budget travel planner

Free Travel Budget Calculator: Easily Make Your Vacation Budget

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Ready to take the hassle out of planning and managing your vacation budget? Our online Free Travel Budget Calculator is  simple, and easy to use, and can help you plan and track your vacation expenses in just a few clicks.  

I’ve used these same methods and categories of expenses for every trip I’ve taken over the last 25 years. From multiple  3 month solo adventures through Europe and South America, to weeks long trips to Cuba and Vancouver Island, Canada with my family. 

Now online with automatic calculations, so you don’t have to mess around with spreadsheets or hand write in printables that clutter up your home. 

In this post you’ll get access to this free tool, plus, you’ll get my top tips for planning your budget effectively for your trips and how to save money on travel. All the advice you need for smarter travel planning is right here.

Table of Contents

How to Use the Travel Budget Calculator & Try It Out!

Make sure to bookmark this page so you can come back to it anytime you need to track your vacation expenses and make travel plans.

This free vacation budget calculator will give you an estimate of total travel costs for your trip and whether your budget is enough to cover what you want to do.

It can help you identify areas you can potentially save money on trip expenses. Whether it’s choosing more budget-friendly hotels, walking or taking the bus instead of taxis, or prioritizing your top not-to-miss activities.

You can also start with your budget.

Then play around with the length of your trip, how much hotels, flights etc will cost to help you determine your price range for each travel expense as well.

• Enter 0 (zero) if there are certain categories you don’t need . The calculator will output an error ($NaN) if you don’t.
• Instructions for the calculator are below the Travel Budget Calculator, to give you an idea of what you should include under each budget item.

Vacation Budget Calculator

Calculator instructions.

Enter all your estimated expenses you’ve gathered during your vacation research.

Make sure it’s actually a realistic travel budget. For a  family trip with young kids, you’ll also need to factor other things like diapers, baby wipes etc.

• Travel Budget : Enter your overall vacation budget you have for this trip.
• Number of Travellers: Enter the number of people you are paying for on this trip
• Number of Nights: Enter the number of nights you will need accommodations for. This will be used to calculate hotel costs.
• Number of Vacation Days: Enter the number of days you will be on vacation. Include travel days to be safe . This will be used to calculate your overall food & drink, daily transportation and activity costs.
• Total Flight Costs: Enter the estimated total of flight costs for everyone travelling. Be sure to include any baggage fees.
• Transportation Costs: Enter the total transportation costs for the trip. This is for any major transport costs that aren’t flights like trains, city transfers, car or RV rentals.
• Daily Transportation Costs: Enter your anticipated daily transport costs. This is for things like taxis, buses, Ubers, parking costs etc, you might need to get around every day.
• Hotel Costs (Per Night): Enter the amount your accommodations will cost each night. Don’t forget to include any tips for housekeeping staff etc. you may need to pay.
• Total Tour Costs: Enter your overall total budget or cost for tours, including guide tips.
• Activity Costs (Per Day) : Enter the amount you expect to spend on activities daily (do not include tours). These are for things like seeing movies, souvenirs, shopping, trips to a rec centre / pool, bowling, seeing a hockey game or a concert etc.
• Food & Drink Costs (per Day): Enter your overall daily food & drink budget or expected costs for everyone. Don’t forget to include tips.
• Miscellaneous Expenses: Enter an amount of money you will have overall for unexpected expenses or miscellaneous costs that pop up. Be sure to also include extra travel expenses not covered elsewhere.
• Travel Insurance: Enter the overall amount of money you will pay for travel insurance for everyone. This is for things like travel health insurance, trip cancellation insurance etc.

Budget Outputs

Currency Note: While the output is in dollars (uses the $ symbol), you can really use any numerical currency you’d like. Just ignore the $ symbol.

Once you hit the calculate button, you will get 4 pieces of info based on the numbers you provided:

• Total Vacation Costs : This is the estimated cost for your vacation based on the info you provided.
• Over Budget / Under Budget: This is the amount you are either over or under budget. If your expenses are over your vacation budget, it will say Over Budget and the number will be negative. If it says Under Budget, that is the amount you are under your estimated budget.
• Travel Costs Per Day: This is the amount of money your trip will cost you each day.
• Cost Per Person Per Day: This is the amount of money your trip will cost you per person, each day.

Make sure to review your results. If your over budget are there things you can do to bring the costs down? Or is there a way you can save or make more money before your trip?

Why You Need A Travel Budget

Listen, I am all for spending a little extra to do things our family doesn’t get to do at home. 

But there is nothing more anxiety-inducing than running out of money on a trip, or having to pay off huge credit card bills at 28%  interest because you didn’t plan ahead.

This is where a vacation budget can really help. 

It doesn’t mean you can’t have fun or spend money.

Creating a budget will actually help you be able to afford your dreams. Plus be able to relax & have fun on your vacation knowing you won’t be in debt when you get back home.

The trip budget calculator will make financial planning fun, and easy.

How To Set Your Travel Budget & Determine Expenses

1. determine your overall travel budget.

First things first. Decide on your overall vacation budget or the money you are willing to spend on this trip.

When determining your overall vacation budget, you’ll want to consider a few things:

• How much money are you willing to spend on this trip?
• How much have you already saved?
• How long do you plan to go for? (more or less time can impact your budget)
• How many people will be travelling? (some places like Europe limit 4 people to a hotel room, this can significantly impact cost)
• When do you want to travel and how much time do you have to add to your vacation fund?
• How much extra can you afford to put away every week / month on top of your regular bills & household expenses?
• Is there any way you can decrease household expenses, or increase your income to add to your vacation fund faster?

Just make sure it’s a realistic budget. It doesn’t do anybody any good to use too low or too high numbers as a starting point. 

2. Do Your Research

The type of trip you want to take, the length and the type of activities you want to do, will really impact your budget.

For example a week long trip to Thailand will be much different than a week in Japan, or a trip to Disneyworld.

Do some intial research to give you an idea of what your basic travel expenses will costs, so you can have ballpark figures to enter in the travel cost calculator.

You can always google average costs of living / travelling at your destination.

Careful planning is an important part of any travel budget. 

3. Find Ways to Cut Costs

Unless you have a rich benefactor, or suddenly won the lottery, it’s a good idea to consider ways you can cut costs, save money and use your travel budget wisely.

Besides using our holiday budget calculator, our favourite ways to save money on travel expenses.

Transportation & Accommodation

• Find flight deals & error fares : The best way is with Going (Formerly Scott’s Cheap Flights) Flight tickets can be a big expense and make up a good portion of the total cost usually. 
• Consider housesitting: is our go-to site for housesitting around the world.
• Rent a place with a kitchen : Save money on food with a vacation rental . They can also be cheaper than renting multiple hotel rooms if you have a large family or group.
• Compare car rentals: Using Discover Cars can help you save up to 70% by quickly comparing rental cars options.
• Book early: Hotels, flights and trains are generally cheaper booked in advance. You won’t want to risk paying significantly more waiting until last minute.
• Take public transportation: If it’s safe to do so, take the local bus, or walk instead of relying on expensive taxis all the time.

⭐️ Also check out our list of the best ways to save money on flights .

General Money Saving Tips

• Travel off season or peak season: Not only is it usually much cheaper, there’s usually fewer tourists.
• Use a credit card with no foreign transaction fees : Those transaction fees can really add up. Also consider if travel credit cards with points are for you.
• Eat where the locals eat : Avoiding the touristy restuarants, and eating where the locals eat will not only save you lots of money, it will give you a more authentic look into their local cuisine and culture.
• Avoid popular destinations:  The most popular touristy destinations  often cost a lot of money, compared to smaller, lesser known destinations.  
• Consider using travel agents: Sometimes a travel agent can find you a great deal, with much less work on your part. 
• Adjust your travel style: Luxury resorts may be out of your price range. Road trips, camping trips can be just as memorable for for a family vacation.
• Plan free activities : Pick some free activities to do in between your more expensive tours, theme parks, & day trips to ancient ruins. 
• Check out these ways to save on flights

Final Thoughts Using The Vacation Budget Calendar

Creating a vacation budget might seem challenging, but don’t worry! Equipped with the right tools and a bit of strategic planning, your next epic adventure is closer than you think.

Using a vacation budget calculator can help guide you to make smart, affordable choices, allowing you to experience the journey you’ve always dreamed of, without stressing about expenses.

Travel can be exciting and enjoyable at all budget levels. So here’s to making memories with your family, and friends.

Related travel planning resources:

• Ultimate Pre-Travel Checklist
• Family beach vacation tips
• Tips for saving money on road trips
• Easy ways to build a travel fund
• Save money on attractions: Where to buy online tour tickets

Donna Garrison is the founder of Packed for Life, an ever curious traveler with a passion for making memories with her family. With a unique perspective on travelling on a budget gathered over 30 years, 20 countries and 5 continents she gives families the tools & resources they need to experience the joys of travelling more for less through practical solutions. She helps over 20,000 families a month plan & take the family travel, camping and road trip adventures of their dreams in Canada, the USA and around the world. Contact her at: Donna [at] packedforlife.com

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The 12 Best Budgeting Apps for Travelers

Ashley Rossi

Ashley Rossi is always ready for her next trip. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram for travel tips, destination ideas, and off the beaten path spots.

After interning at SmarterTravel, Ashley joined the team full time in 2015. She's lived on three continents, but still never knows where her next adventure will take her. She's always searching for upcoming destination hotspots, secluded retreats, and hidden gems to share with the world.

Ashley's stories have been featured online on USA Today, Business Insider, TripAdvisor, Huffington Post, Jetsetter, and Yahoo! Travel, as well as other publications.

The Handy Item I Always Pack : "A reusable filtered water bottle—it saves you money, keeps you hydrated, and eliminates waste—win-win."

Ultimate Bucket List Experience : "A week in a bamboo beach hut on India's Andaman Islands."

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While you’re stuck daydreaming about your next bucket-list vacation, why don’t you get a hold of your finances and make it a reality by first budgeting out your travel expenses? Whether it’s a road trip or international vacation that you’re planning, easily forgettable items like parking fees can add up. That’s why you should use a travel-specific budgeting app to help streamline your costs on your next trip. Here are 12 budget apps to help you plan your expenses.

PocketGuard

Link all of your financial accounts and cards to this app, and it will automatically update and categorize your spending in real time. It then tells you what spending money you have with the “in my pocket” feature. It also automatically builds you a spending budget based on income, bills, and the goals you set. It even finds ways to lower some of your monthly bills for you … sign us up.

Download: iOS | Google Play

Tripcoin lets you enter in your expenses per day and even works offline. It then processes your spending to give you a spending summary of your trip, which you can export for other uses. This lets you see how much you’re spending on each category of your trip, broken down by day, so you can monitor your vacation expenses in real time.

Download: iOS

9 Sneaky Travel Costs You Might Forget to Budget For

Trip Expense Manager

The Trip Expense Manager app is ideal for large traveling groups that need help planning and monitoring travel expenses. For each trip you take, you can add Google users, a list of places to go, and expenses, and even mark who paid which bill.

Download: Google Play

TravelSpend

I love TravelSpend for its easy-to-use features and simple design. How it works: You add expenses as they happen (the app works offline and even converts foreign currencies) and the app tracks your spending by total and by day. You can even follow your spending on a map throughout your vacation.

Wally connects to your current financial accounts and tracks your spending so you can get a handle on your cash flow and spending by category. Wally is useful because unlike some of the other budgeting apps, it lets you use private groups for managing trip spending or other budgets. You can even add reminders, notes, lists, documents, and comments.

Users love TripMate for its simplicity and easy-to-use features, plus it’s all free. This travel expense tracker app lets you create a trip and then add and remove users as needed. You can add expenses, receive a personalized summary, and even get hotel, and other booking-related information.

Trail Wallet

If you’re looking for a travel-specific budget tool and expense tracker, this is your best bet. Input your expenses into Trail Wallet and the app will split them up based on category so you can get a closer look at your spending. Note that only the first 25 items you enter are free.

11 Budget Travel Lies You Should Stop Believing Right Now

This travel expense app makes splitting costs a breeze. Simply invite your travel partners to the trip you’ve created on the app, and each person can enter in his or her expenses. Once the trip is over (and all expenses have been entered) you can see who owes whom what amount.

Splitwise is another useful cost-tracking platform that easily lets you split group expenses while traveling. You can split by percentage or shares, and it’s even available in offline mode. It’s great for international trips, too, as the app is available in seven languages and over 100 currencies. Plus, it’s integrated with Venmo and PayPal for easy payback.

Mint is so much more than just a travel expense app—it connects with all of your bank accounts to give you an overall summary of your cash flow. You can then easily create a budget for different categories, like saving for a vacation.

