New website promises Epic Thrills for adventure travelers

by Kraig Becker on

Travelers looking for great deals on their next journey have a new tool at their disposal today, as a website has just launched that promises to be the Jetsetter of adventure travel. The new site, fittingly called Epic Thrills, will offer members substantial discounts on adventure travel opportunities from some of the top companies in the world.

For now, the site is members-only and requires an invite to join, but once you’re in the club, you’ll receive exclusive access to some excellent travel bargains. The creators of Epic Thrills have worked closely with top adventure travel companies to offer fantastic deals to ET members, and each week they’ll put another amazing trip on sale. That trip will be available for 7-14 days at a discount of up to 30% off the regular price.

And what exactly can members expect out of Epic Thrills? Their very first deal, which goes on sale later today, offers some insights. The first trip available is an 11-day mountain biking excursion through the Himalaya hosted by Pedlars Pub & Grille, one of the absolute best adventure cycling companies in the world. While on this two-wheeled journey through Nepal, travelers will stay in rustic tea houses while riding more than 200 miles of trail with the stunning backdrop of Annapurna to spur them on. According to the Epic Thrills website, future trips could include heli-skiing in Alaska, surfing in Costa Rica, rafting in Patagonia, and a whole lost more.

Epic Thrills is the brainchild of founder Allen Burt, who came up with the idea when he was left frustrated by the inability to find good, compelling adventure opportunities online. An avid adventure traveler himself, Burt has launched the site to not only offer great deals on adventure options to others, but to also create an online destination to help them discover new opportunities that they didn’t even know existed.

Checkout the site yourself at EpicThrills.com

Travel Scam Watch: Travel Clubs exposed

by Chris Owen on

Its a scam we read about and think “How could someone fall for this?”. Promises are made for fabulous vacations at an almost-unbelievably low price. As a savvy member of the club, those chosen to join will reap great savings traveling with other like-minded people. But in the end, nobody went anywhere except to the bank for a pile of money to give the next convicted felon produced by the travel scam industry.

Just this week Daryl Turner, a New Jersey travel club owner, was arrested on allegations that he stole more than $75,000 from people who thought they were buying exotic vacations through his Dreamworks Vacation Club reports Philly.com. This is right after a February civil agreement on the same company that included more than $2.2 million in restitution for more than 600 customers who bought packages dating back to 2008 through Dreamworks and other companies operated by Turner.

Though the various scams varied from company to company, they all operated in classic travel scam fashion appealing to ordinary people looking for a bargain. The Dreamworks Vacation Club operation is a great example of a scam that has been going on for years, customized to the day’s economy or the consumer market being targeted.

Sitting here reading this today, removed from the high-pressure sales environment, its not hard to see through the deal.

“Five days in London with round-trip air for $535” was one of the members-only deals available through the Dreamworks Vacation Club. That low price was made possible by a big up-front membership fee of up to $8995, steep but seemingly fair for a lifetime of savings.

How do we know if something is too good to be true?

1. Google them, for yourself or someone else– A quick Google search for Dreamworks Vacation Club got me a lot of hits. That would have been plenty of reason for most people to walk away. But these criminals often target groups of people who do not use the Internet all that much. Buyers from geographically low-income areas who may not have the technical knowledge to do a search or Seniors are prime targets.

2. Contact your state’s Attorney General’s office or Division of Consumer Affairs– Odds are you are not the first person being wooed by criminal scam artists. They often have a long track record of crimes that crosses state borders and involves multiple companies over a long period of time.

3. There should never be a rush to buy– Unless you’re on a disintegrating asteroid in outer space being offered a ride on the last rocket to safety, take your time. Our friends at WalletPop.com have 10 Tips To Avoid Online Travel Scams worth a look that center around the notion “Don’t rush into ordering from us if you don’t have time,” and “Take your time. Most scams have time-sensitive ordering requirements.”

