• 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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A beginner's guide on how to plan your travel budget

Learn how to plan a budget for any vacation, including what to plan for in your budget, how to determine your daily budget, and how much money you should have available in case of emergencies

budget for international travel

Sep 24, 2023

trip planning checklist

What's the best way to ruin an amazing vacation? By running out of money before it's over! 

Let's face it: budgets are a boring, yet necessary part of the travel planning process. You do not want to be in a foreign country and realize that you have no money left for food for the last three days of your trip. 

Put in a little thought and effort before you leave, and you'll save a whole lot of worry while you're there! 

There's so much to consider when planning a trip budget , and it can feel overwhelming at first. No worries, though, because I'm here to help! Today I'm going to share my approach to creating a travel budget.

How to budget for your travel

When creating a travel budget, I separate expenses into three categories:

  • Preparation Expenses
  • Actual Vacation Expenses
  • Emergency Funds

You might also like:   The greatest travel hacking guide you need for a stress-free trip

backpacker planning his travel using a mobile app

1. Preparation Expenses

Preparation Expenses include all the money you must spend before you leave for your trip . Here are some examples of what will be included in your preparation expenses:

Passport and Visa 

These costs will vary greatly, depending on where you live and where you are traveling, but there's no way around them so be sure to do your research and make room for your passport and necessary visas in your budget.

Travel Insurance 

While travel insurance is not, strictly speaking, required, it is definitely a good idea. Especially if you will be traveling long-term, you should at least research your options. If you're traveling for more than a week, I highly recommend at least purchasing health insurance. 

You never know what might happen when you're abroad, and you certainly do not want to come home with thousands of dollars owed to a foreign country, all because you slipped on a rock while hiking or drank some unclean water. There are plenty of affordable options available.

Vaccinations 

Vaccinations  are usually relatively cheap, but they can save a whole lot of trouble later so go ahead, look up which ones are recommended for the areas you'll be traveling, and add them to your to-do list and budget.

Luggage/Travel Gear 

This is a very broad category, and it will depend entirely on what you already have and what you personally deem necessary. Suitcases, backpacks, money belts, cameras, international phone plans, activity-specific gear (for example, hiking boots, sleeping bags, etc.), neck pillows, basically whatever you need to make your life easier/more enjoyable while traveling goes in this category.

Transportation 

Here you will include the cost of planes, trains, and automobiles to get you where you want to go. Include major travel routes, not inner-city transportation here.

This list seems quite extensive, but the good news is you likely already have many of the more expensive items on the preparation list, such as a passport, luggage, and camera. Even if you don't, they can be considered investments for future travel as well.

More useful tips on Adventure planning: the best guide for your backpacking trip .

bus is a transportation on a budget

2. Actual Vacation Expenses

The next category, Actual Vacation Expenses, will look like this:

Accommodations 

Where will you be sleeping? Luckily, you're on Worldpackers, so there's  plenty of opportunities to keep this expense at $0 through work exchange.

Otherwise, this will be one of your biggest expenses. When planning, look up actual rates for your exact dates and destinations, as this can vary hugely depending on the time of year and other factors.

Food and Drink 

There is a lot of great information on how much you should budget for this, depending on your destination, on the internet.  Consider whether and how much alcohol you plan to consume and whether your accommodations offer free breakfast when planning your meal budget.

Tours/Activities 

The best way to plan for this is to make a list of all the activities and tours that you would like to do while you're vacationing and how much they cost

Small Transportation

Consider whether you'll be walking or whether you'll require a taxi or other means of transportation within your destination city and how much that will cost. Other options could include bicycle or motor scooter rentals.

This will depend on how many souvenirs you plan to purchase and what types. Familiarize yourself on Customs Duty regulations so there are no surprises upon reentry to your home country.

The upside is: this part of your budget should be much more fun to plan! 

Once you have a total for this part, divide it by the number of days that you will be traveling. 

For example: if I am vacationing for 10 days and the Vacation Expenses part of my budget totals $600, my math would look like this:

$600 total/10 days = $60/day

By dividing your budget into a set amount per day, it will be easier for you to keep track of your travel budget . 

There will likely be days where you spend a little more or a little less than your daily budget, but as long as they balance out there's no need to worry.

travel souveniers

3. Emergency Funds

Finally, we have Emergency Funds. This is the money that you will have available but separate in case of emergency: stolen or lost credit cards, unforeseen but unavoidable expenses, etc. 

I recommend keeping emergency funds in cash and separated into two to three different stashes, kept in separate places during your trip. 

The reality is, unexpected expenses come up more often than not, and you should always have a backup plan! I recommend budgeting at least enough money for a couple days' meals and a couple nights' accommodations, as well as an emergency plane ticket back home, should you need to leave early.

Extra: money saving tips!

If your budget is coming out to be too expensive, consider these money saving tips:

  • If your accommodations are too expensive, have you considered work exchange ? Hostels ? Airbnb ? Couchsurfing ?
  • A good way to save money on food and drink is to lower your alcohol intake and shop for food at markets that you can prepare for yourself instead of eating out for every meal.
  • Are you traveling during the high season? If so, that can affect the price of transportation, especially flights, accommodations, even activities and food sometimes! Consider visiting during a quieter time of year to save money.

Take your time when budgeting your trip. Plan carefully and be aware of how much you spend each day , and you will have a great time with no money worries! If you still need more help on how to lower your budget, check out my article about 7 actionable ways to save money while traveling!

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Kimberli Brown

I recently quit my day job to chase my dream of traveling full-time.

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budget for international travel

Aug 01, 2020

budget for international travel

Nov 08, 2020

Very needful advice! Loved it!

budget for international travel

May 04, 2023

budget for international travel

Jul 18, 2023

So helpful. Definitely going to plan how much I’ll spend per day to help budget!

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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!

Graphic of a planner sheet with travel icons in front of a tropical beach background.

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

One side tropical beach with text so you can enjoy this. The other side is a stressed out couple over money with the words without this.

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: Trusted Housesitters 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

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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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How to Make a Travel Budget in 2023 [Free Template]

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How to Make a Travel Budget in 2023 [Free Template]

Can You Afford to Travel?

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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.

Globe on Desk with Travel Money

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 >  📋

Travel Budget Considerations

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:

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.

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!

map of world syringe vaccination

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.

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.

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 Rental

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

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

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.

Colosseum during daytime

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.

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

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

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

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 App

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.

Splitwise

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where can i travel with a low budget.

There are plenty of excellent places to travel on a low budget. Here are some great options:

  • South Africa

How much should I budget for a trip?

There are lots of factors that make up how much you should budget for a trip. Where you are going, the time of year, your travel style, what you want to do, and how long are you going for are just some of the considerations. It’s best to work out exactly what the trip would cost, cut out anything you can do without, and go from there.

How do I stick to a budget while traveling?

The best way to stick to a budget while traveling is to keep track of all your expenses so you know exactly where you are against your budget. The easiest way of doing this is to use a travel budget and expenses up like Trail Wallet, Trabee Pocket, or Tripcoin.

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About Amar Hussain

Amar is an avid traveler and tester of products. He has spent the last 13 years traveling all 7 continents and has put the products to the test on each of them. He has contributed to publications including Forbes, the Huffington Post, and more.

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How to Budget for a Trip: The Easiest Travel Budgeting Method (+ Tips!)

Here’s a silly secret: I love budgeting travel… and I also think that most guides to creating a travel budget make it entirely too complicated.

I initially wrote this guide on how to budget for a trip almost 7 years ago, when we were prepping for what we were then calling a 6 month round the world trip (spoiler: depending on your definition of “trip”, it never actually ended).

50+ countries and the better part of a decade later, I’m still using the exact same, simple formula for calculating our budget while traveling–even if our definition of “on a budget” has changed over the years.

Planning to hit the road soon and wondering how much money you need for your trip?

Whether you’re headed off on a 2-week Europe trip or you’re planning to live out of a backpack for years like we did, our simple method for budgeting travel expenses has you covered.

Here’s the travel budget strategy that we swear by to this day!

Table of Contents

Our Formula for Creating a Travel Budget

Why we like this travel budgeting system, example of how to budget for a trip, tips for travel budgeting, planning a trip.

Kate and Jeremy Storm standing on the edge of a Mayan pyramid in Becan Mexico, facing each other

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Here’s our incredible simple calculation for travel expenses:

(Money Saved – Major Expenses) / Number of Days Traveling = D aily Budget

That’s it–simple, easy to remember, and allows you to easily translate your savings from a pile of money into an actual travel budget.

Some long term travelers prefer to divide by the number of weeks instead of the number of days, on the premise that some days you may blow a large amount, and then have cheaper days to make up for it.

While that is 100% true and Jeremy and I definitely balance expensive days with inexpensive ones, I still prefer to think in terms of days.

In my experience, smaller numbers tend to be more easily tracked, and are less overwhelming as a result.

kate storm and jeremy storm in front of great pyramid giza

How to Define Major Travel Expenses

“Major expenses” can be somewhat of an ambiguous term, but I tend to use this for pricey plane tickets, travel insurance, and large monthly bills that you’re still responsible for during your trip (say, a car payment or health insurance). 

If you’re headed to any destinations that require a visa, be sure to include those costs as well!

For shorter trips, I also like to include lodging and certain cheaper transportation costs (night trains, budget airline flights, rental cars) here, but for long-term travel, that’s obviously not practical.

The point of the major expenses category is simply to remove the money that is allocated for specific expenses from play before determining how much you have to spend.

This is to avoid either a) running around feeling like you have more money than you do and overspending or b) anxiously fretting about the upcoming expense (like a plane ticket home) and saying no to things that you want to do because you’re needlessly stressed about not having enough money.

oia santorini as seen from above--travel budgeting is essential for making the most of greece

Personally, we’re much more likely to do the second.

Looking back on almost 7 years of travel, I can now definitively say that there have been more experiences than we’ve said no to when we should have jumped at the opportunity than times we splurged on an experience that wasn’t worth deducting from our calculated travel budget.

Luckily, thanks to this travel budgeting system, those experiences have been few and far between.

kate storm jeremy storm and ranger storm on a balcony overlooking matera on a southern italy itinerary

For us, this method of creating a travel budget works perfectly.

Thanks to careful tracking, we have never overspent on a trip, and we’ve also never worried much about money during our travels.

The worst that will happen is that we have a couple of pricey days in a row and follow it up with a day of inexpensive hiking or laying on the beach to make up for it (hardly a tragedy).

While I tend to track our daily expenses via mental estimates, I will write out cash expenses daily and credit card/more easily tracked expenses a couple of times a week–yes, even 7 years later.

It may seem like a drag, but 10 minutes of work can relieve a lot of stress and fear of the unknown that can come with just letting your money slip to the back of your mind.

(At least, it will be in the back of your mind until you start panicking over the thought of where your checking account balance might be when trying to fall asleep at night!).

boulders beach in south africa--travel budgeting was essential to experiencing these penguins

Let’s say that a couple traveling is traveling to Paris from the USA for one week, and wants to calculate their travel budget.

In the interest of not searching too deeply for a pretend trip, I’ll say they buy the first flights they search for don’t stress about that too much. They’re also cautious and want travel insurance for their trip.

Our pretend couple has a $4000 travel budget, in total.

Major Travel Expenses for Our Mock Paris Trip

Round-Trip Flights to Paris: $2000

Travel Insurance : $150 

Hotel Room, $130/night for 7 nights: $910

($4000 total budget – $3060 major expenses) / 7 days = $134.28/day to spend, or $67.14/per person, per day.

selfie of kate storm and jeremy storm after climb the arc de triomphe paris with eiffel tower in the background

I would round those down to $134 or $67, both for the ease of math and to build in a slightly conservative slant to the budget.

This would need to cover activities/tours, souvenirs/shopping, transportation while in Paris, and food/drinks.

That’s not only doable but completely comfortable in Paris, as long as our pretend couple is not hoping for luxury travel.

interior of sainte-chapelle in paris -- learning how to budget for a trip helped us experience this for the first time

Know what’s worth it to you.

If you’re a major foodie, skimping on dining probably isn’t going to work for you–and if you’re a SCUBA lover, suggesting you limit dives on a beach trip may sound miserable.

Whatever your priorities are, focus on those and skimp on other areas, instead–even if other travelers consider the things you skip to be must-see sights.

Check in on your budget regularly.

Even if you don’t check in daily, be sure to track your budget at least every few days.

This will help keep you from blowing off course in either direction and also relieve any anxiety you have about not knowing the status of your budget.

Kate Storm looking toward San Marco Campanile from Scala Contarini del Bovolo, which is an excellent place to visit during 2 days in Venice

Remember that traveling on a budget doesn’t mean having less fun!

Some of our favorite travel experiences cost little to nothing.

Browsing local markets, enjoying a beach day, going for a hike, wandering aimlessly through cities, sampling street food, and more all make for wonderful and incredibly memorable travel days.

Travel budgeting can be daunting when you get started, but once you get used to it, it enhances, rather than detracts from your experiences.

Not only are there wonderful travel experiences to be had at all budgets, but knowing where you are in your trip financially is much less stressful than constantly worrying that you’re over your travel budget… without having the concrete data to confirm either way.

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2 budgeting travel photos: a woman writing a travel budget on a notebook and a woman in the caribbean wearing a sunhat. black and pink text on a white background reads "how to create a travel budget"

About Kate Storm

Image of the author, Kate Storm

In May 2016, I left my suburban life in the USA and became a full-time traveler. Since then, I have visited 50+ countries on 5 continents and lived in Portugal, developing a special love of traveling in Europe (especially Italy) along the way. Today, along with my husband Jeremy and dog Ranger, I’m working toward my eventual goal of splitting my life between Europe and the USA.

11 thoughts on “How to Budget for a Trip: The Easiest Travel Budgeting Method (+ Tips!)”

Excellent post. I was checking continuously this blog and I am impressed!

Extremely useful information specifically the last part 🙂 I care for such info a lot. I was looking for this particular information for a long time. Thank you and good luck.

Thank you! Appreciate you stopping by! 🙂

bookmarked!!, I love your site!

Another small thing to consider would be to convert your daily budget amount to local currency.

Great point, thanks for stopping by! 🙂

This is by far the best travel blog I have come across. Thank you!!!

So happy to hear that, DeElla!

Great info!

