Britons warned of the ‘hidden costs’ of travel in Spain including tourist tax ‘Can add up’

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The experts said these “hidden costs” can “quickly add up and have a significant impact on the price of a holiday”.

Travel insurance

According to Norton Finance, 21 percent of Britons go on holiday without travel insurance.

They explained: “Hopefully you’ll arrive home after your holiday thinking, ‘I didn’t really need that’.

“But if something does go wrong while you’re away then things can get very expensive, very quickly.

“For this reason, always make sure to take the cost of travel insurance into consideration when budgeting for your holiday.”

Exchange and transaction fees

When travelling to Spain, Britons should consider how they will be paying for any purchases.

Experts at Norton Finance recommended: “If you’re planning on taking euros with you, consider what exchange rate you’ll be getting. Otherwise, you might find that once your UK budget has been swapped for euros, you’re left with less than you expected.

“Similarly, if you’re using your debit or credit card in Spain to withdraw money or pay for goods, you may have to fork out a transaction fee for doing so.”

Although this is generally just around three percent, experts claim “it can certainly add up”.

“One way to solve this is by looking into whether an overseas card or a prepaid currency card could work for you,” they advised.

Tourist taxes

Britons who visit the Balearic Islands – Mallorca, Menorca and Ibiza – or the Catalonia region will need to pay tourist taxes.

The finance experts explained: “These are charged per person for each night you’re there.

“While the per night cost varies depending on when you visit and how long you stay, this is another cost that can take you by surprise if you’ve not budgeted for it.”

Costa Blanca, which includes popular towns Alicante and Benidorm, has plans to add a new tourist tax in the coming weeks.

Car rental fees

From Norton Finance, they said: “If you’re going to be renting a car during your stay, chances are you’ve factored in the cost. However, if you’ve only budgeted for the base rental rate you may be hit by some hidden costs on arrival.”

If travellers rent a car at the airport, there will be an additional airport tax. While this fee is always charged, some companies don’t add it to the total until just before travellers pay.

“This means the original quoted price may not be what you end up paying,” the experts warned.

Renting a car is an additional charge holidaymakers often don’t factor in and before paying this “it’s worth doing some additional research to decide if you need more cover than the basic policy offers,” they said.

Roaming charges

Before Brexit, Britons didn’t have to pay mobile data roaming charges when travelling across Europe. However, the charges now apply to most UK network providers.

Charges vary depending on the supplier and phone plan, but “you can expect to pay £2 per day for data roaming in Spain,” the experts at Norton Finance warned.

They recommended Britons check with the provider before leaving to see if they offer any packages and use mobile data sparingly if they need to keep the cost down.

They concluded: “It’s important to make sure you consider all of the costs of going abroad and avoid simply getting caught up in the excitement of the Spanish sun. While most of these costs aren’t particularly sizeable on their own, they can quickly add up and make what should be a relaxing break a little more stressful.”

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