14 money mistakes Aussies make when they travel

Nine in 10 Aussies make these mistakes when they travel. Photo: Getty

Perhaps the most painful part of travelling is finding you’ve spent more than you budgeted for or coming home to ‘statement shock’.

It turns out that nearly all Aussies are forking out money for costs or fees that could have otherwise been sidestepped.

Unsurprisingly, the most common mistake is landing ourselves exorbitant fees by withdrawing cash from overseas ATMs, followed by exchanging cash at airports which often see us get less bang for our buck.

Meanwhile, around one in four or one in five of us are leaving things to the last minute, incurring higher fees on flights and accommodation by booking in the last two weeks or failing to use comparison websites.

According to new research by InsureandGo, these are the bad money habits Aussies are guilty of when we travel overseas:

1. Withdrawing cash from a debit card at an overseas ATM

2. Exchanging money at the airport

3. Never using a dedicated travel card, such as Qantas Cash or Cash Passport

4. Withdrawing cash from a credit card at an overseas ATM

5. Booking flights two weeks before travelling

6. Paying car rental companies additional fees to reduce the insurance excess in the event of a claim

7. Booking accommodation, without comparing prices on comparison websites

8. Not clearing cookies before travelling

9. Charging their credit card in Australian dollars instead of the local currency

10. Purchasing a SIM card and/or data package at the airport

11. Getting caught out at the airport with heavy luggage and having to pay extra baggage fees

12. Renting a portable GPS navigation unit with your car rental

13. Purchasing separate individual tickets to shows or amusement parks when there was a package offering

14. Returning a rental car, without a full tank of petrol

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