10 HIDDEN COSTS OF TRAVEL
Part of planning a trip is working out a ballpark budget. There’s always going to be slight variations once you’re actually out and about exploring, such is the nature of travel. Here though are some hidden costs of travel to consider, things that often go forgotten or overlooked, but can add up to a serious hit to your bank balance when all is said and done. Never fear, if you plan ahead and see them coming, it’s easy enough to keep your travel budget nice and low.
Travel Insurance
Surprises happen. Get travel insurance.
Let’s get this one out of the way. It’s not fun, and not technically hidden, but it is oft-forgotten until the last moment and there’s no real way around it. Get travel insurance, if not for you then for the peace of mind of your loved ones. There are tons of companies out there that offer different rates and coverage, even some of your credit cards might offer some version of travel insurance. Take the time to look into it, find the plan that’s right for you, and include it in your budget.
Now with that done and dusted, we can move on to the hidden costs of travel you might encounter on your adventure.
Drinking
Wine tours are a great way to get to know the local flavour.
I don’t mean enjoying a nice wine tour in Argentina, or sampling the local beers in Brussels (both activities I highly recommend). I mean the partying style of drinking. Now, if that’s what you want from your trip then go for it! There are tons of cool pub crawls and rad places to party out there, and beer is crazy cheap in lots of the places you’ll visit. Just remember that there are hidden costs when that’s the travel you are looking for.
Those prices add up in some expected and unexpected ways. Sure, one beer might be cheap, but they add up pretty quickly, especially because if you’re anything like me the more you drink, the more you want to share the joy, and you end up buying expensive shots for everyone. Right there your tab for the night just tripled in size. And if you go out a few times a week it can become a pretty high price tag.
It’s not only the drinking itself that increases your costs. Remember your old friend The Hangover? That fun travel buddy will urge you to buy snacks and comfort food to soak up last night’s booze. That kind of comfort food is often more expensive in places where beer is cheap. Cha-ching for the tourist restaurants that serve banana pancakes, but get ready to empty your wallet if this sounds like you.
The Remedy
The obvious one is to limit how often you party hard. If, however, you plan on being the party animal you’ve always dreamed of being, my biggest suggestion would be to limit the amount of money you have on you when you go out. Don’t bring a credit card that allows you to spend without realizing it. Decide on your booze budget, bring cash, and stick to that. And whatever tricks you have for reducing your hangover, do them. Water will be your best friend.
Eating
Restaurants can be a great treat and a delicious surprise.
The cousin of your expensive hangover brunch is all the other restaurants that cater to tourists. If a restaurant is serving lasagna in Thailand, you can be pretty sure it’s not local and the prices will reflect that.
In that same line of thought, eating at restaurants and cafes for all your meals is going to add up to be one of the not-insignificant costs of travel. That’s not to say you should never set foot in a restaurant. Tasting local delicacies is a great part of travelling. To all you foodies out there, I see you.
The Remedy
Eat local. I personally roll the dice with street food all the time, and very rarely have I gotten sick. Besides, even if I do, we all have our own badge of honour food-related horror stories. Street food is delicious, local, and super cheap. If you’re not keen on taking that step yet, restaurants that cater to the residents, not the tourists, are a great and less risky choice. The food is delicious, authentic, and pretty reasonably priced. Ask a local for restaurant recommendations, or wander out of the tourist neighbourhood and go into the busiest place you find.
Cooking for yourself is the best way to save money. Make sure you have a hostel with a kitchen that you can use, head to the market, and create a culinary masterpiece. Or something semi-edible, depending on your skill level. The best thing about this, other than saving money, is that the hostel kitchen is a great place to meet other travellers, share stories and meals, and enjoy all the beautiful and scrumptious ingredients the market has to offer. Frankly just going to the market itself is usually a sensory adventure.
Replacing Gear
Markets are great places to find new gear or get old gear fixed. They have everything you can imagine and more.
If you’re traveling for a while, there’s no getting around this. Things break, get lost, or are worn beyond repair. Such is the nature of life. The good news is that depending on what the item is, sometimes it can be found for a fraction of what you would pay back home. Other times though, you won’t be so lucky.
The Remedy
The biggest thing is to try and fix things as many times as possible before giving in and replacing them. Bring a little sewing kit and duct tape with you. Fix holes in clothes before they become unmanageable, bring things to local mechanics or shops to see if they can fix them, see if you can McGuyver a fix that will hold until you go home.
Talk to your fellow travelers. Maybe someone in your hostel has an extra of the thing you just broke, or they know how to fix it. The traveling community loves to help each other out, make use of that and then pay it forward at a later date.
If it’s something small that you think likely to break, consider bringing extra so when the inevitable breaking happens, you’re already set. I go through headphones like you wouldn’t believe, and I know that, so I always travel with at least two pairs, that way I don’t have to spend my time and money trying to replace the broken ones.
Toiletries
No matter the adventure, you’ll need toiletries.
