Don’t Get “Noob Taxed”: The Travel Add-Ons That Drain Your Budget

Summary

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Podcast Summary:

Smart Travel: Upgrade Your Getaways
Episode: Don’t Get “Noob Taxed”: The Travel Add-Ons That Drain Your Budget
Hosts: Sally French & Meghan Coyle (NerdWallet Travel Experts)
Date: March 4, 2026

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Overview

In this lively and insightful episode, hosts Sally French and Meghan Coyle break down the most common “noob traps” in travel—those sneaky add-ons, fees, and extra services that can stealthily drain your budget without genuinely adding value to your trip. The travel Nerds share real-life stories, compare personal strategies, and provide actionable advice to help listeners avoid overspending on unnecessary extras, from cruise ship “private beaches” to dynamic currency conversion scams. The tone is conversational, relatable, and peppered with both expert takes and laugh-out-loud moments.

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News & Trends (01:13–11:18)

Chase’s New Transfer Partner: Wyndham (02:10–04:19)

• Chase Ultimate Rewards now transfer 1:1 to Wyndham Rewards.
  • Noted value is lower (0.7 cents/point) than other partners.
  • Sally: “In many cases you would be better off redeeming your Chase points just for cash back at $0.01 per point and then using your cash to pay for a Wyndham hotel.” (03:03)
  • Wyndham can be worthwhile for "top off" transfers when you’re just short for a booking.

Skyscanner Launches in ChatGPT (04:19–05:00)

• Now travelers can ask ChatGPT to find flights via Skyscanner, getting real-time pricing in chat for the same results as Skyscanner’s website.
  • Sally: “I feel like this is a win here. Usually if you ask ChatGPT to find the cheapest flights for a certain day, chat GPD will just tell you that it can't pull up current fares.” (04:44)

Spring Break Airfare & Destination Trends (05:00–06:25)

• Domestic airfare: Down 4%
• International airfare: Down 11%
• Europe is the hotspot—fare drops up to 26% for cities like Dubrovnik, Naples, Florence.
• US trend: Hilo, Hawaii searches up 60%; Grand Junction, Aspen, Bozeman trending for domestic with airfare drops up to 29%

New Airport Lounges (06:33–11:18)

• Korean Air’s new lounge at LAX:
  • “I think this is the best food in LAX, period... It was incredible.” – Meghan (07:47)
  • Features: Live chef station, Korean specialities, showers, indoor balcony.
• Amex’s Sidecar Centurion Lounge in LAS:
  • Smaller, quick-eat, table-service concept; capped capacity makes for a fast experience.
  • Sally: “When they're like, ‘it makes it faster.’... The buffet is faster!” (10:02)
• Both agree: more options for lounge access, but caution on “waiter service” vs. buffet speeds.

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The Main Topic: Travel Noob Traps (14:22–38:38)

What’s a Noob Trap?

• Definition: Overpriced add-ons designed to look necessary or "premium," but often unnecessary or avoidable.
  • Meghan: “Some of these companies are a little deceptive... make you think, ‘Oh, this is a requirement...’ when it’s absolutely not.” (14:22)
  • Traps often exploit travelers' fear of missing out, or their assumption that a higher price means a better experience.

Why Are Noob Traps Everywhere Now?

• The “unbundling” trend: Companies advertise low base fares, then stack profit through upcharges.
  • Sally: “It’s this race to the bottom... then there are just all these upcharges stacked in there.” (15:02)
  • For frugal travelers, unbundling can be good—just avoid “automatic” upcharges that don’t add true value.

Criteria for “Noob Traps”

• Not obligatory fees (e.g., resort fees).
• “Noob trap” = Optional add-on that’s presented as essential, but really isn’t.

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Sally & Meghan’s Top Travel Noob Traps

(Alternating picks, each with personal anecdotes and context)

Sally’s Picks

1. Cruise Add-ons: Hideaway Beach (16:00–17:49)

   • Private cruise “beach” upcharge (~$40–$100 pp).
   • “I had free admission... and I said, I am out of here. It is too loud, too crowded, and the food is not as good.” – Sally (17:34)

2. Specialty Dining on Cruises (20:35–22:31)

   • Dining rooms included, but many pay extra for specialty restaurants.
   • “You’ve already paid for cruise food... then you are also paying separate for the specialty dining... I say skip it.” – Sally (22:11)

3. Cheesy Attraction Photo-Ops (25:00–26:09)

   • $40+ for end-of-ride or dinner photos.
   • “Most iPhones are better than the camera that this person taking your photo has.” – Sally (25:15)

4. Room Service (28:01–29:52)

   • “You have DoorDash, UberEats... room service is so expensive. Like, $20 for a bowl of Cheerios!” – Sally (29:03)

5. Early Hotel Check-In Fees (31:16–32:30)

   • Often not necessary; hotels will usually accommodate if a room is ready.
   • “If you’re more flexible, don’t pay for early check in. Just ask.” – Sally (32:25)

6. Dynamic Currency Conversion Fees (34:12–35:56)

   • Pay in local currency, not USD conversion, to avoid poor exchange rates.
   • “Never pay what the US dollar amount is. Just pay in the currency of the country you’re in.” (35:34)

Meghan’s Picks

1. Opting Into Bad Travel Insurance (22:39–24:24)

   • Airline/rental car pop-up insurance is often misleading and unnecessary.
   • “You might already have travel insurance through the credit card that you paid for.” – Meghan (24:06)

2. Timeshare Presentations (26:09–27:51)

   • “You could lose thousands of dollars on a timeshare you don’t use... just because you went for free tickets.” – Meghan (27:02)

3. Cell Phone Roaming Charges (29:55–31:12)

   • International day passes add up ($10/day).
   • “You can save so much by just getting a local SIM card or an eSIM.” – Meghan (30:09)

