Avoid The ‘Tourist Fee’ When Travelling By Only Shopping Where Prices Are Posted

Avoid The ‘Tourist Fee’ When Travelling By Only Shopping Where Prices Are Posted

Your travel budget goes much further when you’re able to account for every dollar. Look for stores with clearly labelled prices to avoid being charged a hefty “tourist fee” on top of what locals would pay.

Image from davidrosenphotography.

Rick Steves shares an example of how this double standard comes into play when prices aren’t displayed:

Travellers are routinely ripped off by market merchants in tourist centres. Find places that print the prices. Assume any market with no printed prices has a double price standard: one for locals and a more expensive one for tourists. I’ll never forget a friend of mine who bought two bananas for our London picnic. He grabbed the fruit, held out a handful of change, and said, “How much?” The merchant took the equivalent of about $US4.

I had a similar experience in Kyoto. I wanted to fight the humidity with some refreshing watermelon, but since it is imported from outside the country, it was much more expensive than I was used to. Luckily, the store I bought it from had the price clearly displayed so I was ready for the bill. Make sure you buy from vendors that do the same and you won’t go over your travel budget by accident.

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