Good info. Thanks we will be traveling Italy for 28 days. The last 7 we are staying with friends. We don’t want to rent a car but use trains between towns and subway/buses in the cities. How do I budget for that? Are there month long passes for each? Excluding airfare we have $7000 food/transportation/entrance fees. Does that sound doable? We are flying into Rome, then Florence and take day trips from there, then ending up in Ugento. Any recommendations?

Thanks, Brenda!

You can definitely get around Italy without a car, that’s not a problem at all. $7000 for for 28 days on the ground also sounds reasonable (I’m assuming you’re traveling as a couple).

Trenitalia does have a monthly pass of sorts for trains, similar to the Eurail pass but for Italy only. However, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it without knowing your schedule. Most likely, booking each leg individually is fine.

For short distances in rural areas that you travel by bus, you won’t need online tickets or anything like that. Same for any “local” trains you take, like the slow train between Florence and Bologna. You can buy those tickets step by step as you go, as the prices are set.

Where the prices get higher and you’ll need to budget in advance is for the high-speed train routes around Italy, like from Florence to Lecce, for example. Those trains have dynamic pricing, so if you can book your tickets in advance, you’ll both spend less and be able to budget more easily.

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How to Budget for a Trip

Plan ahead, save up, and make the most of credit card rewards

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Plan for the Big Expenses

Account for the little costs of traveling, redeem rewards and bonuses, make a travel budget savings plan.

The Balance

Whether you’re planning an international vacation or a long-weekend road trip, the idea of escaping your daily life for the promise of relaxation and adventure is intoxicating. But while planning a big trip can be exciting, it can also be overwhelming—especially when you’re trying to figure out how much it’s going to cost.

We’ve created a simple Google spreadsheet to help you plan and budget for your next trip. The Balance’s Travel Budget Worksheet includes common expenses (large and small), plus space to enter credit card or other loyalty program rewards that defray some of the cash costs. It’s free to download and use (but you will need a Google account).

The last thing you want is to arrive at your destination and realize you’re out of money. That’s why it’s important to make a travel budget that includes everything from rental car costs to seat selection fees. As part of “ Our Money’s on Travel ”—our series on getting back to travel—we’re taking a look at how to budget for a trip, whether it’s the big costs or the small, plus a few travel hacks to help you save money along the way. 

Most trips involve significant expenses such as transportation and lodging. How significant they are depends on your plans—transportation could include plane tickets or gas for your car, and lodging could mean a five-star hotel or a cabin in the woods. Websites such as Budget Your Trip can help you plan for these costs, but don’t factor in any tips or tricks for saving money. So while this kind of budgeting site can be a good starting point, there’s a lot more that goes into planning your travel budget. Here are a few strategies for saving money on these major travel expenses.

  • If you have access to multiple airports, like New York City residents, check prices out of all of them: LaGuardia (LGA), John F. Kennedy (JFK), and Newark (EWR). 
  • If you only have one local airport, consider booking a separate, cheaper ticket to a major hub, which may offer cheaper flights.
  • Be flexible with your dates and aim to travel during off-peak times. 
  • In pre-Covid times, there was evidence that you could get the best fares by booking 20-115 days in advance and flying on Tuesdays or Wednesdays. But those bets are off because airlines’ pricing formulas are in transition as they cautiously ramp up for more travel. For now, you’ll just have to look for deals and grab them when you see them.   
  • Follow airfare deal sites such as Scott’s Cheap Flights , Secret Flying , and Dan’s Deals to find out about cheap flights as soon as they’re available. 
  • Check multiple sources before booking hotels to find the best rates and deals. For example, Hotels.com offers a free night for every 10 nights you book. Large hotel chains often advertise best rate guarantees and will give you up to 25% off your stay if you find a better rate elsewhere.  
  • Consider shared lodging, such as a private room or dorm in a hostel or a private room in a local’s house on Airbnb, rather than renting an entire home. 
  • Take advantage of any deals through membership programs such as AAA and AARP. 

Transportation

  • If you’re planning to rent a car, use sites like Autoslash to compare rental car costs across a wide variety of programs and get a quote for the cheapest rates available. 
  • Train passes, like the Eurail Pass , offer discounted or unlimited travel for a fixed price so you’ll never be surprised by last-minute ticket costs. 
  • Electric scooter companies such as Bird and Lime allow you to purchase daily or monthly ride passes in certain cities. 

Is Travel Insurance Worth It?

Travel insurance protects you in case of unexpected delays, cancellations, or medical costs in covered situations. But before you buy it from your airline or another carrier, check to see whether you’re covered by the credit card you’re using to book your trip. 

In addition, many airlines have eliminated change fees for flights, while many hotels have begun allowing flexible cancellations on their bookings. If you won’t face financial consequences for changing those big-ticket bookings, travel insurance may not be worth the cost.

The big costs aren’t the only ones to consider beforehand. Your travel budget should also consider expenses like tipping, entertainment, souvenirs, food, and even cellphone fees.

Plan for as many of these costs in advance as possible so you aren’t surprised during your trip—or when you return home to larger-than-expected bills. 

Watch out for these costs and minimize or eliminate them with these smart strategies:

  • Rental car additional driver fees : If you need a second driver on your booking, book through a service that includes them for free, such as Costco Travel . 
  • Rental car insurance : If you already have car insurance, check to see whether it extends to rental cars. If you don’t own a car, look into a non-owner car insurance policy that will cover you when you drive a rental, which generally costs far less than traditional rental car insurance policies. Also, check whether the credit card you’re using offers its own rental car insurance. 
  • Debit card holds : Hotels and rental car companies will put a hold on your card when you arrive. If you’re paying with a debit card, the money they put on hold will not be available to you until the hold drops, which could take some time. If possible, make your bookings with a credit card instead, or include the hold in your travel budget.
  • Cellphone coverage : If you’re with Google Fi or T-Mobile, you’re in luck, as most locations are covered for free by your cellphone plan. Otherwise, consider purchasing a local prepaid SIM card, which can cost significantly less than the international roaming fees charged by most cellphone companies. Or plan to leave your phone on airplane mode and only use it when connected to Wi-Fi.
  • Entertainment costs : Many major cities offer tourist cards, which bundle tickets to a number of attractions onto a card that’s valid for a set number of days. If you plan to hit all the highlights, these cards could save you a bundle over individually purchased tickets.

After diligently earning rewards on your travel credit cards, now’s the time to cash them in for free flights and hotel stays. You can choose to redeem points directly through your card’s travel portal, or transfer them over to hotel or airline chains to book awards. 

We recommend crunching the numbers to find the best way to redeem credit card points . For example, hotel chains such as Hilton and Marriott offer the fifth night free on award bookings, so it may make sense to transfer your points to your hotel rewards account. This can also be a good strategy for buying expensive flights, as airlines will sometimes charge a set amount of miles for a ticket even if the cash price is high. 

Now that you’ve got a handle on how to save money on travel expenses, it’s time to do the heavy lifting: actually saving money for your trip. Consider these ways to save up for your trip:

  • Set up an automatic transfer from your checking account into a dedicated “travel fund” account. This strategy keeps your travel budget separate, so you’re not tempted to spend it elsewhere before your trip.
  • If you receive a tax refund, put as much as you can straight into your travel fund.
  • If you have extra cash left over from the stimulus checks, move it into your travel fund. 
  • Work bonuses or side hustles could offer unexpected ways to boost your travel account.
  • If your family exchanges gifts, consider letting them know that you’re saving up for a vacation. Cash is always an option, and gift cards for hotels, airlines, and restaurants can also make a significant contribution to your travel budget. They could even give you frequent flyer points if they’d like.

CheapAir.com. " CheapAir.com’s 5th Annual Airfare Study Reveals the Best Time to Buy Airline Tickets ."

Hotels.com. " Instant Savings. Reward Nights. And more ."

Marriott. " Best Rate Guarantee Claim Form ."

Hilton Honors. " What Is an Example of How the 5th Night Free Is Calculated? "

Yearning to travel in 2022? First, figure out your budget – then pick a destination

Can you afford to travel this year? After months of lockdowns and staycations, the sky's the limit for people like Louis Brill. He canceled three trips in 2021 because of the COVID-19 surges, so he has money in his 2022 travel budget. 

"We have five trips for this year in the planning phase," says Brill. "We've basically decided there is no budget constraint."

Brill is lucky. He's a retired pharmacist who lives in Finksburg, Maryland, and he's been saving his pennies for travel. The pandemic and the surprise delta variant helped him save even more. 

"My wife and I desperately want to get back to traveling," he says.

►  USA TODAY Travel newsletter:     Get the latest headlines in your inbox daily

Learn more: Best travel insurance

Spending is set to soar this year

He's not alone. Allianz's latest Vacation Confidence Index  showed that summer vacation spending hit $150 billion in 2021, a new high. "And 2022 should be even bigger," predicts Daniel Durazo, an Allianz spokesman.

Households earning over $100,000 a year have about $1.4 trillion to spend on discretionary items such as remodeling homes, local trips, and now more long-haul destinations, according to AAA's research.

"Americans have more discretionary funds since they did not spend much in 2020 and 2021 because of the pandemic," explains Paula Twidale, senior vice president of travel for AAA.

But how do you figure out your travel budget for this year? And what are some of the expert strategies for building a better vacation budget? Just as the pandemic changed travel, so also has the conventional wisdom on travel budgeting.

► Bahamas travel:   Country updates testing requirements for entry

How to calculate your 2022 travel budget

Not everyone has an unlimited travel budget. This year, Thomas Mustac is planning a weekend trip to see one of his favorite bands, the Red Hot Chili Peppers. It's a quick weekend trip to Hungary from where he lives in Croatia, so he's allocated $300 for it, not including the tickets. 

"I think one of the biggest budgeting mistakes is bringing exactly how much money you need," says Mustac, who works remotely for a communications firm in Orlando, Florida. "You are risking that worst-case scenario."

Laurel Barton is watching her budget too. She's making plans to travel to Europe next fall and is already looking for inexpensive plane tickets. So far, she's had no luck. She likes to fly business class on long-haul flights, but prices keep rising. 

"So the budget is blown from the start," says Barton, a guidebook author from Forest Grove, Oregon.

That's not stopping her from going, though. 

"Our mantra is, 'Postpone nothing,'" she says.

► Stranded:    Why Canadian Airlines won’t fly maskless partying travelers home

There are ways to figure out what you can afford. The personal finance company Quicken offers a free Vacation Budget Calculator on its site. Add your travel expenses and the number of people, and it comes up with a total and per-day vacation cost. The calculator is useful for remembering items that are easy to overlook, like ground transportation and travel insurance.

But experts and travelers tell me the best way to determine how much to budget for your 2022 vacation is to look at past trips. How much did you budget for those? How much did you actually spend? 

Expert advice for travel budgeting next year

"The first thing you need to consider with your 2022 travel budget is the potential increase in fares and hotel rates," says Baruch Silvermann, a financial expert and CEO of The Smart Investor newsletter. "As domestic travelers returned to air travel, fares increased." In 2022, that could also happen with hotels and international fares. Silvermann recommends booking early, when prices are relatively low, to avoid going over budget.

Another tip: Add some padding to your travel budget. Jeffrey Zhou, an experienced traveler who runs a financial services company , says having a little extra in the vacation budget can keep you out of trouble when things go wrong. 

"Plan for the worst-case scenario," he advises. "Put enough money aside so that you could easily buy an extra plane ticket for each person you’re traveling with. For most domestic budgets, this would be about $300 per person."

Actually, it's better to overestimate your expenses for 2022, according to Silvana Frappier , owner of North Star Destinations , a full-service travel agency in Boston. Most travelers don't think about the law of supply and demand.

"Travel has changed, and with more demand for safety and restrictions, prices will be higher," she says. 

But whatever you do, make sure you have a budget. Even open-ended trips should have some kind of plan, according to experienced travelers. 

Ahmed Mir, the managing editor of a beverage website , is planning a tour of Southeast Asia this year but hasn't decided where to go yet. 

"I'm budgeting about $5,000 for the travel, not including the airfares," he says. "I think this is a pretty reasonable amount, given that exchange rates against the dollar are generally favorable, so my budget will probably allow me to travel in comfort."

Whether you're going away for weeks or just a weekend, having a travel budget is more important than ever. With widespread price rises, it's also more challenging than ever. Setting a budget and sticking to it won't be easy. Might as well get started now.

Tips for better travel budgeting

Start with a number, then pick a destination. That's the advice of budgeting blogger Guadalupe Sanchez . Calculate how much you can put aside, then choose where to go. "Start saving at least nine months before you plan to travel, and keep all your savings in a specific bank account," she advises. Separating the financial goal from the destination keeps you from deciding to go anyway because you've become emotionally attached to going somewhere.

Remember all the extras. And there are lots of them when you're on vacation. They include meals, tips, gifts and other incidentals. "If you budget $15,000 for a trip to Italy, and your package costs $14,900, do you still have enough spending money once you arrive?," says Stephanie Goldberg-Glazer , owner of Live Well, Travel Often , a boutique travel agency. 

Don't take a vacation you can't afford. For some, it's not a question of where they should go, but if they should go. Chuck Czajka, CEO of Macro Money Concepts , a financial advisory firm in Stuart, Florida, says you shouldn't even think about taking a vacation unless you have 50% of your current annual salary saved. "This doesn’t mean you can’t take mini-trips or weekend getaways. It only means you can’t take a trip you can't afford," he adds.

A Little Adrift Travel Blog

A Little RTW Budget… How Much Does it Cost to Travel the World for a Year? (2024)

Last updated on January 4, 2024 by Shannon

cost of around the world trip

When I left on my first round the world trip, I asked veteran travelers a key question: How much does it cost to travel around the world ?

It was the single biggest factor impacting my trip length and destinations, and the number of things that impact a long-term travel budget are far different than a two-week European vacation.

Estimates varied wildly, and knowing where my own around the world trip would fall in that spectrum was a great unknown. I had no idea how long my travel savings , my freelance income , and travel blogging to would keep me on the road, so over that first year, I tracked every single dollar I spent while traveling.

Since that first around the world travel, I’ve spent more than a decade of traveling, and budgeting for short- and long-term around the world travel is my specialty. My upbringing was modest , yet I was still able to save the money to travel and work remotely for all 15+ years of my world travels.

vietnam on my round the world trip itinerary

Table of Contents

Breaking Down the Cost of World Travel

Let’s dive into a very detailed breakdown of what it costs to actually travel around the world for one-year trip —the hard costs associated with around the world travel, and the factors that most dramatically impact your travel budget.

