ANCHOR LEAD IN:
EVERYONE'S LOOKING FOR "THE" TRAVEL DEAL OF THE SEASON, ESPECIALLY WITH GAS AND FLIGHT PRICES SKY-HIGH! RATHER THAN DEPENDING SOLELY ON A TRAVEL AGENT, OR SCOURING COMPARISON SITES, WHY NOT BID FOR A BARGAIN? EXPERTS SAY YOU REALLY CAN STEAL A DEAL, BUT YOU'VE GOT TO BE CAREFUL. WITH TODAY'S HEADS UP!, HERE'S ________________

TRACK ONE Length: 04
GEORGE VAN DE LANGERYT (Lan-ger-right) HAD HIS HEART SET ON A CRUISE TO MEXICO....

SOT
KEY @: 05 George Van De Langeryt, Traveler
"We didn't think we were going to take it because it's kind of pricey."

TRACK TWO Length: 04
BUT HE FOUND A WAY TO HIT THE HIGH SEAS BY HITTING THE INFORMATION SUPERHIGHWAY...

SOT
Length @: 03(George Van De Langeryt, Traveler)
"I found one on eBay that was definitely in our price range."

TRACK THREE Length: 10
GEORGE SAYS HE PROBABLY SAVED ABOUT A THOUSAND DOLLARS! TRAVEL AUCTIONS ARE HOT...AND NOT ONLY ON EBAY. SITES LIKE BIDSHARES, LUXURYLINK AND SKYAUCTION OFFER THINGS LIKE...

SOT
KEY @: 25 David LaHuta, Budget Travel Magazine
"Cruises, hotels, vacation packages, timeshares."

TRACK FOUR Length: 10
DAVID LAHUTA, (Luh-hut-uh) WITH BUDGET TRAVEL MAGAZINE, SAYS YOU REALLY CAN NAB A BARGAIN. BUT FOR SAFETY'S SAKE, ONLY BID ON VACATIONS LISTED BY REGISTERED TRAVEL AGENTS AND BROKERS.

SOT
Length:04(David LaHuta, Budget Travel Magazine)
"Consumers should check out the license numbers to see if they have a good track record."

TRACK FIVE Length: 09
HE WARNS, YOU'VE GOT TO BE CAREFUL...OR YOU RISK TROUBLE. JUST ASK JOHN MCQUAIDE. HE WON A TIMESHARE ADVERTISED AS A TWO BEDROOM, BUT WHEN HE MADE THE RESERVATION...

SOT
KEY @: 52 John McQuaide, Bought Timeshare
"They told me that no, all I have is a one bedroom unit."

SOT
Length: 02(David LaHuta, Budget Travel Magazine)
"It's important to know who you're dealing with."

TRACK SIX Length: 10
AND WHAT YOU'RE DEALING WITH...IF YOU COME ACROSS DEALS ON FLIGHT VOUCHERS, UPGRADES OR FREQUENT FLIER MILES, BEWARE. YOU MAY GET A GREAT DEAL, BUT WHEN YOU GO TO CASH THEM IN...

SOT
KEY @: 1:08 David LaHuta, Budget Travel Magazine
"There's a good chance that ticket can be null and void when you try to use it."

TRACK SEVEN Length: 10
CLIENT NOTE: For more information on the airlines' voucher, miles, and upgrade policies, please see source information below.
...BECAUSE MANY AIRLINES DO NOT ALLOW THE TRANSFER OR SALE OF MILES AND VOUCHERS. LAHUTA SAYS NO MATTER WHAT YOU BUY IT'S HOW YOU PAY THAT MAY PROTECT YOU. USE PAYPAL OR...

SOT
KEY @: 1:22 David LaHuta, Budget Travel Magazine
"If PayPal is not accepted, then always pay with a credit card. Never in cash and never in a check."

TRACK EIGHT Length: 07
JOHN USED HIS CREDIT CARD AND WAS ABLE TO GET HIS MONEY BACK ON THE TIMESHARE. BUT ALWAYS ON THE HUNT FOR A GREAT DEAL... HE DECIDED TO BID AGAIN.

SOT
Length: 03(John McQuaide, Bought Timeshare)
"There happened to be a better deal. I'm very satisfied."

ANCHOR TAG:
CLIENT NOTE: For more information on eBay's policies, please see source information below.
ON EBAY, ANYONE CAN SELL TRAVEL ITEMS. BUT OFFICIALS THERE TELL US IF PROFESSIONAL AGENTS LIST ... THEY MUST BE REGISTERED AND MUST POST THEIR LICENSE NUMBERS.
AND WHEN IT COMES TO THE VOUCHERS, MILES, AND UPGRADES, EBAY SAYS IT'S UP TO THE BUYERS AND SELLERS TO READ AND ABIDE BY AIRLINES' POLICIES.

A FINAL TIP FROM EXPERTS BEFORE YOU BID: READ ALL THE FINE PRINT FOR RESTRICTIONS, SUCH AS BLACK OUT DATES.

SOURCE INFORMATION:

David LaHuta
Budget Travel Magazine
530 7th Ave, 2nd Floor
New York, NY 10018
646-695-6708

LaHuta is an Assistant Editor with Budget Travel Magazine. He says -- although auction sites are a travel trend right now, buyer beware. He says bidders should stick to auctions listed by registered sellers and travel agents, ask sellers questions, and do their homework- especially when buying a timeshare or an airline voucher, upgrade, or miles.

ANCHOR TAG INFORMATION:

eBay
Catherine England
408-376-8315

England says that businesses that provide travel must register with eBay's SquareTrade program and list their certification numbers on their auctions. However, those individuals who do not sell travel as their primary business but may have an unused item, do not have to register, but are only allowed to auction one travel item per month. eBay warns both buyers and sellers to read all pertinent information when selling vouchers, miles, or upgrades. Although eBay allows these items to be sold, they say policies vary from company to company and that it is up to the seller and buyer to educate themselves on these policies.

OTHER COMPANIES CONTACTED:

American Airlines
Tim Smith
817-967-1577

American Airlines says it is illegal to transfer miles or vouchers of any kind. Once the ticket is sold, it is considered void.

Southwest Airlines
Brandy King
214-792-4847

Southwest tells us customers can transfer ticket vouchers, but it is illegal to sell them. They have staff dedicated to monitoring sites like eBay to terminate the sale of these tickets.

Northwest Airlines
Jennifer Bagdade

Northwest Airline credit vouchers are non-transferable. The only time they can be transferred is if the person transferring the voucher is booking the same reservation as the new voucher recipient.