Depending on how long you travel, this one won’t be too bad. Some version of most toiletries will be easy enough to come by on the cheap. Things like sunscreen or specialized moisturizers might become hidden costs of travel. Especially in places where the locals aren’t don’t often use that product.
The Remedy
You’re not going to carry two bottles of shampoo and an extra toothpaste in your backpack. That’s unnecessary and a bit overkill. You might, however, want to consider carrying extra sunscreen, especially to places like Asia and Africa where you’ll definitely need it but the locals don’t use it much. That means you’ll be paying top dollar for a tube if you buy it there.
Coconut oil is magical. It’s fairly cheap to get and can be used for cooking, moisturizing, and it’ll keep your hair soft after a shower. Just make sure you store your container of coconut oil in a couple of bags, try to prevent a disastrous spill in your backpack.
Laundry
Sometimes laundry day gets creative.
If you’re on the road for a while, at some point the smell of your clothes will overwhelm you and you’ll have to give in and wash them. Each time you do laundry it’s not exorbitantly expensive, but it does add up, especially if you’re traveling longer-term. When you’re asking about laundry, be sure to find out about the extras they might charge for, like hanging to dry vs. a machine, or if detergent is provided.
The Remedy
Hand washing sucks, but it can save you a chunk of change in the long run. Even if you hand wash only socks and underwear on a regular basis, that’s going to reduce the number of times you’ll have to send laundry out. Shirts and pants can usually be worn a few times before they need a wash. Good news is that everyone around you is in the same hygienic boat, so you can all have a slight funk together.
Souvenirs
Not all souvenirs should be brought home
Now, you might be thinking these aren’t hidden costs of travel. Everyone knows they’re going to be doing some souvenir shopping. But what everyone forgets is that those souvenirs have weight and take up space, and airlines are getting more and more strict about paying excess baggage fees, which as we all know can be astronomical.
The Remedy
I’m not going to tell you not to buy souvenirs. Where’s the fun in that? Perhaps though while perusing gift ideas, think of how you’ll get them home. Is it a bigger item? Maybe see if the shop will ship it for you. Or consider smaller, easier to pack gifts. Alpaca socks from Peru are a smaller and lighter version of the alpaca sweater you had your eye on for your sister.
Postcards are also an amazing souvenir alternative. Find a cool postcard, write a message, and send it to your friends and family. It’s cheap, takes no space, and is epically cool to receive. Besides, we all have too much stuff already.
New Plans
Expect the unexpected. Joining up with other travelers will have you doing activities you didn’t think to do.
Part of the joy of traveling is discovering things you didn’t even know existed, and meeting all sorts of new people. With those new people and places come unexpected costs. Maybe you didn’t know much about La Paz, but when some new friends talked about doing a day trip and biking down Death Road, you couldn’t pass up that opportunity. All of a sudden you’ve shelled out money you hadn’t been expecting. Worth it in the end, but it’s going to affect your budget.
The Remedy
Do it anyway. Know beforehand that these things come up, and include the unexpected with some buffering in your initial budget. Scrimp elsewhere. Some of your greatest memories will come from those unplanned and unexpected moments. Don’t miss out.
Hostels
Some hostels are better than others. Few are like this gem.
You’re probably going to stay in hostels, and probably in the dorms. You’ve accounted for your accommodation in your initial budget. What you might have forgotten was that some hostels have hidden charges that will increase the costs of travel. Things like paying extra for bedding and the internet. Plus the more popular the time of year or even day of the week, the higher the rates will be overall.
The Remedy
Look online or ask about extra charges before you book. Even if sometimes you can’t avoid these extras, at least you’ll know about them so you can adjust your budget and not be surprised when you check out.
Bring a sleeping bag liner. That way you have your own bedding if they’re charging extra, and the silk liners are great for keeping bedbugs off of you. Plus if you find yourself in a less than ideal level of cleanliness and your sheets are super questionable, you can just not use them.
Tourist Prices
The less there is around, the more you should come to terms with tourist prices.
This one is a bit tricky. You won’t necessarily encounter this everywhere, and it won’t always be noticeable, but you will likely run into this at some point. This is the idea that there’s a rate charged for locals, and a higher one charged for tourists. It’s hard to get around it or away from it, and it can increase the costs of travel pretty quickly if you hadn’t planned for it.
The Remedy
Change your state of mind. You’re going to be paying those extra dollars, but instead of being angry about it, see it from the perspective of the people you’re visiting. You are privileged to be able to afford to travel. Even if you’re traveling on a budget, many of the people you meet will likely have never left their own country. That extra bit of money you’re paying at the market or on a tour, in the long run, doesn’t make a huge amount of difference to you but might be money the person charging it relies on. Know it’ll happen, budget for it, and trust that there’s a reason for the inflation.
So there you have it, 10 hidden costs of travel, and some ways to avoid them. Adjust your budgets accordingly and hit the road. And remember, travel is about the experience, and that experience is worth more than money, so don’t stress too much. Learn to enjoy the unexpected and be amazed at what the world has to offer.
