PUNK'D

to punk (v.) A way to describe someone ripping you off, tricking you; to be deceived

As a frequent leisure traveller, I’ve seen a few common tourist traps regardless of destination. Some are unavoidable, but here are some that are avoidable.

1) Always compare hotel rates with/out wifi in your room, and including Club benefits

Where I got punk’d: W Hotel, Barcelona

• often it works out cheaper to have wifi included in your pre-paid rate, rather than pay per hour when you arrive, depending on how long you're staying
• sometimes it’s only marginally more for Club benefits, which includes breakfast daily, afternoon tea and snacking, happy hour, late check out etc. so much better value than a la carte

2) airport transfers booked through the hotel are always over-priced
Where I got punk’d: Istanbul, Turkey

• call the hotel ahead of time and find out what the going rate for a metered taxi from the airport should be, so even if it’s a destination where there are no metered taxis, you know what you should be expected to pay
• often there are express trains from the airport or a shuttle bus into the downtown area which are much cheaper, and just as convenient

3) the “Dinner and Dance” show, usually an upsell by your airport transfer driver
Where I got punk’d: Cappadocia, central Turkey

• I’m all for a bit of culture through dance, but after experiencing this ‘cultural’ show in various destinations around the world, I’ve come to the conclusion the food at these shows are terrible. Go and see a cultural dance show on it’s own, THEN go for dinner. Not both. These establishments feed the masses of tourist offloaded from coaches. Large vats of tasteless over-salted food, often pre-cooked hours ago is slopped onto your plate.

4) any day tours or activities booked through the hotel concierge are more pricey
Where I got punk’d: Bangkok, Thailand

• do your research before hand of any day trips you want to do and pre-book them; if you’re staying in a 5* hotel, then you’ll pay 5* prices for day tours even though you might be piled in with a whole lot of other people from other hotels
• also, this way you avoid disappointment if it’s high season and limited departure

5) visa on arrival

Where I got punk'd: Da Nang, Vietnam

• Some countries will permit this, for a fee, however I suggest if you have enough time to pre-arrange your Visa in your home country before you leave, do so
• to avoid any complications - visa regulations change all the time; you may have been to this country before and been permitted a visa on arrival, but 6 months later you can't
• the queues for visa-on-arrival are often quite slow moving and long
• if you’re arriving late at night, as sometimes the Visa-on-arrival service will be closed

Some little things to be aware of that could save you on money and time when traveling.