4. You got mail- While Internet-based scams are plentiful, many rely on U.S.Postal Service mail for the “hook” that gets prospective buyers interested. An official-looking certificate with a familiar travel company logo and color photos we may have seen elsewhere in print is often what opens the door to let these criminals into your life. Travel Scam crooks are not really all that concerned with copyright laws.

Just ask the guys at Dreamworks Vacation Club.

Flickr photo by B Rosen

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Booking award tickets can be frustrating, unless you’re a pro

by Chris Owen on

Collecting reward points is often the easy part of the whole deal while redeeming them can be challenging. If we remember when and where to gather points though, they rack up fast. Still, when it comes to using them, the whole process may seem complicated and we may wonder if we used those points to our best advantage. One way to be sure is by using a professional, someone who lives and breathes the whole process and is passionate about it.

“Booking award tickets can be incredibly frustrating, yet if done correctly, incredibly rewarding” says PointsPros.com, an award travel booking service devoted to helping clients save “time, miles, frustration, and potentially thousands of dollars.”

Ben Schlappig of PointsPros is a college student, travel consultant and avid points collector who also writes the travel blog One Mile At A Time. Spending about a third of his nights in hotels, flying around 300,000 miles and visiting over 40 countries each year, Schlappig’s blog is a treasure chest of travel deals, bargains and shared experiences often not found elsewhere.

“After we analyze the best approach to take for booking your award, we find the award availability, assist you with transferring points as necessary, make the actual award booking, and select the best available seats for you” says PointPro’s easy to navigate website.

Leaving the complicated fee structures to the airlines. PointsPros pricing is simple, $150 for the first passenger on any type of award then $100 for each additional passenger on the same general trip. If they can’t find you a trip matching your specifications, there is no charge.

“Whether you’ve tried to book an award and the airlines have told you there is no availability for your desired trip, or you just want to make the booking process easier, let us put our expertise to work for you. You worked hard to earn those miles, so you shouldn’t have to work hard to redeem them.”

We ran across Ben following up on a story Gadling did about how to free frequent flyer miles by purchasing dollar coins a couple months ago.

“Just last week I came back from a trip from Australia and Singapore and Malaysia all in first class, just on miles,” Florida-based Schlappig says, adding “partly thanks to the dollar coin program.”

Is this service for everyone? Absolutely.

Those who don’t travel all that much can often benefit from having a professional take a look at this side of their travel plans. If the majority of ones travel points on a given airline are racked up buying non-air goods and services, odds are those people can use the help.

Savvy travelers with time on their hands can work through the process on their own. If for no other reason than to save time by having someone else do it, using a award travel booking service can do just that.

Even Road Warriors who sometimes feel like they know more about a particular reward program than the people on the other end of the phone when trying to redeem points can gain from occasionally letting a neutral professional dive in and see what they can do.

Services for booking award tickets like this are not a substitute for a good travel agent or booking travel however we have successfully done it in the past. But wise travelers know considering another element to incorporate into a total travel planning program is worth a look.

Flickr photo by Larry Johnson

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Cheap summer travel deals, there are a few still out there

by Chris Owen on

Summer is peak season at popular vacation options from U.S. National Parks to theme parks and cruises. Its the time when many travelers are off school and have the time to go which normally drives up pricing. Experts in summertime travel say not to write off the possibility of a late summer vacation that won’t break the bank.

Save 50% Off Your Vacation by Taking a Mini-Vacation says Best Travel Deals Tips in their Last Minute Summer Travel Tips & Mini-Vacations.

“One way to save on your last minute vacation is to take a shorter vacation or a mini-vacation. It can cut the cost of your trip in half, especially if you do a road trip to a destination not more than a half-day drive from your home. Mini-vacations don’t require weeks of planning but still provide the same basic essentials of any trip: the chance to recharge your batteries, get your mind off of work and take a break from your regular routine. Also, when you’re traveling with the kids, look for a hotel that is reliable, kid-friendly and has all the amenities they need, like the Hilton Garden Inn. Between now and September 6th, with the HHonors ‘Great Getaway Promotion’ you get 20% off the Bed ‘N Breakfast rates plus get a delicious cooked-to-order breakfast for up to four adults staying in the same room. And kids 12 and under eat breakfast for free.”

