing and grab it. I don't think it has to be a fake wifi. I think it's any unsecured wifi.
Speaker 1:So any place you go and connect to their wifi restaurant, a hotel- I think there's definitely more sus places Like the air, the airport, is very common for them to do the fake wifi and and steal your stuff. It's usually places that aren't a business. You know what I mean Per se is what I got.
Speaker 2:So then I was confused, cause I won't. I wouldn't be connecting to, like Joe Smith's wifi on my list. I'm going to connect to a business, but that business is not secure.
Speaker 1:It's what you're saying but I think in this case they are saying like, if you're just desperate and you want to get on and Joe Schmo is what is there, then you're like it's okay. I'm just going to do this real quick. You know what I mean. Just that's what they're saying, like be mindful If it's not like a business name and you're just connecting to a free wifi. That's what you got, to be mindful of.
Speaker 2:I think it's a free wifi period, even a business a moment, if it's not a secure line wifi you're taking a risk at any point.
Speaker 1:Right, I see what you're saying. I just see what you're saying.
Speaker 2:I assumed it was, but that's a good question, cause we're all seeing it differently.
Speaker 1:Okay, so I'm going to do a little thing. Like a scenario like is this a scam or is this not? Or maybe you're not and you tell me if you think that it is. So the first scenario, number one we talked about this too good to be true. Resort deal. You find a luxury five-star resort in Maldives for $50 a night on a brand new travel website. This site has great reviews and photos. They look stunning. Is it legit or is it a scam?
Speaker 2:I'm leaning towards scam for a couple of reasons. A brand new site that's suspicious. I'd want to know the history, like did they just revamp? Did they switch host servers? Like there should be some history right. Also $50 a night. Five-star red flag, no matter where you are. No correct.
Speaker 1:That is a scam, correct.
Speaker 2:So those are my first two. It was like yeah, no.
Speaker 1:So so a lot of websites use stolen photos, like you've talked about, or fake reviews to learn traveler and they did say if it seems too good to be true, it typically is um. Scenario two Instagram giveaway for free vacation. A popular travel influencer is hosting a free giveaway. Win a free trip to Greece. Follow me, like my post, tag five friends. You'll see thousands of comments and shares. Is it legit or is it a scam?
Speaker 2:It could be legit, but it could be a scam. This is one you need to. You're so good at this, you've got to deep dive into that, because some of those giveaways are accurate. You've got to read the fine print. What are they asking for? How much of your information are they asking for? Have they been around for a while? Or is it saying if this is a new account, it's a scam? If it's a new account, it's a scam. I'm just going to be like, nope, don't trust it. If it's a new account, it's a scam. I'm just going to be like, nope, don't trust it. If it's an established account, if they're so easy to steal, you got to go back and look at is this something that this influence, or look?
Speaker 1:for have you? So you're right, it can be both, but the things you have to look for like that is have you seen past winners? Are they posted any past winners, or do they ever give?
Speaker 2:away. Know what I'm gonna do for that past winner. I'm gonna deep dive like how connected are they? Did they give this to their friend's second cousin?
Speaker 1:like I want to know, right so that one is a possibility of both. Okay, right on that one. So you're two for two. Good job show. All right, okay. So last minute whatsapp travel deal. A travel agent messaged you on whatsapp offering a deeply discounted last minute package to Paris, but you need to pay via bank transfer today. Is it legit or is it a scam?
Speaker 2:Red flag bank transfer right there. We're not asking for a bank transfer.
Speaker 1:We're also not saying last minute If we haven't communicated with someone, we're not saying hey.
Speaker 2:we might say hey because I know we've sent out information, there's a deal that's ending, but it's been there for a while. We're just reminding someone who might have been interested. But if a travel agent reaches out to you uninitiated, like it's just out of the blue, first of all red flag. Second, well, once they ask for a bank transfer, I'm out. That's not legit, right. Nobody will ask. Ask for a bank transfer. I'm out. That's not legit, right.