4. Tipping Luggage Porters Unnecessarily (33:04–34:12)

   • “You don't have to give them your bag... especially if you travel like us. We’re carry-on only.” – Meghan (33:13)

5. Booking Hotel Activities at Inflated Rates (36:43–37:04)

   • Examples: On-site surf lessons, cultural experiences, etc.
   • “If you have the flexibility to do that research, then do it—often outside vendors are much cheaper.” – Meghan (36:43)

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Memorable Quotes & Moments

• Sally on premium cruise add-ons:
  “I was just like, no way. And I have to say, I had free admission to Hideaway Beach and I said, I am out of here.” (17:33)

• On travel insurance pop-ups:
  Meghan: “It’s not really what you’re agreeing to when you agree to protect your flight at checkout... you don’t necessarily know the entire policy.” (22:41)

• Sally on paying for specialty dining:
  “This is the same price you’d pay for a restaurant on land, but you have already paid for the main dining.” (22:11)

• Meghan’s luggage tip:
  “You don't need to give it to them... sometimes when you're traveling in foreign countries... they're literally there to help you carry your bag to check-in. You just don't need that.” (33:54)

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Key Takeaways (37:14–38:38)

• You are only a “noob” if you unknowingly pay for these extras.
  If you make thoughtful choices—or the convenience is truly worth it for you—it’s not a mistake.
• Paying extra doesn’t always improve your trip.
  Research and flexibility often lead to a better, cheaper outcome.
• Travel’s best moments are often the simplest or free ones.
  Sally’s analogy: “It’s like the cat toy vs. the plastic bag... The expensive restaurant and all this, then it’s just like, the cheap one was better anyway.” (38:01)

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Hot Takeoff Segment: Tourist Attractions vs. Tourist Traps (38:42–40:43)

• Memorable quote:
  Meghan: “Some people confuse tourist attractions with tourist traps... Just because it’s popular and everyone takes a photo by it doesn’t mean it’s not worth seeing.” (39:02)
• Sally defends San Francisco’s Pier 39 as a must-see for the iconic sea lions. (40:14)

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Important Timestamps

• Chase-Wyndham transfer news: 02:10–04:19
• Skyscanner’s ChatGPT plugin: 04:19–05:00
• Spring Break airfare trends: 05:00–06:25
• Lounge reviews: 06:33–11:18
• “Noob trap” intro: 14:22–15:53
• Sally’s Hideaway Beach story: 16:00–17:49
• Seat selection “upgrade” trap: 18:20–20:21
• Top Noob Trap picks (rapid-fire, alternating): 20:35–37:04
• Final thoughts on being smart with travel extras: 37:14–38:38
• Tourist traps vs. attractions: 38:42–40:43

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Final Advice

• “Do your research and find out if there is an equivalent that’s cheaper or maybe free. A lot of these things are free and you don’t need to pay for them.” – Meghan (38:01)
• “Paying more for something doesn’t necessarily make it better.” – Sally (38:07)

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For more tips, tools, and strategies—or if you want to laugh with (or at) the mistakes the pros have made—follow Smart Travel on your favorite podcast app.

Transcript

[A]

This episode is sponsored by Rakuten.

[B]

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[A]

We love a good stack and that is where Rakuten comes in. You probably already know Rakuten for cash back on things like fashion, beauty, electronics, even groceries.

[B]

But here's the part we love. You can earn cash back on all sorts of travel purchases too.

[A]

We are talking flights, hotels, car rentals book through your favorite travel sites like Expedia, booking.com, vrbo, hotels.com, iHG Viador. I could go on forever.

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You can even earn on cruises, vacation packages and experiences. So yes, that artisan cheese tour inside a cave in Spain, that counts.

[A]

Wait, tell me about this artisan cheese tour. I need to go on it. But don't worry Megan. You can earn Rakuten cash back on top of your credit card points and many loyalty programs because we know you're maximizing every dollar.

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So go ahead, plan the trip.

[A]

Join for [e-mail] or download the app that is R A K U T

[B]

E N Rakuten A Smarter Way to Travel and Earn have you ever skipped breakfast only to spend $32 on a sad lunch at the airport because you were starving?

[A]

Or booked that hotel deal that had the one room left at this price flag and you were stressed you might be stuck sleeping in the airport if you didn't book it?

[B]

Or taking the rental car company up on their offer to refill the gas tank for you without realizing how much it actually costs?

[A]

Congratulations. You have fallen into a travel noob trap.

[B]

Welcome to Smart Travel, a deep dive into the tips, tools and tactics to maximize your travel dollars. I'm Meagan Coyle.

[A]

And I'm Sally French.

[B]

And we're the travel nerds ready to help you plan your next big trip. Today we're talking about the mistakes that almost every new traveler makes. And honestly, even seasoned travelers when they're tired, emotional or booking that flight to the wedding they didn't want to go to.

[A]

But first, our disclaimer. And that is that we'll talk about a few credit card companies on this episode that are nerdwell at partners that does not influence how we discuss them. The benefits, terms and fees mentioned were accurate at the time of posting. Of course, things can change. Some offers may have expired by the time you're listening, so for the latest details, follow the links in the episode. Description.

[B]

Starting Strong Last week, Chase added its first new transfer partner in five years. Drumroll please.

[A]

Wyndham.

[B]

Ding ding ding. Chase Ultimate Rewards points now transfer to Wyndham rewards at a one to one ratio. That makes Wyndham the first 14th Chase transfer partner and the first one since Air Canada aeroplan back in 2021.

[A]

So it has been a while.

[B]

Here's the thing. NerdWallet values Wyndham points at about 0.7 cents per point. That's significantly lower than other Chase partners like United and Southwest and Hyatt, though the value of Hyatt points might go down after the new award chart takes effect in April. So if you didn't hear about that, listen to last week's episode. We talked about it on the news segment. And if you transfer Chase points to Wyndham, you know you can transfer them one to one. You're often getting less value than you could elsewhere.

