Remember when American Airlines introduced the fee for luggage in 2008? They began charging $15 for the first bag you checked in.  Well, since then more and more airlines, and even hotels, have gotten into the practice of charging extra for things they used to offer for free.

Whatever you call them: luxury fees, sneaky fees, hidden fees, add-on fees, surcharge fees, extra fees... they are awful.  They make your bill bigger than you planned.

Fees are awful AND crazy, indeed!  Like the fee for the maintenance of a hotel pool or business center that you don't use, or an extra few bucks on the bill if you drink that bottled water sitting on your hotel room's bedside table. If you are anything like me, I get thirsty and that water looks so delicious (I am sure the marketing department got big kudos for that placement of the water bottle).

According to Consumer Reports, the airlines alone made about $10.3 billion from these fees in 2008. In other words, the fees are big money makers, and they're not going anywhere! 
 
The good thing is if you are savvy, you will know there are ways around these fees, especially those charged by tour operators, hotels and car rental agencies.  Main point, you need to plan carefully and ask a lot of questions. 
 
— Shop around, and then shop around again after you get the final price.  Make sure it includes ALL taxes and fees.  
 
— Know exactly what's included if you buy a package—Separately contact each of the companies cooperating in the package to make sure there will be no last-minute surprise surcharges. 
 
— Get others' opinions on a travel provider by checking reader reviews at online travel sites and the Better Business Bureau's business database. 
 
— Pay with a credit card. If something does go wrong, you can always dispute any charges for services you didn't get.

Use these tips to be travel savvy and to fully enjoy all those cheap travel deals out there!