Speaker 1:Nobody will ask you for a bank transfer in this day and age. Mm-mm. This one I'm not doing because this dumb. But let's just go to scenario five. We found an issue with your hotel booking. We kind of went over this. You receive an email from bookingcom saying there's an issue with your reservation and you need to confirm your payment details ASAP.
Speaker 2:So that could be true. But here's where I much more I'm savvier now than I used to be, because 10, 15 years ago, maybe 10 years ago I would have clicked on oh, I need to go check that I would have clicked through the email. Now I'm closing that email. I'm logging into wherever I book that, because that does happen.
Speaker 2:But I will tell you because I've been called down to the hotel desk before. This again was 1015 years ago. I was road tripping and I got called down because the credit card company needed to verify I was legit. But the front desk called me and said hey, we need you to come down, there's an issue with the account. They never asked for anything over the phone. I was still suspicious. I went down and the lady at the front desk was like hey, we need you to call. This was I don't know that we had.
Speaker 2:This was back, I think, when we were still paying like 10 cents a call on our cell phones or something. It was a long time ago. So we I was like I'll use your phone. But then I was like, should I do that? So I did have to call my credit card company and verify. It's because I had been in multiple states in like the last week and they were asking about it. But sometimes you don't think about it. Between the email it seems legit because things can and do go wrong with bookings and you need to confirm. But you need to go back to the original source. And now I will always go back to original source and I will always tell my clients go back to the original source.
Speaker 1:I think that's smart. That is good. Okay. The last one is scenario six the TikTok hidden fee airline hack. A viral TikTok hack says you can buy a hidden city airline ticket, booking to one destination but getting off at another layover city for 50% off on airfare. Is that legit or is it scam?
Speaker 2:So say that, say that part, say it again. I have to okay Cause just say the what the whole thing is at the back.
Speaker 1:Okay, a viral TikTok hack says you can buy a hidden city airline ticket, booking to a destination but getting off at a layover city, and you can save 50% off on your airfare. Is it legit or is it a scam?
Speaker 2:Oh, so they're saying book a multi-stop flight for cheaper to get off at the layover. Yeah, it's also known as skip lagging.
Speaker 2:So that is a that is something people do. However, we don't recommend it for a couple reasons. One once the airline catches on, they can ban you from the airline. Like, if you're doing, if you don't book from here, like from charlotte to we don't have a lot of, let's say, charlotte to the west coast and you really want to go to Dallas, but it's cheaper, don't. Don't do that because, um, the airline can ban you from using them to to do that. I don't know if they can make you pay the difference. I believe we had heard about this before, but also, this was the first time I've ever heard about skip lagging.
Speaker 1:So essentially, like what Cheryl's saying, like if, if I'm in New York and I want to get to Charlotte, but a direct flight from New York to Charlotte is $250. Well, sometimes there's a one way ticket from New York to, let's say, orlando, with a layover in Charlotte, for $150. So it's a hundred dollars left. Well, what's wrong with just going from New York and instead of, instead of going all the way through to Orlando, you just get off in Charlotte, which is where you wanted to go anyway, right? Um, well, the the airlines don't like it. I've never heard of anybody being physically sued or having to pay the difference. But I will say this if you're going to attempt that, it's risky. The answer is it's real, but it's risky.
Speaker 1:We don't advise that as travel advisors, because a lot of things can go wrong. The airlines don't like it, and you also would have to make sure you have a carry on and make sure that your carry on is not then checked, because your bags will go onto Orlando and then you'll be in Charlotte and you don't have your bag. So that's definitely a major problem with that scenario. But if you do just have a backpack and whatever. You probably can get away with it with just getting off and doing that. But so I thought that skip lagging was such an interesting concept. Um, and you would never want to do it on a round trip ticket either, because once you don't get off, once you don't get on, the rest of your ticket is canceled. All of the rest of them are canceled.
Speaker 2:So it's a very risky concept, it's a good thing to bring to light, and I think we should be asking the question why is it cheaper for me to book a flight from, say, New York to Orlando and get off in Charlotte instead of booking directly to Charlotte? Like I'd be curious to know. It's all like supply and demand. There's more. There's like more for direct flight to show? Okay, yeah.
