On his podcast, Clark Howard answers real reader questions on money, credit, debt, retirement, travel, and more, along with co-host Christa DiBiase.

Clark's answer: As someone who stays in hotels constantly, I’ve seen this happening more and more. When you’re searching for hotels online, there’s usually a filter you can click to show only properties with free parking or to cut out the ones that charge. But even that isn't foolproof.

This is a growing trend. Because people compare prices online based strictly on the nightly room rate, hotels are unbundling costs. They know travelers aren't checking for junk fees, and now they’re adding parking fees in areas where parking everywhere else is completely free.

One trick I use is looking for legal street parking nearby. For example, I was recently staying at a hotel in Pasadena, California, where the hotel charges $40 a night for parking because the city has strict overnight street parking rules. However, this particular hotel was located in a part of Pasadena where overnight street parking is actually allowed for free without needing a city pass. So for my three-night stay, I parked on the street and paid zero.