The Common Budget Travel Decision That Could Unexpectedly End Up Costing You More

Flights are expensive, and it's easy to cheap out on them. The whole point of the trip is the destination, so why spend more on a comfortable flight when you can focus your money on a nice hotel and activities? Well, cheapening out on your flight could ruin your trip altogether. No, it's just not because you have to sit in a crammed middle seat with all your belongings stuffed into a backpack since you didn't pay for a carry-on item. But with a non-refundable ticket, this flight booking mistake could end up costing you more money than you initially intended.

With non-refundable tickets, you are not protected from cancellations after the initial 24-hour grace period rule. So if you end up having to cancel or reschedule your flight, you will most likely never see the money you spent on those tickets again. Many Reddit users have also cited this situation as their most expensive travel mistake, with one Redditor writing in r/solotravel, "Showing up for my flight the day after it was booked and having to not only lose the price of my original ticket but also pay a lot of money for a new ticket a few hours before the flight takes off. The commentator noted that they had to buy another ticket to get their original flight. Simple slip-ups like this could make you regret not spending a couple of extra dollars for a flexible ticket plan.

Anytime you book a non-refundable ticket or hotel room, you risk losing the money. So, the best way to guarantee you're getting a refund is to pay the extra fee for a refundable ticket. However, there are some things you can try if you still end up booking that non-refundable flight. First, if you cancel your trip within the first 24 hours of booking, you should be eligible for a full refund by most airlines. Say you accidentally booked on the wrong day or month, as long as you notice right away, you can get your money back.

If your flight also gets cancelled for reasons out of your control, you are entitled to a refund from the airline if it is not rebooked. If you want to cover yourself for more than flight tickets, travel insurance can protect your wallet from cancelled flights, lost baggage, and medical emergencies. Start by reading up on single-trip travel insurance. Your best bet to protect your money and save yourself from paying hundreds of dollars because of a misstep is to get refundable tickets or protect your non-refundable ticket with travel insurance.