The TRAVELER'S JOURNAL, March second, with four tips to follow whenever you leave home.

When traveling, few feelings are as unsettling as the sense that you've been had. The sums involved may be large or small, no one enjoys being ripped-off. Though the following suggestions may seem basic common sense, it pays to keep them in mind.

Tip one. Avoid taking cabs in from the airport, if there's a suitable public alternative. Those cabs waiting to whisk you away frequently cost many times more than public transportation, which, to add insult to injury, is often faster. In Geneva, Switzerland, for example, the airport bus costs about $5, travels on special lanes and makes the trip to town in 15 minutes, even in rush hour traffic. A cab, which runs at least $50, can easily take 45 minutes.

Tip two. In hotels, both in the U.S. and abroad, be very wary of charges for incidental items such as laundry services and telephone calls made from your room. Even in fine hotels, they can make for enormously expensive surprises at check out. For example, a direct dialed, half hour call home from a Paris hotel room can cost $100.

Since in many countries, a 15 percent charge is automatically included in restaurant bills, there's no need to tack on an extra gratuity, unless the service was superlative. In other places, gratuities are automatically added to the bill for groups of more than eight.

Travel caution number four: don't pay for something you didn't buy. Check all bills carefully and never be hesitant to question any charge that seems odd. Sometimes, just asking about a strange charge can make it disappear.

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