[A]

I am willing to say that in many cases you would be better off redeeming your Chase points just for cash back at $0.01 per point and then using your cash to pay for a Wyndham hotel. At least then you would earn points on that stay.

[B]

Or maybe see if you can book Wyndham Properties with Points boost in the Chase Travel portal. You know, I still don't hate this as a transfer option.

[A]

Yeah, the optimist in me says more options is always good. I'm just saying that this is not the best of the new options we could possibly have.

[B]

We also have some data from Gondola, which is a hotel search and booking platform that lets you compare the cost of cash and awards days. They said about 15% of Wyndham redemptions last year delivered more than 1 cent per point in value.

[A]

Okay, there you go. Maybe worth it if your hotel of choice is in fact one of those lucky 15 percenters.

[B]

And I do want to call out that Wyndham does have an award chart, so it's a little easier to predict how many points you'll need for an awards day.

[A]

It could make sense to if you are short a few thousand points for a specific booking, say you need 5,000 more points to hit that 15,000 point award. In which case I do think transferring points is a practical move here.

[B]

A top off is in some cases enough of a reason to transfer points.

[A]

Fair enough. Our colleague Craig Joseph did cover the wind up news in more detail for NerdWallet. I will post a link to his story in the episode description.

[B]

Next up, Skyscanner has officially launched its app inside ChatGPT, which means you can now search for flights in ChatGPT instead

[A]

of plugging in dates and airports into some sort of form, you can literally just type in skyscanner. Find me the cheapest flight to New York in December. And then you get live results right in the chat.

[B]

It's pulling prices from the same skyscanner pricing engine that travelers would use if they were actually on the skyscanner website. So it's actually showing real time prices.

[A]

Very intriguing. I feel like this is a win here. Usually if you ask ChatGPT to find the cheapest flights for a certain day, chat GPD will just tell you that it can't pull up current fares.

[B]

I'm starting to feel like we're living in a sci fi movie. This feels like the future of travel where AI will find all these flights for us.

[A]

Okay, Megan, speaking of best flights, Kayak released some interesting data on spring break domestic airfare. Are you ready for this? Good news. It is down 4% year over year. And are you ready for this? International airfare is down 11%.

[B]

Oh, nice. Okay. You know, I always think of spring break as like Florida or maybe Mexico. But Kayak says the international deals this year are much farther away, though.

[A]

Yes. We've been talking so much about Europe on this show. So Good news, all 10 of the top international flight deals are in Europe. Some of the cities Dubrovnik just went there, Naples, Palermo and Florence are seeing airfare drops of up to 26% compared to last year. Europe is in fact the most searched international region for spring break.

[B]

Huh. And then the number one trending destination overall is Hilo, Hawaii. In the US we did searches are up 60% and airfare is down 26% year over year.

[A]

Everyone wants to see that volcano.

[B]

And then on the domestic side, outdoor lovers will also like visiting places like Aspen, Grand Junction in Colorado, Bozeman, Montana. Those places are all seeing airfare drops of up to 29%. So I think mountains along with volcanoes are trending.

[A]

Hotel and rental car interest is also up. Rates are slightly down domestically, which could make that national parks or ski trip a little cheaper.

[B]

The takeaway is if you're flexible this year, going international might be a fun and more affordable option than last year.

[A]

You know what you need before a long haul flight?

[B]

Megan, what do you need?

[A]

You know what I'm going to say? Lounge access. You got to fill up before you sit on a plane for 10 hours.

[B]

Exactly. So I went to two new lounge openings in the last week. So there are more options coming. The first one was Korean Air's new lounge at Lex. This one you can only access if you're flying first class or prestige class on Korean Air, or you have elite status with Korean Air or the airline alliance SkyTeam. And importantly, Delta Airlines is in SkyTeam. So Delta Gold, platinum and diamond elite status members can enter this lounge when they're taking an international flight with a SkyTeam airline on the same day. So you don't necessarily have to fly Korean Air.

[A]

I got to know what is this lounge like? Because I'm already going to say if it's Korean Air, it has to be just super clean. Maybe there's a free facial involved. Please tell me.

[B]

Oh, no, I wish, I wish. But it was absolutely gorgeous.

[A]

No facials.

[B]

No facial. But I did feel like I was in Asia already. It was so beautifully designed. There's all these stone and tiles and warm woods, you know, it was just incredibly upscale and also very homey. They said they tried to make it look like a living room.

[A]

Okay, Megan, you know what? I want to hear about the food. The food.

[B]

Oh, my gosh, Sally. I think this is the best food in lax, period. Like at a restaurant, in or out of a lounge. The food was incredible. They worked with some very well known Korean chefs, including one who competed on Culinary Class wars for anyone who watched that show on Netflix. It is so good. And the expanded lounge that they've just renovated has an on site kitchen now. Before it only had like catering, so food was made somewhere else. Like most people are just eating a cup of noodles in that lounge now. It has tons of hot food, like Korean specialties like bibimbap, mandu, japchae, so many things. And there's like a live chef station where you can watch the chefs actually make your food, like pour you noodles, that kind of thing. It was incredible. I love the food. And then they also have a lot of amenities that first class and business class travelers love, especially if you're flying long haul things like a shower room, phone booth, and then also a balcony. But it's kind of funny, Sally. The balcony is not outside, so you're not getting any fresh air. It just is an indoor balcony to

[A]

look over the plebs in the terminal.

[B]

It literally overlooks all the people in the terminal, so it's kind of loud too. But I thought it was nice. They tried to do the most with the area they had and it was indoors, so you can get it all year.

[A]

You had me at Japche upgraded from the company noodles, so I gotta get my Delta Elite status so I can get it.

