Fees Taking Some Travelers By Surprise

By Author: Steve Robinson
Total Articles: 468
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These days one cannot plan an affordable trip simply by identifying cheap travel options such as cheap airplane tickets and discount hotel rooms or cheap vacation packages.

The following are common travel fees that should be budgeted for and avoided when possible:

• Visa fees for U.S. citizens traveling abroad are common in some large countries. China’s visa fee is $140 per person, India charges $76, Russia $170 and Brazil $160. Consulate websites typically provide the costs of visas. It usually takes at least a couple of weeks to process visa requests, with expedited visas costing that much more.

• Many countries charge a departure tax that it not included in the cost the airline ticket. This is particularly common in the Caribbean and Central and South America. The per person departure tax for Costa Rica is $28, St. Maarten is $30, St. Kitts $37. Airport websites often offer information concerning exit fees.

• Resort fees often cover things the average traveler assume are free, including parking, Wi-Fi, pool towels, daily newspaper and in room coffee. What makes such fees really ...
... irritating to many guests is that they have to pay regardless of whether they are using the services listed under the resort fee. Prospective guests are encouraged to read the fine print before completing their reservations and even calling hotels directly to determine the exact resort fees that will be charged.

• Cruise gratuities can add substantially to the cost of a cruise. Most major cruise lines automatically bill each guest $10 to $12 in gratuities for each day of a cruise. Typically these gratuities do not include the 15 percent automatically added to a guest’s bar tab. Even though this charge seems mandatory, guests can adjust their gratuities up or down by visiting the purser’s office.

• Baggage fees tend to be confusing to many because they vary by airline for checked bags, extra luggage and carry-on bags. Spirit Airlines charges $30 per carry-on bag that will not fit under the seat in front of the passenger.

• Most U.S. issued credit cards charge a foreign transaction fee when you purchase an international ticket from a non-U.S. airline. Travelers’ best alternative is to purchase such tickets from one of a handful of credit card companies, such as Capital One, who does not charge for international transactions.

Another way around such fees is to buy an international ticket from a U.S. airline partner. For example, rather than purchasing a ticket directly from Lufthansa, book through its partner United’s website. Airline partners are listed on airline websites.
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