Planning for a vacation this summer?

Plan carefully because cancellation fees will tear you up.

Who are the worst offenders when it comes to canceling or maybe revising your trip?

In my opinion, it's travel Web sites.

Sure, you can always get a deal if you book a hotel or plane ticket on a Web site, but have you ever tried to change or cancel your plans?

For Kim and Steve Hunt, juggling kid and work schedules can sometimes mean last-minute revisions to their travel plans like having to cut a vacation short.

"We ended up staying, I think, a night or two and the third night then we tried to negotiate where we didn't have to pay for it all," said Kim Hunt, who had to cancel a hotel stay.

It used to be that you could cancel reservations up to the day of check-in with no penalties, but Internet travel expert James Gilden says these days, those offering accommodations aren't quite that accommodating.

"More and more hotels these days are going toward having some sort of penalty if you cancel too late," said Gilden, a travel columnist with The Internet Traveler.

Those penalties can kick in days before your scheduled arrival and be aware if you've booked more than one room under a single reservation, you may need to cancel each room individually to avoid hefty fees. Some hotels even weigh each request for a cancellation on its own merit so hotels in the same chain may charge different amounts.

"Even on the same Web site for the same hotel for the same room for the same night, the cancellation policies can be different," Gilden said.

So what can you do to protect yourself? Gilden says the cheapest room rates have the worst cancellation policies so consider paying a little extra if your plans could change. Also, sign up for frequent guest programs.

"For some of our more valued clients and our repeat guests, certainly, we would be much more lenient," said Kim Cartaino, assistant general manager with Marriott Hotels.

Most importantly, read all the fine print, especially if you're booking on the Web or through a travel site.

"When travelers make a reservation online, they're on their own," Gilden said. "They have to make sure they fully understand what the policies are for that reservation."

The Hunts don't want to get stuck again, so when it comes to booking future reservations, they say they'll do their research.

"For me it turns into an incentive to make phone calls," Hunt said. "There's not a lot of flexibility."

Just remember, the cheaper the rate is on a Web site, the more restrictive and more expensive the cancellation policy.

Sometimes, by paying a little more companies may ease the cancellation fees, but you have to be very careful.

Article courtesy of NewsProNet