[B]

There you go.

[A]

And then you were also in Vegas recently to see their new MX Centurion Lounge, or I guess, mini. Mini lounge. Tell me about this.

[B]

Yeah, it's called Sidecar by the Centurion Lounge, and it actually opened today. And it's kind of a smaller lounge, and it's designed for travelers who are kind of just coming to eat and then they're going. So a lot of people who are only maybe spending an hour or less at this Sidecar Lounge, do they give

[A]

you an hour max?

[B]

I don't think so. But they do offer table service, and it's really designed to get you in there quickly. So you, even though you do sit at a bar or a table, you order via a QR code, and then your food and your drinks are brought to you, and it happens fast. So you will be able to get. Make your flight after.

[A]

It's so interesting. Between this. The Capital One landings, I'm seeing this trend of more waiter service lounges. And I want to say, when they're like, it makes it faster. I'm no, the buffet is faster. I'll just go and get what I want, not order and wait for someone to bring it to me. It's not faster. That's fake.

[B]

I've actually had some really quick meals at the Capital One landing at Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C. so I thought it was great because there's just less people in those lounges because they're controlling the capacity in such a way that you're sitting at these tables, you order your food. I think I spent less than 30 minutes there. Honestly, it was great.

[A]

So American Express now with this news, has two lounges in Las Vegas. Where is this one in proximity to the other one?

[B]

This one is near Gate D in Concourse D, and it's really, really close to the other lounge.

[A]

So if you go to the other lounge and see a giant line, maybe skip over to the smaller one.

[B]

Yeah. Or vice versa. And the food is really good at this lounge. The Sidecar Lounge has tons of different dishes from different chefs in their culinary collective. So think crushed cucumber salad, avocado toast, specialty sandwiches like the chicky chicky parm parm sliders. Sally, I know you love the protein, so you'd be getting that pronto.

[A]

Alrighty, then. I will grab my snack. We are about to dive into travel noob traps. That is right after this.

[B]

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[A]

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[A]

Now how are you getting around?

[B]

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Get started with Claude today at Claude AI SmartTravel. That's Claude AI SmartTravel. And check out Claude Pro. That includes access to all of the features mentioned in today's episode. Claude AI Smart Travel. Today we are talking about noob traps. These things that often you pay for. They are typically super overpriced and when you go through them you say, oh, that was not worth it. Yeah.

[B]

And you know, some of these companies are a little deceptive in the way they present them. So they make you think, oh, this is a requirement, this is something you need or else you can't book this experience. And that's absolutely not true in some

[A]

of these cases and also not necessarily a requirement. But a lot of companies also do this thing where they think if they make you think if you don't pay for this thing, you are somehow going to have a lesser experience. This idea that paying more for something is better just because it was more expensive. And we are here to tell you that is really often not the case.

[B]

Absolutely. So, Sally, we're seeing a lot more of this, like a lot of these extra add ons and I think it can really overwhelm consumers. Why do you think we're seeing so much of this now?

[A]

One of the reasons we see this is this trend called unbundling where we will see a low sticker price because it's this race to the bottom. Cruises want to have the lowest cruise fare. Airlines want to have the lowest airfare. So they advertise this really low rate and then there are just all these upcharges stacked in there that when all is said and done, you end up paying the same price that you used to or sometimes even more. Right.

[B]

I mean, these companies need to make money and they are just adding on anything they can to try and increase their profit margin.

[A]

Yeah. And I do want to say caveat. I don't think unbundling is a bad thing because for really frugal travelers, for people who don't want to have all of those frills, it can be great to have a really che cheap cruise or really cheap airfare. That's not a bad thing. What you need us to tell you about in this noob trap episode is that you don't need to fall for these upcharges to have a better time.

[B]

Absolutely. That's what we're going to talk about today. But Sally, when did you come up with this idea of noob travel traps?

[A]

So I pitched you this idea when I was on Royal Caribbean's private island. Perfect day. So I was there as part of their media saline for the Star of the Seas cruise ship. And I will say caveat. This is one of these funky industry sailings where nothing is paid. No one on board has paid for this cruise. They bring in journalists like me to check it out. And it was lovely. Thank you, Royal Caribbean. But they brought us to their private island and they so generously gave me free admission to this thing called Hideaway beach. So on the Royal Caribbean private island, you can hang out at the regular beach and everyone who is on the cruise can hang out there for free. I mean, you paid for your cruise fare, but. But free to hang out there. But then they have this separate hideaway beach upcharge, so you can pay to go to a different beach. Now, prices for hideaway beach vary by season and sailing, but they are about 40 to $100 per person to go to this beach. Now, what is different about this beach? I'm glad you asked. They have different food. And I'm going to be honest, I actually thought their food was worse than the general food that everyone gets. They had a dj, Mumpins and Beats, and it was also adult only, which I guess if you want to pay to escape from the kids, then maybe worth it. But then I just got to ask, why did you go on a real Caribbean sailing?

[B]

Yeah, it's hard to stay away from the kids on those.

[A]

But I think a lot of people, maybe they don't know, they didn't do their research and they think, oh, there is no free beach. So I have to pay for hideaway beach if I want to go to a beach or again, I think a lot of just people assume the hideaway beach is somehow better, somehow more beautiful or something because it costs so much more money. And I was just like, no way. And I have to say, I had free admission to hideaway beach and I said, I am out of here. It is too loud, it is too crowded, and the food is not as good. And I don't care whether or not it's adults only. So I went to the public beach and I honestly had a better time.

[B]

Yeah, this is a great example of a noob trap because literally the free beach is right next to it. These private islands aren't huge, so you can go to the beach without paying for anything.