I’ve included some notes on the impact of the Covid pandemic on costs that are likely here to stay—from the dramatic inflation hitting the U.S. and the UK to increased costs at hotels as many of them make permanent their increased sanitation measures.

How Much Does Traveling the World Cost?

Generally, $20,000 is the baseline cost for a trip around the world for one person for one year. This estimation falls in line with popular recommendations that budget travelers can spend an average of $50 a day on the road, and allows additional budget for flights and vaccines.

You’ll spend up to $30,000 for a budget trip that includes fewer hostels, and more upscale accommodation, transport, or food. Traveling as a couple or family does not directly double/triple/ etc the costs because lodging and transport are shared expenses.

As you’ll see in the detailed trip budgets below, world travel costs for mid-range to budget-luxury world travelers can run as much as $50,000—or much more!

My Personal Round the World Trip

petra jordan world travels budget

On my first RTW trip, I traveled around the world for for 328 days (11 months) through 15 countries and I spent USD $17,985 .

Then I decided to keep traveling. I’ve been on the road since 2008, still “traveling” as of 2024, although from my home base in Barcelona, Spain .

In the years since I originally posted my cost breakdown for world travel, other backpackers have loved the precise and meticulous details of just how much I spent throughout a year of active world travel. And even with rising global food costs a decade later, people still travel on similar budgets —yes, so many elements impact travel costs that you can still travel the world for the same price as a trip 15 years ago (more on how that’s possible later).

Let’s dive into the good stuff. The following tables and charts further outline my around the world trip costs including the country-by-country expenses and budget.

Just want the cold hard costs? Navigate my Google spreadsheet by the countries listed at the bottom of my full World Travel Budget .

My Total Costs to Travel the World for a Year

My final costs of $17,985 for the nearly year of world travel completely include of everything from getting jabbed in the arm for my Yellow Fever vaccine to buying all of my pre-travel gear , my travel insurance , all of my plane flights , bus rides , camel safaris , and surfing lessons , and straight through to my first delicious sub back on home soil when I passed through Philly on my final layover.

What does that number not include?

Some personal choices upped the cost of my round the world trip: an external hard drive for photo storage, a new camera (old one was waterlogged in Australia ), and a rental car splurge in Ireland . My personal total, inclusive of all of that, was just under $19,000 … so it’s still a bargain considering I was on the road for nearly an entire year.

In the above category breakdowns, consider:

  • Lodging includes all accommodation; I couchsurfed in a few countries and stayed with friends a couple of times.
  • Food includes everything from three meals a day to snacks, and funding for my chocolate obsession.
  • Entertainment covers going out on the town, sharing beers with friends—this will be much higher if you drink often. My budget was for drinking on average once a week.
  • Activities includes my volunteer program in Nepal, and all tours, trips, and group adventures—everything from diving to ziplining to visiting temples and museums .
  • Transportation excludes flights, but covers all intra-country transportation like buses, trains, taxis, and tuk-tuks.
  • Misc is a catch-all and a large portion of costs there came from paying for fast internet—it was pricey to make sure I had a strong connection for my work. It also includes shipping things home, gifts, and toiletries along the way.
  • Flights includes puddle-jumper little flights between countries in the same region—I did not use a RTW ticket, but instead booked along the way ( here’s why ).

Budget of Daily & Total Costs Per Country

My Average Daily Budget for Each Country on my RTW Trip

Don’t forget to check out my well-loved Travel Planning Resources .

And consider using the blank, formatted spreadsheet to log your own RTW travel budget (this is a Google Spreadsheet, either save a copy of this to your own Google drive for editing, or download as an excel file!).

How Much Will Your Dream Trip Cost?

Finding a way to travel the world is a mental obstacle as much as a financial one. Every situation is different, but I believe that if you truly prioritize travel, then it’s possible to plan and execute an around the world trip. The problem is, there’s crappy information out there about how to make it happen—just as many bloggers don’t really share straight costs to travel the world. Many bloggers have shared posts with a handful of tips about how much they saved for their dream trip, but they don’t break down how they arrived at that final figure. You may read this information and see my budget, but it leaves you wondering if your own world travels would cost the same.

For that reason, I wrote two entire guides to address your current hurdle. One is about creating a realistic anticipated budget for your trip. The other is about saving for world travel.

How Much Does It Cost to Travel the World?

How much will your dream trip cost? I wrote this guide to specifically answer the most common question I was emailed by readers: how much will a specific route/itinerary costs.

In it, I share comprehensive and thoroughly practical advice about understanding trip budgets and understanding your own style of travel.

The guide is a full treatise on how to estimate what your dream trip will cost and it includes case studies from other long-term travelers who tracked their trip budgets.

I spent ten years on the road, and nearly that long talking with with other travelers about how they budget for travel. Using the aggregate of their knowledge and experience, I’ve outlined a road-map to taking a long-term trip.

I wrote this guide to empower travelers and travel dreamers anywhere in the world with the tools to plan their trip. The guide breaks down average traveling costs for the world’s most traveled destinations, which you can use with the fully customizable Trip Budget Worksheet to create an accurate anticipated budget for your dream trip. Available on  Kindle, ePub, and PDF .

save for world travel ebook

True wealth is having the freedom to do what you want with your life. Many travel dreamers get waylaid by the financial side of life.

If you’re new to personal finance, or lost about how to start saving for a big goal, this book distills hard-learned information into easily actionable steps specifically targeted at giving travel dreamers tools to become financially literate.

This book provides a thorough deep-dive into the principles of saving money, common obstacles, overcoming debt, and the tenets of strong personal finance. It offers a streamlined process to create substantial changes in your financial life.

If money is your primary obstacle to leaving on a long-term trip, this guide breaks down exactly the shifts you can make to change your financial situation.

Many travelers look at my adventures and experiences these past 12 years that I’ve traveled and they dream of also traveling through the cultures, stories, and conversations. This guide gives you the tools to move the needle from dreaming to doing. Available on Amazon Kindle  or as a PDF bundle with the budget book .

How to Decide on Your Final World Travel Budget?

Travel was my bootcamp for life. My around the world trip was the single best investment in both my personal growth and my career. Throughout life we are presented with a series of choices—each has the ability to help us create the life we dream of living. I am forever glad I chose to travel our beautiful world. ~ Shannon O’Donnell

Creating an accurate anticipated budget for your world tour is an important step—you certainly don’t want to plan for a year but run out of funds in month eight! Each person has different goals, a unique world trip itinerary , and differing travel styles. These factors can create significant differences in the total cost of a round the world trip.

Assess How Much You’ve Saved for World Travel

A round the world trip is not as expensive as you assume. Most anyone reading this post has the ability to save for travel if it’s a true priority. My family is quite poor and I put myself through college with merit-based scholarships. Instead of counting on help from family, I budgeted for the trip, and I traveled with the budget I had—not the one I wish I had.

Before leaving, I purged everything I owned and saved ruthlessly in the countdown months. When calculating if I could afford my trip around the world, I even accounted for my student-loan and medical credit debt repayments (because yes, I was actually in a fair bit of debt ). I took on side-hustles to sock away money. And then I worked on  freelance SEO remotely  for the entire year.

Compared to my life in LA, where $1,200+ went toward rent and bills each month, I used that same online income to travel the world, digging into my small savings for my travel gear and long-haul flights . I wasn’t sure how much my trip would cost when I left to travel, and the information just wasn’t out there like it is now.

Now you can play with your travel route and your travel style and come up with a tally in just a few hours for what your dream trip will cost. In fact, I believe so much that world travel is affordable that I wrote a budget guide and spreadsheet to help you price out your dream trip and have all the possible resources you need at your fingertips.

Decide Your Route & Speed Around the World

Jumping at the Taj Mahal on my RTW journey

This is the single biggest indicator of how much world travel will cost. Slow overland travel lowers costs, and you can minimize the number of flights needed.

To save money, also consider visiting fewer places. Every travel dreamer over-packs their around the world route. You surely have a dream list, but unless you have unlimited funds, then you should scale back the number of regions/countries that you will visit.

When I first planned my trip, a long-term traveler advised me to cut five countries from my itinerary. Looking back now, I can’t even imagine where they would have fit! It’s my route and speed that allowed me to travel for under $20K.

Read: How to Plan an Around the World Itinerary in 8 Steps

Determine the Types of Countries You’ll Visit

how much does world travel cost

If you add in developed countries like Europe, Japan, Australia, and the United States, your daily budget will double. Instead of spending $25 per day in SEA and India, you will average $75 to $100 per day in most developed countries.

For that reason, weight your trip in favor of developing regions of the world. Save Europe or the U.S. for a shorter trip later in life, and add a few off-beat locations to your planned route—these are most often the sleeper-favorites by the end of your RTW trip.

If You’ll Eat Local Food, Street Foods, & Shop in Markets

budget for international travel

How you eat on your travels impacts your bottom line. Eat locally from mom and pop restaurants, and sample eats from street food stalls. Contrary to many assumptions from first glance, these locations are perfectly safe so long as you adhere to a few standard food safety practices.

Local food is a window into the culture, so dig deep and eat like the locals, asking the vendors questions and learning more about each country’s food peculiarities. Also, when traveling in Western countries, shop for groceries and prepare your own breakfast at the very least.

Read: How to Eat Street Food Without Getting Sick and buy the Food Traveler’s Handbook  to learn even more about safely enjoying street eats

Factoring Covid and the Pandemic into you Round the World Trip

The fact is, although wealthier and Western countries have moved on from the pandemic, this is not case in all countries. Vaccine iniquities and underdeveloped healthcare systems mean that many countries struggled for years.

If you’re planning world travels, be prepared increased costs to test or meet Covid requirements if another strain were to pop up during your travels. What might this look like:

  • Some countries may suddenly re-close to travelers from certain countries.
  • Some countries will continue to require proof of vaccination before entering (this may last for years given that proof of vaccination is already required for other illnesses, namely Yellow Fever).
  • Travelers may be forced to quarantine, sometimes unexpectedly if you test positive, and this may take place in government-run hotels that cost quite a lot.
  • Crossing land borders could be pricier than anticipated—for the three years of Covid, the land border between Belize and Mexico cost ~$225 to cross , and it usually costs about $20.
  • Travel insurance companies are now mostly considering Covid endemic , but that can change as official travel warning levels change in your home country. Buy your travel insurance with care.

In short, assess the trip you have planned, and read up on Covid policies. Where you choose to travel should likely remain fluid once you set out so you can adapt on the road.

Note that budgets and guides give clear examples of how travelers can truly spend on average $50 per day on average to travel the world. And using the tips above, you can lower these figures even more, if needed.

You could likely travel with as little as US $12,000 per year if you stick to one region—overland for a year from Mexico to Argentina; or overland through China, Southeast Asia , and India.

The price of a budget trip jumps to US $25,000 to visit many regions rapidly. If you prefer mid-range accommodations, that might increase your expenses by $10,000; same goes if you’re prone to splurging on expensive extras like helicopter rides, diving, and adventure activities.

The bottom line : Understand your route, travel style, and goals before you can develop an accurate anticipated budget for travel.

Recommended Next Steps

budget for international travel

It’s easy to see the numbers, be inspired for a bit and then never take action. If you’re actively planning your RTW—fantastic! My site and those of my friends contain every essential resource you need to plan world travel .

If you’re currently working, studying, or just dreaming of traveling, I have resources for you as well. And if you want a second look at those spreadsheets, visit my full RTW budget as a Google Document that will open in your browser.

Or head to the free blank spreadsheet to track your own expenses as you travel around the world . You can save an editable copy of these to your own Google Drive, or download for your own use.

Eight Steps of Planning a World Trip

  • Save for Travel & Eliminate Debt
  • Build a Realistic Trip Budget
  • Plan Your Around the World Trip Itinerary
  • Pick the Right Travel Insurance
  • Pack for Long-Term World Travel
  • Work Remotely While You Travel
  • Stay Healthy on the Road
  • Browse Free Destination Guides

zanzibar round the world itinerary

Resources & Further Research

World travel budgets.

  • ALA readers Jesse and Ally sent me their couples budget for a trip that ended in late 2019—they came in at $38.2K for two people for 342 days traveling through everywhere from South America (Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina) to Southeast, South Asia, and even Japan. They didn’t sacrifice on fun RTW trip activities: They hiked Machu Picchu, toured the desert in Morocco, did scuba diving here and there, and more.
  • A mid-range couples budget of shared expenses for a year came in just under $20K per person .
  • A meticulously detailed couples backpackers budget came in at $36,532 (an even $50 a day).
  • A solo male traveler for two years on the road averaged about $20K per year .
  • A list of  travel budgets by region of the world .

Books to Read First

  • How to Travel the World on $50 a Day .  Published by Penguin and now in its second edition, it shows you how to stick to a budget while you’re traveling. It’s an guide for travelers new to budgeting on the road and weighs heavily toward backpacker-style travel with basic tips and hacks to save money by using travel cards, points, etc.
  • A few of my favorite travel books include: The Geography of Bliss , Wild , A Thousand Splendid Suns , The Great Railway Bazaar , and Behind the Beautiful Forevers .
  • My two low-cost guides designed for world travelers include How to Save for Travel and How Much Will Your Dream RTW Trip Cost?

On-the-Road Travel Resources

  • ALA Travel Guides share comprehensive information on what to know before you go in each new destination. 
  • Grassroots Volunteering is ALA’s sister site, offering a database of responsible travel companies and volunteer experiences all over the world, as well as Responsible Travel Guides about how to use travel as a force for good.
  • Cost of Living Guides show you how affordable it is might be to live outside your home country. You can sometimes elongate world travels by months or years by stopping in these affordable locations.

Working on the Road

  • How to Start a Travel Blog : Record the highs and lows of your once in a lifetime trip. This no-nonsense page details the process and won’t upsell you on any courses you likely don’t need. Just basic facts of how to start your first blog, and maybe even make some money along the way.
  • Finding Freelance Work for Digital Nomads . Since money is a huge factor for many travelers, this resource page thoroughly covers remote work—something I’ve been doing since 2005.

I truly believe that world travel is possible for most people. When and how is unique to each person, but by prioritizing and planning travel, you can make an around the world trip possible.

