The true cost of travel

Lets face it: Travel is one of the best investments you can make in yourself (in my humble opinion), but oftentimes, you're left in the dark as to the "true" cost of your vacation until you're standing there absorbing the unexpected, astronomical amounts due. There being the airport ticket counter or hotel upon check-in.

In reality, any program that helps estimate the true cost of travel earns an A in my book, which is why I chose to highlight Kayak.com's new web tools. Not only are they free (point one!), they're incredibly useful (point two!).

First up is the Fuel Cost Calculator, which runs in unison with the rental car search, plugging the likely cost of gas (according to how many miles you anticipate driving each day) into the daily rate of the car rental.

Up next, and even more handy is the Airlines Fees chart, which conveniently breaks down the hush-hush costs of your flight like checked baggage, meals, snacks, pets, etc. Very good to know info.

Lastly, the site is now offering a Flight Quality Filter that allows for easier sorting when searching for flights. Included in the results criteria are options that pull out red-eyes, fights with ridiculous layover times and even layovers at airports you'd rather not visit.

Looking at it now, it's hard to believe nobody has compiled all this smart info before. Check it out and let me know what you think - and if your true vacation costs were really revealed beforehand!