Ah, Paris! City of lovers! A comfy, intimate hotel room overlooking the Eiffel Tower ... and overlooking hiked-up pricing. We won’t go into names, but a half-dozen online travel agencies recently each quoted the same rate for a so-called upscale Parisian hotel.

Was it a coincidence that that they all listed the deal at $77 a night? It's a fantastic bargain, if that’s all you’ll pay. Of course, in another part of the promo, there were the real totals listed in much smaller type, and the $77 leaped up to $170 and more to be taken out of your pocket. Savvy seniors will recognize what is now too frequent in travel price come-on promos, whether for hotels, flights or cruise ships. The only way to fight it is to do thorough online and travel agency comparison shopping before you commit to a booking.

Seek out credit card discounts, last-minute offers, seasonal price reductions, package deals and other ways to fight back against the ever-growing travel add-ons.