Essential Travel Planning Resources

❗ Yes, you need travel insurance . IMG Global is the travel insurance I’ve used for well over a decade of traveling solo, and with kids. Here’s why .

🧳 Smart packing can save your trip. Shop my favorite travel gear , including all of the packing essentials for world travel , gear to keep you safe on the road, my favorite travel books , and more.

🛏️ Find great accommodation . Booking.com is essentially the only hotel booking site that I use. It has a wide and affordable selection of traditional hotels, but also hostels and vacation rentals, too. Use these pro tips to find the best travel accommodation .

📍 Navigate more effectively. Rome2Rio is super handy to assess the full range of transport options between two cities—shows everything from flights to trains, buses, minibuses, and more. If you’re booking a rental car, I’ve always found the best deals on RentalCars.com .

✈️ Book affordable flights. Expedia is one of the first places I look for low-cost flights .

☕ Peruse all of my tips for round the world travel , or learn how to move and live abroad .

391 thoughts on “A Little RTW Budget… How Much Does it Cost to Travel the World for a Year? (2024)”

Can you recommend a travel insurance provider?

I recommend IMG Global for most world travelers. Here’s my full rundown .

The best way to experience seamless travel through breathtaking landscapes is Gothenburg to Oslo train route.

Hi there, great article, thanks, very very helpful. I also do these things when travelling on a budget: 1. Try to find the fee-free and low-fee ATMs in a foreign country. 2. Get fee-free cards from home 3. Avoid withdrawing cash from credit cards as the cash advance fee is very high 4. Withdraw maximum amount ATM gives me 5. Book directly with hostels/hotels to avoid extra commissions

Do you offer personal help/training on this?

I don’t see how you can possibly only send that amount on accommodation. That works to only $8.50 a night. You’d have to be staying in some very skanky bed bug ridden dives for that amount.

The you clearly didn’t read everything. I couchsurfed, I had accommodation included in the fee for my volunteer experience in Nepal (so that month is not included in the accommodation line-item), and I also met many travelers early in my travels who hosted me later in my travels when I passed through Europe. Plus, shared dorms are pretty cheap outside of the US, Europe, Australia, Japan, and the like. Guesthouses truly do cost about $15 a night split between two if you travel with someone. Think a bit more creatively rather than trolling and you’ll get there. fwiw, I have never gotten bed bugs in 15+ years, so I’m doing something right, and I’ve met travelers who got them at 5-star resorts, so price isn’t always an indicator of cleanliness my friend, and you’d be wise to note that if you travel in developing countries.

This sounds about right. My partner and I travel half the year every year and I budget (In CAD which I’ll put today’s USD exhange rates for) 2200 CAD/1,650 USD a month for flights and accomodation (I know it’s weird to combine these, but I sold my partner on travelling by telling him that I could make all the flights and hotels add up to the same as our rent in Toronto, Canada and that’s stuck – so the more I spend on a flight, the cheaper I try to find accomodation for that month)

1400 CAD/1050 USD a month for food (a mix of groceries and eating out. Drinks we have with meals count in this category)

800 CAD/600 USD a month for activities (Going out for drinks counts in this category, as does public transit)

Bringing our total to 4400/month or $26,400 for dix months for two people. (3300 USD/month, 19800 USD) So if we did the whole year we’d be close to 39,000 USD.

That said I also usually spend another 500-600 on clothing because I love to shop – but I don’t consider that part of the travel budget.

Believe it or not – I actually spend more when I stay home in Toronto the other half of the year than I do while travelling. Food in Toronto, Canada is really expensive – as is alcohol – as is entertainment. Tho in fairness I do live on a boat on the Toronto Islands, but it works out to costing similar to rent for a two bedroom apartment downtown.

Anyways, thanks for sharing!

Very informative, Thanks for the share.

Came across your blog, I was wondering what current costs were. I travelled for a year in 2015 with about $9k, so today that would be a bit over $11k. I did a mix of hostels, nice hotels (usually thru mistake rates, or points), backpacking (ie camping), and some volunteering for room/board (I think 6 or 7 weeks total). Mix of cheap places like in parts of SEA and also expensive places like Japan, Pacific Islands, or Europe for instance. I didn’t include pre-travel purchases though for gear. Another perspective, anyway!

Great breakdown, thanks!

Thank you for sharing so much of your information! I am just starting to think about our retirement travel, which is still several years off. This information is so wonderful to review for those of us who have a dream of travelling throughout the world and are in the planning stages. I hope you are able to continue to follow your dreams.

Good luck with the planning—this past year has been a bad one for traveling in general, but a great one for planning and dreaming! Best of luck. :)

I have done a RTW twice in the pass, first time 4 months, second time 6 months, now at the ripe old age of nearly 60 years old woman alone I find myself planning on travelling threw South East Asia and beyond for a year or more, thanks for all the great info. It is so exciting to be doing this again, if it was not for my daugther here in UK, I would stay abroad for good, I will be teaching online so that helps with cost, and I always keep £1,000 aside for emergency at home in UK and abroad, you never know what may happen.

Now is the perfect time to start planning a trip, and dreaming about travel when the world reopens. Do you think you’ll do a longer RTW this time? My first one was 11 months, but after that I found the sweet spot was between 6-8 months to maximize the long plane flight over and time exploring on the ground, but still have enough energy and enthusiasm to really enjoy each place. SEA remains one of my favorite places in the world, so I hope you have an incredible time exploring it.

Would u please advise ir suggest 1st time where u went RTW

Wow, absolutely incredible. Thank you for sharing your story, Shannon! Going on a solo-RTW trip has been something I only could dream of, but after reading your posts and other similar posts, i’ve realized this is a realistic goal i can achieve. Super excited to begin planning my South America trip! Let the saving begin!

I am so glad to hear that this resonated! You can absolutely make a RTW trip happen when you’re motivated and able to save. Best of luck and let me know if there ever anything I can do to help once you start planning! :)

Marvelous work!. The blog is brilliantly written and provides all necessary information I really like this awesome post. Thanks for sharing this useful post.  I really enjoyed reading this blog. I like and appreciate your work. Keep up the good work.

Hey Shannon,

I love the blog! I definitely agree with seeing less countries in your first trip and staying longer is a huge one that can save you money. We just did Croatia in a month and tried to see the whole country. We wouldn’t say it was a mistake but definitely realized it’s maybe seeing less places but getting more out of each place!

Love the blog and enjoy your 10th year of being on the road!

Thanks Dom and Jo! So glad you guys also found it true that staying longer in one place can really help your budget’s bottom line! And to be fair to you though, a month is still a lot longer than many people spend exploring Croatia, so I am sure you have some incredible experiences under your belt from being there even that long. Happy travels. :)

These are great travel tips! Whenever we travel, I always make sure that we stick with our budget and one of the best things I’ve learned is not to be so touristy. We try local and live like local. I love these tips. Thank you so much for sharing.

Thank you for this! I’m planning a year-long RTW trip with my husband and two daughters, who will be 9 and 10 when we depart. I know it’ll be life-changing! We’re skipping W. Europe to keep things inexpensive and to see places the children may not easily get to later in life. I’m wondering if, in your research, you came across information or calculated yourself how traveling as a family changes the math? Multiplying your number by four, even when looking at your specific country worksheets, doesn’t seem quite right, so any tips? Your total equals $219/day for a family of four for a year, and I’m not sure how much to reduce that by due to economies of family travel. I saw your Further Research section and will dig deeper there. I appreciate your thoughts, and again, thank you for giving me such a fabulous starting place. So grateful for the details and transparency!

Hi Stephanie! Thanks for you message, that’s a really great question and it doesn’t have an easy answer. It’s definitely not going to be multiplied by 4, because in many cases your accommodation will be doubly more expensive—that’s probably what I would anticipate. Not sure how keen your kids are to share a bed, but in some cases if you are getting places with two double beds, or even just two rooms, it’s likely double the cost. That will fluctuate depending on where you are. Airbnbs are a great idea, but depending on where you are you’ll likely be in guesthouses in rural Loas for example, not renting apartments, and that will average out the perhaps more than double you might pay for a nice 2br Airbnb in Bangkok, for example. But with things like pull out beds/couches in Airbnbs, and that you’ll be saving on breakfast costs when you’re using them, I think double’s a safe bet there.

Lots of places offer a discount for children on public transport (although when my niece was 11 she was much taller and more developed than the similarly Asian children so they gave me a hard time on the kids discount), and things like a taxi would cost the same were it just you and your hubby, or your kids too, so that’s not going to be times four for overland transport. Flights though, of course, are times four!

Big name activities again may offer a kids discount, but it’s not going to be much in the grand scheme—they may get discounts or into a few museums free, but for tours and such it’ll be times four.

Those are some thoughts off the top of my head! Let me know if there is anything else I can do to help as you start planning! :)

That’s amazing information!! With my wife we are planning to travel from January for over a year, we are a little bit concerned about the budget, we think we can together up to $45K AUD not sure if that will be enough. We are planning to use the site TrustedHousesitters as much as possible to save cost of Accomodation and the plan is to start in South Asia, moving to Europe and finally South America but I’m not sure if the money will be enough. Thank you for all the tips and reccomendations, would be possible to see Scott’s link as well? I’m quite interests to see his expenses around 4 different continents. Thanks in advance

Hi Camilo! Congrats on the upcoming trip, January will be here before you know it, and I definitely think that your planned trip is doable on 45K, but you’ll want to play with the amount of time you spend in each region. Longer time spent in Europe will eat into your budget, so make sure you play with your dailies and length of time in places like SEA, so you don’t run out too quickly in the middle in Europe!

Thank you Shannon for the quick replying. We are planning to spend at least 6 months in SEA and squeeze de budget to the maximum to have enough for 3 months in Europe, I know that will be the most expensive part of the trip. Shannon, any recommendations on insurance?

Yes, that’s an important topic and I have a whole post about it here: https://alittleadrift.com/backpacker-travel-insurance-world-nomads/ It gets into when I use World Nomads, and when I’ve gone with IMG since I’ve used them both over the past eleven years!

My wife and I spent $33k for 12 months and kept a very detailed budget. We traveled in 4 continents and through 30+ countries. We have a detailed budget overview and I also built an excel tool that lets you track your own budget.

That’s a great budget. Your spreadsheet looks a lot like my own spreadsheet—including the former color scheme , layout of the final stats page, and more——but all without any attribution or acknowledgement of modification, so I’ve deleted the links to it here. If you’re keen to link to my post and share where you got the inspiration for your own spreadsheet, I am happy to add the links so others can view your trip totals. Glad you had a good trip, but attribution would have been appreciated since it’s evident you know how much work went into it.

Hi Shannon,

Thank you for sharing this information with all. I am quite impress with your traveling costs and need some advise. I am planning a trip to Eastern Europe and Africa, places like: Romania, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Turkey, Georgia, Armenia, Tunisia, Egypt and more. The current plan is for one year and maybe around 12 countries. Part of the plan is to move from one country to another using ground transportation, sleeping in hostels, buying food at the grocery store, and some activities could include hiking and maybe cooking classes. How much money do you think I need?

Hi Chicho, that’s a good question so I would recommend that you figure out your anticipated fixed costs like flights and visas and travel gear and insurance, and then estimate the daily costs in each of your planned countries. Once you research daily travel costs by country, it will actually help you decide where you should spend more time and less (some countries can cost more than you anticipate, while others might be far more affordable). Play with the numbers and days you’ll spend in each place, then you’ll have a good estimation of how much you’ll need to save!

Thank you for your valuable information! I will do more digging, my budget is not limited and time is open. I have this strong desire to travel because when I was 8 to 9 yrs old I traveled to Iceland, and Europe, visited 7 countries and lived in Spain on the beach in house we rented. Also lived in England and Germany. I long now to travel more then before because finally I can afford to do it. I am 66 and in excellent health. But I know there is no time to waist. Wait advice in planning can you offer? I do not want to waist money. But I want to maximize my enjoyment. I know I want to return to Spain. And my Spanish is now 95% or higher. I might consider renting houses as I travel. Maybe buying? Can you offer me your wisdom tailored to my situation. I am blessed that my dreams are coming into port. And my last days of life I want to broaden even more my appreciation of what I have. Thank you for your answer, ahead I await your attention. Jerry

Hi Gerald! Thanks for reaching out, it sounds like you have a great adventure on the horizon. For planning, I really recommend that you first pick a date and timeline for setting out and leaving—your planning will contract or expand to fit whatever time you give yourself. Then it becomes a question of getting the other things in order—health insurance on the road, your route, etc—all of that is harder than actually buying the ticket and making your dream a concrete reality on the horizon. And to that end, I think you should travel some to Spain, as well as any other places that call to you. It’s definitely easy to rent places for a few months, and that will allow you to start seeing the world and also learning what you want in a new homebase. Spain is a very different place, so come check it out before buying—it sounds like you are ready for a bit more freedom than a house would allow. If you decide on Europe, the long-term/retirement visa will take a bit of time (3 to 6 months or more), but can easily be done when/if you decide you want to settle there. :)

Gerald, I’ve been traveling for the past 3 years as a solo 70-year-old. I sold my house and have never looked back. Considering you are fluent in Spanish, you might think of doing a trip to those countries to our south. I just returned from a 5-month trip through Ecuador, Colombia, and Panama. During those 5 months, I could count on two hands, the number of Americans I met along the way. For some reason, most Americans don’t think of traveling to South America. I speak very little Spanish but thoroughly enjoyed my trip with no problems. It would probably be much easier and more enjoyable for you. All three countries were very interesting and very safe. I never once felt for my safety. Speaking of budgeting, I spent approximately $2,100 per month, which included 13 separate flights. Also, I did look to see what a furnished apartment would cost while in Boquete Panama: $600 bucks will get you a very nice place in the cool tropical highlands.

What an amazing informative article about traveling and budget! Thank you!

It’s a great article. It has everything you need to travel around the if you the budgeted capital. It has a very detailed content including some images and links too. Thank you for posting this article. Happy posting.

It’s a great article, finally some honest data. But girl, please… I don’t want to be that person. But Amsterdam is not a country! It’s a city in the Netherlands. It’s such a shame that tourists think Amsterdam is a country own. There’s so much more to the Netherlands than just Amsterdam.