[A]

Yes. So I do think we should talk about some things that a noob trap is not. One of the things that a noob trap is not is an obligatory fee. Now, there are so many Annoying fees in travel, but many of them, you are not a noob for paying for them because you have to. Something on my mind is a resort fee. We can do a completely separate show on, like, annoying fees that need to go. But that would not be considered a noob trap, right?

[B]

I think one that would be considered a noob trap is something like airline seat selection. Because you're going through the booking process, you're booking your flight, you agree to a fare, and then you get to the seat map and you're like, oh, gosh, every single seat costs more money. It's either like $10 for this middle seat or $45 for extra leg room or something like that. And some people think that if they don't choose a seat right then and there, that they literally might not be able to fly. I don't know what they think happened to their fare.

[A]

I've heard many people who are like, I paid $300 for my airfare and I don't even have a seat. And I'm like, oh, no, no, no, you do.

[B]

Yeah. So actually, there is an option to skip the seat selection. And then if you do that, you don't have to pay any extra. And then when you check in, you'll be assigned a seat. And let's be honest, it's usually a middle seat because that's the ones that aren't claimed right.

[A]

Now, I do think, actually, that's an interesting example, that seat selection one. Because I think people might argue maybe that's not a noob trap. So it is a noob trap in the sense that you don't have to

[B]

pay for it and it looks required.

[A]

It looks required. I agree. One thing is, I do want to let people know that just because you paid for something, that does not make you a noob. I think if you were consciously saying, I want to pay because I need to have the aisle seat, you are not a noob. If you are thoughtful and you can rationalize why you paid for this extra thing, then that's completely fine. I think especially with seat selection, you might see. Often airlines might let you sit with your kids for free if they're under 6, but your kid is 8 and you still want to sit with your kid, you might pay to select the seat to guarantee that. You know, I love my gallon challenge that I'm like, I need to pee during a flight. So, like, if it's a long flight, I will pay for the aisle seat just because I don't want to bother someone who might be asleep or Something. So you are not a noob if you pay for these things, but you are a noob if you are just kind of blindly paying for these things

[B]

and not sure why exactly. I mean, some people want the premium experience to have a really special time during their vacation. That's totally fine if you want to pay for those things. The things we're talking about today are the things that we're like, wait, you did not need to pay for that at all.

[A]

I can't believe I paid for Hideaway Beach. Okay, so what we have done is we have decided to each pick five things that we consider the top five noob traps. I've got five, you've got five. I don't know what your five are.

[B]

Let's do it.

[A]

Okay, so I already just gave a cruise one about Hideaway beach, but I have a second cruise noob trap which is going to be my first number one pick for this is specialty dining.

[B]

Okay, so on cruises, specifically on cruises. Right.

[A]

So many cruise lines will have kind of like the free buffet. They will also have a general main dining room, which is also free. And by free, I mean included with your cruise fare.

[B]

Right.

[A]

And then they will have these extra restaurants that are an extra fee. And I do think sometimes these are worth it in the sense of like, I was on the Star of the Seas and I went to their teppanyaki restaurant, which was really fun because it was like a show. And I felt like I did get kind of a little something extra out of it. But often it'll just be like a restaurant that serves seafood. And you're like, the main dining room serves seafood. To me, this is wacky because you have basically paid for the cruise food in the main dining room and then you are also paying separate for the specialty dining. And I just think there are very few cases that you need to pay for specialty dining. Maybe exceptions would be like if it is a fun teppanyaki experience, if it's a super long cruise sailing, and you're like, I cannot eat in the main dining room for 14 days straight. We gotta mix it up. Like for three day sailing, I would almost never pay for specialty dining.

[B]

Yeah, three days. You have plenty of other restaurants to try on board. So I 100 agree with that. But yeah, longer cruise. Also, I don't know about you. The main dining room takes forever for me. Like, I don't want to sit and have dinner for like four hours every single night. I'm not like a British aristocrat getting dressed up for dinner.

[A]

Yeah. And like the other day thing we should mention is how expensive these things are. So you have already paid for your cruise fare where the food is included. And then these specialty dining restaurants, It'll be like 50, $60. They are not cheap. This is the same price that you would pay for a restaurant on land, but you have already paid for the. The main dining. So I say skip it.

[B]

Okay. That's a great travel noob trap. All right, my first one, opting into travel insurance without all the right information.

[A]

Oh, okay. I like the caveat. Without all the right information.

[B]

Okay. Yeah, There's a lot of nuance to this one. I would definitely not say, as a bl statement that no one needs travel insurance, because that's not true.

[A]

Oh, and we totally do encourage travel insurance.

[B]

Yeah. There are certain cases where you absolutely should look into travel insurance, but some of the ones that I think are a bit confusing. For example, when you're buying a flight and it's like, do you want to protect your flight? And sometimes the answers are very misleading. It's like, no, I'll accept any and all risk, and if anything happens, it's fine. But that's not really what you're agreeing to when you agree to protect your flight when you're booking through an airline. You know, you don't necessarily know the entire policy when you sign up for that travel insurance.

[A]

Yes. And like, they are so savage in, like, it'll be like a pop up button and it'll be like, are you sure you don't want to pay $7 extra to insure your $200 flight in which you will not be insured? And it's just like.

[B]

Right. Something basic that people should know about travel insurance is that usually it only covers mishaps that are covered reasons. Like it has to be listed in the policy as a reason that they can reimburse you. And you know, when you sign up for some of. I think some people go into it thinking, like, oh, if I change my mind, like, my flight is protected, I'm good. But that's absolutely not true. You have to have like a serious illness with a doctor note. Like, someone in your family has to die. Like, it's very serious reasons that are covered reasons. And so you can't just change your mind.

[A]

Yeah, this definitely goes into. You need to do your research because you might already have travel insurance through the credit card that you paid for. And we talk about those all the time on NerdWallet. Great. Credit cards that cover that have travel insurance included. You might purchase A separate travel insurance policy anyway, so don't panic when the button comes up at the airline checkout screen and is like, insure. Insurer.

