I’m going to Japan in March and have looked up flights on a few different sites. Roundtrip prices vary as much as $900 depending on where you look. Oof!

Here’s the twist

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Booking a rental property for your next vacation? There’s a scam for that!

Seriously, vacation rental scams are everywhere. Last year alone, Airbnb banned 59,000 fake listings — and stopped 157,000 listings from making it to the site in the first place.

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The airports? Crazy. The weather? Unpredictable. Travel is tough enough … and then your phone dies. Those charging kiosks in airports, hotels and malls can be big timesavers. Their owners promise they’re safe, but the FBI disagrees — and so do I.

Welcome to the newest phase of juice jacking. The phenomenon has been around for more than 10 years. Hackers use public phone charging stations to upload malware to your devices. Then, they ransom your phone or steal your passwords.

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The airports? Crazy. The weather? Unpredictable. Travel is tough enough. But the FBI recently threw a wrinkle in the sheets with a new warning to avoid public phone charging stations.

Those charging kiosks in airports, hotels and malls can be big timesavers, especially for a family on the move. Good news! Owners promise they’re safe. The government disagrees — and so do I. Groan, I know.

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Travel is stressful, no bones about it. But with the right tricks up your sleeve, you can make things so much easier on yourself and anyone coming to see you. And that’s what I’m passing along right now.

So your trip isn’t a total suitcase-strophe! 

Little trackers use signals from other phones to determine where they are located. Toss one in your luggage and you can see whether it made it to your destination or point out to the airlines where they lost it.

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If you travel for business or pleasure, renting a car is always an excellent option for exploring a new city or simply getting to where you need to go. But, like buying a car, renting a car can be a time-consuming and expensive process.

With insurance coverage, mileage limits and the extensive paperwork needed to be signed, sometimes it feels easier just to take a taxi or use a ride share versus renting a car.

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Delays and traffic are big travel bummers, but what about when the person next to you on the plane is … that guy or gal? You can imagine it, right? All the little things they’re doing that set your teeth on edge? It’s not just you.

Skyscanner, that handy travel search engine, worked with OnePoll to survey 2,000 travelers to see what grates their nerves the most. Here are the results:

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Maybe you’re the person who wants to lounge on the sand with an icy drink in hand. Or perhaps you’re like me and want to see as many undersea creatures as possible. Bring on the snorkel, baby. (I’ll take the cocktail after.)

Rightboat combed through 313K+ TripAdvisor reviews to find the most beautiful beaches — with the best chance to spot marine life — across the U.S. We’re talking clear waters, clean beaches and lots of undersea creatures. Now I want to go on vacation. 

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Thousands of rentals just got wiped off the map in NYC. A new law bans Airbnb rentals, and you better believe people are scrambling for alternatives to expensive hotels.

That’s where home swapping comes in. And yes, it’s exactly like the movie “The Holiday” (Jude Law not included, bummer).

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There are two types of people: Cruise people and people like me who would rather do anything else. Don’t get me wrong, I get the appeal. Being stuck on a boat for days on end just isn’t my thing.

For all the friends who have tried to convince me otherwise, this one is for you. We rounded up info on the best times to book to score a hot new cruise or a great deal on a last-minute trip. 

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I love when I get a press release that isn’t more of the same bogus crap claiming, “This groundbreaking technology is going to change the world.” Spoiler: It never will. 

Google Flights just published a new, useful research report about when to buy airline tickets to get the lowest fare. This covers all airlines and doesn’t mean you must purchase your tickets through Google Flights.

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Let’s be honest. No one loves picking up someone from the airport. If you’ve been chosen for this task, take it as a badge of honor. It means you’re a trusted friend. 

But trusted or not, it doesn’t mean you need to be stuck there waiting to know where they are. Sick of circling or whiling away time in the cell phone lot? You’re going to love this.

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Picture this: You’re gazing out over a vista that seems to stretch to the ends of the Earth. Your heart races with anticipation as you set foot on a hidden gem of a hiking trail. The scent of pine fills the air as you wind your way through lush forests and ascend to a peak that rewards you with a panoramic view fit for a king.

As impressive as it sounds, places like this truly exist in the U.S. I have a list of great hiking trails to prove it.

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Every new season, occasion, holiday, natural disaster, you name it, scammers work hard. Vacation seasons are one of their favorite times to pounce.

Some in-person criminals might spy that you’re away and break in. Take steps to make sure your home isn’t a target.

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Scammers are a lot of things: Cruel, insidious and greedy. One thing they are not? Dumb.

Scammers keep getting more creative, and consumers like us must constantly update our knowledge on how to avoid these scams — especially when it comes to travel!

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Hey there, ocean lovers! Who doesn’t love a good day at the beach, right? The sand, the surf, and, of course, a refreshing dip in the ocean. It turns out there’s more to the sea than meets the eye. Cue the “Jaws” theme.

Know the numbers

The International Shark Attack File, the folks who keep a close eye on shark-human interactions in the U.S., revealed the following:

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We all get a limited number of vacation days each year, so when we travel, we’re all trying to get the most joy for our buck. 

Researchers used AI analysis of facial expressions in 63,000 Instagram photos taken at tourist destinations worldwide, showing that not all vacations are created equal — and some places are more grin-inducing than others. 

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How can you tell what airlines are planning? Watch what their manufacturers are marketing. The latest airline expos show the future of flight includes surveillance — not jetpacks. But what happens when an industry that’s so good and nickel-and-diming its tightly-squeezed customers starts gobbling up private data?

If you thought the most invasive thing that could happen on a plane was the person in front of you reclining, think again. 

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Muggy summers and soggy springs have you dreaming of a perfect year of weather? Climate scientist and map maker Brian Brettschneider plotted out a year-long road trip across North America, where you’ll always be basking in 70-degree weather.

Not too hot, not too cold

I must admit, a year full of 70-degree days sounds lovely. The catch, of course, is all that time you’ll spend driving. There are a few routes to choose from. Two of them clock in under 8,000 miles, and one adds an East Coast trek for a total of 8,466 miles.

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Thanks to your smartphone, consider all the things you no longer have to carry around. These incredible devices house a clock, camera, GPS, credit card, phone book, browser, gaming system, flashlight, notebook and much more.

You still need proof of vaccination, depending on where you go. If you’re going to fly, visit another country or attend an event, chances are you’ll need a vaccine card. Rather than carry the card everywhere, you can store a digital copy on your smartphone. Tap or click here to learn how.

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