Speaker 1:In Charlotte. Unfortunately, where we live, Charlotte's one of the most expensive airports to fly into or fly out of.
Speaker 2:It kind of sucks. It does. I will tend. I have looked because we're not far from the Greensboro Raleigh area. I will look up there for the Raleigh airport. I will look down in South Carolina. They're smaller airports but if I sometimes it's worth the drive, it may be worth the drive to the hour two hour drives to save 200 bucks Maybe I don't know, but I do look at the surrounding airports. Yeah.
Speaker 1:I agree, so. So, while skip lagging is a real thing and it is, it can save you some money it there's a lot of risk involved with it. Uh, would you do? Have you ever done anything like that, Would you?
Speaker 2:know Good Lord. No, first of all, all I'm terrified. I am so afraid of airports like I'm gonna get in trouble. I don't do anything wrong, but I swear I'm walking around like I'm gonna get in trouble all the time. So there's no way that I'm now. I have missed flights, especially when I was a younger traveler in my like early 20s, because I just poor time management, where I have actually had to leave the airport because I can't get out till the next day and to because I'm thinking how can, if you're missing that connecting flight or you're just stuck in your layover? Maybe you missed your flight, maybe, whatever the case may be, like they would have to, really yeah.
Speaker 1:Well, and if you get ill like if I'm on my way to Orlando and I get violently ill or food poisoning and I cannot physically be on the flight, then you have to get off at Charlotte Like if that's what happened. There's going to be circumstances where you don't end up in your final destination and I get that. I'm just saying this hidden, hidden city. This is a thing that people do. This is almost like a thrill-seeking thing.
Speaker 2:Or I guess, I just know.
Speaker 1:I'm too pansy. I stay in my lane. Listen, I'm a rule follower.
Speaker 2:I would have to prepare to not check luggage, and that in itself is a deal breaker. That's just too much work. I would be so nervous exiting the airport, thinking they're going to be like get back here, you have one more flight to go. Like it would stress me out too much.
Speaker 1:I don't think I could do it intentionally. Yeah, I'm not. I'm not going to be skip flagging, but it is a real thing and it people do it.
Speaker 2:Let us know if you or listeners or you or someone you know has done this, where they will schedule a longer flight and just get off in the layover because it was cheaper. I mean, you can do it anonymously too, we won't rat you out, but I'm just curious like the balls it takes to do that, because I would be so scared. I agree.
Speaker 1:The one thing that I have been tempted to want to do, that Cause I'm I would be so scared, I agree. The one thing that I have been tempted to want to do is, if you find in a middle city that the layover is long enough, like if it's a 12 hour or 18 hour layover if you leave the airport and then go venture out to that city, I'd still don't think I would be brave enough to do that?
Speaker 2:I would absolutely do that If I had like a 12 hour layover, or if I if I was going to a city, cause you know, I have my map and I love to put my pin the cities I've been to. So if my layover was in a city I've never been and there's something I can go explore and I could schedule like a 12 hour layover, I probably would, just so I could go explore and be able to.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that seems tempting as long as I'm not alone. I would have to be with you or somebody.
Speaker 2:I mean, I couldn't go far for a 12 hour layover. The furthest I would go would be two hours out from the airport, because I would be able to get back. I wouldn't even go that far. I would do a two hour radius, that's. That's about as far as I would go. Wow, you're so brave.
Speaker 1:Cheryl. Well, yeah, so we're just telling you guys, these are some of the scams. The other thing that I know we didn't mention and we actually fell well, I won't say fell victim to, but the other big one is if your taxi does not have a meter, and in general, just know what you're doing with taxis In general just take an Uber and I'm I listen, I'm not trying to Twice.
Speaker 2:I would say I don't know that we got scammed. I think we just got screwed over because we weren't knowledgeable. But twice, once in New York and once in Orlando.
Speaker 1:Right. So what I will say is if you're not familiar with where you're going which we were not they can take a very long way around, so you have to pay more money If the meter's not working at all. What I would say is make sure when you get into that taxi how much we're going from here to Orlando or the Disney or whatever. They should give you an upfront cost. They should say it's going to be around a hundred dollars or it's going to be for that's what happened in, or I don't.
