Thinking of a relaxing break in the sun? Better get out a mortgage!

Kent's holidaymakers are being stung by a raft of surcharges, taxes and fees that can send the cost of a break sky high.

Hidden extras can boost a family break by as much as £300, experts say.

But you’re less likely to get stung if you live in the south east, keep your feet on the ground and are prepared to shop around.

Holidaymakers are paying the price for soaring fuel costs, with some forking out an extra 10 per cent on top of the original cost of their holiday several months after completing their booking.

In Kent, families booking return flights through Cosmos, Thomson and First Choice can expect to pay between £40 and £80 per person for a fuel supplement – an extra cost reflecting the rising price of fuel that is usually incorporated in the final price of a flight.

A spokesman for Thomson and First Choice said: “Our flight supplements are a fraction of the cost of other airlines, such as British Airways, which charges return fuel supplements of £26 for short haul, £106 for mid haul and £128 for long haul flights.”

Other travel firms also add on a fuel surcharge after a booking is made but has not been fully paid for.

Tenterden-based Voyager Cuba, which offers tailormade holidays to Cuba, said customers could expect to pay upwards of £300 in taxes and fuel surcharges flying with Virgin or Iberia Airlines.

Director Jonathan Kelly said: “The surcharges have shot up in the last six months, but customers feel they don’t have much of a choice about it.”

Kent-based independent travel agents Brockmans said some coach companies were also starting to put prices up because of the weak pound, and the firm advised people to pay for their holidays in full rather than leaving a deposit to ensure no extras are added on.

But Trevor Smith of Travel Counsellors, which has independent travel agents across the country, said Kent people were still often better off than their northern counterparts when it comes to travel choices.

Mr Smith, from Maidstone, said: “The south east has five airports at its disposal.

“In the North, you often only have charter flights flying in and out of the local airport.

“Most of the time, I’ll book a flight with British Airways rather than a charter flight, because by the time you’ve added on all the fuel, baggage and meal surcharges to the “low cost” flight advertised, it’s cheaper and easier to go with the bigger airlines.”

Kent residents also have the option of travelling by rail with Eurostar to the continent – an option that is becoming increasingly attractive to holiday makers.

A spokesman said: “Eurostar has no fuel surcharges, no extra taxes, no baggage costs. We don’t ask our customers why they choose to travel with us, but there has certainly been a big shift towards rail travel as opposed to air travel in terms of short trips to Europe.

“We have had a record first quarter, partly due to the opening of St Pancras and Ebbsfleet and the environmental benefits, and partly because air travel is just not as appealing as it used to be.”

Travel advice