( CNN ) -- Many moons ago , when backpacking around Europe , I decided to treat myself to a gelato in the Italian city of Florence . It had been a few tough days of not really appreciating the art , architecture and history enough -- no matter how many hours I had devoted to museums . The feet were sore and the mind was well , over it . After all , at some point , ancient cathedrals all start to look the same . `` How many flavors ? '' I was asked . The ice cream was beautifully presented in that Italian way that makes the gelati look soft , smooth and perplexingly weightless . In hindsight , the well-polished checkered tile floor and pristine , clear glass display cabinets should have alerted me that this was no ordinary gelati joint . Being greedy and indecisive , but mostly greedy , I opted for three . The attendant got her gelati scraper spoony thing and proceeded to lavish layer upon layer of lemon , strawberry and pistachio ice cream , to create the Monte Bianco of cones . My eyes were huge . They got bigger when she asked me to pay . The amount , it was lire back then , roughly translated to about $ 30 -- way out of budget for any tight-fisted backpacker , let alone an Australian . The only thing greater than my outrage at the cost was the look of disdain on the attendant 's face when I un-artfully negotiated the cost of the gelato down to around $ 10 ( still way too high in my opinion , but it was a tricky situation and I wanted to pretend I had at least some pride ) . She artfully negotiated her scraper spoony thing around the ice cream and shaved off way more than two thirds , leaving me with the undernourished , poor cousin of what was once a giant gelato cone . Lesson learned . Do n't order more than you can afford and avoid posh , well-positioned shops near tourist sites . And do n't do pistachio . Among gelati royalty , lemon , or limone , remains king and queen . British tourists stung . A similar lesson hit a group of British tourists this week in Rome , according to media reports . They got stung 64 euros ( $ 84 ) for four gelati . Chicken feed , I say when compared to my ice cream incident , at a smidgen over $ 20 per gelato . According to one report , the Via della Vite managers confirmed the cost of the treats and defended the pricing , saying they were large ice creams . `` No one forced them to order big ice creams . We also serve small ones which only cost â‚¬2.50 ( $ 3.30 ) . But if you want a lot of ice cream then it is worth the price . And the prices are displayed everywhere , '' a manager told the UK 's The Daily Telegraph . According to the report , the tourists coughed up the money . `` And when we paid up , they did n't even say thank you , '' Mr Bannister , of Birmingham was quoted as saying . You 'd hope it was pretty tasty . This leads to this question , what has been your biggest travel rip off ? Sure , we all moan about costs of visas ( I am singling you out , Uncle Sam and your $ 160 non-refundable visa processing fee . Oh , and you too , Mr $ 250-a-day Bhutan ) , international phone roaming and hotel Wi-Fi but often those charges are simply unavoidable . It is the ones we are not prepared for , such as a super dooper pricey ice cream cone , that often sting us most . We 've all had our own version of the Great Firenze Incident of 2000 , so get out the gelati spatula and serve up your greatest , or worst , travel rip off in the comments box below .
British tourists pay $ 84 for four days in Rome . Some travel related issues like visas are unavoidable . It 's the avoidable rip offs that matter the most . What 's your worst travel rip off ?