Speaker 2:I think it was in orlando. We walked out and we were debating uber or taxis and there was a line of taxis and we had a lot of luggage. So we're like let's take this van Uber I mean this van taxi and it said flat rate from here to the area the general area we were going was not that it was like a $50 flat rate or whatever. That Uber or that taxi ride almost cost us $150. I know.
Speaker 1:It was nothing like what they said, so you just have to be mindful. Yeah, and I would always.
Speaker 2:Uber's more upfront. Personally, I would always do more up front with their.
Speaker 2:Personally, I would always do uber or lyft now, because we got so screwed over by that taxi, because and you can visually see like their estimated cost and that is that was much more reliable so far everywhere we've been, because we both times times in New York and in Orlando, when we went back to wherever we went, we did Uber instead of the taxi and it was cheaper and it was more clear on their costs and what we could expect and it was accurate, like what they proposed was very, very close to what we actually ended up paying, right.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and it's all transactional on your phone. You're paying through your phone. That's the other thing they say. Don't if especially if you're in foreign countries don't pay, don't pay with cash, try to avoid. Because I guess this one scammer was like they had all these hundred dollar bills and the taxi driver was like this is counterfeit. And he took it. So he and he's given it back, but he's really exchanging out your real money for his counterfeit and saying your money's counterfeit. And so he said he lost out on $500 because the guy kept saying he's like. I thought it was odd that he kept looking at it and then saying it was fake and giving it back to me and he's like, by the like, the fifth time I noticed that it didn't. My money was crisp and new and the money he was giving me back did not look like that. So I he's like. I exited the, but he lost $500 before he realized what was happening.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but one. Why are you traveling with a hundred dollars bills Like something you would be surprised how much?
Speaker 1:people travel with cat.
Speaker 2:lots of cash on you much people travel with lots of cash on you, so not only $20 is mostly what I have like the highest bill. And then I have them, all my money broken up in different spots, even in my purse, my wallet, my on my in my pocket spending and what I'm wearing, all of my cash is not all in one spot, it's all that's smart.
Speaker 1:It's all over my body.
Speaker 2:It's all over my body. It's all over my body. It's in my bra. It's like I'm not getting stuck when I used to carry cash. Now I don't ever have cash and I and they also say be careful in foreign countries.
Speaker 1:Don't you know how the they have the currency changers. They said make sure they're, they say, really mindful. Make sure you're going to something that you know that it's a currency changer, cause they even have fake ones just that are given out the wrong type of currency. Like, let's say, you're in Netherlands and some of those machines will give out you like Russian currency.
Speaker 1:And so that's like you're putting in your money and thinking you're getting it changed out, and it's not even the type of money that you can use in that country. So that's another one that you need to be mindful of.
Speaker 2:Have you ever had to do a currency exchange before?
Speaker 1:I have not.
Speaker 2:So one of the things I didn't know whatever you pay for in, like if you're paying in US dollars or you're paying in the current currency, if you're not aware of the currency exchange rate, make sure you get your change back and what you paid in, because you could be losing out with that exchange rate. Right, I was looking into this when I was helping a study abroad student when they were traveling, because it was something we had to dig into with the currency exchange rate, and I was like and I read that that's what they recommended, because if you're paying in US dollars and you take their money back, you actually might be losing money because when you go to exchange it before you peace out, you're not getting the equivalent of what you should. Yep.
Speaker 2:So I would never have thought of that.
Speaker 1:There are a lot of tricky things out there, people. We hope that we've pointed out some of the just the type of scams that are going on. So just be mindful when you're out and about and traveling. Um, just keep your wits about you and, um, like, our biggest takeaway is if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.
Speaker 2:Let us know if you have experienced any of the scams we mentioned, or if we forgot to mention something that you know about, because we, if there's something we didn't give like give a warning about, but you know it's happened to you or you're like this is out there, I've heard of this.
Speaker 1:Then let us know that too. We always want to be the most advised and give the best information. Yeah, so I think that's going to do it for us today. Guys, be safe out there.
Speaker 2:Have fun you.
