On Sale Now: Caribbean, Costa Rica, and Mexico

Getting fleeced anywhere, whether in the states or abroad, is never fun—especially when you're trying to travel conservatively. Different languages and customs, however, can send even the smartest traveler into a financial tailspin. "Being gloriously overwhelmed by novelty and excitement at every turn leads us to be less perceptive than perhaps we might be back at home," says travel psychologist Michael Brein, Ph.D. "After all, the money is Monopoly play money—it isn't that real—so it's no wonder that it goes relatively more quickly than we think or expect." Recognize the world's top 10 worst travel ripoffs and you can save your cash for meaningful experiences that are worth the coin. 1. EXCESS BAGGAGE CHARGES When you're at home riffling through your closet for the perfect attire for daytime, nighttime, and every time in between (you never know, you might be invited to the opera or a picnic, right?), toting along an extra piece of luggage can seem sane—if not downright practical. Not the case, says travel expert Terry Trippler, founder of the consumer website The Plane Rules. "Chances are you aren't going to wear all that stuff you packed and end up paying more in baggage charges," he says. "In a lot of hotels, you can have clothing laundered for less than taking more and paying excess baggage charges." 2. TRIP INSURANCE Travelers can occasionally get a deal by purchasing travel insurance, but only buy it if you read and completely understand the policy. Otherwise, it can be worthless. "Travel insurance used to be basically flight insurance, but with the advent of non-refundable tickets, et cetera, businesses saw a market to sell insurance to cover expenses associated with the traveler's entire trip," Trippler says. (Medical care is one example.) "Watch this one—closely." 3. SHADY TAXI DRIVERS The ways that unsanctioned cabs take more than their share of your money by unscrupulous means are many, including high unstated charges, less than efficient routes, and incorrect change returned, says Brein. Instead of hopping into the car of the first person who offers, he suggests asking yourself these questions: "Is the cab marked or not? Is there a license or permit visible? Is there a price chart available? Is the taxi parked with others or hidden away? Is the driver with the cab or hustling elsewhere?" 4. EATING LIKE A TOURIST It sounds simple, but try to eat like the locals eat whenever you can, and that means deliberately avoiding the tourist traps. Specifically, watch out for incongruous cuisines, like an Italian joint next to a Caribbean beach, or restaurants that brag about their exquisite panoramic vistas. "What you might lose in atmosphere or views, you will gain in price and authenticity," says Laura Siciliano-Rosen, founder of Eat Your World, a website dedicated to finding the best local eats around the globe. To avoid shelling out cash for sub-par food, she suggests chatting up the locals—and not necessarily the hotel concierge. "Ask regular people: your taxi driver, your waiter, the guy next to you on the bus, the woman in line with you at the supermarket," Siciliano-Rosen says. "Also, you can probably tell where locals are eating by the look of a place. Does the place seem like it's trying to attract tourist money? Who's at the tables? Do you see any guidebooks or cameras?" 5. MANHATTAN HOTELS A hotel room in the Big Apple can sound enticing no matter what neighborhood you're in, but for the amount of money you plunk down, you don't get much. What you do get is often an older hotel with tiny rooms. Trippler calls it "probably the worst 'value' in travel." Before you book, research exactly what you're getting, or branch out to reputable hotels in other boroughs. 6. AIRPORT AIRLINE CLUBS When you picture a members-only portion of an airport, replete with its own bar, your first instinct might be to expect smoking jackets and the tinkling of a grand piano in the background. Not so these days. The reality can be anything but a sophisticated zen environment, which is not worth spending your money on, especially if you're paying a pricey day rate. "More and more people are joining and too often you can find a club that is just as crowded and loud as the airport departure gates," Trippler says. "The 'value' of any airline club depends on how often you will use it and the cities you will generally visit." 7. UNIFORMED "GUIDES" AT AIRPORTS A fancy uniform does not a reputable guide make. After deplaning in your destination, you might be accosted by "guides" who look official in dress, but actually are paid to take you to high-priced, touristy locales. "They all lead you to think that they are who they say they are, but in reality they are not," Brein says. "More often than not, they lead you not to places to stay, markets and shops, and sights that have merit or good value, but rather to places that more often than not suit their own purposes." If you need help navigating a city, seek out guides from official bureaus, Brein says. 8. BLACK MARKET MONEY EXCHANGE Trying to beat the system—and more specifically, the exchange rates—by changing money with locals on the black market is only going to hurt your wallet in the end. "Often, a few good bills are mixed in with money padded with either folded smaller bills, older illegal money, newspaper, and whatnot, and the money changers are usually out of there so quickly that the duped tourist has little or no recourse," Brein says. Stay on the straight and narrow and, if it helps you to know before you go, research exchange rates before you leave the country to avoid sticker shock at the counter. 9. "MINIMUM" FEES AT RESTAURANTS OR CLUBS In some countries, "minimum" charges for entering a sought-after (or salacious) nightclub are commonplace—and some restaurants bill you for what seems to be free, like mineral water. The last thing you want to do is blow your budget without getting anything in return. "These tourist-only fees seem to exist in restaurants around the world, particularly in Europe," Siciliano-Rosen says. "The charge may or may not be listed on the menu. When in doubt, gently refuse the bread if you didn't ask for it." 10. INSANELY HIGH BOOZE TAXES  When in a country like India, which imposes an exorbitant tax on alcohol, skip the cocktails at restaurants, which can easily cost upward of $15. Go for virgin refreshments instead, such as India's traditional yogurt drink: "Stick to a lassi and save the beer for the hotel fridge," Siciliano-Rosen says.

