Do you really want to know how much your entire trip costs?
 

DH and I were discussing our trip to Europe next year and he suggested I start a spreadsheet to track the costs. By the way, we are both accountants so this is second nature to us.

My philosophy is, however, why ruin a good thing? We have already paid for some items of the trip, such as hotel and apt deposits, airfares (two) , car rentals, and now are deciding on some prepaid tours. Those prepaid items really don't count, do they? The savings I have put back is still untouched, so why worry about what is already paid for?

Knowing the full cost will only depress us and will make him be worried the entire time we re there about every little expense and he won't enjoy it......maybe.

What do you think? Do you prefer to know or not know how much it is costing you?

I prefer to know what I'm doing and always have a spreadsheet. We have just returned from a month long trip to Italy and France and came in UNDER budget. That was the icing on the cake!!!

Cindywho: I think having a spreadsheet is a great idea. You will in black and white about your expenses and maybe you can see how little you may be spending in some area. Try it for at least 1-2 trips and see how it goes and how the facts effect the feelings!

I am way behind in computer skills and would love for someone to teach me in simple language how I could start a spreadsheet. I want to also use it for my travels, esp. the day to day expenses---food, transportation, tickets and souvenirs. Often I spend cautiously, but do not have a full figure at the end of the trip. The spreadsheet would be wonderful to encourage me to spend less in one area and maybe more in another.
Thanks for helping.

Yes, we always want to know what a trip cost, but you don't need to use spreadsheets. Enough of those at work! Simply keep all receipts and add them up when you get home. Also a fun way to relive your trip. My mother was also an accountant who when we made an extensive trip in 1965 (!!) - 2 mos. from Paris thru the Eastern Bloc to Turkey, Greece, and Italy - kept a notebook of ALL our expenses. And I mean ALL. It was interesting in the end. We had spent only $500 for the whole trip. I still have that notebook. My husband took his daughter to Spain and Portugal for 21 days in 2002. He spent $2500. We added up the receipts and counted up the cash he had left over. We do not factor in FF tickets. We planned to go for a month to Spain and Paris just now and counted on spending about $6-7,000, but we probably would have spent less. We had to cancel the trip because our village in Spain suffered a big fire and a month later flooding. We'll go in the spring if we can get FF tickets.
Better to do the accounting at home. Don't spoil your trip !

I've been tracking my recent trips and include everything I spend, even stopping for a glass of wine or a bottle of water. I put expenses in a spreadsheet.

There is an easy way to track expenses - all credit card charges plus ATM receipts. You won't have an itemization but will have a total of expenses for the trip.

I find tracking charges a way to know when I can afford the next trip and where I can go, i.e., inexpensive countries vs. expensive countries. It also helps me decide during the trip if I can afford to splurge.

Why did your husband suggest that you track expenses - why doesn't he do it if you would prefer not to know.

Yes, you must include all prepaid items. They are a big part of your trip.

No - we never calculate the cost of any trip. We make decisions based on what we feel is worth the cost - keeping in mind that we have limited vacation time - so central hotel locations and non-stop flights are requirements for us.

IMHO it's really difficult to figure out an exact cost anyway - since most people don;t figure in what they save by not being at home - from reduced utility bills, no cost of commuting to work, no lunches at work, no going out to dinner or movies or show, spending less at the market etc. If you're gone 2 weeks - that is a lot of money you aren't spending at home.

I used to keep track until six of us went to Japan, South Korea and China for a month. I really did not want to know the cost of that trip.

I don't really want to know, but I keep track of it anyway.

Actually, I keep track of all my expenses, all the time. It's not that hard, really, as long as I remember to get receipts for everything.

The difficult thing about keeping track of travel expenses is when there are more than two different sorts of money involved.

No. Right now I have to cancel a major trip, and I really don't want to know how much that is costing.

No. Always look for the best deals on flights, hotels,rental homes and apartments, cars but after that never do a total.

OMG..How to stress yourself about your trip.. If you have to ask what it will cost you shouldn't go. Receipts, CC, ATMs are fine AFTER you get home if your genes demand this kind of attention to detail. Don't think I/we have gone over board on spending on numerous trips, alone and/or with family but if we do/did...Who cares. Joy, experiences, beauty all have their price. Don't get hung up here!!!

I'm doing the same thing myself. I have taken care of most of my big expenses (airfare,apt, train ticket, connecting flights and show-attraction tickets) already. I think if I had to account for every penny, it wouldn't be much of a vacation. I started pricing out the restaurants that wanted to eat at and took an excessive day of spending with friends in LA's and added 30%. I then gave myself a set amount to save for my trip based off my estimated daily expense budget. I'm also traveling alone which always ends up cheaper in the end.

The only trips I keep really detailed records for are business trips so that I can claim against my taxes.

Otherwise, having a rough plan for a "daily allowance" and knowing roughly how this is going is usually enough, plus making sure that I know if something terrible happens to the exchange rate while I'm travelling.

My method's about to be tested though by taking the whole family to Europe for three weeks!

Yeah, I think we will just do the best we can. I was really trying to be somewhat funny, by saying the prepaid items don't count, right?

We had lots of years of penny pinching and I don't want to do that while on a trip to Europe. We are not big spenders, so I will rely on our normal tendency to be reasonable to keep us in line.

It is interesting to hear everyone's perspective on this. If anyone wants to know what it costs, I'll say "just enough to have a wonderful trip".

One thing for sure is you should research a bank that won't rob you for banking abroad and atm fee's.

I have a vague idea of how much the trip is costing/has cost, but I just do what I want to do and don't worry about it. That's what credit cards are for.

Periodically I try to total the cost of the trip after I've returned, but come up with only a general idea.

Nice to see you back, Cold.

I need to know because eventually the cost of the trip comes from savings but everything initially is paid from checking or comes out via ATM during the trip.

No spreadsheets, though. I just use the credit card billing for the big items and write cash expenditures down in my trip journal.

I neglected to mention that I am a retired accountess so don't do that spreadsheet stuff any more. I'd rather crochet something.

Cindywho, (and Jana--I LOVED your comment)
I totally get your point of view. My LIFE is a spreadsheet, and while I always have a good feel for what I have spent and am spending on a trip, I have found it to be counterproductive to quantify. I never overspend. My DNA makes that impossible. But on travel, I go on "feel" rather than numbers.

Luckily I am married to Mr. Finance who seems to share my viewpoint. He refuses to keep up with the Jones; he feels no need to travel "top shelf", but he's more than willing to shell out for lifetime memories--and that may include a fab pricey Paris restaurant.

It all evens out. As I often say, my old couch remains. Replacing it would be airfare.