Annoying Travel Fees

Above, Tokyo's Hotel Asia Center of Japan.  Some hotels
have jumped on the fee bandwagon.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Here's a subject that's currently near and dear to our hearts: travel fees.

In the "days of old," a meal used to come with the price of a plane ticket for cross-country flights (such as from Los Angeles to Kansas City, etc.).  Now, the airlines charge fees for just about everything (some even charge for a formerly-free soft drinks, besides meals).

Hotels and resorts have now gotten on the fee bandwagon.  Some have been kept financially afloat because of them.

Travel + Leisure's website has an article on travel fees that should help you in avoiding ones that might crop up.

They start with:

Whether it’s a $20 daily charge for a resort gym you didn’t use, or the new $200 penalty for altering your flight reservation, travel fees have an irritating way of surprising us on vacation. 

It should be easier than ever to shop based on price given the explosion of online booking sites—at least in theory. That cheap rate on the screen rarely includes all fees. Without the help of a knowledgeable travel agent or a resource like NerdWallet that compares fees for a given route, it’s challenging to calculate your total cost.

I tried out NerdWallet and it is amazing to see the fees different airlines charge.  I would recommend bookmarking NerdWallet!

My "favorite" travel fee?  The fee for heavy baggage.  I had to confront that during my recent trip to North Carolina. Luckily, I had a friendly ticket counter clerk who helped me minimize that.

To read the article, go here.