30 Essential Non-Travel Apps for Travelers

For those who have been involved in the planning of a bachelor or bachelorette party, you know the trials and tribulations that come with splitting large group expenses. This app was created specifically for those organizing large group trips and includes building an itinerary, polls, and chat features as well as ways to track payments and bar tabs within your group.

YNAB (You Need a Budget) is a popular software used for budgeting. While it’s slightly pricey ($84 annually), the positive reviews are endless. On the app version, you can set savings goals and itemize your vaca expenses. There is a free 34-day trial to get you started.

More from SmarterTravel:

• Single Travel: Essential Tips for Planning a Solo Trip
• 5 Ways to Stay Sane When Planning a Trip with Friends
• The 7 Best Trip Planner Apps for Travelers

Ashley Rossi is always ready for her next trip. Follow her on  Twitter   and  Instagram   for travel tips, destination ideas, and off the beaten path spots.

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How to Make a Travel Budget in 2024 [Free Template]

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Table of Contents

Key takeaways, can you afford to travel, the 2 approaches to travel budgets, travel budget template worksheet, travel budget considerations, websites to help research travel costs, the best apps for travel budgets and expense tracking, saving for your vacation, final thoughts.

We may be compensated when you click on product links, such as credit cards, from one or more of our advertising partners. Terms apply to the offers below. See our  Advertising Policy for more about our partners, how we make money, and our rating methodology. Opinions and recommendations are ours alone.

• You can either set a fixed budget and plan your trip around it or estimate your travel costs first and then adjust the budget accordingly.
• Important factors include transportation, accommodation, meals, activities, and unforeseen expenses. Prioritizing these helps control spending.
• Set savings goals, use automated transfers, and cut back on non-essential spending to fund your travel plans.

Creating a travel budget isn’t all about boring spreadsheets and searching for low budget bargains — a finely-crafted budget it is designed to maximize your total travel experience.

Let’s start out easy here. You may have dreams of globetrotting and living your best life in distant lands, but can you actually afford it?

The amount you have to spend on your trip will need to be proportionate to the place you are visiting. By that, we mean that some destinations can be done on the cheap, while others will be a bit more of an investment.

Where you want to stay, what you intend to do when you get there, and physically how far away you will be from home can all have a considerable bearing on how deep your pockets will need to be.

Before you book yourself silly, really break down the potential costs of your dream trip and tally it up with the amount of money you will realistically have to fund it.

Bottom Line: Sometimes, it may be better to put your plans on hold until you have saved up enough cash to really experience a place, rather than rushing to get there and missing out on some of the best bits.

Whether you are a plan-well-in-advance sort of traveler or more of a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants kind of person, there are different ways to approach setting out your budget based on what works best for you.

Plan Your Adventure Well in Advance

The most traditional way to book a vacation is to think of somewhere you want to go, plan your vacation dates, and decide how long you want to stay. This kind of advanced planning is the usual go-to for most travelers, as it allows you to book time off of work or plan trips around school semesters, and gives you the opportunity to firm up plans before you leave.

Knowing when and where you are going also has another key advantage — it gives you plenty of time to save up all the cash you will need to really enjoy your time there. Booking in advance also means you get your choice of cheaper accommodation at better rates.

Book months in advance and you can research your planned itinerary and potential expenditure, and maybe even save enough extra for upgrades of luxuries to make your adventure truly special. This kind of planning is a great incentive for saving hard.

Travel Based on Your Bank Balance

If, on the other hand, you want to take your cash and get the hell out of dodge, you can work backward to identify the most amount of fun you can have for your money. If you are feeling lucky, and you know how much you are willing to spend, the world really is your oyster.

The awesome power of the internet has made impulse traveling even easier, as you can simply hit up any number of booking sites to find an exciting destination, as well as suitable flights, accommodation, and excursions in just a few clicks.

Another great way to make your budget go further is to think outside the box. Visiting popular destinations out of season, taking shorter vacation times, or even looking at places away from the main tourist trail can all make your money go further.

A trip to the legendary Yosemite National Park during April or May, for example, is a great way to experience some of the most iconic open spaces in America before the schools let out, or hit the beaches of Miami or the Florida Keys during September and October when tourists shy away from the increased risk of stormy weather.

You can also look at alternatives to the more traditional resort destinations to get more bang for your buck. Consider a trip to Reno instead of Las Vegas, hit the slopes in Winter Park instead of the sky-high prices in Vail, or take in the history of Williamsburg and avoid the price tags of New York or Los Angeles on your next city break.

To help you plan and keep track of your travel budget we have created a free, handy Microsoft Excel spreadsheet.

📋  Click to Download Our Travel Budget Template >  📋

When planning your travel budget, there are lots of different things to consider. Break down your budget into subsections to make it easier to plan and stick to:

Passport and Visas

One of the most essential elements of your travel plan will revolve around the legal and local requirements for travel to and from your destination. You must research any visa requirements and restrictions before you fly, and be sure to have all the documentation you need before you leave.

Most countries will have their own individual and very specific entry requirements, and there may be restrictions on how much local currency you can bring with you, as well as how long you can stay.

As a very rough guide, some examples of the requirements for U.S. citizens could include:

• Travel to Europe — If you are traveling to or through any of the main 26 European countries, you must know the requirements of the Schengen Agreement, which eliminates borders and assumes that travelers will be able to enjoy up to 3-months of visa-free travel. This will change in January 2021 with the introduction of the ETIAS .
• Travel to Australia — You must have a valid U.S. passport and an Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) to enjoy up to 90 days of travel in Australia.
• Travel to Central America — You will not need a visa to visit most Central American countries, but you may need a tourist card for some destinations (~$10) to allow stays of up to 90 days visa-free.
• Travel To South Africa — You must have a valid U.S. passport, but do not need a visa for stays of 30 days or less.

Check out our guide to tourist visa information on over 100 countries.

Travel Insurance

There are many great reasons why you should always buy travel insurance coverage for your trips overseas, and only 1 reason not to. Trust us. If the worst should happen while you are away, you will wish you hadn’t tried to save money by skipping on the insurance, so make sure you always make space for travel insurance in your travel budget .

The best travel insurance policy does not necessarily have to be the most expensive one you find, but it probably won’t be the cheapest either. With this in mind, shop around and speak to a variety of providers before committing to any 1 product.

There will be different levels of coverage available to suit the requirements of every type of traveler, from lone backpackers to family vacations, but at the very least you should try to include:

• Emergency medical expenses
• Repatriation expenses
• Cancellation or curtailment coverage
• Lost baggage coverage
• Travel delay/missed departure coverage
• Journey disruption coverage
• Personal liability coverage
• Legal expenses coverage
• Electronics loss/theft and damage coverage

Depending on where you go, what you’ll be doing, and the nature of your trip, you may want to also consider dedicated financial protection that could include specific coverage for:

• Winter sports coverage
• Terrorism disruption coverage
• Cruise coverage
• Business coverage
• Sports equipment coverage

It is important to remember that the domestic health insurance that you use at home will not necessarily cover you if you get into medical trouble overseas . Don’t leave it to chance — invest wisely in your travel insurance and never skimp on the coverage just to save yourself a few bucks before you go.

You should also look into insurance coverage for your prized electrical items and personal belongings, too . While we would recommend leaving the diamonds at home, unless you are going somewhere exceptionally glamorous, many of us will take expensive electronics with us everywhere we go.

Find coverage that offers repairs or replacement for damaged, broken, lost, or stolen items before you go.

Hot Tip: There are some credit cards with travel insurance , so you might already have some coverage without knowing it!

Vaccinations

Some parts of the world pose more of a risk to our health than others. By ensuring that you have all the travel vaccinations you need before you go, you can reduce the risk of developing serious diseases that your immune system may not be used to.

You can pretty much be vaccinated against all of the world’s most common communicable diseases at your local doctor’s office, health care center, or health department, and there will be medical professionals who will be able to provide you with useful information for your trip.

You will need to do your own research before you travel and speak to healthcare providers about the risks. But, as a rough guide to keep in mind when planning your travel budget, here are some of the most common travel vaccinations and their approximate costs:

• Cholera — A single-dose oral vaccine costs around $45.
• Hepatitis A — A single-dose vaccine costs around $115.
• Japanese Encephalitis — 2 doses given 4 weeks apart costs around $290 per injection.
• Meningococcal Disease — This single-dose vaccine is recommended from pre-teenage years and costs around $135.
• Rabies — A series of 3 or 4 injections into the muscles over the course of 4 weeks costs around $3000 for the entire course.
• Typhoid Fever — A single oral dose for anyone over 6 years old costs around $60.
• Yellow Fever — This vaccine is not stocked everywhere, but if you can find a clinic that offers it, you will need a single shot costing as much as $350.
• Malaria — There is no single vaccine, but antimalarial tablets can be taken to reduce the risk of contracting the disease by 90%. These may need to be taken as far as 3 months in advance and can cost anything from $20 a pack up to $260 per pack.

Clothes, Gear, and Toiletries

What you need to take with you will depend very much on where you headed. Whether you choose to travel light or max out your luggage allowance is up to you, but there are plenty of ways to help keep costs down when it comes to packing for your next adventure.

Compile a Capsule Wardrobe

Travel guides always bang on about the legendary “capsule wardrobe” — but it literally is a real thing. By taking 7 or 8 items of clothing with you that can be worn in a variety of ways you can dress for days at a time without worrying about overfilling your luggage or maxing out your travel budget.

Choose 2 pants, skirts or jeans, 3 tops, 1 sweater, 1 dress or a smart shirt and a coat or jacket, and you should be pretty much good to go. Throw in beachwear, sports gear, or thermals as-needed and some socks and underwear to see yourself sorted for the duration of your stay.

Another way to keep costs down is to avoid buying new stuff for every vacation . Your favorite bikini, flip flops, party dress, or even hoodie should be shown off time and time again, so never feel the need to replace your vacation clothing unless you really need to.

Here are some destination-specific packing lists:

• Beach Vacation Packing List
• Cruise Vacation Packing List
• Disney Vacation Packing List

If you want to take your travel camera with you, your GoPro for awesome live video, your phone, tablet, laptop, headphones , or any other bits of kit — think carefully about whether or not you really need it.

Taking more expensive gear with you increases the risk of stuff getting lost, broken, or stolen, as well as weighing your luggage down and tying you to charging ports and electrical sockets.

Keeping Clean

Most people like to have their favorite toiletries with them, but save money and space in your luggage by not taking full-size products.

You needn’t even worry about wasting money on cute little travel size products either. Simply decant your full-size bottles and pots into smaller travel containers instead . This is super easy to do, meets with TSA regulations, and saves you a few dollars here and there.

Alternatively, buy what you need when you arrive. Most destinations and airports will have plenty of shops to choose from. One area where you shouldn’t cut costs, however, is sunscreen. Buy the best you can, ideally from a trusted brand, before you leave.

Finally, check if the airline you are using charges extra for checked baggage and if so, see if you can get away with just a carry-on case instead.

The amount you pay for your flights will vary widely depending on a wide number of variants, including:

• Your destination
• Who you choose to fly with
• Whether you fly direct
• Whether you fly return or one-way
• The day of the week and time of day that you fly, and even the time of year
• Where you fly from
• When you book

There are many different ways to fly around the skies, but here are some ways to bag cheaper flights :

• Use Points and Miles — If you aren’t accumulating points to fly, read this beginner’s guide to get started.
• Book as Early as You Can — Flights often significantly increase in price within 3 weeks of the departure date.
• Stay Flexible — Flights leaving on different days or at times of day can be cheaper than others.
• Don’t Dismiss Discount Airlines — Short journeys, internal flights, and even some international journeys can be way cheaper on discount, no-frills airlines.
• Sign Up and Shop Around — Sign up with airlines direct to be notified of discounts and flash sales, and be sure to check in on all airlines that fly to your preferred destination.
• Use Aggregation Sites — Sometimes this is a winner, sometimes it isn’t — but don’t be afraid to try. Sites like Kayak or Skyscanner can be good, but don’t just accept the first price they give you.
• Buy Connecting Flights — It can be cheaper to buy 2 separate connecting flights than a direct 1. Check your destination and see who stops where along the route.

Accommodation

Again, how much you spend on where you stay is entirely up to you. Keeping costs down can be harder in large cities or expensive beach resorts, but there are ways to rest your head without losing your mind over the cost of it all.

Whether you are going for an all-out 5-star luxury or a family-friendly motel room, there are always deals to be had. Book direct through the hotel, include weeknights or a Sunday night in your stay, and be flexible on location.

