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Editor’s note: This is a transcript of the audio file.
It starts as a great online deal — a $699 package including airfare and a three-night hotel stay. But by the time your vacation is over, you’ve shelled out 17 hundred dollars. I’m Rose Raymond with your Bankrate.com Personal Finance Minute.
Since the economic downturn, tourism outlets have been enticing consumers with bargain travel prices and then charging them for upgrades.
The typical trip is laced with hidden costs outside of your plane ticket and hotel room — from baggage expenses to toothpaste fees.
Savvy travelers can still stay within their vacation budget if they know what to expect.
First, gone are the days when checked bags, hot meals and in-flight movies were the freebies of flying.
All of them, along with standard features such as overhead bins and exit-row seating, have become fair game for airline fees.
Some airlines even charge a “real person fee,” meaning you pay more for booking through a real person.
Meanwhile at hotels, many travelers are lured with attractive upfront room rates and then hit with extra charges at the checkout desk. That continental breakfast and wireless Internet might not be free anymore.
For more tips on frugal travel, go to Bankrate.com. I’m Rose Raymond.
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