The Car-Free Traveler, Lauren Matison, co-founder and editor of offMetro.com. The last time I woke to the sounds of cock-a-doodle-doo, I was in a farmhouse in the south of France, very far from home in Manhattan. While I haven't set my alarm ringtone to "rooster" since that trip four years ago, I do miss omelets with freshly laid eggs and the buzz of bees in the lavender bushes. On a recent morning that finally smelled like autumn in New York, I found myself wondering where a car-less New Yorker can wake up on a farm without having to drive or fly? According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, there are over 129,850 farms in the Northeast, but most do not offer farmcations or easily accessible roads. Not to be deterred, and hungry for a little peace and quiet—and those freshly laid eggs—I unearthed five outstanding spots celebrating a new farm to table to bed movement. The Homestead at Seven Arrows East   Sustainable Slumber: Though just a 45-minute ferry ride from Manhattan, this year-round yoga retreat, education studio, and CSA farm could not feel farther away from the city. Perched on 20 acres of land on the banks of the Navesink River in Monmouth County, New Jersey, The Homestead is lovingly looked after by former Brooklyn farmers Meg, Michael, and Neil and their Maremma Sheep Dogs, trained livestock guardians that live with the goats, which you're welcome to milk. Nestled near 700-acre Hartshorne Woods and Sandy Hook, this sustainable sanctuary thrives on sharing its organic produce and pearls of agronomic wisdom while inviting city folk to roam free, read under an apple tree, and reboot. In addition to the monthly yoga retreats, The Homestead offers classes ranging from beekeeping to soup and bread making to growing and foraging edible mushrooms. If you want to check out the place before spending the night in their cozy, minimalist digs, attend one of their new BYOB vegan farm dinners (http://veganfarmtotabledinner-eorg.eventbrite.com/, $75), featuring a five course menu that, "we feel, demonstrates how luxuriously one can eat from one's own field." (Hartshorne Road, Locust, NJ, http://sevenarrowseast.com/, dorm room for $400, private room for $650 for a three-day retreat, which includes lodging, meals, and workshops.) Get There: Seven Arrows is 45 minutes from Manhattan and reachable via Seastreak Ferry to Atlantic Highlands. Chebeague Island Inn Sustainable Slumber: On the tiny turtle-shaped island of Chebeaugue (that's shuh-Beeg, meaning 'isle of many springs') off the coast of Portland, Maine, this grand hilltop hotel dating back to the 1920s is the kind of hidden gem travelers want but rarely make the effort to find. The journey, which takes you from a scenic train trip to the Old Port to a ferry, is half the fun of the getaway and worth every step. Once you've arrived, there is golf, tennis, boating, bocce ball, free bikes, and plenty of secluded rocky coves reminiscent of a Hopper painting (visit Deer Point and Bennett Cove), but the draw for adventurous foodies will be the Farm to Table package (available late May—October 7). The special includes a two-night stay, daily gourmet breakfast, a box lunch and local bottle of Oyster River Wine, a guided tour of Second Wind Farm, and a three-course dinner for two using produce from the farm. The package requires a $100 donation towards the farm, where much of the Inn's menu is sourced. After learning about Second Wind, island farming and the deep-rooted relationship the hotel has with local farmers and fishermen, join Executive Chef Rowe as he creates your farm-to-table meal. (61 South Road, Chebeague Island, http://www.chebeagueislandinn.com, from $180/night, add on $100 for the Farm to Table package and call 207/846-5155 to book it.) Get There: Take Amtrak to Portland. Hop a taxi or take the 5 Bus to the Metro Pulse station, and walk 10 minutes to the port for the leisurely 90-minute Casco Bay Ferry ride ($11.05 for a round-trip ride). Make arrangements prior to arrival and the Inn will send a complimentary van to pick you up. Sprout Creek Inn Sustainable Slumber: When you open the front door to your cottage, there won't be concrete or rushed pedestrians or cabs, and the only honks you'll hear will be from ducks. You'll want to greet the neighbors-chickens, goats, cows, pigs, sheep, and their babies-who you'll soon get to know on a first name basis. You never thought you'd feel at home on the range, but here, surrounded by green pastures, happy animals, and a private outdoor garden, the farm