Costs for hotel stays and plane tickets are listed: You are most certainly fully aware of these expenses in the early phases of arranging your vacation. Budget-conscious tourists can also figure their daily costs for eating, sightseeing, and other leisure activities or per diem.

However, what if somebody gets ill? What if it suddenly starts to rain? What if a taxi or rental car is the only means to go from the hotel to a must-visit location? There are several unforeseen—and occasionally hidden—costs that can quickly push the overall cost of your trip to an uncomfortably high level.

Thankfully, you may reduce the worst of these unforeseen travel expenses with a bit of awareness and careful planning. And while it's always advisable to have extra cash on hand in case something unexpected happens when traveling, here are some simple guidelines for averting five of the most typical causes of unforeseen travel expenses.

1.   Cancellation of Trip

You hope and pray that this doesn't happen to you. Yet, it happens rather frequently: Your trip is abruptly canceled due to a sick family member, an unanticipated hurricane that hits a resort, or some other unforeseeable event. If this is a once-in-a-lifetime trip, you might have saved a significant amount of money in advance. How can your investment be safeguarded?

Research is the first step, just as when trying to avoid unforeseen expenses. Each entity has its cancellation policies: airlines, cruise companies, and hotels. Can you just phone and make a new appointment? If so, how much time in advance must you offer to avoid losing money? Will modifying a reservation result in additional fees? Before using a credit card to make purchases, you should know the answers to all of these questions.

2.           Transportation

Any vacation that takes you away from home will require you to take care of three basic needs: a place to sleep, a place to eat, and a way to get from one to the other. Any time almost every trip requires more than just three, failing to plan for even one of them will guarantee a miserable trip.

Especially with the popularity of destination resorts growing, where guests do not need to leave the premises to remain protected, well-fed, and entertained, transportation is sometimes neglected. Travelers looking to experience more than one resort's concept of the perfect holiday will discover fast that transport can make or break a memorable trip and can significantly affect the entire cost of that trip.

3.           Taking part in the Exchange

This one catches more than just vacationers. Even intelligent government officials might fall prey to tricks and frauds that affect the exchange rate or the value ratio between two nations' currencies. After authorities in Burma defrauded the international aid organization during an aid donation by manipulating the exchange rate, the United Nations admitted in 2008 that it had lost millions of dollars in aid to that nation.

National laws in many developed nations often govern the ability to exchange currencies, and exchange rates are typically determined at the country level. Although certain nations could permit moneychangers to charge different service fees, tourists can be confident that the exchange rate won't change between two banks on the same street.

4.           Absurd Weather

Imagine getting to your eagerly anticipated exotic location. What is inside your bag? Consider adding a light rain jacket and an umbrella to your list of essentials, along with your bathing suit and sunscreen. These might be necessary, budget-friendly additions to your luggage, depending on where you're traveling, for sun-filled pleasure.

Long precipitation durations—monsoons or lengthy rainy seasons in many equatorial locations—are responsible for the lush flora in many tropical places. Since you're taking a chance that the weather will be noticeable while you're there, booking your trip during these times of year may allow you to save on accommodation costs. If your crew fails to bring weather-appropriate apparel, you can lose most of those savings.

5.           Baggage fee

The practice of charging extra baggage fees by airlines dates back many years, and it makes sense. It costs more to fly a few overpacking tourists the same distance as a group of light-traveling business people because an airplane must carry the extra weight and size of a few extra bags.

However, there are still options for travelers on a tight budget. In fact, for many journeys, this cost is relatively simple to avoid. Carry-on bags, or those that can fit in the overhead bins or beneath the seats in the cabin, are typically free of charge. You can avoid this tax and the requirement to stop at baggage claim to pick up your belongings after you disembark if you can fit everything you need for your vacation into one or two carry-on bags. Before you pack, compare your bag's measurements to those on your airline's website, and you'll be well ahead of the game when paying for checked luggage at the airport.

How to Cut Costs on Unexpected Travel

While there are many things you can anticipate and plan for to reduce the cost of your next vacation, sometimes the unexpected happens, and you end up footing the price. Travel insurance may be a good investment if you want to take a holiday without worrying about unanticipated costs. You may protect yourself financially from unforeseen travel expenses like lost luggage, cancellations, and emergencies by investing in a high-quality travel insurance plan. By purchasing travel insurance, you can put the "what ifs" worry to rest and take advantage of your getaway as it was intended.