[B]

People should look for our articles about that. We'll put them in the episode description. Also, another quick one, Rental car insurance. When you are reserving your rental car, you might see the, like, notifications like, oh, your car is unprotected. Like, if you get in an accident, you're liable for everything. Again, you might already be covered through your travel credit card. They have sometimes rent, rental car coverage, your personal car insurance. There are a lot of options. So definitely look at the travel insurance policy if you're thinking about getting it.

[A]

Yes. All right, on to my next one is cheesy attraction photo ops. What?

[B]

Oh, my gosh. Okay. I think there's two different types of attraction photos. Which ones are you talking about?

[A]

Oh, my gosh. Well, I just think, like, a lot of end of the roller coaster or like, even at a restaurant, when those people come up to you and they're like, can we take your photo?

[B]

Oh, yeah, like on a cruise. No, I don't like those. Yes.

[A]

And then they're like, it's $40 for this photo. And I am sorry, in 2025, most iPhones are better than the camera that this person taking your photo has that. I'm just like, I feel like I could spend my $50 on so many better things than this photo.

[B]

The ones I don't like are like those green screens. Like, I remember I went on a cruise where you always had to take a picture by this green screen as you were like, no. Oh, my gosh. I travel with my family of six and we would, like, Rush the photographer. We're like, you can't stop all six of us. We're just going to run past you. But I will say, I actually love a roller. Yeah, sometimes they're fun. That one is hard to get with a normal camera with a smartphone. So sometimes if that's the only way to get it, that one is fun. Yeah.

[A]

If they're funny, then definitely do it. But I think a lot of people are just like, if I don't pay for it, will I not have the memory of it? And, like, will I miss out if I didn't pay $50 for this photo? And I'm like, save your $50 for, you know, another meal or something like that.

[B]

Yeah, that makes sense. Okay, my next one is timeshare presentations. This is when you might see an offer for free theme park tickets. Like, usually some very high value Travel.

[A]

They say, if you come to our timeshare presentation, we'll give you tickets.

[B]

Yeah. And they're like, you know, might just be three hours of your time or something like that. And they invite you and usually whoever you're traveling with as well. And then there are a lot of sales tactics to get you to buy a timeshare.

[A]

Okay. I've never even done those because I'm too scared. I'm like, what is happening in those three hours? What are you gonna do to me?

[B]

I'm also really, really scared. I did a lot of research about them, and. And it's kind of scary. Like, they will separate. If you go in with a partner, they will separate you and your partner and kind of play you against each other and be like, well, your partner said yes. And you're like, oh, no. Oh, my gosh, you're gonna be so mad at them. And those are big mistakes.

[A]

I feel like you're describing squid games.

[B]

Oh, yeah. I mean, you could lose thousands of dollars on a timeshare that you don't use, and you're stuck with it for a very long time. So again, you wanna go in with all the information. If you actually are interested in what a timeshare could do for you and you visit this destination often, maybe it has a lot of destinations. Again, I'm not saying that all timeshares are bad. I'm just saying don't get sucked into buying one because you went to the presentation and you really just needed the theme park ticket.

[A]

I am glad you said that, because I do have so many friends who have timeshares and love them. In fact. Your family has timeshare.

[B]

Yeah, we have a timeshare in Hawaii, where my family is from. And so we use it every year to go visit my grandparents and my aunt's uncle's cousins. So timeshares can work for people? Absolutely.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

But. But we did not end up with it.

[A]

The presentation, free tickets, and we might torture your partner in the meantime. Is not it?

[B]

Exactly.

[A]

All right, we each have three more noob traps to share. That is up next after the break.

[B]

All right. Sally, do you have one that's not related to cruising?

[A]

Oh, okay. I do, actually. Wait. Kind of. Okay, so my next one is room service.

[B]

Oh, okay, I get it. So room service, you could get on a cruise, but you're talking about room service in general. Hotels, anywhere for cruises or.

[A]

Hotels do not do room service.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

This is 2025. You have DoorDash, you have Uber Eats. And room service is so expensive. So first off, the room service menu, you can already see the prices are high. It'll be like, $8 for a bowl of Cheerios. Right? And then with room service, there's, like, the regular tip that you have to do, and then there'll be, like, a service charge and a delivery charge.

[B]

I got caught by that delivery fee and the service charge. You know, I was trying to use a credit on my Amex Platinum because I book find hotels and resorts, and you have this resort credit. I was like, you know what? I'm going to splurge on room service since I have this property credit. Oh, my gosh. I did not realize I ordered, like, a cheese board, and I went over

[A]

the amount that you could because there's so many fees. I add up.

[B]

There are a lot of hidden fees.

[A]

I've actually never done room service, but one of my friends recently texted me, and she was like, I got a bowl of Cheerios for room service because I was hungry, and it ended up being $20.

[B]

Okay, at least get the avocado toast. Like, make them do a little work.

[A]

Yeah, so. So I do love the spirit of room service. Being able to eat, break bed, and have that food come to you is really, really nice. But there are even so many hotels now that actually will partner with delivery brands, and those delivery drivers will bring the food to your room. You have way more options from local restaurants, and I think that's a way better deal than just filing for room service.

[B]

And if you really must, you can honestly go downstairs and just go to the hotel restaurant. It's the same food.

[A]

Yes. Yes.

[B]

So.

[A]

So I will say, if you do room service, you are not a noob. But if you do room service and then you text me about why the bowl of Cheerios was $20, you are a noob.

[B]

Okay, great. I'll text you next time I do that.

[A]

Please don't.

[B]

All right, my next one is cell phone roaming charges.

[A]

Ooh, interesting.

