Rick Steves' Son Exposes A Sneaky Detail To Check Before Booking With Budget Airlines

Rick Steves has spent decades creating European travel guidebooks and tours to help people not only decide what to see in the world, but how to do it on a budget. His son Andy Steves has definitely taken after his dad, sharing his favorite free activities to do while in Europe and advice on how to make the most out of your trips for less. Andy also points out things that might not be as budget-friendly as they seem. One of these is budget airlines.

Given the high costs of flights, budget airlines sound like great ways to save money. However, Andy wants people to watch out for hidden fees. Perhaps the most widely known are outrageous budget airline carry-on fees. If you fly Ryanair, for example, the cheapest fare only allows you to bring a bag that can fit underneath the seat in front of you. Even ticket options allowing for both a bag under the seat and a carry-on bag to go in overhead storage will add $15 to $70 one-way depending on demand and whether you add the bags when you initially book or later at the airport.

On his website, Andy Steves also pointed out that budget airlines often charge a fee if you don't check in online and instead opt to check in at the airport. If you want a printed boarding pass, be sure to print it beforehand because the airline will charge a fee to print it for you. Therefore, just as you should thoroughly read the fine print on each ticket type to check for luggage allowances, you should do so for check-in and boarding pass policies too. "Each budget airline is different and not abiding by the rules will cost you big," says Steves.

Although it is important to read the fine print on everything from luggage to check-in to boarding passes, budget airlines can still be reasonable money saving options. For example, easyJet has an arguably undeserved bad reputation, with plenty of repeat customers. The trick is to heed advice from people like Steves and learn from other travelers' mistakes before trying out a budget airline for yourself. It's also worth comparing the total cost of a budget airline with another carrier to see if the hidden fees rack up to more than a regular fare.