Insider Tips: Using Travel Auction Sites |
Travel auction web sites like LuxuryLink and SkyAuction are the subject of recent New York Times column Travel Deals Lost in the Details. The author, Paul Brown, offers up some good advice for using these sites:
- Auction sites often offer the best deals on the high-end vacations.
- Always read the fine print for details about blackout dates, fees for changes, cancellation policies, etc.
- Be aware of service charges tacked onto winning bids. As the Times reports, LuxuryLink adds $20 to purchases, while SkyAuction can tack on as much as $195 for weekly condo rentals.
Here are a few tips of my own:
- Always check to see whether the quoted price is for one person or two.
- When prices seem unbelievably low, like this $49 deal for two nights + dinner in Hilton Head, there are probably a few catches. With this deal, for example, you have to undergo a timeshare presentation. Not surprising. But you also have to be a married or co-habitating couple with an income over $50,000/year and the same address on your drivers licenses.
- Check when the balance for vacation package is due and whether you have to pay a security deposit for vacation rentals. In some cases, you are required to pay everything at time of purchase. In other cases, you don't need to pay the full balance until later.
- If you have children and plan to bring them on your trip, you may want to check to see whether they count as additional guests and will incur extra fees or whether the seller will wave additional person fees for young children.
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POSTED BY SYSADMIN - SUNDAY, APRIL 9, 2006
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