5 Ways You Waste Money On Vacation

Splurging on vacation doesn't have to make you feel guilty. It's nice to treat yourself. Just be mindful of where all your vacation dollars are going. The less you spend on unnecessary things, the more money you'll have for all the things that are actually worth it.

Some of the ways that waste money while traveling are sneaky. They will slowly poke holes into your wallet before you realize it. Others simply require changing your perspective on things like destinations, hotels and tap water (yes, really).

These are the top money wasters when you travel and ways you can avoid them. The best part about avoiding money suckers is you won't have to sacrifice anything, so your trip will still be amazing.

# Not Using a Travel Rewards Card

Few things pain our hearts as much as seeing people not optimize travel rewards. Having a credit card that gives you points is literally getting free money to spend on travel. Many cards have a $0 annual fee and offer protection that debit cards don't, so it's really a win-win situation.

If you're one to think that the travel point game doesn't work, let's just say we've booked about half a dozen reward flights thanks to this trick.

# Not Paying Your Card in Full When You Do Use It

Listen to us very carefully. The credit card rewards game only works if you are paying your credit card in full every month. Getting a 1 percent reward for every dollar you spent does not make sense if you're going to be paying 15 percent interest on that dollar.

We've seen way too many people play the game and lose, then turn around and complain about how travel reward credit cards are useless.

# Flying Without Collecting Miles Whenever Possible

The other thing that pains our heart is hearing people say that frequent flyer programs are a scam and never work. We're sorry to say it's not them. It's you.

We concede that these programs can be confusing and people who don't know enough about them may end up losing their points. But let us assure you that many frequent flyer programs don't even have expiration dates for their points and the ones that do have ways you can keep points from expiring, even if you don't travel.

There's also the misconception that joining a program only makes sense if you fly exclusively with a specific airline. Thankfully, this is not true thanks to the three major airline alliances: OneWorld, Star Alliance and SkyTeam.

# Forgetting to Weigh Your Bags While Packing

There was once a time where airlines actually cared about their customers, but those times are history. Today, American Airlines will try to charge you $100 for being 1 pound over the weight limit (true story).

Many travelers get caught off guard at the airport when they realize their bags are too heavy. They either end up paying a hefty price or, if they're stingy enough, having to throw away some stuff (also true story).

# Neglecting to Compare Prices

So you found a great flight on Skyscanner or a gorgeous hotel on Tripadvisor. You should buy it immediately, right? Wrong.

Sometimes, prices vary depending on the site that you're using. You may not be getting the best price out there.