It could make you mad as a grizzly when a hotel price is quoted to you for $99 a night, but after state taxes, occupancy taxes, phone use and other costs are added on, you’ll actually be paying $125. And don’t even think of opening that hotel room “honor bar”. It’s the same with airline fares. Our favorite airline advertises $60 each way flights on short hops, but with taxes, baggage extras, fuel charges and other add-ons, the cost could be $80 or more. Don’t even ask about advertised cruise prices versus what you’ll actually have to pay.

These practices are not quite new versions of the old bait and switch game. However, all travel-related services today are in growing competition for the senior traveler’s bucks, and enticing you with ads that list only the base price is just a small part of their campaigns.

Next time an attractive promotion grabs you for a bargain flight, cruise or hotel stay, before you do your booking, just make sure you know the absolute total prices you’ll actually have to pay. Then there’s the question about prices senior travelers should always ask with a teddy bear smile, “Can you do better than that?”