Moses was the First Travel - Tour Agent Scammer ?

Opinion

Barry Artiste. Now Public Contributor

As many of us planning our holiday travel or religious pilgrimages to the middle east once old man winter hits, or as Christmas approaches. 

Travel Scams have been around since the time of Moses, who led the Jews for 40 years around the deserts of the Middle East promising a Land of Milk and Honey. And we certainly know how that little 40 year old jaunt turned out!

 Certainly one can think of Moses as the first Travel Agent Tour Guide.

http://www.nationalpost.com/life/story.html?id=723815

Travel scams and how to avoid them

Joe Yogerst, ForbesTraveler.com

Published: Tuesday, July 08, 2008

Writers like to think they're immune to the scams that plague ordinary travelers.

But wandering scribes are just as susceptible to stings and swindles anyone else.

During a trip to England several years ago, I spied an advertisement in one of the London papers promoting a hotel-and-meals package in Yorkshire that looked too good to be true.

Arriving in the old medieval town of York a few days later, I checked into a wonderful city center lodge full of bygone ambience and good cheer.

At dinner that evening I promptly announced to the waiter that I was there on the special package and asked how that worked with the meals. With an absolutely straight face he told me I could choose from either side of the menu.

Given that the dishes on the right side looked a lot more appetizing than those on the left, I spent the next three days merrily making my way down that side of the meal card.

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Then at checkout, I was presented with an enormous (and unexpected) restaurant bill.

Turns out the meals on the right side of the menu where not part of my too-good-to-be-true package. And the hotel refused to swallow the charges or admit it was their error.

I had fallen victim to the old bait-and-switch, one of the oldest travel scams in the business.