Simple steps to avoid travel scams

In any industry, you're going to have some rotten apples, the travel business is no different. Those of us travel retailers who dedicate ourselves to providing fanatical customer service cringe whenever we read the occasional "travel agent runs off with customers' deposits" news story, as we saw recently in Pittsburgh. That's the bad news.

The good news is that it's simple to protect yourself and book a cruise with confidence. First, use your credit card for all of your payments, since you have terrific consumer protections that way. Second, make sure your payments are being charged to your credit card by the cruise line itself, so you know your money went straight toward your booking. Third, check your travel agency's Better Business Bureau record at http://www.bbb.org to be sure any complaints were successfully resolved. Fourth, review your written confirmations carefully, since miscommunications or mistakes can happen and they're easier to fix the earlier they're caught.

Working with a cruise-specialist travel agency like SureCruise.com, whether online or in person, helps you set sail on the ship and itinerary that's right for you, saves you some money, and gives you an advocate in case of any problems with the cruise line. Contrast this with booking directly with a cruise line's order department, which has no reason to educate you about the pros and cons of other cruise lines, nor to help you pay less for your cruise.