10 Ways Youre Spending More on Vacation Than Travel Experts

The number one way you can protect your vacation dollars is by investing in a comprehensive travel insurance policy. Should you need to cancel your trip for a covered reason, you’ll be reimbursed for your nonrefundable expenses. Even better, if things go wrong during your travels, you’ve got a 24-hour hotline to call for guidance. 

Trip insurance remains highly misunderstood and mysterious to many travelers. However, I know from the complaints that land in my inbox at Consumer Rescue that this confusion is often rooted in traveler error. Buying a travel insurance policy is only the first step. The next one is to read the document and understand what it does and doesn’t cover, and under what circumstances.

Travel insurance policies purchased in the United States come with generous look-over periods of 10 to 15 days, depending on the company. If you use that time to actually look over the policy, you will be armed with the information you need to protect the money you spent on your trip. If, after reading that policy, you decide it doesn’t provide the coverage you want and need, you can cancel for a full refund. After the look-over time though, your policy is nonrefundable.

If you have a stash of airline miles or loyalty points, redeeming them for all or part of your next vacation could dramatically reduce the overall cost of the trip. However, it’s crucial to remember that just like with cash, there are smart ways to spend those points and miles, and then there are easy ways to waste them.

In fact, if you redeem your miles incorrectly, you could be throwing away hundreds or even thousands of dollars. I saw this firsthand recently when my mom redeemed Capital One points directly through the travel portal for a flight to France. Had she first transferred points into a Flying Blue account (the awards program for AirFrance and KLM), she could have spent thousands fewer points.

To make sure you’re maximizing your earned points and miles, The Points Guy offers a free tool: the Award vs Cash calculator. That tool will tell you whether you’re wasting your miles or if you’re getting a great deal.

Hotel loyalty programs are free to join and include appealing perks, like complimentary upgrades, welcome gifts, bonus points, and members-only deals. Not only that, but the more your stay with a particular hotel brand, the more your benefits will increase. It’s a good idea to read over all the terms and conditions so that you understand what’s available to you and make the most of your membership.

Booking the lowest possible rate your airline has to offer might seem like a great way to save money. Unfortunately, it almost never works out that way for the travelers who contact me. 

During the pandemic, most airlines removed cancellation penalties. That was great for passengers, and the policy remains in place today, except for basic economy tickets. Those super-restrictive fares typically come with use-it-or-lose-it conditions. If a basic economy passenger needs to adjust their schedule, they’ll be out of luck. Suddenly, that great deal becomes anything but, as the ticket becomes worthless if the passenger can’t use it exactly as booked.

Also, travelers should keep in mind that basic economy tickets are bare bones. Checked luggage, seat assignments, and even carry-on bags aren’t complimentary with those fares. When all is said and done, basic economy tickets can cost more for the traveler than if they’d simply booked a regular fare.

The official website of the tourism board for wherever you’re going is a great place to find information and discounts. You can usually download the free annual guide directly from the internet. But if you prefer a hard copy, most tourism boards will mail it to you on request.

Those destination guides are filled with valuable details about the area and almost always include discounts for local attractions, hotels, restaurants, and more.  

If you’ve already arrived in the area, tourism guides can usually be found on racks at the airport in the baggage claim area and in rest areas along major highways.

Recently, I shared a free, printable car rental inspection checklist in response to the hundreds of complaints I receive every year from travelers falsely accused of, and billed for, causing damage to rental vehicles. Hertz customer Bernadette Berset recently contacted me to say that she’s been using that inspection checklist and how, during her last rental, it proved invaluable.

“I received an email from Hertz with a vehicle incident report for damage to the car during my rental period,” Berset told me. “I called the listed phone number, completed the incident report, attached my photos, and submitted the inspection report showing the damage was present when I picked the vehicle up.”

Hertz withdrew the charges. Before you get behind the wheel of a rental car and drive away, you must do the same as Berset. Inspect the vehicle, noting any scratches or dents, and don’t forget to check the roof. Any unusual odors should also be noted, and do not leave the lot until you report any oddities to an employee. Don’t accept a rental car with undocumented pre-existing damage, or it will become your expensive problem later.

Keep in mind that most car rental locations are franchised—independently owned and operated. That means that even if you are comfortable with the brand name, the experience may not match your expectations. My investigations suggest that some franchised car rental locations pad their bottom line with false damage charges. Don’t fall victim to this scheme.

If you’re booking your own airfare for your next vacation, it’s important to use reputable sites to do it. Unfortunately, the internet is filled with AI-created, professional-looking websites posing as official airline customer service centers. Travelers searching for specific airlines often land on these sites and call the number, which is usually advertised as “No wait time.” These scammers have become especially proficient in tricking Google into promoting their fraudulent operations.

Each week, my Rescue Me helpline receives a flood of requests for help from travelers who have fallen into the hands of one of these fake airline customer service centers. Those interactions have led victims into losing thousands of dollars.

Frustrated travelers often ask me why a rate they saw earlier is no longer available. If you’ve ever had the same thing happen to you, I have a little trick that sometimes makes that rate magically reappear. By clearing your browser and deleting any stored cookies, you can remove the website’s memory of your past search.

Because of dynamic pricing, your original search likely signaled that demand was increasing. As a result, the algorithm showed you a new rate. If you erase your history and internet cookies, and the website sees you as a new visitor, the lower rate may reappear.

Using a VPN (virtual private network) in incognito mode during your initial search for flights, hotels, and car rentals can help reduce the chance that rates are influenced by your search history.

A great way to save on food costs, especially if you’re traveling with your family, is by choosing brands that offer free breakfast. Hampton Inns, Staybridge Suites, Embassy Suites, Best Western, and Holiday Inn, among others, often include breakfast in your rate. Double-check, though, because some city locations charge a hefty fee for the same morning buffet.

Another money-saving perk some hotels offer is a nightly cocktail hour that often includes food, as well. Staybridge Suites has been a favorite of mine ever since my daughters and I arrived one evening after a long drive to a property in Fargo, North Dakota. It seemed pretty remote and I wasn’t sure where we were going to be able to find dinner. The employee who was checking us in gave me the good news that we had arrived just in time for Chicken, Waffles, and Wine Happy Hour. It turned out to be a full meal, and it was included in the rate, and my problem was solved. 

Read the fine print of that hotel reservation you’re making. Many rates exclude hidden mandatory fees that you’ll only see at check-in. Those charges should be disclosed in the terms of the reservation before booking. Unfortunately, many travelers don’t read those details and end up getting blindsided at check out.

Daily resort and parking fees, city taxes and more can quickly add hundreds of unexpected dollars to your final bill. Look for hotels that have free parking and no resort fees, which often are just junk fees. Travelers should scrutinize their bill at check-out for surprise charges. Some less reputable hotels add resort fees even though the property is not a resort and doesn’t provide anything of value for the fee.