life suits you-if just for the weekend. Stock your cottage pantry with artisanal cheese, charcuterie, eggs, produce, pasta, and baked goods at the Sprout Creek Farm market, then roll up your sleeves to milk the cows, feed the sheep or gather eggs. In between a hot air balloon ride (that lifts off from the farm) and a cheese-making workshop, you'll discover this is the easiest place to unplug. Chef Mark Fredette can prepare lunch or dinner, which comes with a complimentary bottle of wine and a cheese plate, so you won't have to dine elsewhere and leave the farm-except for that aerial tour of the Hudson Valley. The next time you're in Whole Foods, pick up Sprout Creek's new Kinkead or Batch 35 cheese and remember how you spent a weekend on a farm two hours north of New York City. When was the last time you thought of cheese as something more than what goes on a cracker? (34 Lauer Road, Poughkeepsie, http://www.sproutcreekfarm.org, the Country Cottage Getaway at Sprout Creek Farm is $475 for a two-night stay for up to five people. To make a reservation, call Andrea 845/485-8438 or email andrea@sproutcreekfarm.org.) Get There: Take Metro-North Hudson line to Poughkeepsie, then a Del Ray taxi, 845/452-1222, for the 15-minute ride to the farm. Ocean House  Sustainable Slumber: Overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, Montauk, and Block Island, the Ocean House on Watch Hill originally opened in 1868 and comprises 13 acres of oceanfront landscape and a 650-foot private white-sand beach, where you'll spend nights listening to crashing waves and a crackling bonfire. On any given day, complimentary resort activities might include tai chi, a croquet clinic, juicing and cocktail classes, art workshops and movie screenings, and sitting on a plush couch doing nothing but enjoying live jazz. Although there are many reasons to stay here, it's the Farm + Vine series that the Ocean House is most proud of. Every week, the program offers free classes led by a food forager or chef in Seasons restaurant's open exhibition kitchen or community farm. In addition to on-site cooking demonstrations and wine tastings, guests are invited to visit local farms, wineries and fishing docks to select the ingredients for that evening's meal. The monthly Farm + Vine dinner ($95/pp) brings the best New England chefs to prepare hors d'oeuvres and a three-course, wine-paired dinner. The monthly In the Kitchen Culinary Education series will send you home feeling inspired to cook using local, in-season fare after learning some secrets from the resort's chefs. (1 Bluff Ave., Watch Hill, http://www.oceanhouseri.com/, $400/night. Receive 20% off the best available room rate when you enjoy a Farm+Vine dinner. Call 401/584-7000 for rates and availability.) Get There: Take the three-hour Amtrak ride to Westerly, RI. The resort will send a Mercedes to shuttle you the short drive back and forth; just let them know when you reserve. Buttermilk Falls Inn & Spa Sustainable Slumber: Green travelers and the city weary will find this 75-acre refuge on the Hudson River the best place near home to eat good food, reconnect with nature, and just be. You'll start the morning with farm fresh eggs, peach-topped buttermilk pancakes, homemade scones and fair trade coffee. Then you'll stroll a short distance across Swan Pond to visit the heritage chickens, honey bees, angora goats, donkeys, peacocks, and rescued llamas at the Inn's 40-acre organic Millstone Farm. After picking berries and apples in the orchard and eating them above the eponymous waterfall, you'll lie by the pool, looking through floor to ceiling windows that face lush grounds and the Hudson, never feeling more relaxed-and that's before a visit to the spa. Here in Poughkeepsie, you can have your farm and leave it, too. After tennis and a drink by the wood-burning fireplace in your room, you'll head to Henry's Farm to Table for dinner, where you'll smile at the food on your plate, knowing well, perhaps for the first time at a restaurant, just where it came from. (220 North Road, Milton, http://www.buttermilkfallsinn.com, from $300-$400 off peak, $350-$450 peak for two people) Get There: Take the 90-minute Metro-North or Amtrak train ride to Poughkeepsie station. Take a 12-minute Del Ray taxi ride (845/452-1222) to the Inn. offMetro.com promotes a “greener” lifestyle through inspiring day trips and weekend jaunts that are easily accessible via alternative modes of transportation, be it by bike, bus, subway, or boat. Visit offMetro.com for more vacation ideas.

