You should have just told me
I’m a person who’s all about communication. If you have an issue, I would prefer you to be open with me. I don’t need a compliment sandwich to hear the truth about myself or my work, and I certainly don’t see it as a favor when someone withholds bad news for me. I like to be in the know, and I like people to be straight forward with me. Unfortunately, while traveling on a shoestring, honesty, integrity and open communication aren't always readily available.
Hidden fees are something, as many as I've encountered, that will always catch me off guard. I have a set budget for my travels, and I know that if I want to keep going for as long as I’m trying to travel for, I need to stick to this budget like Champ Bailey on wide receives (#2014BroncosSuperBowl). When a hidden fee comes, it hurts. Lately, though, I've gotten smarter, and realized the necessity of planning ahead when exiting a country.
When I left Malaysia to come to Indonesia, I saw a precursor to the ever abundant “departure tax.” I bought my ferry ticket, and still had enough money left over to buy breakfast, or at least I thought. I was then asked to pay around $10 to LEAVE the country. I had honestly never seen this before. I reluctantly paid, pouted and moved on. This was bad, but what truly makes this writer cringe is the idea of airport and departure taxes at all Indonesia airports.
When flying from Sumatra to Java (yes I’m a budget traveler, and yes it can be much cheaper and easier than land transport), I thought I evaded the weird fee I had no idea what I was paying by sneaking past the tax counter. As I got to security, my ticket was missing a small sticker, claiming I paid the “airport tax,” of 35,000 IDR ( +/- $4). While Indonesia taxes plane tickets, like all countries do, they also charge airport taxes that must be paid in IDR. I thought this was bad until traveling to Bali having to exchange USD at a terrible rate to pay the 150,000 ($15+) airport tax. Only IDR is accepted, and one can’t leave the country without paying it.
I realize traveling is a blessing and hidden fees are small potatoes, but it gets me every time. So word to the wise, be prepared to pay departure, airport and other taxes when traveling in developing countries. HIDDEN FEES ARE EVERYWHERE!
Photo courtesy of The Hobo Traveler