COMING AND GOING
COMING AND GOING
When Deals Go Bad
Sunday, March 18, 2007; Page P01
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WALLET WATCH
When Deals Go Bad
Traveland, a travel agency that specialized in discount packages to Latin America, has gone out of business, leaving an unknown number of customers in the lurch. The 11-year-old company in Mission, Texas, whose deals were featured in Travel's What's the Deal?, Frommers.com, Travelzoo.com and Budgettravelonline.com, did not respond to phone messages and e-mails last week.
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Traveland's Web site, http:/
How to protect yourself from good deals that turn bad? CoGo's advice:
? Investigate before paying. Check out the company with the Better Business Bureau, http:/
? Pay by credit card. You can protest the charge with your credit card issuer when a company does not provide promised services, but be aware of time limits.
? Confirm the details. As soon as you get a confirmation from a package provider, call the airline, hotels, etc., to make sure that reservations have been made and are paid in full.
? Buy travel insurance. It's worth the $85 or so for a major trip. But read the fine print: Some policies don't cover insolvency; some limit such coverage. Compare policies at http:/
Passport Watch
That's the USVI
The U.S. State Department's Web site is quite clear: Despite new rules that require passports for travel by air to Caribbean nations, U.S. citizens do not need a passport to fly between the States and U.S. territories such as the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.
So why does CoGo keep hearing from readers who were told they do need a passport when returning from the U.S. Virgin Island of St. Thomas?
Jane Scott Barnett of Reston, for example, was attempting to leave St. Thomas recently when she was told she had to fill out a U.S. customs form , walk through i nspection stations and show a passport. When Barnett objected, saying that her U.S. driver's license was all she needed, she said the customs official told her, "You don't need a passport to travel to the USVI, but you do to return."
Wrong, confirmed Kelly Klundt, a spokeswoman for U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Traveling to and from the USVI and Puerto Rico "should be no different than traveling from D.C. to North Dakota," she said.
Passengers faced with incorrect information should ask for a supervisor and alert customs officials by calling 877-227-5511, Klundt said. She added, "If there are any officers out there still confused, we want to know about it."
Barnett, by the way, convinced the official she was a U.S. citizen and was allowed to come home.
TRAVEL TICKER
A discount hotel with rooms from $3 to $ 20 a night opens next month in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The Tune Hotel, first of a planned chain in Southeast Asia, is in a modern building. Four other Malaysian cities are slated to get Tune hotels this year, and Bali early next year. CoGo found singles for about $4, doubles for $8. Details: http:/
BARGAIN OF THE WEEK
Bridging London
Virgin Atlantic has introductory sale fares on a new second flight from Washington Dulles to London that will begin April 24. Flight 056, a.k.a. the Evening Envoy, will depart at 11:10 p.m., arriving in London at 11:35 a.m.; service will be seasonal, operating through October. Round-trip fare is about $499 (including $157 taxes). Purchase at 800-821-5438 or www.virginatlantic.com by March 20 and travel April 24-May 31. No blackout dates or days. Other airlines are matching.
Reporting: Carol Sottili, Cindy Loose
Help feed CoGo. Send travel news, road reports and juicy tattles to cogo@washpost.com. By mail: CoGo, Washington Post Travel Section, 1150 15th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20071.