Sophie Gackowski writes for HomeAway UK Before the Romans ever set foot on British soil, our unassuming island was well-scarred by warring tribes; yet these were no barbarians. On the contrary, our fertile land was alive with thriving settlements, sophisticated cultures and incredible feats of human ingenuity as early as 5,000 years ago. If you're planning a trip to the United Kingdom, you'll find hundreds of historical settings; from stone circles and hill forts to preserved villages and brochs. But before you book your flights and pencil in your historical itinerary, take a glimpse into the past with seven fascinating ancient sites. Castell Henllys, Pembrokeshire. With four replica Iron Age roundhouses, Castell Henllys is an incredible site for ancient history buffs. Situated in the Wales' Pembrokeshire Coast National Park (a fantastic destination in its own right), it's been built on top of an existing hill fort, some 2,400 years old. Excavated remains have provided architects with an authentic portrait of how the Celts really lived, so today, you can grind flour and make bread just like the Celts did, before exploring the area's beautiful beaches. Head to Ceibwr, an inlet of rocks backed by dramatic cliffs, to spot porpoise. Skara Brae, Orkney. Skara Brae—an ancient village sitting on the white sands of Bay o' Skaill, Orkney—is possibly the most famous of our archaeological sites. Offering an unparalleled glimpse into Scottish life during the late Neolithic period, it's composed of eight separate dwellings, connected by a number of low, winding passages. Amongst the stone beds, seats and shelves, budding historians can glimpse everyday life 5,000 years ago in amazing detail; precious artefacts, including jewellery, gaming dice and religious idols, are displayed in the excellent visitor centre. Chysauster Ancient Village, Cornwall. First occupied some 2,000 years ago, Chysauster Ancient Village has some distinctly Cornish features. Although a late Iron Age settlement, its dwellings are now known as 'Courtyard Houses'; they consisted of an open area (due in no small part to Cornwall's favourable climate!), surrounded by several thatched rooms. You'll also find the remains of a 'fogou' here, an underground passage still shrouded in mystery: whether used for storage, religious ceremonies or refuge is unknown. Travel to the area during spring to admire the beautiful bluebell carpets. Tre'r Ceiri Hill-Fort, Gwynedd. Tre'r Ceiri, or 'Town of the Giants', is thought to be one of the finest Iron Age sites in Wales. Not only does it house the remains of some 150 huts (this is one of our more expansive sites!), but also offers outstanding views to Ireland from its hilltop location, on the eastern peak of Yr Eifl. The roundhouses—some of which are actually rectangular or square—sit alongside well-preserved ramparts and gateways, with walls still four metres high in places. For keen hikers and walkers, it's an absolute must while exploring the stunning scenery of Gywnedd. Dun Carloway, Lewis. It's one of the best preserved brochs in Scotland, and situated on the spectacular Isle of Lewis: Dun Carloway's a must when visiting the Outer Hebrides. But "what exactly is a broch?" I hear you ask. Well, brochs are fortifications found all over the north and west of Scotland, first built some 2,300 years ago. It's thought that they were the dwellings of tribal leaders, imposing and expansive as they were. Indeed, Dun Carloway still sits nine metres tall in places, but also has a great series of underground tunnels and cells. Afterwards, why not visit the nearby Calanais stone circle? Stanwick Camp, Yorkshire. The Brigantes were the most important tribe in pre-Roman Britain, and first lived in the gargantuan Stanwick Camp. Once comprising five and a half miles of ramparts and over 700 acres of land, the site certainly grabs the imagination, if the stories haven't already: Iron Age swords and severed heads are just some of the excavated remains found here! Today, it's a great place for a peaceful stroll: start at the Church of St John (it houses carvings dating back to the 9th century), before making your way up Tofts Hill for great views of Yorkshire. Castlerigg, Cumbria. Located near Keswick, in the Lake District, Castlerigg is one of the earliest stone circles in Britain. Thought to have been raised some 5,000 years ago, its 38 radiating stones surround an inner rectangle of ten; this all points, of course, to significant astronomical alignment, but like so many ancient sites, its exact purpose remains unknown. With panoramic views across to Lonscale, Blencathra and Skiddaw Fell, it's an amazing vantage point. And located as it is just a short drive from Penrith, you can visit King Arthur's legendary Round Table, too. Follow Sophie Gackowski on Google+