Hot Tip: A hotel just outside of town, for example, will offer more attractive nightly rates and free parking and will usually represent better value for money than a downtown hotel will.

Renting a private home or vacation apartment on a short term basis can be much more affordable than a hotel. You can also find some superb properties for rent, complete with everything you need to enjoy your stay.

Fully-equipped kitchens, parking, TVs, and even pools often come standard and depending on your destination, there are lots of great Airbnbs and other holiday rental websites available.

If you are heading to the coast, the backcountry, or just getting out into the great outdoors, camping can completely transform your experience. Many campsites come complete with showers and cooking facilities and even pools, sports facilities, and fitness centers. You can take your own tent or rent one.

Another great way to save money on accommodation is to look at hostels in the area. A far cry from old fashioned student accommodation, many modern hostels are clean, bright, and modern and offer a combination of dorm-style bedrooms and private double or family rooms with en-suite facilities.

Hot Tip: Hostels are a great way to stay right in the middle of some of the most expensive cities in the world.

Rent a Recreational Vehicle

Another great choice if you are heading out on the open road, RVs can save you a fortune as you literally take your accommodation with you. RV trips are fun, family-friendly, and provided you aren’t always in a gas station, a great way to save money on where you stay.

RVshare and Outdoorsy are 2 companies that rent out campers and RVs.

You can pretty much rent any kind of vehicle , anywhere in the world. Although if you are staying in a city, public transport is a much more useful and affordable proposition.

The same rules also apply to some intercontinental trips, as well. For example, it can be easier and cheaper to travel through Europe using trains and buses than worrying about having to take care of a car when you get there.

If you want to explore out of the way destinations, hard to reach beaches, or just like the idea of being free to come and go as you please, car hire is readily available in most corners of the world.

Before you commit to it, think about the rental fees, fuel costs, and other potential expenditures and compare the costs of using public transport in your chosen destination.

Car hire here in the U.S. will vary depending on the type of car you choose and how long you intend to hire it. Small city cars are the most cost-effective, and big SUVs, 4x4s and luxury cars can also be hired if you have deep pockets.

When it comes to car rental, keep your costs down by:

• Booking your vehicle in advance
• Looking outside the airport as you may get a better deal in town
• Choosing a practical vehicle to suit your needs, not your dream supercar
• Being aware of mileage limits and one-way fees
• Use a credit card with car rental insurance , so you can be ready to turn down unnecessary add-ons and cross-sells that you don’t need
• Making sure the vehicle is checked for damage before you take the keys
• Only hiring it for as long as you need it
• Keeping your eyes out for deals on particular types of car, and better prices for longer-term rentals

Local Transportation

Most tourist hotspots, big towns, cities, and even some iconic landmarks will offer a wide range of public transport options to get you around. There will be more choice and more frequent services in highly populated areas, while services may become more restricted further out in the countryside or suburbs.

If you are clever, you could save yourself a small fortune by grabbing good deals on public transport, leaving you with more cash to spend on the fun things in life.

Try these to tips for traveling around town on the cheap:

• Buy daily, weekly or even monthly travel passes in advance
• Bulk buy tickets online or via an app
• Take advantage of student passes or discounted fares for families, seniors, or children
• Avoid traveling during peak commuter times
• Services like Greyhound offer cheaper fares for mid-week journeys
• Sign up for early notification of flash sales and other promotional codes and discounts

Attractions and Activities

Wherever you are headed, there will no doubt be plenty of things to do and places to see when you get there. The key to not missing a single thing is researching everything before you leave.

Have a plan in place of all the activities you want to take part in and the attractions you want to see and integrate the potential entrance costs, additional fees, and other expenses into your initial budget.

With a bit of luck, you will be able to find plenty of local discounts, city passes, and money-saving ways to see all of the very best attractions at rock bottom prices.

Pick up a copy of the local listings magazine or newspaper and check out free events , as well as using the coupons and discount codes they supply for all kinds of attractions. You can also subscribe to online discount sites like Groupon to find discounted ticket prices.

Historical landmarks, museums , art galleries, theme parks , sporting events, concerts, and many more attractions often offer reduced entrance prices at off-peak times or group discounts to entice visitors in. Some even have a free entrance day once a month.

Big cities often have lots of free entertainment on offer, too. Check out the artsy districts of major cities for street entertainers and free shows. If you are heading to the beach, research costs such as sunbed rental, locker rental, and even the menus at local restaurants to gauge an idea of how much a day on the beach could potentially cost you.

If you want to try your hand at surfing, sailing, or other kinds of water sports, you may want to get back on the internet and find reduced price lessons or discounts for group bookings.

Walk-Around Money

While you may have budgeted every dollar down to the last cent, you should also keep a contingency plan for some pocket money . Days out in the town, lazy afternoons on the beach, or even a trip on a planned excursion can present you with lots of little unknown expenses.

Whether you need to buy an extra bottle of water, some sunscreen for your face, or entrance to additional attractions, keeping a little cash on you is a good way to be prepared.

Large amounts of cash should never be carried about your person while you are out exploring, but a couple of dollars stashed into your pocket or travel wallet and can be incredibly useful.

In order to keep your money safe, you should:

• Never flash wads of cash
• Keep your notes and loose change somewhere safe like your inside pocket or in a money belt
• Carry small denomination notes and coins
• Understand the local currency you are carrying, so you known how much to give over when paying

Walk-around money is simply a little buffer to keep you going, but set yourself a daily budget and stick to it.

Gifts and Souvenirs

These days, almost everyone travels at some point. This means that those unusual and unique products that we used to buy as souvenirs are no longer as sought after as they once were.

Nearly every tourist destination on earth will be able to sell you tacky bits and pieces for you to take home, but savvy travelers bypass these and look for more personalized and unique mementos to take home with them instead.

Bottom Line: A t-shirt here, a guide book there, and lots of little bits and pieces in between can soon add up. Spend wisely, and if you must buy gifts and souvenirs, choose ones that have a special meaning to you, that you can treasure forever.

To help make your research easier, some clever folks who have traveled before you have made websites that can help you to research and plan every single aspect of your next big adventure and what the costs involved may be.

Budget Your Trip

Budget Your Trip is a huge repository of travel costs that have been hand-gathered from thousands of travelers, and now provides an incredibly comprehensive guide to how much your trip will really cost you.

You can create and personalize your very own travel budget once you register with the website. You can also pick up tons of top travel tips and advice for both new and experienced travelers alike.

Nomad List offers a heap of resources and information for remote workers, digital nomads, and travelers, Nomad List is designed to help users navigate the world. Find information on thousands of destinations, places to work, neighborhoods to stay, and even make new friends before you go.

A great site for anyone who wants to work and travel for longer-term adventures, you can ask questions and arrange meet-ups to touch base with other like-minded wanderers.

This clever little website has 1 goal in mind — to let you know exactly how much money you really need to stay at your dream destination. Expatistan offers direct comparisons between different locations and the website is essentially a giant cost-of-living database that is updated and improved on a regular basis.

Using collaborative information garnered from expats from all over the world, this website really will give you the lowdown of where you can, and can’t, afford to be.

Keeping track of your expenses using your bank balance alone can be a real pain. A dedicated travel money app will help you to keep control of your finances, even when you can’t check the internet. Here are some of the best:

Trail Wallet

This easy to use expense tracker is a great way to keep an accurate record of your finances on the go. Designed to be incredibly intuitive and easy to use, you can make a note of all your expenses in a way that makes the best sense to you. Set up daily spending limits, view records of your recent outgoings, and upload images of receipts for multiple trips with custom start and end dates.

Perfect for use both at home and away, this clever little app will even let you input amounts in local currencies from over 200 countries , and you can update the app with the current exchange rate.

Trail Wallet can be used on both iPhone and iPad and is free for up to 25 items, or unlock unlimited amounts for continuous travel with the $4.99 upgrade.

Trabee Pocket

Trabee Pocket is available on both iOS and Android, and you can choose between the free version or additional services in the paid-for version. Even with the basic version, you can add the details of as many expenses as you like, covering various trips and destinations. You can choose your currency, and there are 8 basic categories to file your virtual expenses under.

You can add images of the physical receipt and produce an expense report and breakdown of expenditure using the data from each category . The upgrade costs around $2.49, and you can add multiple currencies and additional customized categories.

All in all, Trabee Pocket is sleek and an easy to use app that helps you to see how much you are spending and where you are spending it.

TripCoin is a concise and easy to use app that is available on iOS only. It is free to download , and there are no upgrade options at the present time. This smart app allows you to keep tabs on your spending at the touch of a button while making is super easy to add new entries when you need to.

Summary reports can quickly be compiled to let you see progress reports and spreadsheets, and you can even export the data to Excel, Numbers, Open Office, or Google to keep your inner accountant happy anywhere in the world.

Wally was designed to help anyone to manage their finances, anywhere in the world easily. It promises to offer a simple, seamless tool that works in an intuitive way, making it super easy to keep track of your money on the move.

The basic version allows you to add details of all of your regular incoming and outgoings as well as inputting your day to day expenditure, creating groups to manage joint accounts, and splitting payments with your friends when you need to.

It can be set to your local currency and lets you divide your outgoings into easy to find pre-set categories. Available on both iOs and Android, you can upgrade to the paid-for version for $24.99 a year to enjoy unlimited trips and categories.

This is a brilliant invention for anyone traveling with friends. Available on both iOS and Android, you can download it for free, but an in-app upgrade is available to Splitwise Pro. No more scrambling around with a pen and paper to split the bill, this app allows you and your buddies to keep track of your shared expenses and balances at the touch of a button.

You can add a bill, and choose how to split it, or send text or email requests to remind your friends and family that payments are now due. You can also categorize your expenses, calculate amounts in over 100 different currencies, and even sync all of your expenditures with the Cloud.

If you want to keep a more detailed record of your accounts, this little app will also export the data into easy to read CSV reports.

Before you worry about how to manage your finances while you are away, you will need to devise a plan that gives you the funds to get you there in the first place. Unless you have been blessed with a sudden windfall or a lottery win, you will need to save your cents to achieve your goals.

Set a Savings Timeline

If you receive a regular wage, or you are able to forecast your earnings accurately, you can start to set a timeline on how long it will take you to save up for your vacation . If you put aside just $100 a month, for example, you will be able to have $1200 to play with in just a year. This amount may not pay for a new life abroad, but it could you buy a week by the ocean.

Bottom Line: Think of where you want to go to, find out how much it will cost, and then set a monthly savings goal and stick to it. Some months you may have to sacrifice on your social life or shopping habits, but it will all be worth it in the end.

Multiple Savings Accounts

Once you know how much you need to save each month, be sure to physically remove that money from your day to day bank account. Set up at least 1 separate savings account and electronically move it , or set up an automated payment to leave your regular account on payday.

Visualization

Re-train your brain to save instead of spend, and you will be able to tally up every cent you save with something amazing . Your first $150 saved, for example, could mean that you have those tickets for that boat party in Miami in the bag, or that you are on your way to paying for a 4-star hotel instead of a mid-range one.

Whether you are dreaming of trekking up the Himalayas, backpacking around Asia, Interailing through Europe , or a long-awaited family vacation, seeing what your savings can afford will super motivate you to save more.

Wherever you are planning on traveling to, being in control of your finances will make your experience even more amazing. Worrying about getting into debt on your credit cards or not having the cash in your pocket to really explore the region will ruin your adventures.

Save hard, spend well, and look for ways to save money across every aspect of your trip. Plan your spending before you go and keep track of your expenditure while you travel. There are deals to be had on flights, accommodation, food, attractions, and almost every area of your next vacation. Plan in advance and enjoy knowing that you are having the best time for less.

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Travel Budget Calculator

Your total travel cost, basic information, daily expenses, other expenses, custom expenses, frequently asked questions, what is a travel budget calculator, how do i use this calculator, what should i include in my travel budget.

When planning your trip, it is essential to include all potential expenses such as airfare, local transportation, accommodation, meals, entertainment, excursions, shopping, and emergency funds. Also consider smaller costs like tips, visas, and travel insurance, which can add up.

For local transportation, carefully evaluate your options. Are you renting a car at your destination to get around? Or perhaps you're considering taxis, riding the subway, or local buses? Using services like Uber might also be an option. Each choice comes with its own set of considerations and costs. For instance, if you’re renting a car, remember to account for additional taxes and fees, as well as the cost of parking, which can be particularly high in downtown areas. Conversely, if you're staying at a hotel in the city center, you might save on transportation costs by walking or utilizing the hotel’s complimentary shuttle services from the airport and then relying on public transportation to explore the area.

