12 Overlooked Travel Costs You Forgot To Budget

When planning your next vacation, don’t forget to budget for these 12 often overlooked travel costs! You don’t want that credit card bill shock when you get home.

I always recommend paying for your vacation before you leave home. Why? Because no one likes to be stressed out about that credit card bill when you come back!

We always remember the big expenses like plane tickets, hotels and car rentals, but there are so many smaller expenses that people forget to budget for (myself included). Here are some of the overlooked costs of traveling so you don’t forget to budget for them on your next trip.

Airport Parking / Cab To & From The Airport

I always always forget to factor this into my travel budget. As we tend to book the earliest flight possible, usually we are headed to the airport at 3am! We don’t like to ask friends or family to drive us that early so we usually drive ourselves and park at the airport. Well of course that costs money!

Also don’t forget about the uber or cab from the airport at your destination to your hotel.Even if you are taking a $20 Uber to or from the airport, don’t forget to add that to your budget!

Public Transportation & Parking

If you’re using the local public transportation to get around, don’t forget to factor in the cost of those trips. Also look at whether or not you should get an unlimited use card or a pay per ride card!

If you’re renting a car, you may have to pay for parking either at your hotel or while you are out sightseeing. Make sure you have change for the parking meters!

Resort Fees

When looking for hotels I always consider the price, location, amenities, and reviews, I often forget to look if there are any hidden fees. A lot of hotels, especially in popular tourist destinations like Las Vegas and Niagara Falls, charge a “resort fee” per night.

It could be as much as $20-$40 extra per night! Make sure to read the fine print when you are booking and factor resort fees into your budget.

Also make sure you use all the amenities to make those resort fees worth it!

Tips

I am notoriously bad at budgeting for food, but tips are often an overlooked travel cost. It of course depends on where you are traveling. In Canada and the USA you’ll be tipping a lot more than European countries for example.

To be safe, budget an extra 15-20% for your food budget, and if you don’t use it, that’s great!

Snacks

On the topic of food, Don’t forget about all the snacks you’ll want to eat. Those little $3-$5 expenses can add up!

I’m a big fan of eating the local food, so I don’t suggest missing out on all the delicious things you can get.

Learn how to Save Money On Travel In This Podcast Episode

Cell Phone Fees

If you are leaving your home country and want to keep in touch back home, that may mean a cell phone plan or getting a local SIM card or calling card.

I know personally my cell phone plan allows me to use my phone like normal for an extra $7-$10 a day. It’s an expense easily overlooked!

Foreign Transaction Fees

Don’t forget whenever you use your credit card you may have foreign transaction fees if you are out of your home country. Same goes for using bank machines/ ATMs. Before you leave home, find out if your bank has any affiliates in the country you will be in to avoid unnecessary fees.

Travel Visas

Depending on where you are from and where you are going to may need a tourist visa to enter the country. Normally you will have to apply for these before you even leave for your trip. Always look at your destination ahead of time to see what entry requirements are in place! You don’t want to make it to their airport only to get detained or turned around.

Baggage Fees

Oh the dreaded baggage fees. The reason why we try to stuff everything we want to bring into a tiny carry on bag. My husband and I usually try to share 1 suitcase so we’re only paying for one.

Check out my post on how to pack efficiently!

Departure Fees

Yes, it’s true, some countries charge you a fee to leave. Sometimes called “departure tax” it may be included in your flight tickets but it may not be. Always do your research.

Travel Insurance

If our current situation has taught us anything, it’s “expect the unexpected”. We will always have travel insurance now!

Pet Or House Sitting

If you have pets, or even some plants that need watering, don’t forget to include kennel or pet /house sitting expenses into your budget. You may be lucky and have a friend or family member willing to do it for free, but maybe you should budget in getting them a fun souvenir, or at least a bottle of wine when you get home.