17 Travel Expenses You Didn’t Count On (Part 1)

Hello, Everybody! I am back after a bit of a hiatus from writing! And today I want to talk to you about unexpected travel expenses.

Yes, travel is one of the most fulfilling things in life, yes, travel can change your life forever… yes, but let’s be honest here. Travel costs money!

You need to be smart with your money when it comes to planning your trips, but what sorts of things should you consider that you don’t already know about?

In my workbook “How To Plan Your Trip” (which you can get for free by subscribing to my newsletter on the sidebar or at the end of this post) I present the seven key aspects of every travel budget.

Those are your basic things you need to consider when you’re starting to plan a trip and its budget (You can even use the handy built-in travel expenses calculator).

However, there are some unexpected travel expenses you don’t always remember or know that you need to set money aside for.

You can decide in advance if you want to use those services or not or find free or cheaper alternatives. Here’s my list in a three part article series (and 17 is my favorite number, actually):

Unexpected travel expenses: Airport charges

Houston Airport, USA.

1. Airport fees

Some unexpected expenses that nearly always catch us by surprise happen whenever we are entering or exiting a country.

For some reason, some countries will charge a “tourism card” fee, or a “country entry tax” or an “in-airport transit fee” and sometimes an “exiting fee”.

In most cases they are mandatory and they may go from $30 to $150. These are completely unexpected because many times they’re not advertised well.

In some countries you are allowed to get a visa on arrival, but the price of the visa does not include the price of the photo.

Cultural traveler tip: Do your homework and research online if such fees apply to the airport you’re going. Take advantage of online travel forums (you can Google that) to ask other travelers.

2. Permission to leave the airport fee

Let’s say you have a layover of 8 or 10 hours during the day. What the heck are you going to do stuck in an airport all that time?

Well, first thing comes to mind is to go out and explore the city! You have plenty of time, right?

Wrong. This is a post about travel expenses, so the first thing to say is that some airports will charge a fee of $40 to $100 just to get you permission to leave the airport.

Plus you probably would have to pay $15 to $50 for a safe locker where to store your bags while you’re out and about during that layover.

Now, you also need to find out if your visa allows you to leave the airport and if there are more hidden fees when you come back, or when you go through customs again.

Also consider that if you do stay at the airport, you’re going to have to eat there, and it may not be cheap.

Cultural traveler tip: Review the airport’s website in advance to find out about leaving during a layover, what the procedure is and how much it costs. If there’s no clear information on the website, get on the phone and call them.

3. Airport Wi-Fi

You’d think that in this age of technology the internet would be free in all airports; after all, it’s not like they’re not getting their fair share, right?

Wrong. Most airports actually don’t have free accessible Wi-Fi. Most of the time you do need to pay for the service.

Now, it’s not just that they charge you for the service; it also happens that the procedure to purchase the Wi-Fi service, how much it costs and how to use it is completely confusing.

And generally, people at the information desk can’t explain it to you in proper terms. I don’t know about you, but this has happened to me many many times.

Charges may go from a few dollars to $15 an hour.

Cultural traveler tip: First of all, don’t count on airport Wi-Fi. If you have it, fantastic. If not, you can always carry a book with you or your iPod filled with music, podcasts or audiobooks.

Secondly, go to the airport’s website to find out if they offer the service. Some airports now offer dedicated lounges or booth areas where they will lend you an iPad to surf the web for free.

You do need to find out in advance.

4. Transportation to and from the airport

Always have something in mind: Everything is more expensive at airports. Even duty free items. Everything.

Transportation is no exception. Taxis and rental cars are significantly more expensive at the airport. Taxis may reach $60, $80, $120 fees.

On the other hand, depending on the country you’re in, a taxi can be a great value! In many countries of South America, Africa or South East Asia, you can hop on a taxi for less than $20.

Cultural traveler tip: Book online (which is always cheaper) or go to toandfromtheairport.com to find out all the options you have to go to and from any airport in the world.

Research public transportation options like buses and trains, which even though have higher prices than regular ticket prices when it comes to the airport, still can be way cheaper than a taxi.

Continue reading Part 2 of this series, to discover more unexpected expenses you need to be aware of.

In the meantime, have you encountered any of these situations before?
How much did you have to pay?
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