Furthermore, it's important to research the sights you want to see and plan your transportation accordingly. This preparation can help you determine the most cost-effective and convenient way to travel during your trip. Whether you choose a rental car, public transit, or another method, understanding the full scope of your transportation needs and costs will ensure a smoother, more enjoyable travel experience.

Can I add my own expenses to the travel budget calculator?

Can i use this calculator for international trips, is the travel budget calculator suitable for planning group holidays, what strategies can help me save on vacation activities expenses.

To economize on vacation activities, here are some strategic tips you might consider:

• Purchase Tickets Early : Securing your tickets before your trip can lead to significant savings, as pre-booking often comes with discounts. This also helps you avoid long waits at attractions, allowing more time for enjoyment.
• Research Local Opportunities : Before your vacation begins, take the time to look into local activities and attractions. This not only builds anticipation for your trip but can also uncover less-known, cost-effective options.
• Utilize Discount Brochures : Keep an eye out for discount brochures available in hotels or local tourist centers. These brochures are filled with coupons and special offers for local attractions and day trips that might not be widely advertised.
• Opt for All-Inclusive Packages : When the cost of individual activities starts to accumulate, consider all-inclusive options. Resorts or theme parks that offer these packages include various activities at a reduced rate, giving you a clearer understanding of the total expense of your trip from the outset.

How can I bring my own food for the flight to save money?

What tips can help me save on the cost of food per day during my travels.

When aiming to reduce daily food costs while traveling, consider the following strategies:

• Avoid Airport and In-Flight Purchases : Airports are notorious for high food prices. To counter this, pack your own snacks and meals for your flight. This not just cuts costs but also ensures you have healthier and more satisfying options.
• Steer Clear of Room Service and Minibars : These are among the most overpriced services in hotels. Planning your meals ahead and avoiding the convenience of direct hotel dining can save a significant amount of money.
• Eat Like a Local : Instead of dining in tourist-centric restaurants, find where the locals eat. Local markets, grocery stores, and small eateries often offer delicious food at a fraction of the cost. Look for pre-made meals or food counters that sell regional specialties.
• Explore Local Beverages : Instead of indulging in expensive drinks at the hotel bar, try local breweries or wineries. Purchasing local brands can be cheaper and add a unique cultural experience to your trip.

By employing these tips, you can enjoy a rich culinary experience without splurging excessively, allowing you to indulge in other aspects of your journey.

How can I leverage personal connections to secure affordable lodging options?

Leveraging personal connections can significantly reduce lodging costs when planning a vacation. Start by reaching out to your network to inquire if anyone owns a vacation home, a lake house, or a rental property that might be unoccupied, particularly during the off-season. Such properties can often be made available to you, sometimes at a reduced cost or even for free, if the timing is right.

Additionally, consider proposing a vacation swap with friends who live in another part of the country. This arrangement involves you and your friend swapping homes for a period, which not only gives you both free accommodations but also the opportunity to explore a new area. You might also offer to house sit or pet sit for your friend during their vacation, providing them peace of mind and yourself a cost-effective place to stay. Such creative arrangements can lead to enjoyable and affordable vacation experiences by maximizing your personal relationships.

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Travel Budget Calculator

Share it with your family and friends, your ultimate guide to smart travel planning.

Planning a trip can be exhilarating, but it often comes with the stress of managing finances. Fear not! With the Travel Budget Calculator, you can embark on your dream journey with confidence. In this guide, we’ll delve deep into the intricacies of budgeting for travel, empowering you to make informed decisions and maximize your experiences.

Understanding the Travel Budget Calculator

Embarking on a journey starts with meticulous planning, and the Travel Budget Calculator serves as your trusty companion. This tool revolutionizes the way you approach travel expenses, offering a comprehensive overview of your financial landscape. By inputting essential details such as number of nights, duration, accommodation preferences, and activity interests, the calculator generates a personalized budget tailored to your preferences and constraints.

Vacation Budget Planner is the ultimate tool for travel budgeting! Easily estimate your trip expenses and budget your journey with precision using our user-friendly Travel Budget Calculator. Whether you’re planning a weekend getaway or a month-long adventure, our tool helps you plan every aspect of your trip, from accommodation to transportation and meals.

Simply input your desired budget and our calculator will provide you with a detailed breakdown of estimated expenses, including flights, hotels, meals, and activities. Planning a trip for 4 days with a budget of $2000? No problem! Our tool helps you allocate your budget efficiently to make the most out of your travel experience.

With features like the Trip Expense Calculator and Vacation Budget Estimator, you can plan your itinerary with confidence, knowing exactly how much you’ll spend. Plus, our tool caters to every budget, whether you’re a backpacker on a shoestring budget or a luxury traveler looking for premium experiences.

Say goodbye to guesswork and hello to stress-free travel planning! Try our Travel Budget Planner today and make your dream trip a reality.

Benefits of Using the Travel Budget Calculator

Planning your itinerary can be overwhelming, but the Travel Budget Calculator simplifies the process. Here’s why incorporating this tool into your travel planning arsenal is a game-changer:

• Efficiency in Planning: Say goodbye to tedious spreadsheets and guesswork. The Travel Budget Calculator streamlines the planning process, providing instant insights into your projected expenses. With a few clicks, you can fine-tune your budget and allocate resources efficiently, ensuring a hassle-free travel experience.
• Financial Transparency: Transparency is key to effective budgeting, and the Travel Budget Calculator offers just that. By breaking down expenses across various categories such as transportation, accommodation, dining, and activities, you gain a clear understanding of where your money is allocated. This transparency empowers you to make informed decisions and prioritize experiences that matter most to you.
• Flexibility and Customization : No two travelers are alike, and the Travel Budget Calculator recognizes that. Whether you’re a budget-conscious backpacker or a luxury seeker, this tool adapts to your preferences and constraints. Adjust parameters such as accommodation standards, dining preferences, and activity intensity to tailor your budget to your unique travel style.

Travel Budget Calculator: Your Key to Financial Freedom

In conclusion, the Travel Budget Calculator empowers you to embark on unforgettable journeys without compromising your financial stability. By leveraging its capabilities and implementing savvy budgeting strategies, you’ll unlock a world of possibilities and create cherished memories that last a lifetime. So, what are you waiting for? Start planning your next adventure today and let the Travel Budget Calculator be your guiding light.

FAQs About Travel Budget Calculator

Below are some basic questions that arise while using a travel budget calculator.

Q. How does the Travel Budget Calculator work?

A. Calculating a travel budget isn’t rocket science; it’s just simple math. As we know, if we have exact numbers in front of us, decision-making becomes much easier. A Travel Budget Calculator simply provides us with all the expense numbers.

Q. Is the Travel Budget Calculator suitable for all types of travelers?

A. Absolutely! Whether you’re a budget-conscious backpacker, a luxury seeker, or somewhere in between, the Travel Budget Calculator adapts to your preferences and constraints. Simply adjust the parameters to align with your unique travel style and embark on your adventure with confidence.

Q. Can I trust the accuracy of the Travel Budget Calculator?

A. Yes, the Travel Budget Calculator is designed to provide accurate and reliable estimates based on the information provided. However, it’s essential to factor in unforeseen expenses and fluctuations in prices to ensure comprehensive budget planning.

Q. Can I save my budgeting preferences for future use?

A. Unfortunately, the Travel Budget Calculator does not currently offer a save feature but you can download it. However, you can easily recreate your budgeting preferences each time you plan a trip by inputting the relevant details into the calculator.

Q. How frequently should I update my travel budget?

A. It’s advisable to review and update your travel budget regularly, especially as your trip approaches and circumstances change. Factors such as fluctuating exchange rates, last-minute bookings, and unexpected expenses can impact your budget, so staying proactive is key to financial planning success.

8 best travel budget apps for your next vacation

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Key takeaways

• These travel budget apps are built to help you track expenses, set budgets, plan trips and split costs across your travel group.
• Choosing the right travel budget app for you will depend on your travel purpose, who you’re traveling with and your individual expense tracking needs.
• For planning group travel budgets, the best apps are Batch app, Splitwise and TravelSpend.
• Work travel apps include Expensify and SAP Concur.
• To plan solo travel budgets use PocketGuard, Trabee Pocket, TravelSpend and Tripcoin.

We’re in the height of summer travel season, and that means you’ll likely spend more on booking hotels, airfare and other travel necessities. At the same time, more than 1 in 3 (36 percent)  people planning a summer vacation in 2024 are considering taking on debt to cover the costs , according to Bankrate’s Summer Travel Survey . Even if you’re using one of today’s best travel credit cards to offset some of the costs, it’s important to set a budget for your travel expenses.

Whether you’re traveling alone or with a group, tracking your vacation spending with one of the best travel budget apps can help you avoid overspending and even split expenses equally between your travel partners. Find out which of the top travel budget apps you should be using for your next trip.

Best travel budget apps

With so many great travel budget apps on the market, you might be wondering which one to get. It really comes down to your travel style and needs. Are you traveling solo or with a group? Do you need a simple budget tracker or do you want planning tools? There’s something out there for everyone, but here are the best options:

Work travel budget apps

Managing your expenses when you’re traveling for work can be challenging. Expensify lets you track your travel expenses easily. Instead of ransacking your luggage for that missing dinner receipt, just snap a picture of the receipt with the Smart Scan feature, and share it with your accounting team for reimbursement.

If you’re merely tracking expenses for tax purposes, Expensify offers several handy tools. The GPS calculator automatically tracks your eligible mileage for you, so you don’t have to enter it manually. This work travel budget app also lets you create expense reports by scanning receipts or entering time worked, for billing purposes.

Sign-up is super easy. All you have to do is provide your email address to set up an Expensify account. You can start using the app immediately, which is free for most users. A “Collect” account, which includes accounting and payroll tools, costs $5 per month. Meanwhile, a “Control” account costs $9 per month and allows for multiple approvers, setting expense policies and custom reporting tools.

If you use Expensify regularly for work travel, look into the Expensify Card, which simplifies the process of importing business transactions. You can also import card transactions into Expensify directly.

If you’re a seasoned business traveler, you may already be familiar with the Concur suite (and in some cases, you may be required by your employer to use it). If you aren’t, get ready to meet one of the most robust, full-featured business travel solutions available today.

Within the SAP Concur suite, you’ll find separate modules for managing travel plans and submitting reimbursement requests for travel-related expenses. Concur Expense’s ExpenseIt app for travel expenses makes it easy to take pictures of your paper receipts and automatically categorize them to submit as expense reports. Meanwhile, Concur Travel lets you book your own business travel or make arrangements with your company’s preselected airline carriers , hotels, and other providers.

SAP Concur offers travel management solutions for organizations of all sizes — from small businesses to enterprise leaders. Business owners and managers can try Concur Expense and Concur Travel for free; individual users who have access to these tools through their employer can download the iOS or Google Play app to get started.

Solo travel budget apps

Pocketguard.

PocketGuard markets itself as the “#1 budgeting app for college students and overspenders,” but it’s actually a great vacation budget planner as well. That’s because the app uses the “in my pocket” feature to calculate how much disposable income you have available. You can then allocate this towards your travel budget.

All you have to do is provide your income and spending information. PocketGuard will calculate your disposable income accordingly. If you’re one of the 36 percent of summer vacationers who are willing to go into debt to travel this summer, according to Bankrate, then PocketGuard might be able to help with that too. This impromptu travel budget app will recommend a strategy for paying off debt in the most efficient way. You can use PocketGuard to set financial goals, save money and plan for future travel as a reward.

Trabee Pocket

The Trabee Pocket app provides both travel budgeting and expense tracking in a user-friendly interface. Trabee lets you set a vacation budget and then enter your expenses to track how much you’re spending in different categories. The app also provides currency conversion, so you can get an accurate sense of your spending.

At the end of your trip, you can even export your expense data to a PDF or CSV file for future budgeting and tax purposes. Overall, this is a solid vacation budget planner app if you’re looking for a free option. Trabee is available on iOS and the Google Play store.

The great thing about Tripcoin is that you can use it without an internet connection, which is especially important if you’re traveling through remote areas. The app’s Dropbox integration also makes it possible to back up your data in case you lose your phone.

Tripcoin’s user-friendly interface makes it easy to set up a trip and break down your spending each day by expense category. You can find out how much you’re spending on transportation, meals, activities and other travel expenses, making it a great way to stay accountable and on top of your budget at each destination.

Tripcoin supports over 150 currencies, converging your spending automatically based on current exchange rates. This ensures accuracy in your budget tracking and ensures you don’t have to perform this tedious task yourself.

Group travel budget apps

If you’re traveling with a group, it’s not always practical for each person to pay for their own expenses. Pulling out multiple credit cards to cover the group dinner bill is possible, but booking group tours and even airfare can be a hassle when done individually.

