Need to create a travel budget? This calculator will tell you how much the trip of your dreams will cost.
Step 1: Gather cost information
Choose your destination from the dropdown menu to see average costs for your travel budget.
These averages from the experts at Budgetyourtrip.com are shockingly accurate, in my experience. They’re a great starting point to fill out the travel budget calculator below so you can create your own personal travel budget.
Step 2: Estimate your Airfare Not sure how much to budget? Click this box to run a flexible search.
Step 3: Create Your Travel Budget
The tool above can only offer averages — your trip costs could be wildly different depending on your travel style.
- Do you like to visit 6 museums each day, or will you be sitting on a park bench watching people go by?
- Will you be in a tourist hotspot, or are you headed to a remote village?
- Are you a foodie who likes to dine out for every meal, or will you be cooking?
- Have you signed up for an expensive tour or event?
Use the averages above as a guideline to create your personalized travel budget.
Travel Budget
Trip Budget
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FAQs about creating a travel budget
Start by researching airfare, which can be as much as half your trip cost. Then look at lodging costs. Add in any expensive tours or other entertainment.
If you’re frugal, and willing to cook some of your meals, your food and transportation don’t need to cost any more than they would if you stayed home. But keep in mind that expensive restaurants and shopping are big temptations, and many travelers like to indulge themselves with spa treatments, cocktails, coffee drinks, appetizers, and desserts.
It depends on where you’re going. In parts of Southeast Asia, South America, and Africa you can eat, sleep, and enjoy yourself for as little as $50 a day. Europe, Canada, Australia, and the US are quite a bit more expensive, and if you choose to travel in a luxurious style, you could spend $200 a night just on lodging.
The best way to know how much to budget is to research actual costs for the type of lodging, transportation, and activities you would want at your destination.
If you want to save on transportation costs, stay close to home. If you want to travel internationally, consider the northern parts of South America. Ecuador and Colombia are affordable countries to visit, and airfares are very reasonable from the US.
If you don’t mind spending on airfare but want to live cheaply after you arrive, consider Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, or Cambodia. All have very low costs of living.