Debit to Society

What happens on the Internet isn't so different from Sotheby's: One wrong move and you could end up spending a lot for something you didn't want. Fish in the right lake Three companies dominate the travel auction scene. First, there's eBay, where travel is just one more category. SkyAuction and LuxuryLink, however, broker travel products exclusively, such as packages and cruises. As its name indicates, LuxuryLink is aimed at the high end; SkyAuction, less so. A seven-night Western Caribbean cruise on Norwegian Cruise Lines sold for $449 per person on SkyAuction, compared to $737 through other sellers. Understand what "deal" means The most substantial discounts will generally be on ritzy vacations, which have a higher profit margin built into normal prices. A three-night stay at the Miami's Hotel St. Augustine, for instance, sold for $532 on LuxuryLink, compared to nightly rates of $219--$259 found elsewhere. Do your research What would it cost through standard channels? For cruises, try a big aggregator like cruisecompete.com, which gathers numerous quotes for you. And for just a hotel stay, always check with the hotel directly. Evaluate the package Do you really want everything included--the spa treatment, the diving excursion? If not, the offer probably isn't right for you. Know thy seller SkyAuction and LuxuryLink are travel agents that negotiate deals directly with hotels and airlines. At eBay, the seller might be a resort, a travel agent, or some guy in a basement. The only outfits allowed to sell flights, cruises, and vacation packages on eBay are companies registered in its SquareTrade program. (Non-licensed users are limited to auctioning items such as vouchers and gift certificates.) Even with SquareTrade, however, eBay's message boards are filled with fraud complaints. Read up, and, because some people lie, verify the company is indeed a SquareTrade member at squaretrade.com. Be a sleuth If the name of the company is in the listing (most are), you should be able to locate a website, phone number, and address with a couple of online searches. If there's no trace of the company, think twice about proceeding. Look for PayPal Be doubly suspicious of eBay sellers that don't take PayPal, which allows you to use your credit card or checking account without sharing either number with the seller. Read the fine print--twice! At the minimum, expect blackout dates and penalties for changes (or no changes allowed). And look out for fees. Luxury-Link charges $20 for every purchase, and there are sometimes additional fees--at one Honduran resort, a 10 percent service charge is assessed at checkout. SkyAuction tacks on $32 per night at hotels and $195 per week on many condos. Ask questions Specifically, ask if the dates you want are available. This may be difficult. LuxuryLink lists a toll-free number on its website (888/297-3299) but refuses to confirm availability. SkyAuction only gives out its number to customers after they've won an auction. ("If we had to do customer service by telephone for every prospective bidder," says CEO Michael Hering, "we wouldn't be able to operate.") EBay customers can click on "ask seller" to send confidential e-mails. If you have little or no flexibility and can't confirm dates, pass. Observe and learn Sellers post the same packages over and over. Watch how a few auctions proceed before bidding. Be ready for a fury of bids at the wire. "The last half hour is when 50 percent of bids come in," says Hering. Don't "buy it now" All three sites allow customers to make certain purchases on the spot. They're rarely a good deal. One Luxury-Link package included breakfast and lodging for two at the Nine Zero hotel in Boston for $249 (plus taxes and its $20 handling fee); at the same time, the hotel posted a $239 promotional rate for lodging only (no breakfast, but no handling fee either). Bid at your own risk Many travel companies prohibit selling vouchers, discount coupons, rewards points, and frequent-flier miles. EBay rarely stops sales of such products, but it has revealed sellers' identities in the past. "I've gotten registered mail from Starwood warning me that they'd shut my account down," says one user outed by eBay for selling Starwood vouchers. Still, when we last checked, Southwest Rapid Rewards tickets were going for $275-$350, even though the airline deems them "void if sold, purchased, brokered, or bartered." If you are busted, the airline can freeze or delete your frequent-flier account, as well as refuse to honor the ticket. Monitor your bid You'll be alerted via e-mail if someone outbids you, and then it's decision time. Don't get carried away. Decide in advance on the maximum you'll spend, and stick to it. Beware the bait-and-switch After winning a Cancún lodging package at SkyAuction, Erik Staley, of Carlsbad, Calif., discovered that what he bought was different than what was listed. SkyAuction was actually selling a room in the Oasis Cancún, not the Grand Oasis advertised--they're both parts of the same resort, but guests at the former have smaller rooms and less amenities. Staley got a full refund.

