When deciding to take a vacation or travel to your dream destination, certain expenses are a given. For instance, if the destination is far away, you know you will have air, train, or bus fare. If you are going to Disney World, then you will likely know that you will need to have tickets to get in to the venue or the money to pay for tickets into the venue. While most expenses are obvious and will not take much thought, experienced travelers know that certain expenses are not so obvious and can be easily overlooked when planning. But, if you put in a little time and research, you can know well in advance most expenses that will be incurred and avoid a budget blow-out. The following list includes some of the most often encountered surprise travel expenses. 

Resort Fees. When considering a hotel that is a destination unto itself (such as a casino or tropical resort) or in a region that is a highly traveled tourist area, a commonly incurred fee is the hotel resort fee. This fee is in addition to state and local taxes charged per room and the nightly rate charged by the hotel.  

For a typical hotel, the fee is from $25.00 to $50.00 per night. For a room in a five-star or “luxury” hotel, the nightly fee can be higher. The resort fee can be ‘in addition to” any parking or internet fees charged by the hotel and covers things such as the “privilege” of using a pool or workout area. With few exceptions, the resort fee is typically mandatory and patrons must pay the fee regardless of whether the covered amenities are used.

Ways to avoid the resort fee. If you must absolutely stay at a hotel that charges resort fees, there are multiple ways to get out of paying the fee. First, you can just call the hotel and ask for a waiver. Next, you can check to see whether you are a member of (or join) a rewards program that allows members to pay either a reduced resort fee or no resort fee at all. Finally, if all else fails, book a hotel that does not have a resort fee. 

Parking Fees. If you are driving to your destination or renting a car once you are there, always check the parking situation. In some major cities such as New York City, parking can be as much as $30 per hour or $100 per day. Similarly, tourist destinations outside of the city will also charge for parking. Fees typically range anywhere from $9 per day to $30 per day depending on the destination. So, before hopping on the plane or deciding to drive to your next vacation destination, be sure to do your research and either budget for hotel and venue parking fees or decide on a hotel that does not charge for parking. 

Taxes. So, you’ve found the perfect hotel for the perfect rate and you are super excited because parking and the resort fees are affordable. But, when you go to book, your total is a few hundred dollars more than you anticipated. This is a common occurrence when booking hotels and rental cars in highly traveled tourist destinations. For instance, rental cars are super cheap. In May 2018, an eight-day Toyota Camry rental with Budget (booked through Costco Travel) cost just $162.00 before taxes. That is $20.25 per day. But, with taxes & Fees, the total was $260.68. This is still a fantastic rate for an 8-day rental. However, an extra 61% in taxes ($98.62) would come as a shock to almost anyone. Therefore, before booking, be sure to understand the taxes that will be due and plan your trip accordingly. 

Luggage Fees. When booking a flight, many airline carriers will show that that the fee does not include baggage fees, but to the infrequent traveler, what this means might not sink in. What it means is that when you arrive at the airport, if your luggage is too big to fit into the overhead compartment on the plane, then you “must” check your bag to be transported below the passenger compartment and pay the airline a fee to do so. If the bag weighs 50-lbs or less and fits certain size parameters, which are inline with most off the shelf luggage sets, then the fee will be $25-$35 per piece of luggage. If the luggage weighs more than 50 lbs, the fee can be $100 to $200 depending on the weight.  

Luggage fees can be avoided altogether for certain rewards program members, so check with your credit card company for current baggage fee waivers and join the airline’s mileage program for benefits on future flights.  

If you must pay a baggage fee, it is important to make sure that the bag is under the 50-lb limit both going and on the return trip. There is nothing more aggravating than standing at baggage check and having to decide whether to pay the extra fees, shove more stuff in your carry-on bag, or throw away some of your belongings. It’s worst if you are late arriving at the airport and must do so as you risk missing your flight. So, how do you make sure your bag is within the weight limit? You can do it the old-fashioned way by weighing yourself, then weighing yourself again holding the luggage. But, this only works on the initial leg of your trip and does not allow you to check whether the bootee picked up along the way on the trip pushes you over the limit. Some luxury hotel rooms include a scale, but most hotels do not. 

The best way to check is to buy a mechanical luggage scale. They sale for $9.99 on Amazon. There are battery operated versions, the last thing one wants to worry about on vacation is whether the batteries in the luggage scale are operable.