As if travel didn’t cost us enough already, those of us visiting the United States will now have to fork out another £9 on top of their usual holiday costs. This is thanks to the US Government announcing that ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorisation) applications will become chargeable from next month.

If you aren’t familiar with ESTA, you should be. As part of the visa waiver program adopted by the United States many years ago, Britons qualify for entry to the USA for business or pleasure and previously had to complete an i-94 card on flights to the country. This green form was replaced last year by ESTA and now you must complete the process online before you travel, in fact, failure to do so will actually stop you from being able to board any plane to the United States, so its imperative you complete it.

This process was always free, but recent announcements from the US government mean there will now be a £9 charge starting on the 9th September 2010. It probably isnt the US governments fault, but when you add all the costs up for travelling including travel insurance, airport tax, fuel duty, transfers, air (ok, not air), airport hotels and so on, the cost of holidaying and travelling is really starting to become a serious financial problem.

The good news is, if you have a holiday booked in the next 2 years, you can complete ESTA right now, free of charge and avoid the extra cost. The same goes for those regulars who are often found frequenting Gatwick airport hotels (you know who you are!) waiting for the next flight to JFK, its best to fill it out right now and save yourself the money and hassle for at least the next 2 years.

Whether or not the US government decides to use the money for tourism, as they have stated, one thing is certain, they will be raking in the cash with over 4 million britons alone travelling to the USA this year.

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