A lot of the time, we end up spending more on travel than we’d like. Often we miss things we hadn’t factored into the plan. To prevent yourself from getting sticker shock, here’s an example of how you can write your own estimate. Be prepared for how much you should save up for your next vacation!
Example of how to write a travel plan to Rome, Italy for 10 days (2 people):
| Travel item | Cost | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Airfare | $2,500 | main cabin, round trip |
| Taxi | $0 | |
| Gas | $0 | |
| Rail/bus tickets | $50 | |
| Public transport | $0 | |
| Cruise | $0 | |
| Car rental | $0 | |
| Shore excursions/tours | $200 | guided tours |
| Hotel | $2,000 | 1 queen room, $250/night x 8 nights |
| Admission/tickets | $200 | 3 museums and a show |
| Food & drink | $400 | breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, drinks |
| Shopping/souvenirs | $200 | |
| Travel insurance | $250 | |
| TOTAL | $5,800 | per person total $2,900 |
| per person, per day total $290 |
Remember, this is the total for two people. I like to break down the estimate into how much we’re going to spend per person, per day. Often, smaller numbers are easier to fathom. If, in this example, $290 per day per person is too much for your personal comfort, come back to this budget and rework some numbers until you do feel okay with the final price. Perhaps a better destination would be a domestic trip and not an international one after all. Maybe you decide to go with a budget hotel because you don’t mind a less luxurious stay.
There are lots of different ways to create a tailor-made estimate for yourself. This is a simple example, but I’m sure you can apply it to more complex cases.