Breakaway Destination Guides (International)

Overseas travellers lose a staggering amount of money, billions of dollars, each year to a series of scams, cons and tricks. The majority of which occur in foreign destinations, when travellers are at their most vulnerable.

The Real Hustle -- On Holiday (coming up in the next 7 days (including repeats)
from the BBC iPlayer

Know the real price. Know the final price. Look at any major airline ad and you will see their too good to be true fares. The problem is the fine print. The ads are for a one way fare based on round trip purchases. Presto, your cost has doubled. It seems the airlines are more adept at creative pricing than flying their own planes. From frequent flier redemption to unavailable seats, to bogus two-for-one offers, they know all the tricks. But be careful, while the airlines are masters of this scam, they do not have a patent on the practice. Be sure you read all of the fine print before you hand over the credit card or click on the "buy" button.

When going through airport security, you place your laptop on the scanner belt while waiting for a couple of people to pass through the metal detector. The first passes, but the second person triggers the alarm and laboriously takes out coins, jewellery and mobile phone from his pockets. By the time you go through, the first person has long gone, so has your laptop. Most prevalent in countries where you can go in and out of the departure area, such as the United States.

Never put your belongings on the conveyor belt unless the metal detector is clear.

Unscrupulous cashiers in banks or bureaus de change adopt suspect counting methods when handing over money to foreigners. With irregular pauses they miss out numbers in the count back in the hope that the tourist is not concentrating or does not understand. Another scam is to give someone the wrong currency when exchanging money - for example, Czech koruna (50to£1) instead of Polish zloty (six to £1) - or confuse them with one zero too few (think Turkish lira). More often than not, the tourist will fail to notice.

Find out about the currency and exchange rate before leaving (www.xe.com), pay attention to those zeros and insist on counting back your money in front of the cashier.

A man approaches you to ask for directions or to offer you a currency exchange or even drugs. Then two men appear, flashing badges and claiming to be police. They demand to see your passport and check your wallet for "counterfeit money". When you hand them over the men either disappear into the crowd or one distracts you while the other relieves you of your cash. If you have been duped into changing money they may confiscate it, claiming that it is "counterfeit".

If approached by police, insist on checking their photographic identification and accompanying them to the police station before handing anything over.

You're settling down for an early night when your hotel room phone rings. It's the receptionist apologising for the late hour but asking you to verify your credit-card details. You read them out and drift back to sleep. The caller, of course, was not the receptionist and your credit card is taking a pounding. A variation on this is someone approaching you in what appears to be hotel uniform, saying that he needs to make a photocopy of your passport for hotel records. You hand it over and he disappears.

Only give out your card number or passport in person at reception, never over the phone.

Your travel agent will almost certainly offer you insurance on your holiday. It might even be "free" as part of the package. But free doesn't exist in the travel business.

What you'll find, if you accept their insurance, is that you're paying far more for your holiday. Shop for your own travel insurance. It's almost certain that with just a little effort you'll find a much better deal than your travel agent is offering.

Before you reach for your Visa or MasterCard to pay for that holiday, read the small print. Some Travel Agents and Tour Operators charge extra to pay that way, which can up add to another $100-$120 extra, depending on the holiday you've chosen. If you use your debit card, not only is the money coming out of your account immediately, but you also lose out on the incentives like the "free" travel insurance that is offering for using a credit card. Before you reach for your plastic, weigh up the pros and cons. Your credit card company might already offer travel insurance as part of an annual fee. If you make a number of trips abroad annually, consider taking out a yearly travel insurance policy. It could well prove to be a far cheaper option. You might not have the luxury of spreading out repayments if you don't use a credit card, but you will probably save money in the long run and not only on the finance charges.

If you have booked a package tour, the rep is your buffer against the world. She deals with your questions, helps organise your time, and supposedly makes your stay more pleasant. But remember, she has local contacts, and the chances are she gets a bonus from them when she puts money in their pockets. Watch out for the rep's recommendations on restaurants and day trips, they're probably not the best places or value, but the ones that offer the most commission. It's your holiday, enjoy it your own way. You don't have to accept a tour rep's recommendations. You can go your own way. If you go to the places she suggests, you'll simply end up paying a premium that goes to her.

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