Travel

If you’ve lived anywhere in civilization in the last couple of years, no doubt you’ve heard horror stories about resale timeshare scams. You’re ushered into a room, and companies do everything they can bordering on keeping you hostage to make you buy. In general, the public impressions of the industry are resoundingly negative. How can you avoid getting taken advantage of in the timeshare industry?

It’s a pretty good bet that you shouldn’t even get involved in the first place. Timeshare companies are notorious for saying just about anything to get you to come to their “presentation,” only to then keep you hostage until you eventually drool, your eyes glaze over, and you sign on the dotted line. (At least, that’s what they hope is going to happen.) You’ve seen the advertisements: “free tickets and complementary hotel accommodations for three days and two nights at a beautiful resort. For this, we just want you to take a small tour of our resort. Give us your feedback, and enjoy your stay!”

Now, if you think about it, that sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it? Yes, it does.

However, what you usually don’t hear is that the person you’re talking to is going to be taking your money and selling the rights your tour to some other company, thus “stealing” from you. In addition, you may very well not get some or even any of the things you were promised, including a reservation.

That “upgraded” room that you paid for on the ocean might not even exist by the time you get to your hotel.

What about that “90 minute tour”? Well, that’s usually really about six hours long, and it’s not a tour at all. Instead, it’s hard-core negotiating reminiscent of a hostage situation.

They’ll start out by telling you how much money you’re wasting by not owning a timeshare. They position it as you’d have to be some kind of an idiot to not buy the timeshare immediately.

Then they’ll throw out some hugely inflated number that you don’t even spend on several years’ worth of vacationing. And even if you could use this timeshare at that rate, it’s not likely that this business is going to be around for that 20 years, because of course they are a fly-by-night operation.

If you muster up enough courage to tell the first salesman “no”, they’ll look at you like you’re stupid and bring in a “closer”. The closer will then throw another offer at you that is usually less than half the price of the first offer to make you think you’re getting a deal.

If you somehow are brave enough to tell them both no, another person will then be sent to the table to take a “survey” of how you were treated. Part of the “survey” is to offer you another price that’s like a third of the first price you saw.

While not all companies that use timeshares are shady, the vast majority are. It’s best if you don’t take one of their tours because they usually aren’t that great of a deal anyway. However, if you do, be sure to hold your ground. Make them understand your point of view. If you don’t want to buydon’t. Don’t ever allow anyone to pressure you into buying something you don’t want or need. You’ll feel terrible if you do.

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Nowadays the overall traveling has increased to a large extent, be it business travel or holiday and vacations. The increasing need for short-term travel arrangements has significantly increased the use of online car bookings. Websites like Hertz and Enterprise even have a section devoted to online car booking. If you are new to this, perhaps the following tips will help you in booking a car online.

An important point is regarding the rental cost of the car, which is usually different from just the cost of driving the car. The final price will always include everything from the fuel costs to insurance monies.

Also, unless you have a certain amount of car insurance, it is best to inquire about temporary auto insurance during the car rental booking process. Depending on which state the car is rented, there are local and state taxes on top of the smaller fees associated with booking a car rental online. Realizing that the price quoted when booking a car rental online is not the final price may save some sticker shock in the end.

Another factor to consider is your requirement for a particular vehicle type. You can rent out all sorts of vehicles right from the affordable budget cars, to extravagantly expensive sedans. This depends on the occasion, number of people and your budget as well.

The best way to think about the type of car to rent online is to take the cargo and passenger capacity of the vehicle of interest and take the next highest type of car. For example, someone interested in a standard-sized car may want to take a full-sized car to ensure that they have enough space for their trip.

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If you’re planning to fly with your pet, you are part of a growing trend that has been increasing for the last number of years. Most airlines, for a nominal fee, will allow your small pet to fly with you if it will fit in a FAA approved pet carrier that can be stowed under your seat. The following is some important information can help you keep your pet healthy, safe, and happy on airplane flights.

When booking a flight, it is a good idea to make reservations for yourself and your pet as early as possible. You must let the airline know that you want to bring your pet with you. It is very important to tell them, as they will only allow a limited number of pets on each flight. Some airlines do not allow pets at all, especially on international flights. Always confirm your flight the day before you leave on your trip. If you are traveling internationally you need to confirm your reservation seventy-two hours before you go.

Before you fly into the wide blue yonder with your furry travel companion, you need to take him or her to the veterinarian for a checkup, to make sure he or she is healthy enough to travel. You will also need to take its health certificate with you, showing that your pet is up-to-date on all its vaccinations, including rabies. Your pet must wear its current vaccination tag when traveling. As well, your pet must meet the health regulations of every country that you will be traveling to. Bring along a copy of your pet’s medical records listing its allergies, chronic medical conditions, and medications.

If you haven’t done this already, you should get your pet micro-chipped. That way, if your pet gets lost and is taken to an animal shelter or vet, where its chip can be scanned, you both can be reunited. Keep in mind that your pet’s identification tag will have your home address and phone number on it. That won’t be of much help if your pet is lost while you are on vacation. It may be a good idea to get another tag made up with your destination address and phone number on it. What happens if you pet isn’t found until after you have returned from your vacation? It makes sense that you should leave both your home I.D. tag on your pet as well as attaching the new tag. That way you have all bases covered and stand a better chance of being reunited with your pet.

You should bring a photo of you pet with you when you travel. It will help you to prove you’re the rightful owner if any problems of ownership arise. Also, the photo can be used to make up a number of flyers that can be posted in the area where your pet was lost.

Flying with pets that are too large to fit into a FAA approved pet carrier is not a good idea as they will be stowed in the cargo hold. Putting your pet in the cargo hold of an aircraft is very traumatic and dangerous to its health. It makes far more sense to leave your pet with a friend, or a pet sitting service while you are vacation.

The American Veterinary Medical Association advises against sedating or tranquilizing your pet when flying, especially dogs. Dogs regulate their body temperature by panting, so if they are tranquilized, they may not be able to pant. If this happens, it can leave them defenseless against the fluctuation of temperature and air pressure that occurs in the cargo hold of every flight. Also, keep in mind that pets don’t enjoy flying, or being stuffed into a cramped kennel and left alone in a dark and desolate cargo hold. It must be terrifying for them.

There are a lot of websites that give additional valuable information in regards to traveling with your pet. Two excellent sites are the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) at aspca.org, and the Department of Agriculture at aphis.usda.gov, which has a great article entitled, Traveling With Your Pet.

If you are looking for a great travel carrier for your small pet, you may want to consider the popular, FAA approved pet carrier, Sherpa On Wheels. This Cadillac of pet carriers is a luxurious, comfortable home for a pet when they fly. It has convenient front and top entries, mesh panels for ventilation, recessed wheels, as well as a detachable pull handle and a shoulder strap. It can be seen on line at SherpaPet.com.

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