That’s where Splitwise comes in. The app lets users track shared expenses and the balance owed by each person. This transparency can make it much easier to determine who owes what at the end of a group trip. Frequent traveler and UX Specialist, Christian Castillo has used Splitwise across multiple group vacations to split expenses evenly with friends.

“The app makes it easy to input expenses as they occur and I’m able to send it to the group that I’m traveling with all at once,” says Castillo. “So no miscommunication has been had because with ferry rides, dinners, and excursions, we all agree to split the cost evenly.”

He touts Splitwise’s ability to load expenses as you go and even scan receipts with the paid pro version of the app. One of the biggest advantages he shares is having everything on one platform.

“Splitwise connects to your Paypal, Venmo, or bank account where you can pay back your friends quickly. It doesn’t stop you from adding a gaggle of people. Create the group, add expenses — it’s all tracked in one area. You’re also able to remove people just as easily if one of your friends decided they did not want coffee that day, but everyone else did.” — Christian Castillo Frequent traveler and UX Specialist

The one downside Castillo shares about using the Splitwise app is the limited capability of the free version,

“One downfall about Splitwise is that you do get capped on how many expenses you can input in one day unless you have the pro version.”

Check out Splitwise’s “simplify debts” feature, which balances debts across group members to minimize the total number of payments needed to settle up. It doesn’t change the amount each person owes, but it does make it easier to pay everyone back across the group.

This one is for the planners. Planning bachelor or bachelorette parties are notoriously challenging on both budget and group logistics. But the Batch app simplifies things with budgeting and planning tools designed to make a variety of parties and vacations less stressful. Users can budget, plan and book all activities for a dinner party, group trip, birthday or bachelorette party. You can even add your friends to the app to communicate and make planning decisions easier, as well as divide up expenses in the app.

While Batch is primarily marketed around bachelorette parties, you can use it to book any type of group activity in participating cities. Although you can do just about all of your trip planning through this app, this one doesn’t handle payments. It only helps track group expenses through its Ledger feature, so you can see who owes what. The Batch app is free to use, though there is a processing fee when you book events.

TravelSpend

In my own experience, one of the best travel budget apps is TravelSpend . It’s simple to use, automatically converts spending to your home currency and lets you add friends so you can track expenses together. Plus it gives you a breakdown of which categories you’re doing most of your spending in. I recently used it to track expenses on a trip to Toronto, and it helped me stay within my budget.

It took no time at all to enter my spending as it occurred and it was immediately deducted from my set budget for the trip so I could see how much was left to spend at a glance. It was also nice to see what categories I did most of my spending in which would come in handy for those using a rotating category credit card .

You can also export your spending to a csv or excel file to integrate it with your other budgeting methods. With the premium version (which costs $4.99 per month) you get added functionality such as:

• Creating custom categories
• Attaching GPS locations to your costs
• Adding income
• Creating your own exchange rate
• Seeing and settling debts

Even without the added features of the premium version, using TravelSpend for free is powerful on its own. The primary drawback for me is that even though you can track shared expenses, there are no payment integrations within the app. So you’ll have to switch over to Venmo, Paypal or Zelle once it’s time to settle up, and then switch back to TravelSpend to mark the debts as paid.

The bottom line

With the summer travel season on the upswing, having a travel budget app is more important than ever. Sticking to a budget at home can be challenging in itself, but once you add the thrill of a vacation, budgeting can quickly snowball if you don’t have the right tools or apps to help you reign it in. By utilizing one of the best travel budget apps, you can stay on budget, cut down on unnecessary expenses and plan your travels more efficiently .

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Free Travel Budget Calculator To Help You Set A Trip Budget

By Jessie Festa. This budget calculator for travel contains affiliate links to trusted partners!

Looking for a free travel budget calculator to help you set a trip budget and stick to it?

Then you’re in the right place!

If you’re dreaming about your next vacation but feel overwhelmed by the financial planning it entails, don’t fret; I’ve got a solution that can help you manage your trip expenses in just a few clicks.

Welcome to my free Travel Budget Calculator – a simple yet powerful tool that takes the guesswork out of budgeting for your vacation, ensuring that you’re financially prepared for every part of your journey.

With escalating costs and numerous variables to consider, planning a budget for travel can often seem like navigating through a maze; however, my travel calculator simplifies this process, helping you create a comprehensive budget tailored to your unique travel needs.

And, that’s not all. Along with the free budget calculator for travel, I’ll also be sharing advice on how to properly create a trip budget as well as save money on travel.

Quick tip: Flights are often the most expensive aspect of your trip. Luckily, there are platforms that can help you easily find flight deals and error fares like Going (formerly Scott’s Cheat Flights) and FareDrop . In terms of accommodation, search Hostelworld for hostels (many of which have private rooms), consider housesitting through Trusted Housesitter s , book a vacation rental with a kitchen to save money on food through VRBO , or stay on free couches through Couchsurfing . And when it comes to car rentals, Discover Cars can help you quickly compare your options and save up to 70%! These are just a few of the many ways to score the best deals on travel. Keep reading for more!

Free Budget Travel & Planning Resources

But first, before we map out how to budget your trip, I invite you to grab access to my free  Ultimate Travel Planning Kit  — which includes 40+ travel resources — from printables to quizzes to itineraries — all meant to help you explore the world beyond the guidebook!

Some highlights of the kit include:

• Trip budgeting calculators for road trips, backpacking, cruising & more
• Free “Where Should You Travel Next?” personality quiz
• Pre-plotted Google Maps for 45+ destinations
• Printable travel journal with writing prompts
• Packing lists for different types of trips

Once you’ve grabbed your copy , keep reading for tips on creating a travel budget as well as the vacation calculator.

Why Use A Travel Budget Calculator?

While travel is incredibly fulfilling, trip expenses can certainly add an element of stress. From airfare and accommodation to meals, sightseeing, shopping, and miscellaneous costs, managing finances effectively can become a daunting task.

That’s where the role of a travel budget calculator becomes crucial. While there are many reasons to use a budget calculator for travel, here are some of the main benefits:

1. Stress-free travel planning

First and foremost, a vacation budget calculator can dramatically ease your planning process. Instead of manually listing out and totaling all possible vacation expenses, the calculator does the heavy lifting for you. It’s an efficient tool that streamlines the entire budgeting process, helping you plan your trip without getting lost in a sea of numbers.

2. Customized trip budgeting

Not all travelers are the same, and neither are their budgets. For instance, creating a solo travel budget will look different than creating a budget for a luxury trip. By accounting for your unique needs and spending habits, it helps you make informed financial decisions that fit your travel aspirations.

3. Avoid spending surprises

Unanticipated costs can be a traveler’s worst nightmare. My trip budget calculator helps you avoid unpleasant financial surprises on your trip. By considering a comprehensive set of potential costs, it provides you with a realistic budget that takes into account everything from essential travel expenses to leisure activities and even potential emergency costs.

4. Financial control

By providing a clear financial roadmap for your journey, a vacation budget calculator enables greater financial control. You can track your expenditures, identify areas where you might be overspending, and adjust your budget accordingly.

5. Facilitates travel savings

When you have a clear understanding of your travel expenses, it becomes easier to identify areas where you can save money. A travel budget calculator can help pinpoint these opportunities, whether it’s choosing more budget-friendly accommodation, opting for public transport over taxis, or prioritizing your must-do activities.

Factors To Consider When Planning A Travel Budget

When it comes to travel budgeting, knowing what to include in your calculations can make all the difference. Here are some key factors that the below holiday budget calculator takes into account, providing you with an accurate and realistic travel budget:

1. Transportation

Transportation costs are often one of the largest expenses. Consider all forms of transportation you will need: flights, trains, buses, taxis, car rentals, or even ferries. Don’t forget to account for transportation to and from airports or train stations.

For instance, I know personally that taxis to and from JFK add up to about $200, which is a pretty solid dent in my travel spending.

2. Accommodation

Lodging costs can vary greatly depending on location, time of year, and the level of luxury you prefer. From budget hostels to luxury resorts, your accommodation choice plays a big role in your travel budget.

3. Food & Drink

Consider both dining out and grocery costs. Remember, touristy areas often have higher prices for meals, and don’t forget to include a budget for trying local delicacies or more upscale dining experiences if that’s your preference. Additionally, keep in mind that alcohol can increase your bill considerably.

4. Activities & Sightseeing

Whether it’s museum entrance fees, guided tours, or adventure activities, these trip costs can add up quickly. Research the costs of the attractions you want to visit and add them to your budget. If it makes sense, consider weaving in some free experiences.

5. Local Transportation

Consider the costs of getting around your destination. This might include public transportation, taxis, or the cost of gas or car rental for a road trip .

6. Shopping & Souvenirs

Whether it’s a postcard, a t-shirt, or local crafts, make sure you have a budget set aside for souvenirs and shopping if it makes sense for you.

7. Emergency Funds

It’s always a good idea to have some money set aside for unexpected costs. This could include anything from a sudden health issue to a lost passport or unplanned extra nights.

8. Travel Insurance

While it’s an added expense, travel insurance can save you a significant amount of money in the event of trip cancellations, lost luggage, or medical emergencies. Personally, I recommend SafetyWing , which is budget-friendly while still providing robust coverage.

9. Tips & Gratuities

In many cultures, tipping is customary, and not accounting for it can lead to awkward situations. Research the tipping etiquette for your destination and include it in your budget. You might also download an app like Global Tipping to help.

10. Connectivity

Depending on your destination, you may need to consider the cost of local SIM cards or portable Wi-Fi devices to stay connected. Luckily, buying a SIM card in your destination is typically budget-friendly, as is buying an eSIM from a company like Airalo .

Free Travel Budget Calculator (With Instructions)

Now let’s go over the vacation cost calculator itself and how to use it.

Step 1. Enter your intentended budget. Start by entering your intended trip budget at the top – as in, the total budget you plan to spend – and then your expenses in the following rows.

Pro tip: when creating your trip budget, I recommend considering what aspects of travel are most important to you as well as your unique travel style. For instance, if you’re like me and think experiences are what make travel special, you might allot more of your budget to the Activities category.

Step 2. Pay attention to travel category instructions. You’ll also want to note which categories ask you for your total spend, like Flights, and which ask you for your per day spend, like Food and Lodging.

Step 3. Adjust for how many people you’re traveling with. Finally, make sure to note how many travelers you’re calculating for, which will change the “per day per person” totals. If you only want to calculate the trip budget for yourself, enter “1” as the number of travelers.

Step 4. Calculate your vacation budget. Once you hit “Calculate,” the calculator will tally up your expenses and let you know if you’re over or under your budget – and by how much. You’ll also get a pie chart visually showing you where you’re spending the most money.

Step 5. Adjust your budget. With this information, you’ll be able to see exactly where you may be overspending as well as where you have some wiggle room. Adjust accordingly.

Instructional notes:

• If there is a category where you’re spending $0, please put “0” in the line field. Otherwise, you may receive an error.
• This holiday cost calculator looks at your per person, per day costs.
• If you’d prefer to calculate by your total spend for each category – or if you’d like this calculator on its own standalone page to bookmark for later – please grab access to my free Travel Resource Library here . The library also includes other types of vacation spending money calculators for road trips, cruises, backpacking trips, and more!

Travel Budget Calculator

How to save money on travel.

One thing that makes sticking with a trip budget easier is knowing how to lessen your travel costs. A few important tips:

1. Choose your destination wisely

Calculating travel expenses typically begins with choosing your travel destination - which is one of the most important factors in your travel budget. Different locations have varying costs of living, affecting the price of accommodations, food, and activities. Research typical costs in your chosen destination to establish a baseline for your budget.

2. Consider your travel dates

Before you calculate vacation costs, realize that the time of year can also significantly impact the cost of your trip. Off-peak or shoulder seasons often offer reduced costs for flights and accommodations, while the high season can be much more expensive.

3. Use tools to find flight deals

Along with following flight deal accounts on social media - like @TheFlightDeal on Twitter - you can use platforms like Going (formerly Scott's Cheap Flights) and FareDrop to find low fares and error fares to save big.

4. Book accommodation beyond hotels

For instance, you can snag free accommodation through CouchSurfing , where you'll sleep on local couches, and TrustedHousesitters . Just note that with the latter you'll be expected to do something in return, such as housesit or pet sit.

Additionally, hostels offer affordable accommodation, and many even feature private rooms. You can peruse the Hostelworld website to quickly find great options.

5. Travel like a local

While a vacation mindset tends to lead to overspending, living in your destination like a local means being more savvy with your finances by taking public transportation, eating at non-touristy restaurants, or even cooking your own meals if you book a place with its own kitchen through a site like VRBO . This can really help you keep food costs down.

