Keeping That Bargain Trip a Bargain: Uncovering the Hidden Fees and Expenses of Travel

Two travelers who have had exactly the same journey and vacation experience, could easily find that one has paid considerably more for their flights and hotel than the other.

Getting the inside track on finding the best deals is essential if you want to bag a bargain, such as viewing 4 ways to use Google flights for tips on how to pay as little as possible for your travel adventures. It will also be worth your while to check out discounts on hotels and car rentals from Expedia.

You also want to be aware of the hidden fees that can soon add up and even add an extra zero to your final total, so here is a look at what to look out for when planning your next trip.

Airline taxes and fees

It is not always that easy to separate these fees out when you buy your airline ticket as the total price you are paying will often have a figure for airline taxes and fees already incorporated.

There are two things in particular to know about these taxes and fees. Firstly, if you are taking advantage of a free flight that you have earned through accumulated rewards points for example, you may well find that you will have to pay taxes and other surcharges yourself, meaning that your “free” flight is not quite as free as your first thought.

You might be able to avoid some of the more expensive departure taxes around if you can plan your flights with stopovers where charges are lower than others. Make sure that when you are searching for your flights, that the price displayed on the screen is the total cost of the flight that you have to pay, or you might get a shock later when you are asked to anything up to a few hundred dollars more that you hadn’t planned for.

Baggage can be a money-spinner for the airlines

There has been a fair amount of controversy surrounding baggage fees, especially with some budget airlines seemingly finding ways of charging you for anything other than the seat that you are using, including a fee for your checked baggage.

Make sure that you checked with your chosen airline regarding their fees for checking your bags in at the airport. It is not unheard of to be faced with fees of $25 for each bag that you check in, which could soon add up to a budget-busting sum before you have even reached your chosen destination.

Resort fees can make you very uncomfortable

Some venues have gained a fair degree of notoriety regarding their eye-watering resort fees, with the city of Las Vegas being a prime example of a destination where you could rack up a serious bill before you even hit the casinos or take in a show.

Some hotels add what they describe as a resort fee to your bill. This is a charge that is meant to cover all sorts of sundry services and might also include housekeeping and the supply of beverages in your room.

A resort fee is not always added to your final price when you are booking your travel, which means that you could turn up to a hotel somewhere in the Caribbean, Florida or a number of other popular locations where resort fees are prevalent, and find that a charge of $25 or more per night, is being added to your bill checkout total.

Check whether the hotel you are heading to charges resort fees and if so, find out whether they are included in the price you are paying or will be added as an extra.

Be careful with your cards

Your credit cards will be widely accepted around the world and it is a convenient way to pay for things rather than drawing out a lot of cash in the local currency, but you should be careful which cards you use, as the foreign transaction fees charged can vary greatly.

Credit cards offer protection against fraud, which is something that you don’t get when you use your debit card, so that can be a plus point. But that benefit will soon be forgotten when you start adding up all of the 3% transaction fees you have been charged each time you use your card abroad.

There are a number of cards around which don’t charge foreign transaction fees, so shop around and if you are going to use a credit card abroad, make sure it is one that is not going to add an extra cost to your holiday budget.

Erin Nicholson finds herself waiting for a flight all too often as a seasoned business traveler. She uses her time to write travel related articles, sharing her top tips on booking flights as well as getting to the departure gate in a relaxed state!