[B]

Okay, so this one also was confusing to me when I started traveling internationally more frequently, because I was like, oh, gosh. Like, I don't want to mess with my phone.

[A]

Right?

[B]

Like, I just. I don't know how it all works. Airplane mode. Never turn it on. Yeah, I'm like, oh, no. When I first started traveling, I definitely bought, like, the International Day Pass from my phone carrier, and it's something usually a flat fee per day, and the one I bought was $10 per day. And I was like, you know what? That's not a lot of money for, like, the convenience of not having to worry about it. I thought that was great. But I'm now more experienced. I'm not a noob traveler anymore. And you can save so much money, especially if the trip is longer than two or three days. Yeah, you can save so much money by just getting a local SIM card, either a physical one or an esim. You get so much more data, you're on network that is local to the area. So it often works better than my International Day pass. Anyway, I think it's worth looking into.

[A]

Interesting.

[B]

Even for noob travelers.

[A]

Yours really fall along the lines of you just need to do better research before you travel and have the right products. Yeah, it's funny, so far mine are all just like, don't pay for this. And then yours are like, do more research.

[B]

Yeah, there are literally other options out there and maybe you don't know about them. So do your research.

[A]

Okay, up next, I have early hotel check in.

[B]

Ooh, is it the kind you have to pay for?

[A]

Yes. So I see this so often when you're paying to book your hotel and they'll say, would you like to pay $50 extra to check in early? And I will say there are some cases where absolutely yes, you do need to pay extra to check in early. Let's say you got off an international flight, you have to take a shower because you have a meeting later and it is non negotiable. Please show up to that meeting showered. Absolutely. Pay for early check in. But there are a lot of people who are like, oh, like it would be nice to be able to set down my bags. Maybe I'll go to the pool. And here's the thing, often if your room is ready, they will just give it to you. The early check in that you're paying for is a guarantee that your room will be available, but the hotel will store your bags for you. And the hotel also doesn't want to store your bags.

[B]

Yeah, they have an incentive to get you into your room early.

[A]

Right. If they could just give you the room key and get rid of you, then they would rather, rather do that. So often you don't need to pay for early check in. You can just get this simply by asking. So again, early check in, if you absolutely know that you need to be in that room can make sense. But if you're more flexible, don't pay for early check in. Just ask.

[B]

My other tip related to this is keep the hotel updated. So my partner and I were driving towards a hotel. It was kind of like a road trip and we had like, two hours. So we start calling them once we start driving, we're like, hey, we're two hours out. Do you have a room ready? And they're like, like, no, we don't have a room ready. And, you know, an hour in, I'm like, hey, any. Any changes? And they're like, no, no room ready. 30 minutes before. They're like, we know you're coming. We got one ready. So if you keep them up to date, I think you have a better shot. Okay, my next one is tips for people who help you with their bags.

[A]

Do you not tip?

[B]

No, I just don't let them take it.

[A]

Oh, you don't let them take it?

[B]

Yeah, you don't have to let them take your bag of.

[A]

If they don't do any work, you don't have to tip, so don't let them do any work.

[B]

No, I'm all for people getting the tips they deserve. Please tip, especially us.

[A]

I know you did.

[B]

Yeah. It just is so automatic sometimes happening so fast. You're getting out of your car and they just grab your bag and they're like, see you later. You'll see your bag one in a couple hours. And, you know, the truth is, you don't have to give them your bag, especially if you travel like us. We're carry on only, like, don't take my bag. Yeah, you don't need to give it to them. And the other reason this comes into play is because sometimes when you're especially traveling in foreign countries, sometimes there are people who don't even work for the airport who will grab your bag as you get out of a taxi going to the airport, and they're literally there to help you carry your bag to check in.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Which you don't need that. So that happened to me once. And, I mean, this guy was fast. I was like, oh, my gosh, where'd my bag go? And my friend and I were like, hey, sorry, we actually don't need help. Like, oh, that's. We'll be able to do this. And, you know, he was very insistent. But once we were insistent back that we didn't need the service, he was

[A]

like, okay, very interesting. Yeah, okay, I like that. All right. I have one kind of along the lines of your do better research. And mine is dynamic currency conversion fees.

[B]

Dynamic. That's scary. Okay. Everyone on Smart Travel knows dynamic pricing is scary.

[A]

Yeah. Yeah. So. So I want to talk about what this is. And so when you are in a foreign country, let's say you're at a restaurant, and they will say, okay, your bill is either US$40 or let's say €45. And you don't know what a euro is, so you're like, US$40. So what restaurants will do is they will handle the currency conversion, because ultimately, if it's a restaurant in Europe, they want to get paid in euros, right? And so they will do that conversion. But the conversion rate that they do is always going to be worse than your bank's conversion rate. If you just accept to pay in euros, your own bank will handle the conversion. So you still get your money pulled out of your US Dollars bank account, and the bank will handle the conversion for you. I think a lot of people are afraid and they don't know, like, oh, my gosh, am I being scammed? I don't. Like, I'm fine to pay $40 for this meal, but I don't know what this means in euros.

[B]

It can be hard to know off the top of your head what the conversion is. And you're like, is a 5% fee a lot or is it a little?

[A]

Yeah. And sometimes some of these countries, it's like Monopoly money. You're like, what is 5,000 Vietnamese dong? You're like, that's actually not that much money.

[B]

Right.

[A]

You know, so. So I would say do your research and roughly know where the exchanges. And there are so many apps now that you can just down what the exchange is. So if you're not sure and you're at a restaurant and they're like, it's €45, you can just punch it in the app and say, yeah, that's what I think it should be. But never pay what the US dollar amount is. Just pay in the currency of the country you're in.