6. Get savvy with travel credit cards

First off, you'll definitely want to get a credit card that doesn't charge foreign transaction fees. From there, you'll also want to consider whether you want a card with no annual fee, or if an annual fee makes sense for the additional travel perks - such as miles and points that you can redeem for free travel.

These strategies can bring your totals in the vacation budget calculator down quite a bit.

7. Book early

In general, booking airline tickets and hotels in advance can significantly affect your spending. You'll typically pay a lot more when leaving these big expenses until last minute.

8. Compare your rental car options

9. Research airport transfers

Instead of simply arriving at the airport and hopping into a taxi, do your research to see what is the best option for getting to your hotel. While typically public transportation is the most budget-friendly, it's wise to factor in how long the trip will take and if you'll need to switch bus/train lines. In some cases, it'll make more sense to take a car or book an airport transfer even if it costs a bit more.

Final Thoughts On Using A Travel Budget Calculator

Using a calculator to budget for travel can help you create an intentional budget and stick with it.

That being said, it's important to remember that the goal is not just to save money, but to make the most of your trip within your financial means.

Travel can be enjoyed at any budget level, so focus on creating memorable experiences rather than feeling obligated to do everything.

At the very least, you'll learn skills for keeping your total cost down so you can better plan ahead for your next trip!

Have you ever used a travel budget calculator?

Enjoyed this budget calculator travel guide? Pin it for later!

How to Make a Travel Budget in 5 Easy Steps (Free Planner)

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Our ultimate goal is to educate and inform, not lure you into signing up for certain offers. Compensation from our partners may impact what products we cover and where they appear on the site, but does not have any impact on the objectivity of our reviews or advice.

Creating a travel budget may seem like a hassle, but it’ll actually make your vacation more enjoyable. Knowing that you’ve already planned out how you’re going to pay for everything will help you relax and have a good time.

• Money Management

Our mission at DollarSprout is to help readers improve their financial lives, and we regularly partner with companies that share that same vision. If a purchase or signup is made through one of our Partners’ links, we may receive compensation for the referral. Learn more here .

Many people enjoy traveling the world, exploring new places, or just relaxing in a tranquil environment.

Taking a vacation is a great way to reduce stress and improve productivity, but traveling can be costly. Making a travel budget will make a big difference while planning your next getaway.

Those who love to travel should incorporate it as a line item in their monthly budgets. Each month, set aside a certain amount for travel in its own separate account.

Earmark that money specifically as a vacation budget so that it can be spent guilt-free. Money that is put toward trip expenses can simply be reimbursed from the travel account.

With that said, if there is outstanding debt that is difficult to pay off, planning an immediate vacation may not be a good idea. In this case, the priority should be to set up an emergency fund that includes three-to-six months’ worth of living expenses.

Why Is Budgeting for a Vacation Important?

While it is good to get into the habit of setting aside vacation funds every month, it is also important to create a budget for each individual trip. This will help determine how long it will take to build up enough money in the vacation account to pay for that trip. It will also allow for logistics to be planned out, while staying on budget.

Scheduling and budgeting for vacations can be very enjoyable. Researching hotel accommodations, restaurants, and free things to do helps to build up anticipation. It can be fun for the whole family to spend time together, figuring out the different parts of an upcoming trip.

How to Budget for A Vacation in 5 Simple Steps

When it comes time to map out those vacation expenses, a few key steps will help lead to success and worry-free traveling. Begin by drafting a well-rounded vacation budget, focusing on expenses in the following five main categories. Once these are figured out, the rest of the details will fall into place.

1. Choose a destination and preferred date

Start by picking a destination and nailing down travel dates. Remember that some locations are more expensive to visit than others. The time of year can also make a difference in pricing. Traveling done at peak tourist times usually costs more than off-season trips.

Be flexible

Being flexible is one of the easiest ways to save when budgeting for a vacation. Check out multiple travel destinations and compare prices before settling on options for lodging and airfare. Since these are two of the largest expenses in any travel budget, keeping them in check will go a long way toward helping to keep the overall cost down.

Be willing to look at alternative accommodations or stay at a place that is a little farther away from the tourist areas. Remember that most vacation time is spent outside the hotel room – so there is no reason to put a large chunk of the budget toward nice accommodations that will be used only for sleep.

Also, be flexible when choosing a travel date. Many travel search engines have a “flexible dates” option that can be used to research the lowest prices for airfare and lodging. Plan around these dates for added savings in the travel budget.

Consider the season

The time of year can really impact a travel budget. A lot of people have begun to plan weddings around their honeymoons, and not vise versa. For example, if the goal is to travel to Italy without spending a fortune or facing large crowds of tourists – while still enjoying nice weather – get married in early autumn, which is known as the shoulder season. It’s a great time of year to travel, because the weather is still nice, but the crowds have thinned out. Most people with children travel during the summer. Once the kids are back in school, prices for airfare and accommodations tend to drop, allowing people with more flexibility to travel cheaper.

Related: Make Money Renting Your Home with Airbnb While You’re on Vacation

2. Make a list of your major expenses (use a travel budget worksheet)

When drafting a travel budget worksheet, plan for the biggest expenses, including transportation, accommodations, and food, first. Getting those out of the way will greatly aid in putting together the overall vacation budget.

Research cheap travel deals (transportation)

Transportation costs for trips that are taken close to home will not be very high. But when airfare comes into the picture, the transportation line item will increase dramatically. Research multiple airlines for cheap travel deals, and consider taking connecting flights to cut down on the cost. If it’s feasible, check out the price of flights leaving from airports in nearby cities.

Flights on airlines to and from major airport hubs are usually lower in cost. For example, American Airlines and Southwest Airlines are both headquartered in Dallas. Flights on those airlines tend to be the cheapest travel to and from that area.

Research accommodations

Another large expense in any travel budget is lodging. There is a wide range of options to consider when it comes to picking out a place to stay, including hostels, hotels, motels, bed and breakfasts, or apartments. Or, if a trip includes camping, those accommodations can include cabins and tents.

Rather than being brand-loyal to a particular hotel, utilize travel sites like Hotels.com to compare costs at different chains. After all, most travel time is spent sightseeing and exploring, not inside the room.

The closer accommodations are to major attractions, the more expensive they will be. Consider staying somewhere off the beaten path to save money.

When traveling with a group of people, split the cost of accommodations. For example, rent a house or condo with multiple rooms and divide the costs. If your destination is more remote, consider renting an RV. For as low as $175 per night, you can comfortably sleep 10 adults and still come in under $20 per person per day.

Budget for food

One of the trickiest line items in a vacation budget is food. To save some money in this area, choose a place to stay that has a kitchen – or at least a refrigerator and microwave. Eat some meals there, and then splurge a few times by going out to eat at local restaurants.

Another great way to save money on food is to stay in a bed and breakfast or a hotel that includes breakfast. Some chains like Homewood Suites or DoubleTree offer both a kitchen area and a hot breakfast, which helps in saving money . Drinks bought while eating out can quickly add to a bill, so buy wine or beer for the room to keep that travel budget in check.

When budgeting for meals, try going out for lunch instead of dinner. Lunch is usually cheaper than dinner, and many of the same options are offered for less. It is also usually not as tempting to order pricey alcoholic beverages during lunch.

Related: How to Find Cheap Gas Nearby (When You’re On the Go)

3. Make a list of smaller expenses

Once the larger expenses are planned out, figure out the extras, like sightseeing, entertainment, and gifts.

Research potential vacation activities and local places to visit. Go online to get an idea of the associated costs, and budget accordingly.

Don’t forget to plan for any necessary vaccines if traveling abroad, as well as gifts to take back home. Build a buffer into the budget to account for any surprise expenses. It’s always best to plan for more, and then spend less.

4. Determine the monthly savings

Once a rough vacation budget has been established, it’s time to figure out how to pay for it. Take the total amount and divide it by the number of months left until the trip. For example, if the vacation date is in nine months and the cost of the trip is approximately $2,700, $300 must be set aside every month.

If that amount seems too large, there are two options: adjust the timeline or make some extra money.

If necessary, push the trip out by a few months until enough money can be saved, or figure out how to bring in some extra income. There are many different ways to make money on the side, and help to reach that savings goal.

5. Vacation budgeting doesn’t end there

Those travel budgets won’t do much good if they aren’t followed. It is important to track costs and stay on top of spending while on vacation. Don’t stress out over every penny, but don’t go overboard, either. It wouldn’t be fun to see some nasty surprises on the bank or credit card statement later.

One of the easiest ways to track expenditures while traveling is with a budgeting tool like Personal Capital. Alternatively, keep on top of spending with an Excel spreadsheet or even with a pen and paper. Whatever the method, keep it updated and check it regularly.

Bonus Tip: Draft an itinerary

While it’s not necessary to create an itinerary when budgeting for a vacation, it really helps stay on track. The best way to do this is by using an Excel spreadsheet. Make a rough outline with a separate entry for each day of the vacation. Fill in all of the travel information and any scheduled activities like sightseeing tours.

Make a separate column to the side and list out all potential vacation activities. Group together any events that are in the same area of town and write down approximately how long each one would take. Now slot them in under the different day headers for either the morning or afternoon.

Try to group together activities or sightseeing that will occur in the same part of town. Food and restaurant options can be added in after the schedule is roughed out.

Itineraries are meant to be flexible, not restrictive. Move things around to find the right balance. Note the associated cost of each entry on the list.

Add all of the expenses together at the bottom of the spreadsheet to estimate the total travel budget. Remember that it’s not necessary to follow the itinerary word for word. Use it as a planning tool and focus on enjoying the trip.

Creating a Travel Budget Is Well Worth the Time

Even though it may seem like creating a travel budget can be a hassle, in the long run, it will make vacations far more enjoyable.

Having a vacation budget means not stressing about money after the trip. It allows for advanced planning and time to save up enough money. Budgeting for a vacation means that it will be easy to relax and have a good time, knowing that everything is in the budget and ready to be paid for.

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Want to coordinate travel plans with family, friends, or colleagues? Invite your friends or trip companions to Tripety for an easy way to discuss the details of your journey. Generate ideas or arrangements, track your spending, and use our group travel itinerary planner to explore new places together.

Is the process of planning your favorite part of the trip? Are you a detailed-oriented person who wants to use the  best business travel planner  or organize your family vacation tour? Then Tripety, an online trip management platform, is perfect for you! Dream, organize, share, manage your business and personal trips within our easy-to-use,  intuitive travel itinerary manager as your planner . It will keep all the needed information in one place and track everything, as it’s a flight tracker, road trip planner both in one.

Tripety helps manage and keep track of your finances before and during your journey. Monitor spending with the help of our convenient budget tool. See and manage your expenses ‘as you go’ to stay on top of your budget.

Planning a trip or vacation shouldn’t be tiresome and complicated. Easy to use, an intuitive and neat Travel Planning Platform that we created is for travelers like YOU! Tripety helps you compile, organize, and share your travel arrangements. Keep an eye on your travel budget while on vacation or business trip. We are trying to make your world a bit more colorful and a lot more relaxed. Tripety, add travel to your life!

Planning a trip can become quite challenging, especially when you have to go over many big and small details. The last thing you want is to run into problems while you’re away. This is why you must always plan all the details of your trip beforehand.

Thankfully, now you can use Tripety, a travel planner and itinerary maker, to plan each and every detail of your trip. From budgeting to group collaboration, we ensure that you have a smooth planning process. We also have an online road trip planner that’s sure to give you the hassle-free trip of your dreams.

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Seamlessly manage your itinerary all in one page with Wonderplan - from reconfiguring the order of your plans, introducing new destinations to your itinerary, or even discarding plans as needed.

Generate richly personalized accommodation recommendations. Driven by your unique preferences and tastes, we curate an array of lodging options which not only meet, but exceed your needs, providing you with the comfort and convenience you deserve on your journey.

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Enjoy the convenience of offline accessibility - with the option to download and save your plans as a PDF, you can always have your information at hand, no matter where you are.

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Skip the manual trip planning and start your effortless journey with Trip Planner AI today, at no cost.

Imagine having a personal travel agent in your pocket, available anytime, anywhere. That's what Wonderplan offers: a user-friendly service to "plan my trip", crafting bespoke itineraries at no cost. Enjoy tailored, effortless trip planning with just a click. This is achieved through our advanced AI trip planner that builds personalized travel experiences.

Yes, Wonderplan is a free planning tool (at least for now 🤭). Our AI trip planner is designed to provide high-quality service without any cost.

Wonderplan curates personalized recommendations by taking into account your unique preferences, tastes, and travel requirements, ensuring that every aspect of your trip is tailored to meet your specific needs. The trip planner AI algorithm is key to building these customized experiences.

