Monday, February 04, 2008

The worst travel site ever

BOMB TOWN, USA—So one day I get this email message from some site called TouristClick and the person on the other end says if I link to their site, they'll put a link to mine in their USA travel blog section.

"Sure, great!" I think.

So I put up the link. I even put it up with their stupid link logo. Then I wait and wait and wait and hear nothing back. Meantime, I notice the amount of SPAM I'm getting in my email picks up, so I'm starting to get that gnawing feeling that something's wrong—like those times when you were a kid and you gave some guy 40 bucks for a lid and he tells you he has to go around the corner to meet the guy to get it, so off he goes with your money and you wait, and wait and wait, and finally it dawns on you that he's never coming back and you're out 40 bucks.

Oh how we think we aren't that pathetically stupid anymore. But we are.

Turns out I go back and check this TouristClick site and sure enough, the blog isn't up on their list. In fact, their list of blogs has stayed the same since the last time I checked. Pretty strange for an up-and-coming travel site.

And then I notice in their "Travel Forum" section is an ad for travel porn—you know, people doing things in other countries that would be illegal here, yet freaks set up tours to go to these places so you can witness this stuff. Freaks! For my money, I'd rather be in Disneyland. If I want to see some kind of sick version of the flesh trade, Juarez is just a few hours drive away. (Don't forget your passport!)

Irritated that my site still isn't up, I get in touch with the TouristClick people and tell them they haven't put up my site. Pretty soon I get this email message back from some guy who goes by only a first name telling me that my site will be up as soon as I add their link to my site. Nevermind that I already have a link to their site—replete with the friggen stupid logo and everything. So I double check the link and it's fine. I wait a few more days.

Still nothing.

I go back to the site, and this time the "Travel Forum" is advertising unlocked iPhones for sale. Yeah, right. I'll buy two!

So, ladies and gentlemen, it looks like TouristClick is one of those click-mill outfits that thrives on some kind of advertising-by-the-click set up and classified ads from God knows what kind of shady characters.

I now avoid their site, but the amount of Russian SPAM I'm getting after corresponding with them to add my link is certainly impressive.

Still, the whole story doesn't have a dark ending. If you want some fun, click the link from this page and prepare yourself for a laugh.

Traveling can be fun!