Cutting costs on travel can be a boon for our wallets. But there’s a dark side to some of those “discounts.” With that in mind, here are 12 travel mistakes that, if you’re not careful, can end up costing you more than you bargained for:
Flying budget airlines
Your air travel search will undoubtedly uncover lower-cost, no-frills lines like Spirit or Norwegian. However, what you’re saving on the front end could cost you even more on the back end. Unlike slightly higher-priced traditional airlines, today’s “budget” carriers charge for everything, from carry-on bags, to food and water (yes, you have to buy your own water on Spirit).
Booking with a travel agent
“Travel companies are great, but in the long-run you spend more money because you will end up paying extra for items not included in your package,” says Alex Tran of the travel blog Love Eat Travel. “A better way to choose a tour package is to ensure it’s all-inclusive, including meals, rides, transfers, and tours. We did a tour package to Cancun and paid 17% more than if we were to book on our own.”
Waiting for prices to drop
If you wait for prices to drop, but the price goes up, you’re stuck. But if you book as soon as possible and the price drops later, you can usually contact the company for a price match to their new offer.
Falling prey to cost-comparing travel sites
Flight comparison sites like Expedia, Kayak, Skyscanner, and Momondo are essential tools for finding cheap flights. Increasingly, however, many of these websites are promoting deals with little-known travel agencies that may offer better commissions than the airlines. The flights are usually considerably cheaper than what the major airlines are charging. But according to James of Portugalist.com, there’s a problem: “There are often hidden terms and conditions that aren’t as good as what the airlines offer. For example, admin charges for name or date changes can cost hundreds of dollars. Many agencies will also cancel the tickets at the last minute for unknown reasons. Of course, this forces travelers to buy new tickets for considerably more than what they would have paid had they bought through the airline in the first place.”
Saving money by booking a bus or train
Here’s another potential travel mistake: People forget they can sometimes travel much cheaper by bus or train instead of flying. But time is money too; are you turning one of your hard-earned vacation days into a travel day?
Being flexible with flight times and duration
It’s no secret you can save money by flying at an inconvenient time or booking flights with long layovers. But Calvin Iverson, a travel expert at TravelPirates, says you may want to rethink that strategy. For example, he asks, “If you’re spending 10 hours doing nothing at an airport during a layover or arriving in your destination at three in the morning, are you really having a good vacation?”
Being flexible with your flight dates
Most people know that you can save vacation money by changing your departure or return date. But before adjusting any dates, check your hotel’s rates for your updated dates. That’s because they can change dramatically – up or down – from day to day.
Clearing browser cookies
One misconception is that you need to clear your search browser history before evaluating flights. That’s because airlines have algorithms that increase flight prices when you continue searching for flights to the same destination. However, some airlines actually reduce fares in the hope of securing your booking.
Pre-booking a vacation package
Money writer Patricia Russell knows all about travel mistakes. She says, “The inherent problem with ‘vacation package deals’ is that you often not only end up with inconvenient travel times, poor rooms, and less-than-ideal rental cars. But you may end up overpaying for them too. It’s better to book directly with each provider as they usually will match a good deal anyway.”
Booking a hotel outside of the city
It’s true; hotels farther from downtown or airports are often less expensive than hotels closer to the action. “But before you book one of those hotels for the low price,” says Iverson. “Look into how you plan to get from the hotel to the city center. Sometimes public transportation isn’t easy or inexpensive. And you end up paying more than you would have paid for a stay at a more conveniently located hotel.”
Rolling your clothes or using packing cubes
Travel bloggers everywhere recommend packing “hacks” like packing cubes or rolling clothes to fit more into your suitcase. But if you’re using these hacks as an excuse to overpack your bag, then your luggage could end up being heavy enough to warrant an additional fee for overweight luggage.
Signing up for travel credit cards
Travel credit cards offer free points, miles, and other rewards to get you to sign up. Yes, these signup bonuses can be very generous. But if you aren’t responsible with a credit card, then you can easily end up paying much more in interest than you receive in rewards.
Photo Credit: bark
I fly United all the time. They are not always the cheapest, but with gold status they throw in many extras like free luggage, economy seat with extra leg room, early boarding, lots of overhead bin space, choice of seat when booking. I find they are very interested in my being happy. Every time I deal with anyone from United I start out by telling them I like their airline and have always (This is the truth.) gotten wonderful assistance from them. United once bumped a passenger to get me home, and recently I volunteered to be bumped and even though the deal fell through at the last moment (I love to be bumped!) they gave me a generous financial credit towards my next booking as a good will gesture. The thought of giving my business to an unknown airline with a lot of potential problems isn’t appealing.
Great article. Too much “cost savings” can actually end up costing you more.
Back in the before times, I flew Norwegian on a regular basis to London, Dublin and Paris. Honestly, they were more comfortable than Aer Lingus, American, SAS or United on transatlantic routes, but they didn’t match up to Air France or Swiss Air. I don’t worry about food on these routes as I eat in the lounge before flying. I get into the lounge with a credit card that provides access with its annual fee.
One tip I have is that for a lot of cities you can search “day room” or “day let” and find cheaper rates at hotels near the airport that will let you check in after a red eye until, say, noon. As I’ve gotten older, I find that the shower and a few hours of sleep really help me enjoy the first day abroad. This is especially true if you have to drive on the wrong side of the road once you arrive!
I’ve always heard that all of the American airlines can’t hold a candle to foreign carriers when it comes to comfort and other passenger ammenities.
We did try the “clearing cookies’ thinggy once. When we bought plane tickets from Romania, with LOT (Polish Airlines) we paid 1000 bucks. When our friend in the US tried to do it (SAME FLIGHT), it was almost 2 grand. Now I like to play with my VPN every once in a while. As flight companies are concerned, we’re pretty stoked with Emirates. Half the prices compared to United or Delta and excellent conditions, even for economy.