How to Avoid Unexpected Travel Expenses

Travelling off to new adventures on a vacation counts as one of the most thrilling experiences in one’s life. The opportunity of visiting new destinations makes one discover amazing and exciting experiences. It is always a great idea to have a glorious trip coming up on the horizon and planning for it is even more exhilarating. However, the best-laid plans do not always go as expected, and unforeseen travel expenses may crop up to interfere with your travel budget. Such unexpected travel expenses can adversely impact what you expected to do during your trip. When travelling you do not want to have horrid surprises midway through your dream vacation because of running out of money or over budgeting, which can certainly kill your trip mood.

Here are the most common unexpected travel expenses and how to be prepared to avoid them.

Baggage Fees

In most cases, baggage fees are usually hidden from the travelers because they are sensibly presumed costs that contribute to your trip. Baggage fees become very tricky when you are going to fly multiple airlines. Different airlines apply different weight and size dimensions, which can be very costly if you do not meet their requirements. It is prudent to find out about the weight and size requirements for all the airlines you are going to fly. You also need to check your ticket to ensure luggage is inclusive with your ticket. You should also remember that budget airlines do not have free luggage checked free or even have carry-on.

Foreign Exchange Fees

It is extremely difficult to estimate how much you are going to spend on foreign transaction fees. In order to avoid surcharges, do some research in advance to know the best agencies nearby to change money. Alternatively, you can seek for debit cards that provide fee-free withdrawals overseas or simply exchange money prior to reaching the unregulated destination.

Roaming Charges

You are most likely to use your mobile phone overseas, and you remember it may come with substantial roaming charges. It is important to turn off roaming embarking on your travel to avoid inadvertently getting charged for using your cell phone. You can use Wi-Fi frequently for internet use, and if you have to make several phone calls, consider getting a local sim card. You can also contact cellular provider to know how you can use your mobile while abroad.

Emergencies

Emergencies are the most unlikely expectation during your trip. It is important to get covered by a travel insurance for your trip. You can also ensure you have a credit card in case of an accident. Travelling abroad on a vacation comes with a gamut of emergency encounters, and one can easily be stressed by hour the entire trip will end out. Travelling itself presents several risks, such as injury, illness, or any other health issue. As much as you have taken a travel and health insurance, some injuries may require you to use cash as a case of emergency. Therefore, you need to set aside some money for these expenses in case you encounter any emergency that may require you to dig into your own pocket for associated emergency expenses. You need to remember that for your emergency medical needs, your insurance should be your top priority.

Tipping

Some hotels add tips automatically to your bill, which can place you in a precarious position of your billfold if you did not plan for it. Therefore, it is important to inquire beforehand if tips are applied mechanically. You can also add approximately 15% tip to your feeding bill to allow flexibility.

Departure Taxes

Watch out for departure taxes, especially when you are through travel agent. They may not warn you bout departure taxes, as well as visa requirements for certain destinations. You need to include departure taxes in your travel budget, since these fees are charged at the airport in some countries such as Costa Rica and Argentina. However, in many countries departure fees are included and fixed in your airport. Before you embark on your journey you need to stay up to date concerning departure fees in the countries you are intending to pass through. Likewise, you need to be aware of tourist charges, where in certain European countries such as Holland, hotels and airbnbs charge this fee. Tourist tax is generally not incorporated in the rooms’ or apartments’ prices. Most tourism websites never list tourist charges in their travel pricing listing.

Rental car expenses

Surcharges related to hiring a rental car or taking taxis can be unexpected, therefore it is important to research on the following expenses:

• Rental insurance
• Driver age restrictions
• Key replacement
• Extra driver
• Alternate drop-off
• Fuel
• Parking fees

Finally, with creative research and planning, you will avoid these unexpected travel expenses while travelling abroad. However, you cannot completely get out of all these surprises with unexpected travel expenses, but you can continually adjust depending on your travel destination and duration of your vacation. It is important to remember that unexpected travel expenses with nuisance hidden fees can earnestly harm your billfold thus throwing off your vacation.