Travel Budget Calculator

Budget by category, then by day

Fixed costs happen once: flights, visas, insurance, vaccinations, airport transfers. Variable costs recur daily: accommodation, food, local transport, activities. Separating them makes the trip length question answerable, because adding three days changes only the variable side. A trip that looks unaffordable is often affordable at a shorter duration, and the split shows that immediately.

The costs people leave out

Airport transfers at both ends, which for a distant airport can rival a domestic flight. Baggage fees on budget carriers, frequently more than the ticket. Tourist taxes charged per night at the property. Card foreign transaction fees at around 3 percent on everything, plus ATM withdrawal charges. Data roaming or a local SIM. Tips where they are expected rather than optional. Together these routinely add 10 to 15 percent to a budget that only counted the obvious items.

Exchange rates and the spread

The rate you get is not the mid-market rate you looked up. Airport bureaux and dynamic currency conversion at card terminals can cost 5 to 10 percent. Always choose to be charged in the local currency when a terminal offers a choice, and use a card without foreign transaction fees. Over a two-week trip the difference is often more than a night's accommodation.

Contingency is not optional

Add 15 to 20 percent. Something always happens: a missed connection, a medical visit, a cancelled booking, weather forcing an unplanned night. A budget with no slack means the first disruption goes onto a credit card at a poor rate while abroad.

Prepay what you can

Flights and accommodation booked in advance are typically cheaper and, more usefully, remove the largest unknowns from the on-trip budget. What remains is daily spending, which is far easier to control day to day than a budget where a major cost is still floating.