Friday, 12 March 2010

• Did You Consider These Expenses When Planning Your Vacation?

  

  There are lots of ways to discount your travel plans.  Expedia, Orbitz, and Travelocity will get your a cheap room.  Credit cards, such as American Express or TruBlue can pay for your flight.  And there are restaurants in every city offering Pre-Fixe menus. 

  But what about everything else?  We spend so much time and energy getting cheap rooms and plane tickets, we often forget the things that can stealthily (and steadily) drive up our travel expenses.  Here's a list of what I always forget when budgeting my vacatons:

  • Wardrobe:  This is especially true if you are travelling from someplace cold to someplace hot.  Or vice versa.  Trips to the tropics mean you need a new bathing suit (or two); trips to the slopes mean boots and a ski jacket (to say the least.)  And no matter how often you travel, you will always want to do so in style so last season's parka and/or hotpants probably aren't going to make it into your suitcase.  I always, rather unwittingly, spend $200-$300 on clothes and accessories (you need sunglasses for Mexico!) when I am getting ready to go away.  And that's before I get my hair and nails done.  And go tanning.  Which brings up ....
  • Toiletries:  Travelling with open bottles of shampoo, conditioner and body wash is not practical (especially if you invested in a new set of luggage.)  And I don't think anyone brings along a used toothbrush.  If you have to also buy sunscreen, aloe or chapstick, you're easily spending $40-$50 at Duane Reade.
  • Cab fare:  Most people are pretty good about getting discounts on the travel to-and-from their destination.  But what happens when you get there?  If you can afford to rent a car, I suppose this is a manageable expense.  But I often spends tons of money on cabfare when I get to my vacation spot.  Especially if I used a discount travel site.  They don't always give you the best idea of where you hotel is in relation to, well, everything else.  When I went to Miami the first time, we made the mistake of staying in North Beach.  Our hotel was beautiful, but nowhere near the hot clubs or popular beaches.  Which meant we taking $60 cab rides all over Florida.  I'm sure there were cheaper methods of transportation.  But when you're on vacation, you don't exactly wanting to be waiting around for the bus. 
  • Souvenirs:  I budget for this, but never accurately.  Who knew Mexico had such wonderful silver?  Or that I needed that tattoo ...

  Do you agree about these extra expenses?  Have they snuck up on you?  Are there other things you find yourself spending too much money on when you travel?

   

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