Yes, Wonderplan provides the option to download your plans as a PDF, allowing for easy offline access whenever you need them.

With Wonderplan, you can easily reorder, add, or remove locations on your itinerary to create a customized travel experience that fits your preferences and schedule. Our AI trip planner makes it easy to build and modify your journey.

If you require assistance or have questions about using Wonderplan, feel free to send us an email at [email protected] . Our team is ready to help you build the perfect trip with our AI trip planner.

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Travel Budget Calculator

Planning your next vacation? Use this free budget travel calculator tool to plan and estimate your next trip.

Please specify expenses per person. (U.S. dollars )

How many days will you be staying?

What is the hotel's nightly rate, what's your daily budget for food and drinks, is there a fee for travel visas, what is your budget for fun activities, what's the daily car rental rate at your destination, expected airfare costs (per-person):, do you plan to purchase travel insurance.

(The average cost for travel insurance is about $125USD)

Fees for additional baggage (per-person):

Estimate total trip cost, enjoy this calculator share it or tweet it.

Vacation planners, tired of budgeting headaches? Our free calculator takes the stress out of planning your next trip. Easily estimate expenses and stay on track. Make your next adventure affordable and enjoyable. Try it now!

How to calculate your travel budget using this trip calculator tool

• Enter the cost of obtaining a travel visa for the destination country. (In US dollars)
• Choose whether or not to get travel insurance for your trip. (Highly recommended.)
• Enter the number of days you’ll be in town. You can move the pointer forward or backward by dragging it, or you can input the number of days in the box next to it.
• Input your estimated budget that you have set aside for some fun activities during your trip. (Think local private tours?)
• Enter the cost of your hotel, Airbnb, or hostel stay per night.
• If you’re renting a car, enter the daily rate.
• Enter the amount of money you plan to spend on food and beverages during your trip.
• Enter the per-person cost of plane tickets to and from your location.
• The entire cost of your trip will be displayed on the right side.

Make your next vacation unforgettable with the right budget. Happy travels!

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Prepare for upcoming trips with Jotform’s free vacation budget planner. Great for travel planners or for personal use. Add your budget info through an online form, a CSV or Excel file, or enter details manually into a secure, collaborative spreadsheet.

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Manage your travel budget.

Whether you’re a professional travel agent or planning your family’s next trip, manage your budget with a ready-made vacation budget template — or import an existing CSV or Excel file to get started.

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View and edit your budget on the go. See budget details as a spreadsheet, a calendar, or easy-to-read cards in Jotform Tables. You can also download your budget as a PDF once it’s complete.

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Personalize the design of your budget planner with our intuitive interface. Add new rows and columns, split details into multiple tabs, add calculations, and more.

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Send your vacation budget to family members or friends to keep them in the loop. You can even collaborate on your budget in Jotform Tables by sharing your table or assigning cells to others.

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We have been Jotform users for years and have watched the platform change in a myriad of ways. Just one of those ways is the new Jotform Tables. It’s amazing! Very clear, easy to use, and mimics modern database programs. They have saved us a ton of time.

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Learn More About Vacation Budget Planning

All your questions about Jotform — answered. Check out our FAQs for answers to common questions, or contact our support team for further information.

How do you budget for a vacation?

To start budgeting for a vacation, first look at your financial situation. Take into account how much money you currently have, how much money you will have at the start of the vacation, and if you have any bills or recurring monthly expenses that may interfere with your budget. Next, take into account all of the expenses associated with the trip — such as transportation, lodging, meals, souvenirs, and other miscellaneous expenses. Once you know how much you have and how much you’re able to spend, you can start planning the details of your trip.

How can I stay on budget while on vacation?

There are many steps you can take to stay on budget while on vacation. To start, try not to go during the busiest vacation times of the year — this can vary depending on location, but it usually helps to avoid major holidays or times of the year when the weather is ideal for the location. When it comes to transportation, lodging, and activities, be on the lookout for deals. This can be a good way to find cheap, fun vacation locations or activities that you may not have thought of before. Instead of opting for an expensive hotel or Airbnb, consider less expensive options like motels, hostels, camping, or staying with friends. And if you’d like to save on food, preparing meals yourself instead of eating out for every meal can help you save a lot of money!

How do I make a travel expense spreadsheet?

Jotform Tables lets you build a travel expense spreadsheet from scratch or get started with a ready-made template. If you’d like to customize your spreadsheet, feel free to add new rows or columns, include formulas to automatically calculate totals, add color-coded tags, and make other changes in seconds with Jotform’s easy-to-use interface. You can add travel expense details manually, upload them via a CSV or Excel file, or fill out an online form to auto-populate your spreadsheet. You can then manage your budget on any device straight from Jotform Tables.

How can I share my spreadsheet with others?

In Jotform Tables, click on the Share icon in the upper right hand corner. Then choose your privacy settings and how you would like to share your table. You can make your table public or private, share it via email or invitation link, or even embed your table in another web page. If you update your share settings to allow collaborators, you can also work on your vacation budget with colleagues or members of your travel group. Visit our user guide to learn more about how to share and collaborate in Jotform Tables .

Can multiple people edit the budget spreadsheet at the same time?

Yes! If you open your table to collaborators, you can all work on your spreadsheet together in real time.

Can I download my data?

Yes. Feel free to download your vacation budget planner spreadsheet as a PDF, CSV, or Excel file. Learn more about how to download your Jotform Tables data .

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• Travel Planning Guide

A Travel Planning Guide

Travel cost calculators for countries around the world.

Budget Your Trip is designed to help you plan a better vacation by gathering travel costs for various destinations around the world. Whether you're traveling on a shoestring budget, or looking to splurge on a luxury resort, our website will help you understand how to get the most for your money.

We offer travel planning resources that you can use to estimate, plan, and track your travel budget. Our information and resources are free of charge for travelers. If you're in the beginning stages of planning your trip, you can search for your destinations here , find your favorite place, and see what others have spent on low-end, mid-range, and luxury trips and vacations. Alternatively, you can select a country from the list of countries to find out what the typical mid-range travel costs are for that area. The costs are broken down by category and include everything from accommodation, to food, entertainment and transportation budgets. These destination budget pages also give you an overview of what to expect in your chosen country, things to see and do, how to best get around, and what you can expect from the local cuisine. From a country page, you can dive deeper into specific cities, too. This information is designed to be used as a starting point for you as you begin deciding where to go and how much you need to save.

All of our information comes from travelers just like you. All of the average daily travel costs are calculated from travel budgets that have been provided by real people who have already visited these locations. This way, you can get a realistic perspective on what you might spend. Our numbers are constantly updated to ensure that you get the most up-to-date information. If you register on our website (free) you can use our travel planning tools to help you plan your own budget before your trip even begins. You can break down your estimated expenses by category and see graphs and charts of where your money will likely go. Learn which cities and countries will have the greatest impact on your trip expenses, and rework your route to ensure that you get the most bang for your buck.

Then, once your trip begins, you can track your budget to make sure you don't overspend. Whether you're going on a one week holiday, or a one year odyssey, it helps to know that you're not spending more than you have saved. By tracking your budget on this website, you'll also be helping other travelers. If you notice your destination of choice is missing from our list, track your trip costs on our website and help future travelers. Your expenses will be added to our estimates, and as our data grows, so does our comprehensiveness and accuracy.

This is a tool that is created by travelers, for travelers. We understand how important budgeting is to a trip. Guidebooks may offer some budgeting advice, but information is often out-of-date, difficult to locate, and limited in its value. This website is supported by a community of travelers who want easy accessibility.

Are You Just Beginning?

Many travelers become overwhelmed when they begin planning their trip. If you're going on vacation for a few weeks, it's hard to narrow down your choices to one or two countries. If you're taking time off of work for a gap year, planning your route can get overwhelming to say the least. Whatever type of trip you're planning, you should first narrow your options down by region. Some parts of the world are more expensive than others, but within regions there is a lot of variability as well. You can also check out our travel planning guide for tips and advice on traveling cheaper.

Narrowing Your Options

The region or countries you decide to visit will dictate how much money your trip will require. It's best to understand costs before you begin your trip, so you know exactly what to expect from your destinations of choice.

Asia in particular has countries that range from super expensive, like Japan, to very low cost, like India or Nepal. Southeast Asia is well known as an affordable destination for those on a limited budget, but if you want a high end vacation, there are plenty of resorts in Thailand as well.

Africa can be surprisingly expensive for first time visits. Depending on your country of choice, the selection of hotels can be limited, restaurants may be overpriced, and safaris can quickly eat away at your budget. Still, you'll find plenty of affordable places to go in this vast continent. Ethiopia is an unexpected surprise for visitors who want to see a different side of Africa. Morocco is Africa with an Arab twist, and Kenya is probably your most affordable option if you're hoping to do a safari.

South America is another region that is reasonable in cost. Some countries, like Brazil, may quickly eat away at your budget, but others, like Bolivia, are perfect for those with limited financial options.

In Europe, you'll quickly find that your money goes a lot farther in the Eastern European countries than it does in the Western European countries. Still, prices can be quite high all over, so it's good to learn a few tricks, like couchsurfing, to ensure that your finances stay in check.

If you're headed to North America, national parks and small towns are usually the least expensive options. Consider traveling with a tent and you'll save yourself a lot of money. While hostels are few and far between, campgrounds are abundant, particularly near the most popular parks like the Grand Canyon and Yosemite. In Mexico, head inland and you'll find many more affordable choices than you would on the coast where luxury resorts are abundant.

The Caribbean Islands are not a popular option for independent travelers. You'll rarely find a backpacker spending time in the region, but if you're looking for a comfortable vacation with all the amenities, then you've found the right place to go. Despite the high costs, or perhaps because of them, it is important to understand which islands offer the best deals for cost conscious travelers.

Central America is a small region, but it has a lot to offer. It is a great introduction to a new culture, and your budget can be kept to a minimum. Still, if you're looking for a resort, you don't have to look far as there are many diverse places to stay in this fascinating area.

Many people shy away from the Middle East, but those that make the trip are greeted by a welcoming culture, friendly people, and a one of a kind experience. Countries are diverse in style, culture, and costs, so it's best to do your research ahead of time and choose places that will fit your travel style to ensure your trip is all that you hoped.

Australia and New Zealand are no longer budget destinations, but backpackers still flock to the area. By planning ahead and looking for the best deals you can ensure you get the most out of your trip.

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Travel Budget Worksheet

Are you planning a major trip? Will you be able to stay within your budget? Rather than just spending without a plan and then dealing with the debt for the next few years, use our travel budget template to list your travel expenses. It will help you estimate your total travel costs and see if you will be able to take your trip without going over budget.

License : Private Use (not for distribution or resale)

Authors: Jon Wittwer and Jim Wittwer

Description

This travel budget template makes it easy to enter your travel expenses for your next trip. The top section allows you to set a total budget, and as you enter your travel costs you can quickly see where the money is going, how much extra you'll have, or how much you'll need to add to your budget.

The worksheet is set up to let you enter a quantity and unit cost for each item. For example, for lodging you can enter the number of nights you will be staying and the cost per night. If you will be driving rather than flying, you can enter the total miles and the cost per mile. Remember to include both fuel and wear as part of the cost (see the link below for what the IRS uses as the standard mileage rate - $0.56/mile in 2014).

Additional Resources

• Be sure to check out our Travel Itinerary and Packing List templates.
• IRS Publication showing Standard Mileage Rates at irs.gov - You might consider using the standard mileage rate if you are estimating the cost of driving.
• Tips for Creating a Budget for Travel at wikihow.com - This article is actually a really good resource to help you remember what to consider when budgeting for a trip.

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FACT SHEET: President   Biden and Vice President Harris Announce Additional Actions to Reduce Gun Violence and Save   Lives

New Executive Order Directs Federal Agencies to Combat Emerging Firearms Threats and Improve School-Based Active Shooter Drills

Today, President Biden and Vice President Harris are announcing a new Executive Order directing federal agencies to improve school-based active shooter drills and combat the emerging threats of machinegun conversion devices and unserialized, 3D-printed firearms, as well as additional executive actions that advance the Biden-Harris Administration’s agenda to reduce gun violence and save lives.

After the prior Administration oversaw the largest one-year increase in murders ever recorded, President Biden and Vice President Harris took action from the start of their Administration to reduce violent crime. The President and the Vice President helped deliver over $15 billion in funding through the American Rescue Plan for law enforcement, community violence interventions, and other public safety strategies. By the middle of 2022, the Biden-Harris Administration had already announced more executive actions to reduce gun violence than any other administration. Then, on June 25, 2022, President Biden signed into law the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, the most significant gun violence prevention law in nearly 30 years. On September 22, 2023, to help drive further progress, President Biden established the first-ever White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, overseen by Vice President Harris.

