scatcat

I never even think about the cost. The first thing I do when I get home from a trip is to start looking for my next airfare. And in my mind,the € = $. It's just better for me. Never look back.

michele_d

If you have unlimited funds for traveling then I guess there is no need to keep track of expenses. But, for those of us on a budget and saving for each trip it is helpful to approximate your cost up front so you don't come home to an unknown sum that you just spent.

I do spreadsheets for each trip. During the trip I keep a tiny notepad in my purse to jot down the day's expenses. Then I know whether we are on track of under or over. That's just me I guess. I would not have good time if I didn't have any idea of how much was going out each day.

kja

For my first few trips, when my finances were EXTREMELY tight, I kept track of each and every expense, as well as all the likely expenses I would normally have encountered that I avoided because I was away. I found this information very helpful, not only because every single penny counted at the moment, but also because I think it has given me a much better sense of what travel costs.

In more recent trips, I settle for approximations based on charges in advance and while away (easy, because I use a separate account for all my travel-related charges) and ATM withdrawals. I adjust a bit for the gifts I bought for others (which I consider a separate budget line-item) and for some of the expenses I avoided at home, and end up with a reasonable approximation of what the trip cost. I find it helpful for general budgetary planning and also for trip planning, as I get a sense of when and how my expenses differ from expectation.

Surfergirl

IF I were 18 or 20 and had been planning for years and saving pennies for a trip, then, yes, I would work it up. And yes, I did that at 20.

After discoverying that friends and family did that and counted meals and other normal everyday expenses that they would spend at home and add that into the cost as if they didn't eat or go out at home, I thought the whole thing was kind of absurd -- well, from my perspective anyway,

I work super hard to have money not only to survive, but to travel. So aside from me trying to get the best deal on airfare and hotels and on land transportation to see stuff and explore and have fun, I avoid the minutia, which I find a tedious and uninteresting. Now, if I was an accountant, and found that interesting, then it might be fun. We all have our interests and peculiarities.

So, if it's fun for you, do it! For me, so long as I don't have to spend more than 2 months paying interest on the credit cards I've charged, I'm fine not knowing!

Rubicund

I agree with Surfergirl. You can't include every detail like a bottle of water or a soft drink, that's very anal and life's too short to keep receipts for them. When you're at home, don't you eat and drink? Of course you do, so do you deduct your normal weekly shop bill from your figures?

It gets ridiculous and whilst you might have an overall budget for a trip and need to know that you come in around that, detailed record keeping is for business, not fun and leisure.

Seznz

I do keep a spreadsheet but as amer_can says, it can be stressful. I have a 3 week trip to the States coming up shortly and have been keeping myself awake at night stressing about the cost of things.

I now figure that there isn't much I can do about it now, I have the money I have and that's that. I will try to be careful whilst I'm away but at the end of the day, I am on holiday - who wants to stress about money when you are on holiday!!

colduphere

You can always look for coupons in local newspapers to save money when you travel.

Vttraveler

I do want to know how much the trip has cost but not to the extent of keeping a spreadsheet or the receipts for all purchases. We add up all the ATM withdrawals and any credit card purchases. In general we don't set a strict budget but have a sense of how much we are willing to spend on meals and lodging.

Last summer we traveled to Guatemala and Honduras with our son who was doing some research for his senior thesis. He had a fellowship for his air fare and some of his expenses. We found it stressful to try to keep track of all the receipts. When he went to turn them in he learned that they would just give him a per diem and the receipts were not needed!

marigross

Yes. We want to know exactly how much was spent (I mean, give or take a couple hundred dollars is ok). That way we know if the budget was realistic or not. This information will determine when, where and how long our next vacation will be.

spaarne

I bring a few business size envelopes and collect receipts in chronological order. On the plane on the way home I make a spreadsheet on my laptop and record everything spent by category - sleeps, eats, admissions, transports, etc. It helps the time fly on the return trip and it's a good reference for the next trip.

isabel

I'm actually surprised by how many people don't need/want to know how much a trip costs. I can't imagine not keeping track - not of every bottle of water certainly, but overall. For one thing it's interesting to look back on trips taken several years ago and see what things cost, also differences in various countries. But more importantly, seeing what you spent and how you spent it allows you to budget for the next trip - regardless of what your budget is. I guess for the 1% it makes no difference, but for the 99% most people do have to think about what a trip will cost. You can look at your trip expenses and know if you can afford one or two trips next year - or maybe only one every other year. How do you make decisions without information?