[B]

That's really good advice, especially for all the credit card users out there. And my last one is hotel activities. So these are ones organized by the hotel, and it might be something like a surf lesson if you're in Hawaii, or maybe some type of cultural experience. And the benefit of these is that they're super convenient, right? Like, you just pay at the hotel, and maybe they come to you, maybe they pick you up there. It's really convenient, but it's usually a lot more expensive than if you just found it yourself. And the funny thing is, like, there's usually, like, a lot of brochures in the lobby that even tell you what these other companies are that offer the same exact services. So if you're booking some type of experience, I would say, say again, do your research and look outside of your hotel to see what the best price and experience would be.

[A]

Yeah, I will say on that one. Sometimes there is a price of convenience. And if it's like, oh, this surf lesson is at the beach in front of our hotel, sometimes it's just like, that's better than trying to get a car. To the other surf lesson. These aren't always bad. Often, if it's offered through the hotel, it is so much more expensive than just going off site. So if you do have the flexibility and the bandwidth to do that research search, then do it.

[B]

All right. These were great. Actually, none of them overlapped either, so that's a surprise.

[A]

That means there's so many more noob traps out there that we didn't even cover.

[B]

Part two, coming at you.

[A]

So now I do want to really impress this takeaway that if you have paid for any of these things, you are not a noob. If you have tipped the porter because you really had a bunch of bags and they carry them, you are definitely not a noob. That is okay. But it's just important that people know. Know you don't have to pay for these things if you don't want to. And it might not make your experience meaningfully better. Is your trip gonna be better because some porter took your bags or because you carried it yourself? And I think for us, the answer is no. For some people, the answer would be yes. I'm thinking about, you know, my families with kids, and they're like, yes, I will pay any amount of money for someone to take my bags. You are not a noob if you are going that route. But I think our takeaway here is we really want people to know paying more for something doesn't necessarily make it better.

[B]

Do your research and find out if you there is an equivalent that's cheaper or maybe free. A lot of these things are free, and you don't need to pay for them.

[A]

Yeah. And I think so many of our best trips have been really cheap trips, and you find joy in kind of exploring these things that were free. I always think of the analogy of the cat toy. When you buy this really expensive cat toy and your cat eats it. Yeah. Your cat doesn't even touch it. But then it, like, came in a plastic bag, and the cat is like, jamming with a plastic bag. And you're like, that was a free plastic bag. And often I feel like travel is so much like that. You pay all this money for this expensive photo and this expensive restaurant and all this, and then it's just like, the cheap one was better anyway.

[B]

Do your research, everyone. Find the other options. All right, Hot takeoff time.

[A]

It is hot takeoffs time.

[B]

Okay, I have one. And it is not related to noob traps. The different kind of trap. A tourist trap or tourist trap. I actually love a good tourist trap.

[A]

Okay, okay, what are we talking? Rainforest Cafe.

[B]

I'm just.

[A]

I do love Rainforest Cafe. Oh, my gosh.

[B]

The one at Disney.

[A]

Okay, okay, I don't want to cut you off. What is it?

[B]

I think some people confuse tourist attractions with tourist traps.

[A]

Oh.

[B]

And they are separate things. So tourist attractions, I would say, are really popular places. Sometimes things that you can only see in that one place in the world. And just because it is super popular and everyone goes there, everyone takes a photo by it doesn't necessarily mean it's not worth seeing at all.

[A]

Or you go there because it's great

[B]

or not worth paying for.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Like, you know, it takes money to keep the bathrooms going, to employ the people who work there to control the crowds. You know what I mean? So just because it costs money doesn't necessarily mean that you shouldn't do it. And just because it's popular doesn't mean you shouldn't do it. I think think some of them can be worth it. Like, I would never go to Paris without seeing Eiffel Tower or the Louvre, you know, I mean, those are incredible places that you can only see in Paris.

[A]

Yeah. That is not a tourist trap. And I live in San Francisco, you know, I think a lot of San Franciscans say that Pier 39 is a tourist trap. And my hot take is that Pier 39 is so good. It's the only place that is in San Francisco where you can see for free the sea lions. You could pay a bunch of money to go to the aquarium to see see them. And they are just like chilling on the pier right there.

[B]

That's where they live. Yeah.

[A]

Just like you gotta go to Ghirardelli Square.

[B]

It's good.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

I will say a real tourist trap is like a place where. Have you ever been on like a bus tour or something and then they drop you off at like a. Like in China. I went to a jade factory and it was just pretty clear that they didn't even really produce the jade there. Like it wasn't a real factory.

[A]

This bus driver is definitely getting a kickback for all the jade sales.

[B]

Those are Torres attract.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

And there's also like a ton of them. You know what I mean? But a tourist attraction, a one of a kind experience.

[A]

Yes. Do it yes. All right. And make sure to follow Smart Travel on your favorite podcast app, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts iHeartradio. That way you can automatically download new episodes and we would love on any of these apps if you could rate and review. The five star best review is the one that we like the most but we will take any reviews any comments and on Spotify you can drop a comment right in the app.

[B]

Tess Biglin produced this episode. Hilary Georgi and Claire Socie helped with fact checking. Thanks to Nick Karisimi for editing our audio and this studio is Edam Visuals. Thank you so much.

[A]

And our brief disclaimer. We are not financial or investment advisors. This information is provided for general education and entertainment purposes and it may not apply to your specific circumstances.

[B]

We hope you're inspired to keep your passport full and your wallet even fuller. We'll see you next time.

[A]

If you're interested in what's happening in the world of technology, you will love our roundtable news show this week in Tech. Hi, this is Leo laporte. Every Sunday, I bring the best tech journalists together to talk about the week's tech news. This week, the showdown between Anthropic and the Department of Defense, Apple's big week

[B]

ahead head Samsung's new phone, and a whole lot more.

[A]

Join me this week and every week for TWiT. You'll find it at our website, TWiT TV or wherever you get your podcasts.