Travelers Financial Planning Tips: The 12 Unplanned Travel Expense Costs and How To Lower Them
How many times have you overstretched your budget even after carefully budgeting for everything? Do you often account for extra expenses? How do you cut down the unplanned extra costs?
Almost everyone plans. Even that individuals who can afford the extra costs frown if they exceed their budget. This is because financial management is a trait possessed and practiced by successful people. Your first step to avoiding the unnecessary costs is determining what these costs are. They include:
- Departure taxes
If you are in your way to the Caribbean, you should set aside some money to cover departure costs. One such country is Costa Rica. This cost is unavoidable and you must budget for this money.
Talk to your travel agent and make inquiries of the exact cost of the tax. Find out if there are other costs associated with landing and departure. If you are booking your own flight and hotel, browse through different sites and ask about such taxes.
2. Hotel parking
Yup! You’ll pay parking fees for that rental. This is common in big city hotels. You have three options to pay less and save a little extra; tip the valet or find cheaper parking alternatives outside the hotel. As a last option, if your luxury vacation lasts a few days, ask for the hotel’s loyalty program. It is often discounted. Luxury Link has more information about these luxury hotels. Perhaps you should contact them.
photo by photoSteve101 via Flickr
3. Bags
Haven’t you been a victim of this before? You forget to check in that 100-pound suitcase ending up with an inflated bill or a delayed flight. As a precaution, check the flight’s fees and restrictions to budget and pack appropriately.
Gaining more knowledge is important and reading through those instructions could reveal important information about your past travels and as a reward, your bags’ fees may be discounted.
4. International roaming charges
Using your phone overseas will result in hefty roaming charges on your account. It is understandable that you wish to share every magical moment, sights and sounds with your friends but it is not worth the huge bill. If you need to make calls back home, buy a cheap phone in the country you are at. The cost is cheaper than what you will spend with your data.
5. Airline help fees
Your understanding of the word ‘help’ is different from the airline’s understanding. If your ticket asks for extra legs, you are guaranteed to pay so much more. You can get around the hefty and peskiness associated with complicated tickets by asking for help at the help desk.
6. Entry fees
If visiting a park, you will pay entry fees which are always higher for foreigners. This is why you need a travel itinerary or at least a rough estimate of the entry fees for all the places you plan to visit.
7. Souvenir
Whether you are traveling alone or with your children, you will be tempted to get souvenirs. Those pieces are expensive and you can be sure to spend a little extra. Just plan for it.
Other unplanned costs include:
- Sunscreen
- Diapers
- Hotel or in-flight Wi-Fi
- Snacks on the plane
- Bottles of water
There you have it. Be sure to include these items in your budget or look for cheaper alternatives.
Author Bio
Mary Jones is a travel consultant working with Luxury Link. Learn more about luxury travel and financial management when having fun from their Luxury Link’s website. You may also follow Mary on her twitter handle@
