Travel Tips for Spring Break

The last thing anyone wants to deal with while on spring break or a family vacation are scams, identity theft, booking mistakes or business disputes. There are a few ways you can proactively protect your money, identity, and travel plans while vacationing.

· Verify your arrangements! Before your trip begins, call businesses where you have reservations to confirm they are ready for your visit. By catching mistakes early, you can spend your vacation relaxing instead of dealing with problems.

· Ask about mandatory resort fees. Extra charges added onto your room fee can unexpectedly increase the cost of your stay as late as check-out. Ask about additional fees before your trip so you understand the full cost of your lodging.

· Put details in writing. Document information like confirmation numbers, booking times, addresses, costs, and cancelation/refund policies. Bring this documentation with you on your vacation so you can refer to it whenever needed.

· Have the Post Office hold your mail. This simple step can prevent thieves from stealing mail that could contain personal or sensitive information, like bank account numbers.

· Clean out your wallet. Remove unnecessary cards and documents in case of loss or theft. Never travel with your Social Security card.

· Use credit cards to pay. This makes you less vulnerable to theft from your checking account and provides additional protection from fraud.

Booking a private rental property through an online marketplace, or maybe a platform like Airbnb or Vrbo? Be wary of scammers who post appealing but fake listings to entice vacationers. Although prohibited by the platforms’ terms of service, it can be difficult for moderators to identify and remove these fake listings before a consumer falls victim to the fraud. Some listings are entirely fictitious while others use misleading images and descriptions. One variant of the scam involves the host moving the renters to a low-quality unit after a fake emergency at the original listing makes it uninhabitable just hours before check-in. Do your research and always book through a legitimate company that can issue refunds if anything goes wrong.

Click below to listen to Michelle Reinen from the Wisconsin Department of Ag, Trade, and Consumer Protection talk more about this and other topics.