Massive stone walls at the Karnak Temple in Modern Luxor Egypt. Karnak is unique in that approximately 30 pharaohs were part of its construction, enabling it to reach a diversity and size not seen elsewhere in Egypt.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

I paid $6,995 for a travel club membership — did I just get scammed?

Cathy Evans doesn’t fit the profile of a typical scam victim. She’s an account manager for a technology company in Boston, and she likes to think of herself as a discerning customer.
So when she got a voice mail on her cell phone offering her a “free” cruise, she did what most savvy consumers do: she deleted it.

But Evans’ boyfriend, who also got the same call, thought the “exclusive, members-only” discounts offered through a travel club called Pacific Palm Destinations in Woburn, Mass, looked appealing.

“He really wanted to go on the trip,” she says.

They attended one of its seminars and they both liked the pitch. “They claimed that they are the largest wholesale travel club and that you can buy any kind of vacation for a fraction of what you’d pay on Orbitz,” she says. Also, the renewal rate was just $169 a month, or $2,028 a year — a fraction of her initial $6,995 membership. She signed up with her credit card on the spot.

MORE: www.elliott.org

Monday, April 23, 2012

Sunday Travel Section Recap - April 22nd

Some of the best from Sunday's newspaper travel sections. TB

NY Times: - NA - I have reached my limit of 10 free articles per month.

LA Times: Hawaii's Big Island has more than beaches for vacationers

SF Gate: Solving Merida's mysteries with insider tips Yucatan, Mexico

SF Gate: Travel's secrets often found underfoot La Paz, Bolivia

Chicago Tribune: Earth Day: Are travelers concerned about their carbon footprint?

Miami Hearld: A city slicker gets all duded up Wyoming

Denver Post: Chile peppers Hatch a following in New Mexico valley

Denver Post: New Mexico hopes to shed negative image with new ads

USA Today: 'Mythbusters' brings sleuthing skills to Chicago museum

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Sunday Cartoon

Saturday, April 21, 2012

Weekend Photo - Furnace Creek, California

The pool at the Inn At Furnace Creek offers a cooling options for guests who come to Death Valley National Park in California. In the evenings massive fireplaces warm swimmers as the temperatures drop and the stars fill the sky.

Friday, April 20, 2012

Spirit Airlines mocks Secret Service hooker scandal with ad - NY Daily News

Photo: www.SpiritAirlines.com

Spirit Airlines wasted no time mocking the Secret Service’s high-profile hooker scandal.

A promo pushing cheap flights to Colombia features bikini-clad beauties alongside one man in black hooked up to an earpiece, with a can’t-miss tagline: “More bang for your buck.”

The ad also notes that “upfront payment is required,” presumably a jab at one agent accused of not paying the 24-year-old call girl at the heart of the scandal.