Balking at bargains? You could be sick

If you’ve been feeling a little down lately, don’t blame the economy or the coming winter. Blame the travel deals.

It sounds almost absurd, and until a few months ago, it would have been unthinkable. But travelers who ordinarily wouldn’t hesitate to take advantage of a great price on an airline ticket, cruise vacation, or rental car are now having second thoughts about the bargains.

“The guilt is very real,” says Deborah Cooper, a psychologist based in Los Angeles. “Travelers think that they are benefiting from other people’s misfortune-the events of September 11 that have ultimately led to lower airfares and hotel rates. It’s an emotional reaction.”

The condition – call it deal-related depression – is affecting all of us to some extent. It’s people like Stephen Morgan, a travel agent based in Nashville, TN. Since September 11, he’s found unbelievably good deals on flights to destinations like Las Vegas ($84 round-trip) and San Diego ($104 round-trip) for personal travel. He’s also booked cheap tickets for his clients to other places.

“I do feel guilty taking advantage of the low fares,” he says. “But I figure that I am paying more than the incremental cost of my body in the plane, so I am helping the airline.”

Cooper says the remorse is often proportional to how aggressive the price reductions are. For example, a simple discount of $10 for customers who book tickets online is unlikely to give travelers a reason to balk. But recent fare sales by carriers such as US Airways, in which round-trip tickets between cities like Boston and Washington were to be had for as low as $89, are having a depressive effect.

Some travelers try to cope with the guilt as best they can. Mike Senio, who is the golf director for a country club in Binghamton, NY, says the fare sales have affected him. “Do I feel guilt for flying for $209.95 to Orlando and back to Binghamton, knowing that US Airways is in big trouble and is ready to lay off thousands more employees? Yes, I feel guilt and I also feel that I have exploited them,” he admits.

Incidentally, he has no reason to feel that way. A US Airways ticket agent recently threw the book in his face, figuratively speaking, when he tried to redeem a voucher. The experience left him feeling frustrated and angry.

Other travelers refuse to feel bad for an industry that’s in deep trouble.

“Sorry, but I just can’t force my conscience to feel guilt for any savings I’m able to receive now because of problems the travel industry has had since September 11,” says Sandy Robinson, an accountant who works in Goodlettsville, TN. “I just can’t forget all of those years I’ve paid outrageous prices for things I had no control over. I’ve had to spend hours searching websites pleading with airlines to forgive the fact I could not meet their advanced reservations requirements for an important business trip or an emergency in my family other than death.”

Is the key to treating deal-related depression, as Robinson would suggest, remembering the past? Possibly.

Cooper believes the best way to handle this condition is to talk yourself through it. Remind yourself that if you don’t buy travel, the airline or hotel will probably end up in worse shape. It may even go out of business. “The bottom line is that feeling guilty about a low price is irrational,” she says. “Feeling guilty about the circumstances that led to the low price doesn’t make any sense.”

If that doesn’t work, then try to remember all those times you were overcharged for travel – and remember that what goes around comes around.

Christopher Elliott is the author of Scammed: How to Save Your Money and Find Better Service in a World of Schemes, Swindles, and Shady Deals. Critics have called it “eye-opening” and “inspiring” — it’ll “grab your attention and won’t let go.” Order your copy now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble or iTunes.

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