4 Costly Travel Errors To Avoid This Memorial Day

It is the unofficial beginning to summer, a chance to get out of town for a long weekend. Memorial Day easily reigns as one of the most popular times of the year to travel. Whether you have planned or are still considering heading out for the holiday, you don’t want to fork over a small fortune to do so. As Memorial Day can be a busy and expensive time to travel, here are a few costly travel errors to avoid this holiday weekend.

Booking Cheap Hotels with Expensive Amenities: A hotel on paper might seem like a great deal. Only until you get there do you realize that that low rate is driven up and up due to all of the amenities you will have to pay for in the end. Sometimes the seemingly more expensive hotel when you do your initial search is actually the cheapest option. Now is a good time to go back over your reservations. Make sure that your hotel doesn’t end up costing you more when you add up the amenities. Especially as Memorial Day weekend is short, these costly amenities can really hit wallets hard for short stays. As many travelers drive for the holiday, charges like parking per night can quickly leave you broke after Memorial Day weekend. If you booked a refundable rate, you can always make a change now should you discover your amenities are too costly.

Neglecting The Condition of Your Car Rental When Picking It Up: As the Memorial Day vacation is just a three day weekend, travelers can often be in hurry when they dash to the airport or pick up their car rental. If you are renting a car, you don’t want to zip through the check-in process. When you are handed that piece of paper to go over the vehicle, spend five minutes marking your rental for any damage. You would hate to end your holiday weekend on a sour note when your car rental company accuses you of damages to a vehicle that you didn’t make.

Packing Too Much: While you might save packing for Memorial Day weekend until the last minute, this can often lead to over-packing. If you are flying, you could end up checking a bag which often translates into $50 round trip. For a short weekend, the cost is often not worth the price. Pack light and you can dodge that $50 charge. Even if you are driving, a heavier carload can lead to worse gas mileage and more stops at the pump. Packing light can save major cents and it makes sense for a short weekend. You don’t need your whole closet.

Not Racking Up Miles To Use on Future Summer Travel: Memorial Day can be the first and last trip people take of the summer. This problem can occur after spending far too much on Memorial Day travel. If you are going to go somewhere, you need to get the most out of your travels to use on future travels. Since you will be spending money on gas, hotels, flights and car rentals, Memorial Day travel presents a fine time to rack up miles to use on future summer travels. Most travel rewards credit cards lend double or triple miles on travel related purchases. You don’t have to make Memorial Day your one trip of the summer. If you are smart about the mileage credit cards you use, you just might buy yourself a flight later in the summer or a few free hotel stays in the process. Should you just use your debit card, you won’t have your Memorial Day travel costs working double for you.