Travel Agents

Eleven travel agents and tour operators from Denmark, Sweden, and Norway will visit Washington County this weekend. Maryland International Marketing Associates, a group that partners with the Hagerstown-Washington County Convention and Visitors Bureau, has planned a familiarization tour with stops in Washington County on Saturday. CVB Member Helen Arthur, of Helen Wheels Tours, will be escorting the group as it tours throughout Maryland and the District of Columbia. The group will visit Baltimore, Annapolis, St. Michael's, Hagerstown and DC. While in Washington County, the Scandinavian guests will visit Prime Outlets and tour the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts.

Betty Rinn helps her clients plan vacations to hot spots like Las Vegas or Disney World, but the Hagerstown travel agent prefers a more sedate location for herself. Rinn, an employee of Travel Plans Inc., has made six trips to Mackinac Island, and she longs to return to the Michigan hideaway for the peace she said can only been found in a town that prohibits motor vehicles. "Six times I've been there, and I've never heard" an automobile, said Rinn. Instead, the occasional rhythm of horses' hooves break the stillness of what she called "the Bermuda of the north.

Travel schemes are a $12 billion-a-year industry, according to James Ashurst, spokesman for the American Society of Travel Agents in Alexandria, Va. To help protect themselves against problems, consumers should deal with members of travel industry associations such as the American Society of Travel Agents, Cruise Lines International Association and the United States Tour Operators Association, Ashurst recommends. At the very least, consumers should call the local Chamber of Commerce to see if the agency is a member and check the company's record with the local Better Business Bureau, he said.

Local travel agents saw no surprises in this summer's most popular travel destinations, with Disney vacations once again battling cruises for top honors. "This business is not trendy at all," said Renee Brink, owner of Uniglobe Chambersburg Travel, who has been fielding requests for the animation empire's theme parks and Caribbean cruises for years. Disney World's new Animal Kingdom, which is partially open, has added to Disney's already powerful appeal. Chris Franklin, general manager of CW Travel Inc. in Hagerstown, recommended families wait to take trips to Animal Kingdom until winter, when more of it has opened and the park is less crowded.

Travel agencies don't need a business license, bonding or insurance to do business in Maryland. The state has never required licensing for that kind of business and doesn't require bonding or insurance, said Maryland Attorney General J. Joseph Curran Jr., whose office last week launched a consumer protection investigation into alleged problems at CW Travel in Hagerstown. Numerous people have told authorities they purchased travel arrangements from CW Travel that were not delivered.

In 1996, Chambersburg, Pa., travel agent Renee Brink planned group packages for two families wishing to ring in 2000 with extended family members aboard cruise ships in the Caribbean. Back then, Brink, owner of Uniglobe Chambersburg Travel, says she believed tour operators and cruise companies when they said if you didn't book really early you'd miss the chance to take part in the millennium celebration. Her agency has booked only one large group, another extended family, for a millennium trip since.

Knowledge is the best weapon against vacation scams, say experts, who offer the following tips to avoid being taken: - Know with whom you're dealing. Deal with members of a professional association such as the American Society of Travel Agents, the National Tour Association or the United States Tour Operators Association. If you're not familiar with the company, get its name, address and telephone number. - Be wary of a company that wants to send a courier for your payment or asks you to send it by overnight delivery.

One of the benefits of retirement is more time for travel and leisure. The travel industry has seized on that, offering discounts and special vacation packages for travelers 50 and older. "Many airlines and tour companies offer discounts for seniors," said Susan Plumley, a senior travel agent in AAA's Hagerstown office. Specifically, AARP members can get a range of vacation deals, she said. AARP offers a wealth of information on travel tips, destinations and discounts - including its own "Passport" program, with discounts on airfare, hotels, cruises and car rentals.

Want to have a great vacation? Want to enjoy your time off without worrying about money? Just remember two words - PLAN AHEAD! [cont. from lifestyle ] Whether you want to take a trip across the country or across the ocean, or just spend some time at a nearby resort, planning ahead will get you there with less hassles and lower costs. The first step is to determine what you and your family want from your vacation. Do you want to do something or go somewhere very different from your daily life?

Her passport is what gives her away. Page after page is stamped with entry and departure dates from Europe, Russia, India and Japan. Shirley Allen loves to travel. And just because her body's odometer recently hit 65, she doesn't expect things to change. "Call me old," the Hagerstown resident said. "But don't call me boring. I have a lot of adventure in me. " Allen isn't alone. According to the American Association of Retired People (AARP), forget gardening and bingo.

Eleven travel agents and tour operators from Denmark, Sweden, and Norway will visit Washington County this weekend. Maryland International Marketing Associates, a group that partners with the Hagerstown-Washington County Convention and Visitors Bureau, has planned a familiarization tour with stops in Washington County on Saturday. CVB Member Helen Arthur, of Helen Wheels Tours, will be escorting the group as it tours throughout Maryland and the District of Columbia. The group will visit Baltimore, Annapolis, St. Michael's, Hagerstown and DC. While in Washington County, the Scandinavian guests will visit Prime Outlets and tour the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts.