Under the leadership of President Biden and Vice President Harris, in 2023 the United States experienced the single largest homicide rate drop in recent history. The reduction in homicide has accelerated this year. Data submitted to the Department of Justice shows that the homicide rate dropped another 17 percent from January through June 2024, compared to the same time period in 2023. Data from the Gun Violence Archive indicates that the number of mass shootings so far this year is 20 percent lower than it was at this time last year.

Today, as we mark one year since the establishment of the Office, President Biden and Vice President Harris are announcing additional meaningful actions to reduce gun violence and save lives. This announcement builds on the numerous additional life-saving actions the Biden-Harris Administration has taken, as detailed in the Office’s Year One Progress Report .

President Biden is signing an Executive Order to accelerate progress on two key priorities: combating emerging firearms threats and improving school-based active shooter drills.

Combatting Emerging Firearms Threats: In April 2021, one of the Biden-Harris Administration’s first executive actions to reduce gun violence was to address the emerging threat of firearms without serial numbers, often referred to as “ghost guns.” To expand these efforts, ATF established an Emerging Threats Center. This Center focuses ATF’s resources on identifying developments in illicit firearm marketplaces, including the use of new technologies to make and unlawfully distribute undetectable firearms and devices that convert semi-automatic firearms into illegal machineguns.

Now, President Biden and Vice President Harris are taking additional action on two emerging firearms threats: machinegun conversion devices and unserialized, 3D-printed firearms.

• Machinegun conversion devices enable semi-automatic firearms, including easily concealable handguns, to match or exceed the rate of fire of many military machineguns with a single engagement of the trigger—up to 20 bullets in one second. From 2017 through 2021, ATF recovered 5,454 of these devices, a 570 percent increase over the previous five-year period. Machinegun conversion devices are illegal to possess under federal law, but we continue to see these devices show up at crime scenes because they are small, cheap, and easy to install. Machinegun conversion devices are often illegally imported or illegally made on a 3D printer from computer code found online. The 3D-printing of a machinegun conversion device costs as little as 40 cents and takes fewer than 30 minutes.
• Unserialized, 3D-printed firearms can be used for illegal purposes such as gun trafficking, unlawful possession by people convicted of felonies or subject to domestic violence restraining orders, or unlawfully engaging in the business of manufacturing or selling firearms. These firearms can be 3D-printed from computer code downloaded from the Internet and produced without serial numbers that law enforcement use to trace firearms recovered in criminal investigations. Some 3D-printed firearms can be made to be undetectable by magnetometers used to secure airports, courthouses, and event spaces, even though these undetectable firearms are illegal to make, sell, or possess under federal law. As 3D-printing technology continues to develop rapidly, the safety threat posed by 3D-printed firearms may suddenly increase.

In this Executive Order, President Biden is establishing an Emerging Firearms Threats Task Force, consisting of leadership from key federal departments and agencies. President Biden is directing the Task Force to issue a report within 90 days that includes: an assessment of the threat posed by machinegun conversion devices and unserialized, 3D-printed firearms; an assessment of federal agencies’ operational and legal capacities to detect, intercept, and seize machinegun conversion devices and unserialized, 3D-printed firearms; and an interagency plan for combatting these emerging threats. The report will include any additional authorities or funding the federal agencies need from Congress in order to complete this work.

Improving School-Based Active Shooter Drills: The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to preventing gun violence in schools, including by keeping guns out of the hands of potential school shooters and investing more resources in school safety and violence prevention. The majority of schools are currently using drills to prepare for an active shooter situation. Despite the ubiquity of these drills, there is very limited research on how to design and deploy these drills to maximize their effectiveness and limit any collateral harms they might cause. Many parents, students, and educators have expressed concerns about the trauma caused by some approaches to these drills. Federal agencies need to help schools improve drills so they can more effectively prepare for an active shooter situation while also preventing or minimizing any trauma.

In the Executive Order, President Biden is directing the Secretary of Education and the Secretary of Homeland Security, in coordination with the Attorney General, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, and the U.S. Surgeon General, to develop and publish, within 110 days, information for K-12 schools and institutions of higher education regarding school-based active shooter drills. The information will include a summary of: existing research on active shooter drills and resources for school districts and institutions of higher education on how to create, implement, and evaluate evidence-informed active shooter drills; how to conduct effective and age- and developmentally-appropriate drills; how best to communicate with students, families, and educators about these drills; how to prevent students and educators from experiencing trauma or psychological distress associated with these drills; and how best to serve people with disabilities and those with language-related needs, including by ensuring compliance with federal civil rights laws, when designing and implementing school-based active shooter drills.

In addition to the Executive Order, federal departments and agencies are taking the following actions:

Promoting Safe Gun Storage and Red Flag Laws

• Encouraging Safe Storage of Firearms: Today, the Department of Education is providing schools, school boards, and policymakers with a new tool to promote safe gun storage in their communities. Following up on its initial safe storage actions , the Department of Education is publishing an  interactive website that highlights examples of state, community, and school district actions across the nation that promote safe gun storage within school communities. The website includes a map with state safe storage laws, examples of how schools are communicating with parents about safe storage, and examples of local policies on safe storage education. This new resource builds on guidance the Department published earlier this year to highlight physical safety measures schools can pursue to help keep students safe in the event of gun violence in schools.
• Clarifying Medicaid Reimbursement for Counseling on Firearm Safety: Health systems, hospitals, and healthcare workers are an essential component of a healthy gun violence prevention and intervention system. By the end of October, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will announce that states may choose to use Medicaid to pay a health care provider for counseling parents and caregivers on firearm safety and injury prevention. This announcement will build off the coverage that Medicaid provides for “anticipatory guidance,” which is health education and counseling to help parents and caregivers understand and improve the health and development of their children. For example, Bright Futures/American Academy of Pediatrics’ guidelines include firearm safety guidance, such as safe storage guidance, as recommended anticipatory guidance for pediatricians to provide to parents.
• Implementing State Red Flag Laws: The Department of Justice is announcing over $135 million in formula awards to 48 states under the Byrne State Crisis Intervention Program (Byrne SCIP), which provides funding for the implementation of extreme risk protection order, or “red flag”, programs, state crisis intervention court proceedings, and related programs/initiatives. The implementation of state red flag laws is supported by the National Extreme Risk Protection Resource Center.

Funding Community Violence Intervention

• Funding Community Violence Interventions: In furtherance of the Biden-Harris Administration’s strategy to invest in community violence interventions as a proven solution to prevent gun violence, the Department of Justice is announcing an additional $85 million in funding through the Community Violence Intervention and Prevention Initiative (CVIPI). This funding will help 30 agencies and organizations develop and expand their community violence intervention work, including hospital-based violence intervention, street outreach, and cognitive behavioral therapy. These strategies are essential complements to law enforcement and this investment is part of the $400 million in total funding that the Biden-Harris Administration has secured for CVIPI. CVIPI is only one part of how the Administration funds community violence interventions. This fact sheet lists the full range of federal resources available to address community violence.
• Clarifying Medicaid Reimbursement for Violence Intervention: CMS previously clarified that states may authorize health care providers to be reimbursed by Medicaid for violence intervention programs. In October, CMS expects to proactively raise this clarification with states. CMS will also explore how best to convene state governments and healthcare providers on incorporating Medicaid benefits into violence prevention programs.

Improving the Gun Background Check System

• Facilitating Enhanced Background Checks for Individuals Under Age 21: The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA) established enhanced background checks for individuals under age 21 trying to purchase a firearm. These enhanced checks have already stopped over 900 transactions, keeping guns out of the hands of dangerous individuals. But a number of states across the country have privacy laws that prevent state officials from fully responding to enhanced background check inquiries. The Biden-Harris Administration’s Safer States Agenda made fixing this issue a top priority for states, and Connecticut, Vermont, Nevada, Texas, and Kentucky have all recently made necessary changes. Today, the Department of Justice is issuing model legislation that additional states may use to inform their own legislation and allow a carve-out to share juvenile records solely for the purpose of enhanced background checks. In addition, the Justice Department is releasing information on whether state laws permit information-sharing with regard to juvenile records for the purposes of enhanced background checks.
• Maximizing the Enhanced Background Check with Red Flag Laws: Part of the enhanced background check requires requesting records from state and local law enforcement and mental health repositories about potential purchasers under 21.  In these and other circumstances, if a person shows clear signs of being in crisis and a danger to themselves or others, they may qualify for consideration under applicable red flag laws which would generally result in that person being ineligible to possess or receive firearms.  By October 22, the Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO) National Resource Center will provide training to state and local law enforcement on the ERPO process, including how it intersects with individuals under 21.
• Improving the Federal Gun Background Check System: BSCA’s enhanced background checks for gun purchasers under age 21 and the law’s narrowing of the “boyfriend loophole,” along with the expanding number of states with red flag laws, are placing new challenges on state and local agencies attempting to ascertain what records they need to send to the federal gun background check system. To address these challenges, there needs to be system-wide improvements and a new era of collaboration among various entities engaging with the federal gun background check system. By December 15, the Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs will have evaluated the existing grant programs that support improvements to the gun background check system and make any changes needed to support states looking to improve their records systems, which may include lengthening the duration of grants where appropriate. 

Expanding Data on Gun Violence and Gun Trafficking

• Publishing Additional Data on Ghost Gun Trends and Firearms Trafficking: This winter, ATF will publish the fourth volume of its National Firearms Commerce and Trafficking Assessment. This volume will provide an update on ghost gun trends and trafficking investigations, as well as expanded information on machinegun conversion device recoveries.
• Expanding Collection of Gun Violence Data: There is a lack of reliable and timely data on gun deaths and gunshot injuries that show what is happening nationwide and in individual communities. This data is critical to focusing investment and enforcement efforts. Today, the FBI is announcing that it will collect additional detail in its data collection for gunshot injury wounds in the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) by June 2025. The FBI will implement a new injury code to reflect a gunshot wound in the NIBRS victim segment. NIBRS will also enable law enforcement agencies to submit additional detail as to how firearms were used in specific crimes, and the nature of the crime at issue.
• Improving Data on Gunshot Injuries: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is improving a data visualization tool to present gun death and injury data faster and at a more local level. Using data from vital statistics and emergency rooms at the local level can help inform prevention strategies and evaluate the effectiveness of programs.

Supporting Survivors of Gun Violence

• Best practices for local offices of violence prevention to use in addressing trauma resulting from gun violence;A tip sheet for individuals affected by gun violence who may be seeking more information on the behavioral health impacts of gun violence and how to seek help;A report on lessons learned from the federal ReCAST grant program to uplift the voices of communities impacted by violence as well as share strategies other communities can implement to promote healing, recovery, and resiliency; and
• A toolkit for faith-based leaders, educators, and other leaders to help communities affected by the trauma resulting from gun violence.

Destroying Crime Guns

• Ensuring Appropriate Disposition of Firearms Seized by Law Enforcement: Firearms or firearm parts that were presumed to be destroyed by law enforcement have begun showing up in crimes. Sometimes the guns recovered by law enforcement are sent to a third-party that only partially destroys them. By October 30, the Department of Justice will refresh and clarify best practices for federal law enforcement disposition of seized firearms, including when working in partnership with state and local law enforcement. The Department of Justice will also release a plan to offer new training and education for state and local partners on safe and appropriate firearm disposition.

Preventing Firearm Suicide

• Facilitating Voluntary Out-of-Home Storage to Prevent Firearm Suicide: Voluntary out-of-home storage of firearms is an effective tactic to saves lives by creating time and space between a person in crisis and a firearm. A number of states, including Colorado , Louisiana , Maryland , North Carolina , and Wisconsin , have developed gun storage maps to show different locations where a gun owner can voluntarily store their firearms. A federally funded program has developed model guidelines, contracts, and standard operating procedures for businesses interested in providing this option. Today, the Department of Veterans Affairs and SAMHSA are using their network of teams committed to preventing Veteran suicide—known as the Governor’s Challenge to Prevent Suicide Among Service Members, Veterans, and Families—to encourage states to convene federally licensed gun dealers around offering out-of-home storage to our Nation’s heroes and their families.

Congress must act. While the Biden-Harris Administration’s gun violence prevention actions are saving lives, there is much more to do. President Biden and Vice President Harris continue to call on Congress to enact commonsense gun safety legislation—from a ban on assault weapons and bump stocks to universal background checks to a repeal of gun manufacturers’ immunity from liability—and to enact federal safe storage and red flag laws and fully fund community violence intervention programs and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

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