Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - How Do You Plan Your Trip Budget?

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How Do You Plan Your Trip Budget?

Hi everyone--I came across a website once, but unfortunately didn't bookmark it, that was a very handy reference for planning the budget for trips. It was a spreadsheet design and included all possible costs for the trip. How do you plan the budget for your trip? If you have a good system, or a spreadsheet type of document that you use, please share it with us!

Not sure if this is it [http://www.twenj.com/tipsbudget.htm], but Ed's site does have a spreadsheet to estimate costs (in addition to lots of other helpful info).

I built a spreadsheet with the following colums (as they read across the page): Date, Day (e.g. Sun, Mon, etc.), Destination, Hotel (name), Hotel (cost), Est. Meals per day (cost) I even plugged in a conversion formula column next to each of the cost fields so I could know what the price in lira would be and what the price in US dollars would be. At the top of the page I could change the exchange rate as my departure got closer to update costs. At the bottom of the page I totalled costs for lodging and meals, and I could also plug in (as they were confirmed) airfare, rental car costs, and an estimated figure for gifts/souvenirs. It worked out tremendously and we completed the trip as budgeted!

I look in my checking account, my credit card "available credit", and then spend every dime on a trip. The normal person would start with the airfare cost; this is a lock, no way around it, it's an upfront charge to your cash available. Next is transportation once landed - car, train, plane - this is a little more negotiable, you can change plans while on vacation, but it's a chunkachange. Next is accommodation - lots of wiggle room there, cheap hotel, hostel, apartment, 2* hotel.... Then food. Huge wiggle room there - if money's tight, I can buy my food in a grocery store or market and never step inside a restaurant. Finally, admission fees. This has the biggest wiggle room; I can visit sights that are free, I can get reduced rates on certain days, I can just visit the countryside, go swimming, go hiking, and never pay a sou.

I actually don't plan a travel budget - instead I decide how much I can spare for the trip and then fit my arrangements into that amount. Sometimes I do europe - including airfare into $60 a day and sometimes $250 a day. Just depends on what I can afford. I know pretty much where I can economize and what the good splurges are.

If there is one single mistake I see (and hear about) people making when planning a trip - - it is focusing on one single element (like getting a good deal on airfare, or getting that perfect villa rental for a week) - - without thinking through the "domino effect" of how decision x or y or z will affect ground transportation - - or lodging or whatever else. I recommend a "fluid" approach that GENERALLY puts the whole trip together - - and then think through - - what happens if we tinker with this item or that item - - before committing to ANY irreversible purchase. And for a trip of over 12 days (especially in an off-season) - - it is not necessarily foolish or "bad" to budget as much for ground (or other intra-Europe) transportation as for (trans-atlantic) air travel. Best wishes, Rex

I don't even USE the "B" word!!! For flights, hotel rooms, other transportation I do my best to get the best deal I can and then once there I am not what you would call "extravagant" but I certainly do whatever I want and enjoy good meals and buy souveniers and gifts (I do my Christmas shopping while on trips)that when I get home I am happy that I got. But, like I said, we do not go crazy spending either. We stay at 2 star hotels-usually (if I find a place I would be heartbroken to miss we'll stay there), and I don't buy designer clothes or gifts. We like good food-which does not have to be expensive-just taste good! But, we don't limit ourselves-we'll eat at a 5 star place if it suits us-just not every night. So, no, I have no budget but I enjoy life and traveling but I am reasonable about it. Patti

we go diving in feb.and always count on a fixed amount for that and it is high season but feb. in indiana is freezing! then another trip maybe to europe or diving again in the fall. we pretty much live way below our means so money gets a little tight but not once have we considered not going somewhere. also it helps alot that i'm a nurse and with the shortage i can always pick up a short term job for extra cash somewhere-haven't had to do it yet but the option is there. happy travels to all on this forum!!!

I use Elvira's system. I'm not kidding! That is exactly the way I crack the nut every time and it works for me. :o)

Cindy, I have found trip budgets to be very personal and vary widely. I get the budget question often and have prepared a rough guide to put people at least in the ballpark. See if this one makes any sense. Sorry about the tabs , they always mess up. ITALY TRAVEL BUDGET---2002 by BOB the NAVIGATOR Independent travel to Europe continues to become even more popular with American tourists, and it seems that Italia has become everyone's favorite destination. This phenomenon is certainly not difficult to understand for those of us who have learned to savor "la dolce vita". During the past four years I have been fortunate to have planned more than sixty personalized itineraries for independent travelers to southern Europe----most of them to Italy. Understandably, one of the first questions I get from a prospective client is about the projected costs. My quick answer is the obvious one----" that depends on you and your preferred travel style". As we delve deeper it becomes clear that the style choices of would-be independents can vary widely-----from youth hostel backpackers to luxury five star jet-setters. We will ignore these extremes for now and concentrate on the more mainstream middle ranges. Here are some assumptions for our hypothetical itinerary: A. This is a 14 day [13 night] itinerary to Italy for a couple during the shoulder season months of April, May, Sept. and Oct. These are the best months for travel to Italy. B. Flying into Milan or Venice and out of Rome, or vice versa, with the purchase of tourist class tickets well in advance, or from a consolidator. C. The 2-star budget assumes rail travel. The rental car options include all insurance and unlimited mileage. Car choices are compact/manual [3-star] and mid-size/auto [4-star]. Now that we have our parameters set let's go ahead and plan our budget. Remember, this is for planning purposes only and is really controlled by you. You may decide to blow the budget on Murano glass, Florentine leather, or silk in Bellagio. But, I do feel this to be a realistic estimate of expenses for this itinerary, based upon an exchange rate 2200L/$. TRAVEL EXPENSE ITEM: 2 STAR 3 STAR 4 STAR ================================================== ========== AIRFARE--2 PEOPLE 1600 1600 1600 RAIL TICKETS--2 PEOPLE 500 N/A N/A CAR RENTAL--ALL INCL. N/A 550 900 * PETROL N/A 200 250 * TOLLS N/A 50 50 TOTAL TRANSPORT $ 2100 $ 2400 $ 2800 HOTELS & INNS--13 NITES 900 1500 2200 FOOD & DRINK 600 900 1200 TOURISM COSTS 300 300 500 GELATO & CAPPUCCINO 150 150 200 MISC. EXTRAS 150 150 200 LIVING & TOURISM $ 2100 $ 3000 $ 4300 ============================================== ================= TOTAL TRIP COSTS: $ 4200 $ 5400 $ 7100 BUON VIAGGIO !

Thanks for all your help! I just want to make sure I'm saving enough now to pay for a nice trip to Rome and Tuscany in June '02 for my husband, 2 sons and I. I can always adjust savings now to make sure I have enough in June. Airfare as of now (direct, no connections, on Alitalia) is like $950! I will wait to book that and try to get a lower rate.. Found some great and reasonable villas in Tuscany and hotels in Rome.. Now my main concern is a car.

Cindy, I sent you a travel spreadsheet. Good luck. Tony