StCirq

Just thinking about spreadsheets is a big stresser for me, so no, I've never done that and never will. That said, I always calculate major costs like airfare, trains, rental car, and accommodations ahead of time (and make those purchases ahead of time), then give myself a daily allotment for food and sights and small purchases, and I stick to that. I also allow about 5-10% for unexpected costs. I always come out right on target or under.

cferrb

You might want to figure out what your total budget is for the trip and then start a spreadsheet that deducts the big expenses that you have already incurred or planned, so that you have a sense of how much you have left to spend. Then once you start the trip you will know whether you can generally have a nice bottle of wine with dinners or whether you should stick to a glass of the table red. I certainly would not want to keep track of expenses once you are there, beyond having an idea of how much you can spend per day to not go into the red, and keeping within that average amount.

Pegontheroad

My sister was the spreadsheet queen when we traveled together.

She would make up separate spreadsheets containing all hotel information (address, email address, phone number,etc.) and all transportation info. She also made a spreadsheet with all costs en toto and also for each of us, first in euros and then in dollars.

I am sure I'm missing a spreadsheet or two, also.

However, she didn't do this for financial purposes. She did it so that we'd have all the information we'd need.

She loves making spreadsheets.

eastenderusvi

Ten years down the road, you will not remember how much stuff cost, but you will remember that special bottle of wine you shared and all the fun you had.

Cindywho

Oh yes yes yes!

mlgb

If knowing how much your vacation cost is going to depress you or put you into debt, then I think keeping track of costs might provide some useful feedback on your travel choices.

I really don't keep a detailed spreadsheet but I keep track my hotel costs and daily out of pocket (by tracking ATM withdrawals). If during my trip I've found a great hotel value I then know I can splurge more on souvenirs, tours and meals.

After I started keeping track of my costs in New Zealand, I decided it was not really as fun as it used to be with a strong US dollar. I used that info to change up my presumptions and discovered that Peru and Bolivia are great travel values.

If Europe is depressing you might want to look south of the border.

sugarmaple

As a fairly new traveller, yes, I do keep track, but in a non-anal, general way. I can tell you what the accommodation totals are, plane tickets, insurance, and on our recent trip to Ireland, the car and gasoline costs.

I add up what I take out of the ATM's, and when the credit card bills come in, I put down on a spreadsheet what every charge is for. Just add up the cash and the credit cards and that's my total.

I don't bother separating out on a spreadsheet what I pay cash for, such as entry fees or meals, but it's all on the back of a ratty envelope if I ever feel the need to know what I spent for a particular dinner. Nor do we bother with a daily amount - who know's what might come up!

Interestingly, my last two trips, Ireland, and the year before London and Amsterdam, were within $500 of each other.

I don't do this to pennypinch, but neither do I have the kind of resources to allow me to do anything, including travel, without having a pretty good idea of the costs.

I've got the last credit card bill right in front of me now, and am already thinking of where to go next year!

rosetravels

Before a recent trip to Italy I put together a rough budget in an excel file of hotels, apartments, a rough estimate of lunches, dinners, museums, snacks, splurges etc. I wanted to make sure we could afford the trip and to keep myself from worrying about costs.

I track household expenses on mint.com and gave the trip a special category. About midway through our trip I checked on mint and saw that we were way under budget! Without trying. I'd over-estimated expenses and things like having gelato instead of lunch one day or deciding not to go to a museum - well, we had spent less than anticipated.

We had a great trip, we denied ourselves nothing, it didn't cost much and we're already planning our next one. There have also been trips (with the kids) when expenses came in higher. That was no big deal - I was just glad to know so I could plan for next time.

november_moon

I do what michele does - approximate the cost of a trip for savings purposes and then along the way, keep track generally in a notebook to make sure we are in the ball park. That way there aren't any suprises when we get home. If we splurge one day, then we'll eat more cheaply or whatever the next so it all evens out. So I know about what our trips are going to cost and after all is said and done, I know about what they did cost - helps for future planning too.