Hah, you are not the first to point that out, but I’m still going to leave it just like that. The Netherlands is the only country where I visited just one city, so I think it’s disingenuous to say it’s the budget for traveling the Netherlands when I only visited what is likely the most expensive place in the country. And then on the visuals side, it’s just too long to write Netherlands (Amsterdam)—it didn’t fit. So alas, I made a choice that I know frustrates the die-hard geography buffs. Happy travels :)

Good stuff to know. Thank you. Any chance you, or someone you know, has written a book on surviving in countries where you don’t speak the language? I would like to go to China or Brazil but I only know English.

Good question David! And one I know many travelers face. English is the best language to have in a foreign country, because it’s usually the default language of tourism. But, a big exception to that is China, where a large internal tourism industry makes it harder than some places to visit without any language. But there are work-arounds. I traveled through China using an app on my phone to help communicate, and I had essential phrases written down by a local (I am vegetarian, so I always had that on paper.

As for books, one you are absolutely going to want is a wordless, pointing book. This one and this one are good: https://amzn.to/2QqhO9J and https://www.amazon.com/Point-Travellers-Language-Original-Dictionary/dp/3980880273/ – One of these will get you a long ways in both of your planned travel locations (and are better than an app because they will never run out of battery).

Then, download the Google Translate app, which allows you to point your phone camera at text (on a menu or bus station sign) and it will translate the text into English. You can easily buy a SIM card when you arrive and pop it into an unlocked smartphone.

You could also hire a local guide. Even if you don’t use a tour/guide for the entire time, planning an English-language tour (everywhere will have these) will help you acclimate in the first few days. Urban Adventures offers great day tours, as does Context travel and some others. :)

Hope that helps!

Thank you for sharing these travel tips—some I have never read elsewhere. I love traveling too, and I am planning my budget now to figure out how I can travel the world.

Hi my daring thank you so much for your lovely article I read it word from word. I have never done a Euro trip and I was born in Aus. My partner is Serbian born in Croatia and he has a house in Knin (somewhere in the country). We want to go traveling around Europe for 1 year with 30,000 between us. He has a house in Croatia so will save money there. We want to rent a nice car and go around in style on a budget to all countries but the roads are not safe. What is your suggestion and how expensive is the flights between each country?

Hi Jen, thanks for stopping by, sounds like you have an incredible adventure you’re planning. Your budget will surely work, especially if you plan wisely how you spend that 30K (not sure if you are talking Euro or US, but both would work, though certainly more leeway if you are talking Euro). Most of the roads in Western Europe are quite safe to drive, and with the open EU borders it’s a great way to get around. Your budget will allow for $82 a day for the both of you. Although that is on the low side of a budget many would recommend, because you are traveling for longer you can aim for that as an average expense. So in Switzerland your rate will be far higher, but you can easily spend under that daily average in Portugal and Spain. So by watching where you visit and perhaps even doing a vacation rental somewhere for a month or two, you could really maximize your budget and experience a ton. If you are flying (I am really unsure why you said the roads are unsafe?), flights are very cheap… you can do a search on Skyscanner but if booked in advance flights in Europe can be as low as $20-$50 to hop between cities, with a max price usually of 150 one way, and I’ve only paid that when I am booking within a week or two of flying. There are also great train passes and such, which are affordable if you book ahead as well. Hope that helps! :)

absolutely great read! What do you reckon, would 50,000 USD be a good budget for 2ppl for a year around the world? No europe countries Mostly South Asia, souh America and some African & Middle estern Countries thrown in for good measure. We have friends in Aus so we would stay with them for two weeks or so… Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

That’s a pretty good budget in general, especially since it doesn’t include Europe! It’s enough in general, but also depends on how you consider your travel style and the speed once you are on the road. Transport and moving quickly ramps up costs, but if you are taking a slow pace as you go, $50K is definitely in the range of budget+, with some mid-range splurges on accommodation when you are in affordable places like South Asia and such. Africa and the Middle East might not be as cheap as you first think, so do some research on a per-country basis when you start planning your route! :)

In little over a month I will begin my last High school year, and I was thinking about doing a gap year before university and travel across southeast Asia. Which and how many countries would you recommend me visiting?

Hi Emma! What a wonderful opportunity you have ahead of you. With a gap year to fill, your best bet is to head out on the road with a rough idea of how you will start, but then leave the rest up to chance. You will meet so many people on the road as you travel, and within weeks and months you’ll have new friends you may want to join, or you may find a place you love so much you want to stay for a while longer. I have a few resources on the site for planning a route and what to consider. Head here: https://alittleadrift.com/rtw-travel/#planning – for advice on what sort of things you should consider when picking a route. And then this page lists out my own route: https://alittleadrift.com/rtw-travel/round-the-world-travel-route/

I hope that helps! SEA is a wonderful place to start travel—it’s a forgiving place for new travelers and there are heaps of other backpackers and traveling culture to help you get your feet under you. It’s also safe, the foods amazing, and the culture is incredible.

Shannon- Just wanted you to know that you have been an inspiration for me and thanks for sharing all your knowledge with us – it is invaluable! That said, I recently put in my notice at my job and leave May 10th for a year around the world ( which I hope to be able to extend longer :) ) I am so excited! Planning question for you- how far in advance did you plan ? I am in this limbo between not wanting to over plan and would like to keep some spontaneity in my travels but also want to make sure i have safe accommodation as a single girl traveling alone. Another added caveat for me is that I will be traveling with my pup so I have that added concern as the places I stay and the airlines I fly on must accept pets. Thanks in advance!

Thank you so much Steph, it makes my day to know my site has been helpful and inspiring as you plan your travels. I also know how tricky it is to find a balance in the planning. Your situation is trickier than many with the dog going alongside, as there will be some other hurdles depending on the country requirements. I know sometimes places require a standard microchipping, and then proof of entering from a rabies-free country, or things of that nature. I am thinking that you are going a bit slower and sticking to a few regions? Friends have been forced to kennel/quarantine their dogs for up to two weeks when entering some places, so it’s that type of information that you would really need to know far ahead of time. So the balance of over-planning would perhaps be that you extensively research pet requirements for each place on your route. Then, my advice for the rest is that you plan a place to stay your first week, making sure it’s pet friendly, and then figure out the rest as you go. I knew a rough route for my RTW trip, but past that, the actual nitty gritty details of what to see, it’s so much easier to plan those things as you travel. It not only makes it much less stressful in these last months before you leave, but it’s just easier and a lot more fun to ask locals and take advice on the ground. I hope that helps! I am sure you’ve found it, but there is a research portal with information for most countries ( http://www.pettravel.com/passportnew.cfm ) and that should help! Please report back on how it all goes! :)

$3,130.77 for a year of nomad lodging? I’m sure you ‘couch surfed’ a few times and stayed with lots of ‘friends’. ;)

Yes, I definitely did couch-surf some and I had a house-sitting gig in Amsterdam. I also paid for a volunteering program for a month, and the fee included housing (but in the calculations it’s in a different category). But I also chose places where my money went further. My cousin and I spent six weeks in India, where we were splitting the cost of a $12 private room each night. Same in Southeast Asia — I would often share with another backpacker and we could sleep for less than $10 each. When you figure I spent half my time in more affordable countries, it makes a bit more sense!

Hi Shannon, I love the spread sheet and have downloaded a copy for our own RTW trip which starts in 6 weeks! I just wanted to find out how to add more tabs across the bottom without losing the formulas? thank you!

Six weeks! That’s so soon! You can actually right-click the tabs at the bottom and click “Duplicate” – that will add one! Then, depending on how many you add, you will have to adjust the front page that auto-calculates. That’s a bit trickier, so if you add all the countries you need and share your Google Document with me then I can help you make sure it’s calculating correctly!

thank you Shannon :-) yes it’s coming round really quickly! So I’m not great with this technology stuff haha, I’ve added all the countries I need, how do I send this via Google? it’s just saved to my documents at the moment :-)

You can send me an email at [email protected] and attach it there! I will take a look! :)

Laura- I am heading out on an around the world just about the same time as you! I leave May 10th. How about you? Where are you headed?

I cannot tell you how incredibly lucky I feel I am to have found your website! The information you share with all of us is invaluable. I have read all that you have shared on all of the topics you have discussed in this post! I admire you so much! I will be travelling later this year and will want to talk to you.

Thank you Marg! I am so glad that you found it useful! So wonderful that you are traveling soon — don’t hesitate to let me know if I can help with anything. :)

I’ve edited a list resources for finding seasonal jobs – these have helped me get nearly every seasonal job I’ve had. Most of the jobs provide housing which is deducted from your wage. So you don’t need to worry about finding your own place to live, and food is often included as well. If you’re willing to work while you travel, it’s a really excellent way to see the world on a small budget.

http://jacquelineboss.com/2017/12/15/work-in-beautiful-locations-close-to-nature-resources-for-seasonal-jobs/

That’s a great article indeed! A really wise thing to do before going for a trip somewhere is to think over everything twice. Once bitten twice shy, you know. So, think over all the problems you might face up with. Make sure the accommodation you chose for your stay corresponds its actual price. Get in touch with the owner beforehand. Thank you again for this post. I wish next year everyone has a chance to have their own dream trips.

Great article!

After deciding that it was time and purchasing a really inexpensive one-way flight from FLL to Auckland, I have been reading and researching on what my next step should be. I think I have a plan (sort of, maybe, I don’t know AHHH), but would you be able to direct me to articles, boards or anything on what type of meet up opprutunities are out there. I am a 31 year old female and am doing this adventure solo. I don’t mind being solo, but I think it would be great to meet up with people who are also traveling for more then a vacation.

Hi Stephanie, congrats on the decision to just set out and travel! I know that can be such a scary leap. I can definitely help you find ways to meet other solo travelers, although you will definitely and absolutely meet them along the way as well. Especially if you are staying at low-cost and budget accommodation (like hostels) — it’s nearly impossible not to make new friends if you want to find people heading out on day trips and what not. For boards, there are some great FB groups where you could share your route and ask if others are looking to meet up along the way: – https://www.facebook.com/groups/thesolofemaletravelernetwork/ – https://www.facebook.com/groups/solowomen/ – ww.facebook.com/groups/solowomentraveltribe/

Then there are forums and such. Nomadic Matt has a “travel companions” tread in his forums: http://forums.nomadicmatt.com/forum/39-travel-companions/ As does Lonely Planet Thorntree: https://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/categories/sell-swap-meet-up

I hope that helps get you started! :)

Hi Stephanie!

I am also going to do this around the world solo too! and I am 31 this year as well. I am thinking if I dont do now, when would I have the chance to do it? ;p

Is this a book? :D If not, pls make it one!!

Found it, never mind. :D :D xxx

So glad you found it! Don’t hesitate to let me know if you have any questions as you read it. :)

Thank you very much for sharing!!!

I bet you had an amazing experience on that budget as well. It’s so doable at every level. Some people assume it’s hugely expensive, while others assume you have to stay at hostels. Looks like you guys had a wonderful trip without sacrificing comfort!

great and inspirational story and in fact it also provide the best and in depth knowledge about the Cost per day on different countries. Thanks and God bless you :)

So glad you found it helpful!

Hi Shannon, Thank you so much for all the time dedicated to your passion and thank you so much for sharing all of that with us. I will make a big use of your Google template, with my partner we plan to leave our lives here and start our passionate and adventurous journey to the unknown. I like the fact that you are ultra precise on everything, I keep your website as a reference. We have started a website and I will write blogs and articles on our journey, I will not forget to mention and link your pages; it’s just the beginning so if you have other advice and experience with blogging, digital marketing, …. I’ll be happy to take it on board.

Thanks again Shannon for everything, enjoy the ride! Marlene

I am so happy to hear that you plan to use the Google template! It’s still so handy on my own travels. As for the blog, it should be a passion project for you, something you love to build even if you never make money, and it should provide value that you can’t find elsewhere. Either a truly unique perspective on it all, information others aren’t sharing, or a niche that hasn’t yet been done. Find a voice and a story to tell and others will read. I wish you all the best luck! :)

Ma’am. I love all the detail you went into about saving for a RTW trip – something I’ve always wanted to do and am currently in the process of saving up for. I do have a question though (and I apologize for the ignorance – i just can’t seem to get an actual answer for anything). What are the visa requirements for just going on holiday to a different country? Will I be required to get a visa for every country I plan on visiting on this trip? I saw that you got an Indian visa, but no others were listed that I saw. Does it matter how long your there as to where or not you need a visa?

Wow… this has opened up my mind to what is possible… so really I just need to save the initial flights and a bit of a buffer for a month or so… and if I can get money by working online or something… I can then just continue to live in south east Asia or something for far less than where I live now (Australia). Just one question… how do you get the accommodation cheap? Like do you need to rent a place and sign a lease? Doesn’t it cost a lot more to live in a hotels for such a long time? or am I just use to Australian prices…?

So glad that it opened your mind to some more possibilities out there! As for rents, these are much different than the hotels you are thinking about, although even hotels are significantly cheaper than Australian hotel rates. Right now I am on a renting a bungalow for a week on the beaches of southern vietnam, 100 meters from the ocean, for $15 USD per night. Some monthly rents in Hanoi, Chiang Mai, and other places are in the $150-400 range per month. You’ll definitely want to have a read of these two cost of living posts I wrote for Thailand and Mexico: https://alittleadrift.com/cost-of-living-mexico/ and https://alittleadrift.com/living-costs-chiang-mai-thailand/

Wow, thank you so much. I’ll definitely check out these posts!

Hi Shannon! I plan to go on the road next April 2018, so I have one year and a half to save up money. I believe I can save up to 7000 euros (being pessimistic, because I think I could earn more) and I would like to travel for 3 to 6 months. I live in Europe, so I think I wouldn’t travel, and I have 3 plans, so to say: 1) A tour including Letonia, Lithuania, Estonia, Poland, Rumania, Eslovenia, Viena. 2) A tour in Canada 3) A tour in Asia (I’d like to visit China, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodja and Korea). How much do you think I should save to do so? Which tour do you think it’s the most-doable one?

Good question! All of your trip ideas sound incredible. For that €7,000, you will get the most for your money if you stay out of the Western countries. Your money won’t go as far in Canada, but even more than that, Canada is a trip that you may find yourself taking later in life when you have more money, kids, etc. It’s an easy destination to visit. You should look at picking a spot that really excites you and that also matches the adventurous spirit you have right now. My bet is on Southeast Asia since it’s very affordable and also a good spot for a first-time traveler since it’s very safe. Since you live in Europe, it’s dead simple for you to plan another trip in the future for the Baltics and Eastern Europe. I am going to send you a private email with some more thoughts! :)

I’ve heard some people travel for a year in the same continent for under $10,000 USD, South America, Central America, SEA… I hope I get my chance soon!

