All Those Extra Expenses You Forgot About

It's easy to go on vacation and have a budget and plan for the big things like accommodations, airfare, and food, but there's a whole list of things you forget about that can totally break your budget and make you sad. No one wants to be sad on vacation.

Since you don't want to subsist on PB&J when you get home, or (worse) in the last days of your vacay, make sure you remember these things and include them into your budget when you make your vacation plans.

• Gas/transportation - If you're renting a car, don't forget that you also have to budget for gas expenses. If you're just going to use public transportation to get around, sure you can make sure you know how to use said transportation, but you also have to pay for your rides. Research your options before travel, so you aren't getting ripped off, because you didn't get a monthly card or you only need a few rides and it's cheaper to pay that way than to buy a multi-ride pass.
• Resort fees - Often, you've figured out how much your hotel room costs, but depending on your destination, resort fees can vary wildly. If you're having to pay hundreds of dollars on top of your room rate, that can really hurt you.
• International phone plan/roaming fees - When you travel, you are going to have to use your phone, whether to call and make a reservation or to call home to check in with family/friends. Make sure your mobile has the appropriate plan for your trip and remember that you will be paying more. It could be cheaper to buy a region-specific SIM card to use in your current phone, purchase a cheap mobile to use with that SIM or just remember that your carrier will charge you for using your phone outside your home country. We have Verizon and they charge you $10/24-hours when you use services internationally. That may seem like a lot, but it also means you are only charged for the days you use it and not for the entire month like you used to.
• WiFi - Having WiFi available at my accommodation is a must for me. I always look for places that include it in their rate, because paying $12.95, or whatever outrageous fee they charge at some resorts, is a rip-off. They already have WiFi available and boosting for the entire building. You shouldn't be paying more for accessing the internet as you do for an entire month of internet at home.
• Laundry - We almost always do laundry on vacation, because then we don't have to pack more than we need. I try hard to find places that have laundry included, but it's not always possible and I still have quarters in my travel hamper for those just in case times. I also carry my own laundry sheets/detergent, because I've been to laundry rooms that didn't have detergent available for purchase and it cost quite a bit to buy a too-large package at a nearby grocers. 
• Spontaneous activities - Many of us travel on a tight budget, but there are going to be times when cool or exciting opportunities present themselves and you'll be sad to miss out. Make sure you have a reserve of funds (it can be small, like $50) in case something comes up that you really want to do.
• Taxes - I live in a place where we don't pay sales tax and I always forget when I go elsewhere, but then I remember and I'm slightly annoyed and then I get over it. You have to pay taxes and fees for a lot of things, including airfare, souvenirs, and meals. Don't go through your vacation funds faster than expected by knowing the tax rate and adding it on to your budget plan.
• Exchange rate fees - fees for changing money can vary greatly depending on where you do your exchange. The most expensive exchange rates are usually at the airport, so if you have to do it, exchange the least amount possible and then go elsewhere. Post offices often have the lowest rates. 
• Credit card fees - Many credit cards will charge foreign transaction fees and your debit card may charge big fees for using foreign ATMs. Try to choose a card with no international fees, but if you can't, maybe try keeping your transactions to a minimum, so you aren't paying outrageous fees. (Don't forget to tell your credit card companies that you're traveling. You can do this online, usually. Nothing is worse than your card getting flagged as you're trying to pay for dinner.)
• Insurance - If you're planning on purchasing travel insurance, don't forget to include it as part of your travel budget. 
• Emergency incidentals - Not everything always goes to plan. Sometimes your flight gets cancelled or delayed, sometimes you get sick, sometimes your car breaks down on a road trip, sometimes you end up getting in after all the trains stop running and you have to spring for a cab or Uber (this is personal experience). Have an emergency fund or credit card, because you never know what might happen. If you don't have to use it, great. If you do, you'll be glad you have it. 

When I make my trip itinerary, I make sure to account for everything I'm doing and research things I may not know, because it makes travel much less stressful for me when I know all the variables. 

Has your trip ever been cut short or ruined by "hidden" expenses?

Your Most Important Summer Travel Accessory

There are a lot of things you should pack for your summer travels, like sunscreen and shorts and your bathing suit, but there's one thing that's much more important than anything else to a successful trip: your patience. Yes, this sounds like I'm telling you that summer travel will be annoying, and, shockingly, I am. 

How do I know? Because Summer travel is always annoying. There are too many people everywhere, things cost more than usual, traffic is bad, and there are kids everywhere. (No offense to kids. I could say the same about drunk adults.) Know that things are going to be challenging and plan for it ahead of time.

If you're flying, then get to the airport early, even if you have Precheck or Global Entry. If you haven't booked your flights yet, you need to get on it ASAP. Try to book the earliest flight in the day that you can afford, so you may sidestep the worst of the delays that start in earnest in the afternoons. 

Speaking of, there are still staff shortages at all the airlines and at the airport, so delays and cancellations will happen. Generally, flights get overbooked, which makes travel in the summer rougher than usual, because most flights are at full capacity and getting bumped is more common than the rest of the year. Check in with your flight as soon as you're allowed (I always have the airline app on my phone, so I get a push notification to remind me when check-in is open, and I can do it quickly and easily, no matter where I am).

This is another reason to get to the airport early. You don't want to be the last person through security for your flight, because the odds of you getting bumped are much higher then. Build in extra time to get there and have entertainment to keep you busy, or plan on getting a meal post-security or using other amenities, like a yoga room, movies, or looking at art. 

Pack light, so the possibility of your bag not getting to your destination with you drops to nearly zero. Not only will you save time and money, but if you get delayed or your flight gets cancelled or rerouted, you have all your belongings with you. There's nothing worse than having to spend the night somewhere and not having an extra change of clothes, toiletries, or other necessities when you need them. 

