Travel budget planner
Put in what the trip costs up front and what you expect to spend each day. You get the total, the share per person, the cost per day and the spending money to take.
Fixed vs daily costs
Why longer trips cost less per day
Flights and other one-off costs get shared across every day of the trip; daily spending does not. Drag the sliders to see the cost per day fall towards your daily spend.
261 per day at 7 days, of which 171 is your share of one-off costs.
Cost per day = one-off costs ÷ days + daily spend. The first extra days cut the average fastest; after a couple of weeks the curve flattens because daily spending dominates. That is why a long flight is easier to justify on a longer trip.
What to include in a travel budget
Getting there: flights, trains or fuel (the road trip cost calculator does the fuel maths), plus airport transfers and baggage fees.
Sleeping: nightly rate times nights, plus any city or tourist taxes your booking lists separately.
On the ground: food, local transport, entry tickets and extras. Look up current prices on official attraction sites instead of relying on old blog posts.
Before you go: insurance, any visa or travel authorisation fees (check the official government site for the exact amount), vaccinations and gear.
Questions
How do I make a travel budget?
List the fixed costs (transport there and back, accommodation, insurance, visas), then a daily amount per person for food, local transport, activities and extras. Multiply the daily amount by days and travellers, add the fixed costs, and add a buffer of around 10% for surprises.
How much spending money do I need per day?
It depends heavily on the destination and your style, so research current prices for your destination and plug them in. Budget travel guides, recent traveller reports and the destination's official tourism site are good starting points.
What is the spending money figure?
Your daily costs per person times the number of days, plus the buffer. It is the cash-and-card money you need on the ground once travel and accommodation are paid.
Why add a buffer?
Taxis when it rains, a missed connection, or a day trip you did not plan: small surprises add up. A buffer keeps them from blowing the budget.
Is this a travel budget template I can download?
Yes. Download CSV exports every line to open in Excel, Numbers or Google Sheets.