Cruise vacations still available and they don’t have to make us fat

“Back in the day, cruise travelers came home with more than souvenirs – taking a cruise usually meant bringing home an extra 10 pounds,” said Dwain Wall, Senior Vice President and General Manger of CruiseOne, the nation’s leading cruise retailer. “Today’s travelers have asked for healthy and fun activities to choose from while onboard and the cruise lines have responded. The best part? Many of these offerings are included in the price of the cruise.”

Carnival Cruise Lines is having a “cash back” sale where they load up your on-board spending account with up to $150. They may not lower the price, in fact it may cost more to get this offer, but cash to spend on board a Carnival Cruise is always a welcome addition to any cruise vacation. Watch prices though, only certain price codes qualify. The promotion is available with virtually all of the line’s three- to nine-day cruises to the Caribbean, Bahamas, Mexico and Alaska departing between August and April from a variety of North American homeports. Terms & Conditions

Some other sources to check
There are a number of online sources that specialize in last-minute travel and are worthy of a click or two.

LastMinuteTravel.com has portfolio of 16,000 plus Undercover hotels in 2,500 major cities
worldwide. By keeping the name of the hotel quiet until after one books, LastMinuteTravel.com is able to dramatically drop the rates across every hotel providing even better last minute prices, in advance.

FunJet Vacations lets us save up to 60% on last-minute packaged deals like a 3-night stay in Cozumel, Mexico with airfare starting at $399 per person. Packaged tours, once looked down on by seasoned travelers, are making a comeback as travel agencies are finding a new value-oriented market for their services.

Consumer Reports, the people who have no horse in the race for your travel dollars, offer ten great tips for saving on travel. My personal favorite:

#5. Negotiate with hotels

“Average room rates have been falling in vacation spots such as Orlando, Fla., and the Caribbean. Bad news for hoteliers can be good news for you, so skip Web sites and toll-free lines and contact the property directly. Because many hotels are independently owned or managed, you might have more bargaining power. (Just don’t call in the morning, when guests are checking out.) Haggle for a lower room rate and ask for complimentary breakfast, gym access, or parking. Follow up by e-mail, so you have written confirmation.”

Who really does this? Have you? Share your experience with a comment below please. We would love to know how you did it for an upcoming post “Travel Mercenaries; get the best deal, take no hostages”

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Couchsurfing: more than just a free place to stay

by Sean McLachlan on

Here at Gadling we’ve talked a lot about Couchsurfing, a very cool organization where members host each other. It’s an amazing example of how the world can work if you have a bit of kindness and trust. Millions of people have slept for free on millions of couches and made millions of friends in new places. I’ve been a member for a year and I’ve gotten a lot out of it, yet I’ve never once surfed a couch with them.

The two times I’ve used Couchsurfing have been when I’ve come up to Santander in Cantabria in northern Spain to explore the city in anticipation of moving there. Both times my wife was with me and she prefers hotels over couches, so we didn’t try to couchsurf. We both had great Couchsurfing experiences, though.

Before we visited last October I got onto the Couchsurfing Cantabria forum and announced we wanted to meet locals and learn more about life in the city. They organized a party for us and 25 people showed up! We got heaps of restaurant and bar recommendations, an invitation to a hike, and my wife got a list of local yoga studios.

We stayed in touch with the friends we made and this week we visited again. This time we got more suggestions of places to go, my son was introduced to a kid his age, and one of the Couchsurfers turned out to work for a rental agency, just the thing we needed! One well-connected woman is going to hook me up with a writer so I can tap into the local literary scene and a spelunker so I can get back into caving. Thanks to Couchsurfing, we won’t be moving to a city of strangers this September.

Couchsurfing puts you in touch with interesting, open people the world over. If you’re interested in exploring a new place to move there or just to visit, get your free membership and start networking!