Her passport is what gives her away. Page after page is stamped with entry and departure dates from Europe, Russia, India and Japan. Shirley Allen loves to travel. And just because her body's odometer recently hit 65, she doesn't expect things to change. "Call me old," the Hagerstown resident said. "But don't call me boring. I have a lot of adventure in me. " Allen isn't alone. According to the American Association of Retired People (AARP), forget gardening and bingo.

One of the benefits of retirement is more time for travel and leisure. The travel industry has seized on that, offering discounts and special vacation packages for travelers 50 and older. "Many airlines and tour companies offer discounts for seniors," said Susan Plumley, a senior travel agent in AAA's Hagerstown office. Specifically, AARP members can get a range of vacation deals, she said. AARP offers a wealth of information on travel tips, destinations and discounts - including its own "Passport" program, with discounts on airfare, hotels, cruises and car rentals.

pepperb@herald-mail.com WASHINGTON COUNTY - Former CW Travel Inc. Manager Rebecca Calimer Price was sentenced Wednesday to serve five years in prison for stealing more than $23,000 from some of her clients in late 1999 and early 2000. Price, 30, of 32 E. Baltimore St. in Greencastle, Pa., was sentenced by Washington County Circuit Judge Donald E. Beachley on five counts of felony theft. He suspended 11 years of a 16-year prison sentence. Price was convicted in July of stealing more than $23,000 from some of her clients by having them make checks payable to her for either defunct airplane tickets or for payments on trips that didn't happen, including a senior citizens' group cruise to the Caribbean and a group trip to a NASCAR race.

pepperb@herald-mail.com Former CW Travel Inc. manager Rebecca Calimer Price admitted Thursday in Washington County Circuit Court that she lied to get customers to write checks to her, but never intended to keep them from traveling. Price, 30, of 32 E. Baltimore St. in Greencastle, Pa., is charged with five counts of felony theft related to allegations she stole more than $23,000 from her clients in late 1999 and early 2000. Closing arguments were made Thursday. Washington County Circuit Judge Donald E. Beachley, who presided over the bench trial, said he would review the evidence and his notes before rendering his decision on July 6. Assistant State's Attorney General Paul Budlow, during a cross-examination of Price, pointed out that Kimberly Schoppert made a $2,300 check for a Caribbean cruise deposit payable to Price and Price deposited all but $735 into her personal bank account.

pepperb@herald-mail.com The trial of a former CW Travel Inc. manager charged with felony theft in connection with deals she allegedly made with clients in late 1999 and early 2000 resumed Wednesday in Washington County Circuit Court with testimony from prosecution witnesses. The former Hagerstown travel agency manager, Rebecca Calimer Price, 30, of 32 E. Baltimore St. in Greencastle, Pa., waived her right to a jury trial, opting for a bench trial. Washington County Circuit Judge Donald E. Beachley is presiding.

pepperb@herald-mail.com Allegations that a former CW Travel Inc. manager stole more than $23,000 from her clients five years ago were brought to a bench trial Tuesday in Washington County Circuit Court. Rebecca Calimer Price, 30, of 32 E. Baltimore St. in Greencastle, Pa., waived her right to a jury trial and chose for a Circuit Court judge to hear the case against her. She was indicted in December 2003 on six counts of felony theft in connection with dealings involving her clients in late 1999 and early 2000.

Travel agencies don't need a business license, bonding or insurance to do business in Maryland. The state has never required licensing for that kind of business and doesn't require bonding or insurance, said Maryland Attorney General J. Joseph Curran Jr., whose office last week launched a consumer protection investigation into alleged problems at CW Travel in Hagerstown. Numerous people have told authorities they purchased travel arrangements from CW Travel that were not delivered.

Travel schemes are a $12 billion-a-year industry, according to James Ashurst, spokesman for the American Society of Travel Agents in Alexandria, Va. To help protect themselves against problems, consumers should deal with members of travel industry associations such as the American Society of Travel Agents, Cruise Lines International Association and the United States Tour Operators Association, Ashurst recommends. At the very least, consumers should call the local Chamber of Commerce to see if the agency is a member and check the company's record with the local Better Business Bureau, he said.

In 1996, Chambersburg, Pa., travel agent Renee Brink planned group packages for two families wishing to ring in 2000 with extended family members aboard cruise ships in the Caribbean. Back then, Brink, owner of Uniglobe Chambersburg Travel, says she believed tour operators and cruise companies when they said if you didn't book really early you'd miss the chance to take part in the millennium celebration. Her agency has booked only one large group, another extended family, for a millennium trip since.