Purchase a Eurail Selectpass by the end of March for a free extra day of train travel, valid through the summer. Passes are sold at railpass.com, raileurope.com, and eurail-acprail.com Beginning March 15, the new FlyAway bus service will whisk travelers from Union Station downtown to the Los Angeles International Airport in 20 minutes. The trip is free through March 31--provided public transportation is taken to Union Station--and then jumps to $3 for adults and $2 for children ages two to 12 (lawa.org). For $10 to $20, cruise passengers can get flight boarding passes and check bags if sailing Celebrity or Royal Caribbean ships that end voyages in San Juan, Seattle, or Vancouver, and also Celebrity itineraries ending in Miami, San Diego, or Ft. Lauderdale Marriott guests can sign up to receive e-mails prior to arrival with info on weather, transportation, restaurants, and local events Portable GPS devices are widely available through Enterprise Rent-a-Car for $8 a day Rather than continue with traditional back-to-front boarding, AirTran, America West, Delta, and United have begun new procedures to save time: One method boards passengers with window seats first, followed by those with middle and aisle seats In related news, Ted says it will soon have a new system in Denver, using two doors for boarding Tecnica's new GMT travel shoes (right) are lightweight and comfortable, and they latch onto each other and compress for easy packing ($85) EasyCar.com, known primarily for its tiny, inexpensive auto rentals in Europe, now rents vans at 80 U.K. locations, starting at $43 per day Europe's low-cost carrier FlyBE will charge its passengers a fee to check luggage, even for bags that are under the weight limit. The first total solar eclipse in three years will cast the shadow of the moon across parts of North Africa and Turkey on March 29. San Francisco's Exploratorium will stay open all night to broadcast a live feed from Side, Turkey. Families are invited to bring sleeping bags and food; the main event takes place around 2 a.m. PST (415/561-0308, exploratorium.edu, $15, kids $10) Nitenite Cityrooms opens this month in Birmingham, England. Modeled after ship cabins, the hotel's rooms are only 73 square feet; plasma-screen TVs, transmitting images from outside the building, take the place of windows (nitenite.com, $88) The Orlando, San Diego, and San Antonio locations of SeaWorld will all launch a flashy new orca show in late May, called Believe (seaworld.com, $53) The New Mexico state government and Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic recently announced plans to build a "spaceport" about 45 miles north of Las Cruces. Construction begins in 2007 and should take about two years A few of Denmark's prominent museums--including the National Museum in Copenhagen--will be free throughout 2006, and several more of the country's museums won't charge admission one day a week (visitdenmark.com) In April, Aix-en-Provence, France, commemorates the100th anniversary of Cézanne's death by allowing vistors to view private sites related to the impressionist painter, including Jas de Bouffan (right), the estate where Cézanne lived and painted (cezanne-2006.com, $6.75).

Color War A tournament where teams participate in a three-legged race, tug-of-war, and the Sing Down (one team picks a word, and opposing teams sing songs that contain it). New Jersey YMHA Camps, Pa. Olympics Like Color War but with a sailing regatta, kayak obstacle course, volleyball, and trivia. For young kids there's an egg toss, relay races, and a cannonball splash contest. YMCA Camp Gorham, N.Y. Super-Sloppy Double Dare Teams of 4 to 12 kids do a series of messy tasks: racing with an egg in a spoon, carrying a bucket of slime, and sticking one's face in a plate of whipped cream. Blue Star Camps, N.C. Blob Tower An inflatable playground floating on the lake. There's a 12-foot-tall tower with a climbing wall, slide, and best of all, a 30-foot-long extension resting on the water. One child jumps off the tower and onto the extension, which sends the kid at the end flying. Deer Valley YMCA Camp, Pa. Triathlon Teams of three compete in three events, with each member responsible for a leg: running a mile; rowing three quarters of a mile across the lake; and swimming back. YMCA Camp Nawakwa, Wisc. Ropes courses Low ropes courses promote team building and tend to include kids. Obstacle courses are a common feature: Campers crawl through a pipe, negotiate a bungee web, and scramble over a net. High ropes courses are geared to individuals (teenagers and older) and, as the name implies, occur at treetop level. For the Leap of Faith at California's Shady Creek, for example, belayed campers climb to a platform 55 feet up, then fling themselves at a trapeze bar 10 feet away. At many camps.