Finding cheap flight and hotel deals always makes me feel like my vacation planning is off to a great start. But then things slowly start adding up and before you know it, your vacation isn’t so cheap anymore. The closer my vacation comes, the more I realize all the additional costs of travelling, and I need to get my spending in control! I go a bit overboard on buying new clothes, getting my hair, nails and lashes done.. it’s quite a lot. All these little things add up.. and all so I can feel comfortable and look good on vacation lol. Beauty is pain… especially on the wallet hahaha.
Hair: I got full head highlights and toner, which ended up costing $130 CDN. My friend does my hair, so this expense could be higher for you depending on what you get done.
Clothes: I went a bit overboard and bought new swimwear, shorts, sandals, rompers etc.. I would put this at around $300 CDN. The good thing is that I can use all these items for summer, so I will look at this as a good investment (or keep telling myself this lol).
Lashes: I got a classic set of lashes done for $129 CDN. However, the company who did my lashes offered me 50% off, if I blogged about them. Total cost was $70 CDN. (Keep an eye out for a future post on my review!)
Pedicure: I always get a shellac pedicure before going away on vacation so I don’t have to worry about my nail polish chipping or discolouring from bug spray. This cost $40 CDN. Add in some extra spending here if you’re going to get a manicure as well!
Luggage: This isn’t something you’ll always have to spend money on, but I wanted a new carry-on and backpack for my trip. I bought my luggage online on boxing day, which came up to $90 CDN. I also got a new backpack off Amazon for about $25 CDN.
Since I’m travelling to Bali (Indonesia), I looked into getting vaccinated since it’s a different country than I’m used to travelling to. Who knew it would be so expensive? Thankfully I have benefits at work that help lower these additional costs.. otherwise, it’d feel like I was paying for a mini getaway with these costs!
Dukoral: Dukoral is taken to prevent getting travellers’ diarrhea. I wanted to be extra safe for this, especially since I’ll be doing a lot of activities and not sure if I’ll ever be close to a washroom. I got a prescription for this medication at a walk-in clinic, then went to a pharmacy to pick it up. The cost for Dukoral is around $100, but I only paid $9.35 CDN with my benefits.
Travel Health Consultation: To see the travel health clinic doctor and get advised on what vaccines I would need, it costs $90. If you go in a group (like I did), they drop the fee to $70 CDN a person.
Immunizations: I had to get vaccines for Hepatitis A, MMR, Typhoid, Polio, along with pills for travellers’ diarrhea (backup in case my Dukoral doesn’t work) and jet lag. I wasn’t told the total price (before my benefits), but my total for all this was $43 CDN.
Converting Money: I don’t know why this never occurred to me before when I traveled, but converting money costs money! When you go to the bank to get money in a different currency, they do tack on some fees to that. So do your research and see where you can exchange your money for the least amount of fees.
These are just a bunch of little things that I did prior to my vacation, but not all of this is necessary for everyone. It really depends if you haven’t gone on vacation in a while and need to get a whole new wardrobe, or if you travel a lot and don’t need anything new. I don’t mind spending money on some of these things.. I’d rather be safe than sorry. The good thing is that most of everything I bought can be used in the future!
What are some additional costs you have before travelling?
