We see this often.  Phoenix to Boston $199.99. Phoenix to Boston $249.99.  Which one to take?  Seems like a no brainer.  Right?  Wrong.  Some airlines charges baggage fees, some do not.  One airline waives baggage fees for active duty military personnel, while others don’t.  But wait.  One of these airlines included the landing fees and the other did not.  We think you get the point now.

Its truly important to know what your out the door costs are.  The final sale price.  Airlines are not the only culprit here in not giving you the actual costs.  Hotels carry some hefty fees not necessarily included in your nightly rate.  There are daily resort fees, parking fees, wi-fi fees, as well as some additional city tax fees in some cities. We found that sometimes a hotel may charge a resort fee per person. That can really add up for a family of 4, when the resort fee is 25 dollars a day.  You may not know the actual total price until you check in, and sometimes not until you check out and see the final bill.  Some rental car companies are very good at posting all the fees and others not so much.  We found one rental car company to be very accurate in thier prices compared to what they have quoted.  Where another company was several dollars off.  Knowing the total upfront costs for everything can really make a difference in the quality of the trip.

The nice thing to know is the government is requiring airlines to provide all the  fees up front.  Which is good, it will make it so much easier to get a constistent price when flying.  Make sure the next time you book a trip or flight to ask if the price includes all the fees and taxes.  Its to late when you check in to find out the fees are higher then expected.  You will also want to know the cut off time for a full refund and if the price of your vacation package goes down, will you be able to get credited for the difference. Safe Travels.