That is absolutely within the realm of possible if you are limiting the number of flights that you take. Flights are usually the biggest expense, with accommodation next. So if you can limit the flights, and then pick regions of of the world with affordable accommodation (definitely SEA and Central America… South America can be pricier in areas and in the activities). Best of luck plotting and planning those travels!

I just randomly came across this because as you mentioned, you get addicted to long-term travel…lol. I was trying to get some ideas for my 10k I’ll have saved up this year. But, wow! Seriously, 10k RTW is possible, I’m surprised that 5 yrs ago you didn’t think that. I spent 8k last year and went to 25 countries in Europe, Asia (South, Southeast, Central, and East/North), Middle East and Oceania. This year I’d probably concentrate on South America where I’ve not been yet, which should be even cheaper. I did things like a private 12 day tour in Mongolia, spent a month in Japan (usually expensive) etc. It’s definitely possible. I have friends who did this on even less, they hitchhiked and couch surfed most of the time (I only did this a couple times though I did get some accommodation/food free from some volunteer things I did. On the other hand I also stayed in 4-5 star hotels sometimes too.)

Hey Shannon, My name is Claire and I’m currently a junior in high school from Seattle, WA. I’ve have plans to take a gap year or two after graduation to travel throughout Europe. I would like to land in Barcelona, and take the Eurail throughout most of the other countries(Germany, Sweden, England, Czech Republic, Italy, Greece, etc.) I’m aware of the Eurail system, so I will plan on buying a pass. I’m also aware that staying in hostels is probably the cheapest/easiest way to go. The problem is, it’s a very vague plan and I am not very familiar with coordinating plane trips, train rides, hostel stays, etc (Since this is will be my first solo traveling experience). Do you have any suggestions on how to make money while I’m traveling, the steps to take before I go, how to find affordable places to sleep at night (that are close by the Eurail stations), and advice you wish you knew before you started traveling? From your experience, do you think $30,000 is enough to travel with for a year(assuming I also make money along the way)? Thank you so much for your time, Claire.

Hi Claire, thanks for writing. I absolutely think that your gap year is doable and that you can certainly save the funds for that. An entire year in Europe would be hard because of the visa situation, and because it would be very pricey. You can backpack Europe for 90 days on a tourist visa, then you have to leave for 90 days. So with that in mind, you’ll be looking at other places you could work and travel. Have you thought about getting a work visa to a place like Australia? They are fairly easy to obtain straight out of school and many Europeans go there and work (picking fruit or waiting tables) and travel and save the funds that way to continue traveling. There should be good information about that online. I have a work and travel page here if you are keen to find a way to work online: https://alittleadrift.com/how-to-work-and-travel-rtw/

As for planning it all out, that’s the least of your worries. The planning part is more straightforward once you are on the road, but finding ways to work and save now is, perhaps, the most important part of your plan. That work and travel page should give you some ideas. I have a ton of planning resources on the site ( https://alittleadrift.com/rtw-travel/ ), and the working page lists out a lot of other job boards and ideas, from teaching English to finding an online skill. Best of luck! You’ve totally got this. If you dream of travel, then you can make it a reality with focus and determination to save the funds and work toward that goal.

Im guessing this was a while back and prices of things have gone up quite a lot since then. I keep coming back to this page like I did for past 2 or 3 years..keeps me motivated when i’m gonna start mine…Thank You

Hi Mohammad! Suprisingly, it’s still possible to do a RTW trip for that same cost. Somethings have certainly gone up, but others have gone down. So it’s gotten significantly cheaper to travel in Australia, and I would save several hundred dollars a month if I was backpacking there now compared to being there in 2008 with the Aussie dollar was a much stronger global currency. Gas is also cheaper, meaning flights have gone down. So the cost of food in Thailand is about 50 cents more a meal, but that has been counteracted by other changes too. Take a look at this woman, she spent the same figure for a RTW in 2015 .

Good article, Thanks!

I love your honesty! This is going to help so many travellers. I can’t say I kept my totals to the penny, though, but maybe to the nearest pound.

To the nearest pound is still pretty fantastic. So many people dream of a trip and are surprised when they see the real costs broken down for them.

My business partners required DS-82 several days ago and used a website with lots of sample forms . If people require DS-82 too , here’s https://goo.gl/LqB8da .

Hi Shannon, I’m just starting grade nine, but I have a passion for travel and I’d love to do a solo RTW yearlong trip after going to university. My dream would be to leave right after finishing all my schooling, but I’m not sure if I’ll have enough of a travel fund by then. I’m very roughly planning on 2 months in Central and South America, 2 months in Africa, 4-5 months in the southeastern half of Asia (all the way from India to Thailand and up to China), 1 month in Australia/New Zealand, and 2-3 months in Europe. I’d be departing from and returning to Canada. I’d probably stay in hostels and guest houses most of the time, maybe couch surf in more expensive regions. I’m definitely considering working online while on the road, but I’d like a minimum of $15k before I go. Do you think it’s possible to save $15-20k in 4 years of high school plus 4 years of university? Or would you recommend finding a full time job for a couple years before the trip? Thanks, Kathryn

Hi Kathryn, it is so nice to receive your comment! I have no doubt that you can make it happen with that much time and since you are clearly planning now. Since I doubt you can formally work, I suggest you save a portion of your babysitting money or any work you can do in the summers — enjoy some of it but get a savings account and set aside a portion. Then, once you can work, if you spend your summers really working hard, then you can easily reach the 20K in the next eight years. It’s even easier if you have help by living with your parents or family in the summer, then you are saving costs on accommodation while you work between college years. I know that the summer after I graduated high school, I had a job waiting tables and I managed to save nearly all of that money ($4K). I used it to buy a car, but if you put even a portion away each summer, you will surely reach your goals. I encourage you to talk to your parents now, ask for their help in getting a savings account set up, and ask for them to help you prioritize your savings. It can be easy to spend money on the little things, especially with so many activities in high school that require expenses, so with their help you can perhaps really focus on saving a healthy portion of anything you earn. I definitely think you can make it happen with savings ready for when you graduate! Keep me posted, and don’t hesitate to email me if I can ever help as you are saving and dreaming and planning. :)

Thanks for the advice! I’ll definitely consult my parents to set up a savings account for travel, and although you’re right that I can’t apply for a traditional job yet, I have a semi regular pay cleaning my grandparents house for them. Not too many babysitting jobs, since I live outside of a small town, but there are a few. I’m planning to apply for a part time job as soon as I can. Thanks so much for the positivity and support, and I’ll make sure to keep you posted! :D

Hey Shannon, so after looking at lots of RTW travel blogs and seeing how much Europe can raise the cost, and realizing just how much time I want to spend there, I think I might save that continent for a trip of its own farther down the road. The time I would’ve spent there will be spread throughout the other parts of the trip. How significantly would skipping Europe lower the total cost? Do you think $15k USD would be enough for the whole trip?

I think that is a great figure and plan. Europe will be there and surely you will make it back there in the future. 15K will go a long way toward backpacking all over. I am going to send you an email in a few days to something that I wrote — I think it will help you better play with the figures and potential budget!

Alright, thank you so much for your help! I’ll be patiently waiting. ????

Hi! Im just starting 10th grade, and i also dream of traveling the world!….just like you Im going to try solo backpacking. Maybe ill try for a year or two Im not sure right now…and since im homeschooled i have time have a job so i can save up money to go. Im trying to go as soon as I turn 18 and school finishes which is roughly in another 2 years… Im trying to save up at least $30-40k in the next two years and even though it sounds like a long shot I truly believe its possible. Im going to Greece and Italy next year as part of my school trip and so ill get to see what it would be like to travel alone. I have this huge map on my wall and Im trying to plan out where in the world i want to go. Making a travel route of sorts. Pinterest helps alot! I was thinking of renting an apartment (cheap) so I can just travel through out Europe and always have somewhere to come back too… Do you think its a good idea? i dunno… I have some money put away so I don’t necessarily have to save up but it would be great to challenge myself and get some experience in working. I want to work and travel in bars, restaurants, cafes, teaching etc… would i need a special visa for that or something? Do think i should go to college first? All in all my end game is to find a place in the world i truly love and live there forever! After that ill go to university and get a degree in nursing!

Thanks for writing! So sorry for the delay in getting back to you. I love that you are heading out on a solo trip. It’s wonderful that you are able to work now and save up the funds. As far as getting an apartment, that can definitely help save on costs in some parts of the world, but there are other considerations about getting a visa and such. In Europe, you can’t stay for longer than 90 days. Plus, it’s pretty pricey. Perhaps look into budget backpacking through Europe — you will meet a lot of others at the hostel. Then you could rent a place in Thailand, Mexico, or somewhere very budget that has a lot to explore.

And yes, working is a whole other thing. There are times that you can find under-the-table work waiting tables or you can often work in a hostel and earn your bed (this is very common). It’s best to save up the majority of the funds that you will need, and not count on finding work. That said, look at the work-visa for Australia — it’s very popular and you qualify for that one-year visa until you’re in your late 30s. This is hugely popular and lots of backpackers work the farms picking fruit and waiting tables in Oz, and then backpacking this region ( https://www.gooverseas.com/blog/americans-guide-working-holiday-visas ).

Lastly, it’s a tough call on going to college. I am very glad that I had my degree when I left long-term, it has allowed me to earn more money and stay on the road longer because I have a degree. It really depends on your situation. You could always backpack in huge chunks every summer throughout college and then go on a longer one- or two-year adventure. There is no wrong decision, and it comes down to your goals. There are travel nursing programs that could be an incredible fit for you, I recommend that you google these organizations that send nurses for several months to spots all over the world. I’ve met a few on the road and they seem like they have found a good dynamic to work-life-travel. (My friend Candy has a great blog about it: http://www.thegypsynurse.com ). Best of luck! Keep me posted if I can help with anything. :)

Hi I am chandan planning for a backpacker trip of 20 days in may/June 2017 please help which countries should I visit. I am planning to visit whole world on continent basis say one continent or two in a year. Would like to start with Europe. Since I am from India will need help on 1. Which country to start and end. Visa requirements.trip cost with minimum air travel. I like to feel the place I visit. And best places to stay.

Hi Chandan! So exciting that you have a good trip coming up. Europe is wonderful and will make for a fun way to start your years of exploring. As for starting and ending points, hub cities are the best. I recommend that you use Skyscanner to look for open-ended routes from the airport you will leave from and then you can just type in “europe.” This will allow you to find good rates into cities you might not have considered that have easy routes to and from India. Then look into Eurorail passes, the Global pass may be the best bet for the maximum way to move around and explore a lot of the countries on offer. Best of luck! It’s such a culturally rich area of the world to be exploring. :)

Hi just update me on the best and cheapest season. Which countries have good landscapes. I love them. Considering 20 days trip which countries do u think I should opt. BTW thanks for immediate reply and such an informative post.

I think you should look up the weather information for the countries you’d like to visit and you can chart a course through them in the right time of year for your ideal climate. There are warm parts of Europe even in the winter, or you could go north and ski. Up to you and will depend on what you are looking for! That type of information is not something I specialize in, but once you are planning the trip, I have a lot of gear resources and the such here: https://alittleadrift.com/rtw-travel/

Best of luck!

Thanks again..things are more clear now

Hey Shannon, your story was amazing and inspired me to travel for about 3 months… Would $12,000 suffice? ????

Hi Amanda! $12K is a good sum! It will surely get you three months of travel at almost any travel style too. Even if you have a mid-range budget, that will last more than three months in developing countries. If you are backpacking Europe, then it’s a good sum to really enjoy and have tasty food and nice lodging the entire time. :)

Thank you so much! I also started following you on FB, your page is amazing!! ????????. Also I was wondering how far $12K would take me in SEAsia (Time Wise)? ????

Well, if you are willing to travel as a budget traveler, then you could backpack around Southeast Asia for about $1,200. That is staying a low-cost guesthouses or hostels, and going with the backpacker vibe. If you decide to stop in one spot for a month or two, it can be much cheaper. You can temporarily “live” in Chiang Mai or Bangkok for as little as $600-$800 for a month. If you plan to stay in nicer places, it will just cost a bit more each month. The $1,200 is a guestimate though because it really depends on the countries you choose. Vietnam is very, very cheap to backpack, and you will spend less than that for a month backpacking there, but Myanmar can be pricier. I think $1,200 is a good backpacker average estimate if you are in SEA for 8 months or so. :)

Hi! Happy to see that your still responding on this blog post. I plan to pick up my things and just go very shortly. I currently travel on short trips every month in the US but I still crave more. There is just something about meeting new people, experiencing new things and just seeing the world that draws me in. I really think just finally deciding to go and experience such a once in a lifetime opportunity is what my soul needs.

The only problem is I literally have NO idea where to start. I read blog post after blog post but still can’t find a starting point, nor a travel path that will be the most cost efficient. I do have about $20k saved up so thats not the problem its just determining my path that continues to pull me back. Any help on what to do when in this situation?

Also, was wondering if you are still traveling? If so, where about may you be now? Do you expend your trips a bit longer then a month now a days. ?

Thank you for any help, Bianca

Hi Bianca! You have definitely reached the hardest step, which is saving up the funds. In terms of actually traveling and setting out, there are so many various options. There are a few key ideas that can help stretch a travel budget. If you stick to one region of the world, especially affordable areas of the world, then those funds can stretch to 18 months or even longer. You could slowly backpack around Asia for a very long time on a budget like that. Or even start in Central America and then head south until you reach the end of South America. This style of travel allows you to cut down on expensive plane flights, while also exploring neat cultures and countries, and also giving you the flexibility to stop for a few months in a spot if you end up loving it. All of these things would stretch the budget a good deal. I suggest that you start looking at what other travelers have spent in the countries that you are interested in. There are two levels — traveling daily rates accounts for things like touring and getting between cities. But cost of living breakdowns that some digital nomads post ( https://alittleadrift.com/cost-of-living/ ) will give you a good idea of what it will cost to go very slowly. I will send you an email with a few more ideas. As for me, I am currently in England, I was in Spain house sitting for two months, and now I am going to head to Australia for two months to visit a friend there. I go much slower now than I did on that first RTW trip.

