We all love a fun trip abroad, especially when it’s to a place we’ve never visited. The downside is that if anything goes wrong, we’re left to fend for ourselves in unfamiliar territory, but people rarely think about that when booking their dream destinations ⏤ and they should.
Sadly, some folks found this out the hard way when they arrived in Turkey, only to find out they had nowhere to stay. Someone known only as Liv on TikTok (@9kowska) exposed the situation on the social media platform, claiming that travel agency Love Holidays “ran with [their] money” without securing a hotel room for its clients to sleep in. Naturally, mistakes can happen, which is why it’s important for clients to be able to contact their agencies in such situations. In this case, that wasn’t possible.
When the vacationers tried to call the agency’s emergency line, they obtained absolutely no help. No one picked up their calls, leaving Liv and her travel companions to figure out a sleeping arrangement in a foreign country at 3am. Perplexed by the situation, the TikToker tagged Love Holidays in the caption of the video, requesting an explanation and advising others to not trust the agency: “DON’T BOOK WITH THEM, they’ll take your money.”
In the video’s comment section, Liv explained that she ended up having to book another hotel by herself the following day. Unfortunately, she’s not alone in this, as evidenced by other users’ comments. “This is the 2nd TikTok I’ve seen in 30 seconds about Love Holidays taking money,” one person pointed out, while another wrote:
“Same here, arrived in Turkey 12.06 and was informed Love Holidays did not pay and my reservation was deleted. Had to pay €1000 from my pocket, still do not have refund.”
Throwing accusations around isn’t pretty, but the number of complaints from travelers who have used Love Holidays is concerning, to say the least. In May, the agency issued a statement claiming that multiple scam accounts have been impersonating its team members and requesting that people do not engage with them. Not all clients believe this version of events, though, affirming that Love Holidays is behind the scams.
According to a McAfee survey, one in three people have been victims of scams when booking or taking trips, and 34 percent of them have lost $1,000 or more as a result. This only goes to show that you should be extra careful next time you’re planning a vacation, lest it turn into a disaster. There are enough travel horror stories out there; you don’t need to add another one to the list.