Invest in travel insurance or check your coverage through your credit cards. Things happen and it's not always optimal. If your travel gets cancelled or you lose days due to a delay, you should be covered.

The plane hasn't even stopped, but there's a line to get off. *sigh*

Let's circle back to patience. Though all of the above things will require it, try to keep your composure and stay chill. Travel can be stressful for a lot of people and when things change, it makes it worse. Remember that it's not the airline crew and gate agents' fault when things go wrong or are delayed. Be nice when you ask them to help you rebook or change seats or whatever else. People are rude to them all day for just doing their job, please don't make it harder on them. 

So, yes, things will take longer, cost more, and be generally more annoying, but knowing that ahead of time and planning for it can help you relax and travel better. Even with the crew shortages and fewer flights to choose from over the last few years, my travels have been fairly normal and all the big annoying things have been things out of my control and have still worked out in the end. Breathing through it and not overreacting, even when I feel like it, is always the best choice.

Once you make it through the airport and get to your destination, annoying things may continue when you have to wait in lines for attractions or get your rental car or visit a museum. So, patience - don't leave home without it!

How do you try to keep your travel days from getting the better of you?

How to Pack for a Special Occasion Trip

Earlier this month, Eric and I took a weekend trip to San Francisco to celebrate one of his cousin's weddings. It was fairly short, in that we flew in Friday after work and flew home on Sunday, but we were able to see everyone we wanted and party for an evening and eve got in some sightseeing.

I hate wasting time on a short trip with waiting for a bag to come out of the carousel and I always worry if my bag will make it to my destination, so I don't chance it if I don't have to. I'm also into saving baggage fees for something more fun, like dining out. There are some circumstances where you have to attend a special event and you can't pack light, but if you're a guest at a wedding, you can still get everything you need in a carry-on and personal item. Here's how:

Invest in a weekender, or equivalent, with a garment bag

Unless you want to spend time ironing, which I definitely do not, having a bag that has a garment bag as part of it is a great way to travel with fancy dresses and suits. We have a Skyroll garment bag and roller bag for such occasions. We took the original Skyroll for this trip, since it was so short. It's not available anymore, it doesn't look, but you can get something similar at a reasonable price that is still carry-on size. Don't want to carry a bag? Here's a roller garment.

Roll your other clothes

If you've been following me for a while, you know that I'm a big believer in rolling clothes. This bag makes that easier to do, because it's already round, and it doesn't require a packing cube.

Day 1 - On the plane

Wear clothes on the plane you can re-wear at your destination

I almost always travel in a pair of black pants, because they go with everything and they can be dressed up or down, depending on what I'm doing. If we had gotten in earlier, we would have driven straight from the airport to the restaurant the family was doing dinner at. If it hadn't been St. Patrick's Day, we would have worn less nerdy shirts, but we got in too late and it was St. Patrick's Day, so we decided to have fun with it. I also wore my black cardigan that went with all my clothes, for the chill, and we both had rain jackets.

Morning - Day 2

Only bring two pairs of shoes

For this short trip, we both only had our special occasion shoes and the shoes we wore on the plane, but this is my usual rule for travel: bring a good pair of walking shoes and a dressy pair of walking shoes, like sandals or ballet flats for women and loafers or oxfords for men.

Day 3

Pack the bare bones

We were only gone for 2 1/2 days, and while we could have re-worn one of our shirts to travel back home, I still packed two shirts for each of us. Both shirts went with the pants and shoes we wore. When it comes to underwear, I make sure to pack a pair for each day and an extra pair, just in case. Normally, I don't take extras, because I have time to do laundry if I have to. The same goes for socks.

When it came to packing my toiletry bag, I do what I always do before each trip, I completely empty my bag and evaluate everything I have to take what I absolutely need. For this trip, I added a selection of bobby pins, some of which were decorative, and a second small eyeshadow palette with more classic colors for the wedding. 

 

Bag I purchased. It's still fairly small at 8"x8", but it held everything I needed.

(But) Don't forget the necessities

By this, I mean important things for the special occasion: essential undergarments, ties, a belt, jewelry. Anything you can wear on the plane is great, because that's one less thing you have to pack. I purchased a cute purse that I could use for the wedding, but also for walking around, and I packed it in my personal item and had the bare minimum in my Travelon compact sling* for on the plane. (*see my review here.)

I highly recommend a lint roller for fancy events. I have a Flint, which I love. It twists down to fit inside the roller, so the sticky part isn't exposed when you aren't using it. It has the best pick-up of any other roller I've ever used. You can buy refills for it, so it can last you for a long, long time.

Choose the right "personal item"

I have a lot of travel bags, but for this trip, I chose to bring along this expandable laptop bag that a friend bought me. You can use it for just your laptop and accessories, or you can expand it for a bigger backpack. This is where I stashed all our toiletries, charging cords, a wrap, snacks, and my laptop. Eric also carries a backpack with different snacks, his jacket, and usually a book he's in the middle of reading and headphones. We both have extra room in case we buy things at our destination.

Afternoon/Evening - Day 2

With a little bit of strategy, you can easily pack everyday wear with special occasion wear in just a carry-on and a personal item. This is the second time we've traveled for a wedding and had to bring along extra things, but we pack two people into one carry-on usually, unless we're going for longer trips, then we each have one. If we can do it, then you can do it. It just takes a little bit of practice. The more you do it, the easier it gets, and you learn what things are important and what things you can leave at home.

What's your biggest challenge for traveling for a special event/occasion?

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