Thanks so much for your quick reply ! I will respond more in email !

Does that 20k (ish) include air fare?

Yes indeed. $3,500 of that is flights. I didn’t book a RTW ticket, I booked as I traveled and it totaled out to just a portion of the total. If i had done fewer long-haul flights jumping continents it would have been lower on the flight expenses.

I used this post while planning my RTW trip! Thank you so much for your advice!

So can you just get a year off work like that or did you just leave your job

I wasn’t able to do either of those. I actually worked my online job while I traveled. I had the nearly fulltime work before I decided to travel, so I worked out a budget and figured out that I could travel on the money I made online. I explain that all a bit more here: https://alittleadrift.com/2012/06/how-to-travel-and-work-abroad/ and this page has some freelance ideas for how to build up an online income, which can help offset the costs of traveling: https://alittleadrift.com/how-to-work-and-travel-rtw/

I am so jealous of you.

Aloha! I read your article a few years ago and I’m re-reading it again. We seem to have inadvertently used your article as a blue print for our careers. Becoming care takers has afforded us with a nice way to travel and submerse ourselves in a local culture. Kudos to this articles longevity and relevance today. BTW – You were way ahead of the AirBnB curve!

Well it makes my day to hear you say that you found it relevant both a few years ago, and now too! And I am so happy to hear that you are traveling and immersing and cultures and on a life path you love. Happy travels! :)

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ROB SANGSTER’s Traveler's Tool Kit: How to Travel Absolutely Anywhere is essential reading for those setting out to see the world. It contains more than 500 pages of Rob’s road-tested information and advice on every aspect of independent world travel. When not traveling Rob writes and sails in LaHave, Nova Scotia, Canada. See his bio for his books and more articles written for Transitions Abroad.

Where The Road Forks

How To Make an Accurate Budget for Traveling

By: Author Zachary Friedman

Posted on Last updated: February 27, 2024

Categories Travel Budgeting , Travel Tips

Home » Travel » Travel Tips » How To Make an Accurate Budget for Traveling

When planning a trip, it is easy to underestimate your costs and go over your travel budget. There are lots of little expenses that add up. This guide explains how to create an accurate budget for traveling.

In this guide, I will outline every expense that you’re likely to incur and explain how to estimate it. We’ll cover transportation, accommodation, food and drink, admission tickets, tours, activities, visas, travel gear, and more.

This process works for all budget ranges and trip lengths. It doesn’t matter if you’re planning a weekend getaway, an international vacation, or an extended round-the-world trip. If you follow this guide, you’ll end up with an accurate trip budget. I will also explain how to track your spending while on your trip to help you stick to your travel budget.

In the past 12 years, I’ve traveled to almost 70 countries. I’ve spent several year-long stints on the road. During that time, I have developed an easy and precise way to budget my travel expenses. In this guide, I’ll share how I create a travel budget, step-by-step.

Key Takeaways- How to Create a Travel Budget

– Step 1: Identify your biggest expenses. For most trips, this will be airfare and tours. – Step 2: Estimate your expenses for accommodation, food, and drinks. – Step 3: Estimate your expenses for ground transportation. Consider bus and train tickets, regional flights, taxis, Uber, and public transportation. – Step 3: Estimate your expenses for visas, travel insurance, travel vaccines, and other documents you may need. – Step 4: Consider additional expenses. Think about the travel gear you need to buy. Think about other small expenses like SIM cards, laundry, haircuts, etc. – Step 5: Re-evaluate your budget. Consider your priorities. Think about where you want to splurge and where you want to save. – Step 6: Save up for your trip. Make sure you have an emergency fund in case of unexpected expenses.

This guide is broken down into 5 categories:

  • Transportation
  • Accommodation
  • Food and Drink
  • Entertainment, Tours, Admission Tickets, and A ctivities
  • Additional Expenses: Insurance, Visas, Vaccines, and Travel Gear

After calculating all of our travel expenses, you will add them up to see what your desired itinerary would cost. From there, you can make adjustments to fit your total trip budget. At the end of each section, I include some helpful money-saving tips that I have picked up on the road.

How Much Does it Cost to Travel?

The cost of traveling depends on a variety of factors, so it is hard to give an exact answer. Generally speaking, the farther and longer you travel, the more expensive your trip will be.

Your destination is the main factor that determines how much your trip will cost. You’ll spend a lot less while traveling in Southeast Asia or Central America than If you were traveling through Western Europe. Traveling locally is cheaper than traveling abroad. When you travel abroad, you can expect your travel expenses to increase due to the high cost of airfare.

Budgeting for your trip is also highly dependent on personal preference. How much luxury do you need? Do you plan on staying in luxury hotels or budget hostels? Do you want to try out local restaurants or cook your own meals? Can you travel by bus or do you need to fly? Do you enjoy expensive activities such as Scuba diving or taking hot air balloon rides? All of these factors can drastically affect the total cost of your trip.

Traveling can range from relatively inexpensive to quite costly. The good news is that there are plenty of ways to save while still having a wonderful experience. You can shop for deals on flights and accommodation. You can stay in hostels instead of hotels. It’s possible to enjoy a great trip with a surprisingly small amount of money. Budget travelers can travel on just $1200-$1800 per month. If you’re traveling in an expensive region, you might spend $2500 per month.

Transportation Budget for Traveling

Getting from point A to point B is a major travel expense. Maybe even the biggest expense depending on where you’re traveling. According to this guide, travelers spend an average of 44% of their travel budget on transportation. Transportation costs include flights, parking, a rental car, bus and train tickets, and public transport. In this section, I’ll explain how to estimate your transportation budget for travel. I’ll also share some tips to help you save on transport.

Airfare Budget for Traveling

The view out an airplane window flying into Manila

The single largest individual expense of your trip will likely be your airplane ticket. Airfare is expensive. A round-trip intercontinental ticket can cost $1000-$1500 or more. A round-trip domestic ticket in the U.S. is around $300.

You can use a flight booking tool such as Skyscanner, Kayak, or Google Flights to estimate the cost of your flights. These tools can quickly give you an overview of flight prices for the entire month. This gives you a good idea of ticket prices. You can also use these services to find cheap flights.

There a few ways to save money on airfare. When booking your ticket, try to be flexible with your travel dates. Generally, it’s cheaper to fly during the week than on weekends. Flights during the off-season and shoulder seasons are cheaper than flights during peak seasons and holidays.

You can also save money by flying into a different airport. Many major cities have multiple airports. For example, if you’re flying to New York, check the price of flights to LaGuardia (LGA), John F. Kennedy (JFK), and Newark (EWR) airports. Sometimes flying into one is cheaper. Most booking sites allow you to search multiple airports.

Sometimes you can save money by flying to a city that’s in the same region as your destination but cheaper to fly into. For example, maybe you want to fly to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. You might save money by flying into a major hub city like Bangkok. From there, you can take a cheap flight on a budget airline to Kuala Lumpur. Some major hubs around the world include Dubai Airport, London Heathrow, Istanbul Airport, Chicago O’Hare International, Incheon Airport, and more. You can often find cheap flights flying into and out of these airports.

You may also save by flying to a nearby city and then taking ground transport to your destination. Sometimes cities are cheaper to fly to than others. For example, instead of flying directly into Orange County, California, you may find a better deal on a flight to Los Angeles International Airport(LAX). From there, you could take a shuttle, bus, or rental car to your destination. Most booking sites allow you to search nearby airports.

You can also save by flying budget airlines rather than big-name national airlines. Budget airlines offer fewer services but cheaper flights.

Another way to save on flights is to t ake advantage of credit card offers. I flew round trip between Los Angeles and Africa for free with credit card miles.

If you’re planning on taking an extended trip around the world, you may be able to save by buying a round-the-world ticket. Many airlines offer round-the-world tickets with stops on different continents. Several third-party services are also available to help you mix and match. For more info, check out my guide to planning a round-the-world trip.

Regional Transportation Costs Between Cities and Countries: Buses, Trains, Flights, and Ferries

Zac standing in front of a bus in Kenya

If you’re traveling to multiple cities or countries during your trip y ou must also consider the cost of transport between destinations. You’ll have to fly, take a bus, or take a train, between each city or country you plan to visit. Generally, a regional bus trip that lasts 6-12 hours costs around $20-$100. A train journey from one city to the next could cost $50-$200. A one-way regional flight costs around $100-$300.

Before your trip, be sure to research the price of bus and train tickets and flights on all of the routes you plan to travel. Most bus and train companies list ticket prices on their websites these days. To save time, you can use a booking site to find the cost of tickets. A great resource for finding bus and train routes and prices is rome2rio.com. This site makes it easy to research transportation options and estimate the cost of tickets. Another great booking site for finding bus ticket prices is Busbud. For train routes and ticket prices, seat61.com is an excellent resource. You can use a flight booking tool such as Skyscanner, Kayak, or Google Flights to estimate the cost of regional flights.

Regional transportation costs are usually pretty affordable. If you’re traveling around a lot during your trip, transport costs can add up. Generally, the cheapest way to travel from one city to the next is by bus. Trains and flights are usually more expensive. It’s still worth checking prices. Sometimes flying is the cheapest option thanks to budget airlines.

Local Transport: Public Transportation, Rental Car, Taxis, and Uber

A metro train in Manila

Next, take into consideration transport costs around the towns and cities that you will be visiting. This includes taxi, Uber, metro, city bus, and tuk-tuk fares. To estimate this, look at the locations of the sites that you plan to visit within the city and research the transportation costs between there and your accommodation. You can usually find average one-way transport prices online. 

If you don’t feel like taking the time to estimate the cost of local transportation, you can simply raise your daily spending money budget by the average price of a round-trip public transport ticket. Sometimes you can buy a weekly or monthly unlimited pass and add that to the cost of your trip.

Rental Cars

If you plan to drive a rental car, you’ll need to factor in the cost of the rental, gas, and insurance. Visit your favorite booking site to check the price of car rentals. Discover Cars and Kayak are popular options for booking a rental car. On average, renting a car costs $40-$80 per day.

Remember that the price of rental cars varies throughout the year. Prices increase during the busy season and during holidays because demand increases. Rental car prices also vary greatly by location.

Tips for Saving Money on Transportation

The cost of local transportation can quickly add up. If you take a taxi or Uber or take multiple metro trips daily, you could spend hundreds of dollars per month. There are a few ways to save.

To reduce your cost of local transport, try to walk more. Instead of taking an Uber, walk from your hotel to the museum. Walking is free. As an added benefit, walking helps you get to know the city better. It’s also healthy.

When taking a taxi or tuk-tuk, negotiate hard. Taxi drivers love to rip off foreigners. If a cab driver won’t give you a reasonable rate, keep asking drivers until you find a driver that wants the fare.

Cycling is also a great way to get around cities. Many cities offer affordable city bike rental programs. These programs are often open to tourists. Cycling is a cheap and healthy way to get from point A to point B. If you’re on an extremely low budget, you could consider hitchhiking.

Accommodation Budget for Traveling: Hotels, Hostels, and Airbnbs

An Airbnb in Bali

After transportation, your biggest travel expense is probably accommodation. After all, you will need somewhere to sleep every night of your trip. It’s easy to go over your travel budget if you overspend on accommodation.

To estimate your accommodation budget, go to a booking site like Booking.com or Agoda and research the price of hotels at your destination . Airbnb is also a great option in some regions. If you’re on a tighter budget, check Hostelworld for the price of dorm rooms.

When searching for accommodation , check the prices of multiple properties in every city that you plan to visit . Try to find an average price. Sort properties by most popular instead of cheapest. This can take quite a bit of time but it is necessary to get an accurate idea of your accommodation cost. If you’re conservative with your budgeting, you’re less likely to overspend.

Remember that accommodation prices change based on the season in many places so this must also be taken into consideration. In general, traveling during the summer is more expensive because demand is higher. Traveling during holidays and festivals is also more expensive than traveling during the normal season. For example, in Rio de Janeiro, the price of hotels doubles during Carnival. Some properties also charge more on the weekends than during the week. It’s important to consider the season when estimating the price of accommodation.

Once you have found the average cost per night for each city that you plan to visit, simply multiply the nightly price by the number of nights that you plan to stay. Next, add them all up. This is your total accommodation budget for the trip. If you’re not sure how long you plan to stay in each destination, you can calculate an average nightly accommodation cost based on hotel prices in each place you plan to visit.

There are a couple of ways to save money on accommodation. You could stay in a dorm room in a hostel. A bed in a dorm costs 25-50% of the price of a hotel room. If an average hotel room costs $100-$150 at your destination, a hostel dorm bed might cost $20-$40.

Camping is also a great way to save money on accommodation. Oftentimes a campground costs $15-$25 per night. There are also plenty of free campsites if you look around. In some countries, wild camping is legal. Some hostels allow you to pitch your tent on their property for less than the cost of a dorm bed. These days, I sometimes travel with a small tent or hammock to save on accommodation.

Another great way to save on accommodation is to t ravel at night. By taking overnight buses, trains, and flights, you save on a night of accommodation every time. This can really add up if you move around a lot during your trip . Even though sleeping on a bus is uncomfortable, the money you save may be worth it depending on your travel budget. For example, if you travel to a new city every 4 days, you can potentially cut your accommodation budget by a quarter by sleeping while you travel.

Food and Drink Budget for Traveling

Sushi in Japan

Food and drinks are some of your biggest travel costs. It’s difficult to estimate the cost of food and drinks. This is one thing that varies quite a bit from person to person. Everyone enjoys different types of foods. Some people prefer to eat in restaurants every day while on vacation. Others don’t mind cooking for themselves. Some people drink and others don’t. Some people are happy to eat local foods and street food. Others prefer eating more familiar foods. Of course, the cost of food and drinks also varies greatly by destination. In some countries, you can eat a meal in a restaurant for $10. In other countries, a meal costs $25. For this reason, food and drink is the hardest part of the budget to calculate.

To give you an idea of how much food might cost you, on average Americans spend $35 per day on food while taking an international vacation according to this guide . It’s easy to spend much more or much less than this depending on your eating habits. There are also a few ways you can cut your food budget.

When calculating your food budget, think about what you plan to eat, where you plan to eat, and how much you need to eat. You’ll have to budget more for food if you plan to eat in restaurants for every meal. Restaurants are expensive. If you’re a foodie who likes to sample different foods and eat in fine restaurants, you’ll need to budget plenty for food. If you’re staying in a hostel or Airbnb with a kitchen, you can buy groceries and cook some of your own meals. This is cheaper. Also, consider how much you like to eat. If you’re a big eater, you’ll spend more on food.

Also, think about what you like to eat. Some travelers happily eat local food while others are picky and prefer more familiar foods. It’s also important to r emember, you’ll probably need to eat more than you’re used to because you’ll be more active while traveling.  Travel is exhausting. You’ll burn lots of calories while sightseeing and moving around.

If you cook all of your own meals it’s possible to eat for just $5-$10 per day in much of the world. Eating all of your meals in restaurants costs around $30-$50 per day in most countries. If you enjoy a mix of restaurants, street food, and cooking for yourself, you can eat well for $15-$25 per day.

If you want to create a more accurate food budget, you can do some research on food costs in the region you plan to travel to. Look up some restaurant menus online. If you can, look at the cost of groceries. Create a rough daily food budget and multiply it by the number of days in your trip. This will give you a guide to try to stick to while you are traveling.

You don’t need to spend the same amount on food daily. You can average your food budget out across your trip. For example, maybe one day you splurge on a nice steak dinner and spend $50 on dinner. You can cook a cheap meal to balance your travel budget the next day.

Another important cost to consider is alcohol. If you are a drinker, you could spend more on alcohol than you spend on food. Consider how much you drink, how often you drink, and what you drink when calculating your alcohol budget.

Drink prices vary greatly around the world. For example, in some countries, you can buy a beer for $3. In other countries, a beer costs $15. If you prefer cocktails, you’ll spend more. It’s easy to spend $100 on alcohol on a night out.

To get an idea of how much you’ll spend drinking, look up some restaurant menus in your destination and check the price of drinks. Consider how many drinks you like to have with your meals and while going out. Also, think about how many times per week you plan to go out drinking. Most people tend to drink more while on vacation than while at home. You may spend more on drinks than you expect.

Drinking too much a lcohol is one of the easiest ways to go over budget. If you’re on a tight budget, you’ll need to be careful with drinking and partying while you travel. I have met travelers who had to cut their trip short because they partied too much.

There are a few ways to reduce your travel budget for food and drink s.

One of the best ways to save money on food is to cook for yourself. It’s far cheaper to buy food in a grocery store and cook it than it is to eat in restaurants . If you are on a very low travel budget, you can travel with your own cooking gear. A camp pot and stove are easy to pack and allow you to cook while traveling. Of course, you won’t want to cook all of your own meals. You’ll still want to go out once in a while to sample the local cuisine.

One of the easiest ways to reduce your travel budget is to drink less alcohol. Drinking is expensive. It’s easy to overspend and blow your budget when you go out to a bar or club. Reducing your drinking or giving up drinking altogether will greatly cut costs. When I was younger, around two-thirds of my food and drink budget went toward alcohol. These days, I like to pick and choose my going-out nights carefully rather than drinking every night. I spend far less on alcohol. Another option is to buy some drinks in a grocery store or liquor store and drink in your hotel room instead of going to an expensive bar.

Another great way to save is to book hotels and hostels that include breakfast. This saves you at least a few dollars per day because you won’t have to buy coffee or breakfast in the morning. It’s also one less meal to worry about. If there is a continental breakfast, you may even be able to sneak a bit extra out for later.

Another way to reduce your food budget is to maintain a vegetarian diet. If you’re willing to live on cheap foods such as rice, beans, eggs, and fresh vegetables, you can eat cheaply anywhere in the world.

Admission tickets, Tours, Entertainment, and Activities Budget for Traveling

The Colosseum, Rome

Next, you need to budget for all of the activities you plan to do during your trip. This includes admission tickets, entrance fees, tours, permits, guides, tips, equipment rentals, entertainment costs, etc.

To calculate the cost of activities you must research the costs of all of the activities you plan to do and add them up. For example, if you plan to visit an amusement park, go to their website and check the cost of tickets. If you plan to go skydiving, visit the company’s website and check the prices. If you’re visiting Machu Picchu, check the price of tours.

When you book tours, calculating the cost of activities is pretty easy. You pay one price that includes a guide, entrance, and transportation. If you plan to piece things together and go independently, it can become a bit more complicated. You’ll have to consider the price of transport, parking, tickets, a guide, etc.

Doing your research and k nowing the rough price of everything that you want to do during your trip helps you avoid expensive surprises. Sometimes activities cost much more than you think. For example, I was surprised by the ridiculous entry fees to Serengeti National Park while going on a safari. I spend a couple of hundred dollars more than I expected to spend.

There are some additional major travel expenses that are easy to forget about. For example, if you’re driving your own vehicle, you may have to pay for parking. Parking in a crowded city could cost you $20-$50 a day. You’ll also have to consider the cost of tips for your guide. While you’re doing an activity or sightseeing, you might also be forced to eat in expensive touristy restaurants. Sometimes food options are limited.

There are a few ways to save money on activities while you travel.

In most cases, you can save some money by doing activities independently instead of booking a tour. Take public transportation to your destination, forgo a guide if you can, and pack your own food. I did this when I went on a safari in the Maasai mara in Kenya. The tour cost was $350 but I was able to organize the safari by myself for less than $200 .

Another way to save money on activities is to book locally instead of booking in advance. Waiting until you arrive allows you to shop around locally and negotiate directly with tour companies. You can often score some great last-minute deals if are willing to wait a few days. The only time this doesn’t work is if you are working with a tight schedule and you must do an activity on a particular day. In this case, it’s best to book in advance.

You can also save money by simply skipping some stuff. You don’t need to visit every attraction just to say you’ve been. If something doesn’t interest you, skip it. If you think a particular activity or attraction is too expensive or offers a poor value, skip it. Spend your day doing something you enjoy instead. It’s your vacation.

You can also save by taking advantage of discounts and free days. Some museums offer free entry once per week. If you are a student, many tourist sites offer student discounts. Sites will be more crowded on free days but if you are willing to put up with more people, you’ll save money.

There are also plenty of free things you can do. You don’t have to spend money every day. Check out my guide, 30 free things to do while traveling for some ideas.

Zac at Machu Picchu

Additional Expenses to Consider While Making Your Travel Budget

There are a number of additional expenses you’ll incur including travel insurance, visas, and vaccinations. These additional expenses can add up.

Travel Insurance

Travel insurance will be one of your major travel expenses if you’re traveling long-term. The cost of travel insurance depends on the kind of coverage you buy, the amount of coverage you buy, the amount of the deductible, where you’re traveling, and your age.

Travel insurance can cost anywhere from $20-$150+ per month depending on the coverage. The more coverage you get, the more the policy will cost. Most travelers should have a minimum of $100,000 in coverage. If you’re traveling to the U.S., you should have at least $250,000 in coverage.

Older travelers pay more for travel insurance than younger travelers. Those traveling to dangerous regions also pay more. Policies with a lower deductable or no deductable have a higher premium.

If you’re on a budget, you can opt for medical-only travel insurance. Travel insurance that covers your luggage and trip interruptions is significantly more expensive. If you carry expensive equipment with you, like cameras and computers, you may need to buy separate insurance if you want everything covered.

In most countries, travel insurance is optional but highly recommended. I use SafetyWing Nomad Insurance. They offer affordable insurance for long-term travel.

Many budget travelers consider travel insurance to be unnecessary and a waste of money. Personally, I disagree. I consider travel insurance to be essential. Particularly for travelers who participate in extreme sports or visit destinations that could be considered dangerous. A good travel insurance policy can cover you in the event of an injury or unexpected illness. Some policies can cover theft, damage, or loss of your belongings and trip interruptions. It’s worth it for the peace of mind.

Vaccinations, Medications, and Other Health-Related Costs

Travel insurance doesn’t cover everything. You might have other health-related costs that you have to budget for.

Depending on your destination, you may need some travel vaccinations. For example, a few countries require you to have a Yellow Fever vaccine. This is a common entry requirement in many countries in Africa and some South America. You need proof of vaccination to enter. Some vaccinations are highly recommended but not required. For example, before you travel, you may want to get typhoid, hepatitis A and B, and rabies vaccines.

Travel vaccines can be expensive. You may spend several hundred dollars on a medical consultation and vaccines. In the U.S, a Yellow Fever vaccine can cost $200 alone. If you’ve never had any travel vaccinations before, you could easily spend $500 on vaccines before your trip.

In addition, you may also need to buy malaria pills if you’re traveling to a region with malaria. Before your trip, you’ll need a malaria consultation and a prescription for malaria prophylaxis. One of the most popular types of malaria prophylaxis, Malaraon, can cost $200 per month. Cheaper options are available.

If need to take any medications, you may need to buy a supply for your trip. If you run out, you may need to buy some while you’re abroad. Maybe you want to go to the gym while you travel. You’ll have to budget for gym entry fees.

Before your trip, you should check whether or not you need a visa to visit your destination. Whether or not you need a visa depends on the passport you’re traveling with, which countries you’re visiting, how long you plan to stay, and the purpose of your trip.

For most international trips, visas are a minor expense. Most tourist visas cost $20-$50. Many visas are free. There are a few expensive ones that cost $100-$300 dollars.

Sometimes there are additional costs involved in obtaining vias. For example, if you have to apply for a visa in advance, you may have to pay to ship your passport to and from the embassy. For complicated visas, you may have to hire a visa agency.

If you’re taking a round-the-world trip, visas may be a major expense. For example, when I traveled through Africa, I spent about $600 on visas in 5 months of travel. Most countries in the region charge $50-$100 for a tourist visa.

Some visas are more expensive than others. For example, residence visas, digital nomad visas, working holiday visas, student visas, etc. are often more expensive than standard tourist visas.

Your passport can also determine the visa cost. For example, when I traveled to Tanzania, I paid $100 for a visa with my U.S. passport. My friend paid $50. We both received the same visa. Mine cost more because of my nationality. Some countries charge reciprocal visa fees. This means they charge foreign visitors the same price that their citizens pay for a visa to your country.

Travel Gear: Equipment, Clothing, and Electronics

A travel backpack

Another major cost that many people don’t take into consideration is travel gear. Before your trip, you may need to buy luggage. A good backpack or suitcase can cost $100-$200. You might also need to buy a daypack, luggage locks, packing cubes, a toiletries bag, a money belt, and other accessories. In addition, you’ll have to buy travel-sized toiletries including soap, shampoo, sunblock, bug spray, etc.

If you travel regularly, you might have all of the gear you need. If you’re taking your first big trip, you might need to budget $200-$300 for travel gear.

You may also want to buy some new clothing before your trip. One of the most important pieces of gravel gear is a comfortable pair of shoes. Chances are you’ll be on your feet a lot while out sightseeing. You might also want to buy some travel clothing. Travel clothing is lightweight, durable, wrinkle-resistant, and quick-drying. You might also want to buy some new clothes for going out.

You’ll probably want to budget at least $100-$200 for some new clothes. Of course, if you’re on a tight travel budget, you can always wear whatever is in your closet.

Clothing and Gear Replacement

Stuff tends to wear out quicker when you’re traveling. Your electronics will be exposed to vibration, humidity, and dust. Your clothes will wear out faster because you’ll wear each item more often and for longer periods. Travel is not good for the longevity of your possessions. It causes lots of wear and tear. It’s also easy to break or lose items while you travel. Particularly if you’re moving around often. Theft is also an issue.

If you are traveling long-term, you should add $50-$100 per month to your travel budget. You can use these travel funds to replace clothing and travel gear as it wears out, breaks, gets lost, or gets stolen.

For example, maybe your phone gets pickpocketed and you need to purchase a new one. If you accounted for gear replacement in your budget this unexpected expense is already accounted for in your travel budget. Maybe your shoes wear out. If you left room in your travel budget, buying a new pair of shoes isn’t an issue.

Expenses You Have Back Home

It’s also important to consider any recurring expenses you have back home. For example, you might have to make rent or mortgage payments. You may have to continue paying your utility bills and cell phone bill while you’re away. If you have credit card bills or car payments, you’ll have to keep paying while you’re traveling. You might have to pay for health insurance, auto insurance, and home insurance. These expenses can add up.

To reduce your traveling costs, try to eliminate as many bills as possible before your trip. You can cancel or pause your streaming services or phone service. You may be able to suspend or reduce your insurance if you’re traveling abroad. If you’re traveling long-term, it might make sense to sell your home and car to further reduce your expenses. It doesn’t make sense to pay for something you’re not going to use.

Other Small Expenses

There are a number of other minor expenses you may encounter. You may need to pay for phone service. In most countries, you can buy a sim card with calling and text and some data for $10-$20 per month. Alternatively, you could use your phone plan from back home if it works internationally. If you’re on a tight travel budget, you could rely on free WiFi for communication.

You may also have to pay for laundry. A small load of laundry might cost $4-6 at a laundromat. You can also pay for laundry service for $10-$20 per load. If you’re on a budget, you can buy laundry detergent and wash your own clothes in your hotel room sink or in a bucket.

If you’re traveling for a month or more, you might also have to get your hair cut. A haircut could cost anywhere from $5-$100 depending on the type of haircut and where you’re traveling. To save some money, you can also cut your own hair . I always pack a pair of clippers when I travel.

Emergency Money

It’s a good idea to stash away some emergency money in case your credit or debit card is lost or stolen. I usually bring $300-$1000 depending on where I am traveling. I try to bring enough money to sustain myself for at least a week.

When you’re traveling long-term, it’s also important to have an emergency fund in case you have to return home unexpectedly. You should always have enough money to buy yourself a ticket home.

budget for international travel

After You Have Found All of Your Travel Expenses

After you have found the costs of transportation, accommodation, food, activities, and everything else, add everything up to see how much your desired itinerary costs. This will give you a pretty accurate cost for your trip. You can divide the total by the length of your trip to calculate your average travel costs. You can calculate a monthly, weekly, or daily cost for your trip. This can be helpful while budgeting.

Chances are, your desired trip costs more than you want to spend. At this point, you can make adjustments to your trip budget to make it more affordable.

How to Stay on Budget While Traveling

During your trip, you should track your spending. This will help you stick to your budget. If you overspend one day, you can reduce your spending to get back on track.

Tracking your travel expenses can be difficult, but using a spreadsheet will make it easier. With a s imple spreadsheet, you can record every purchase. Your spreadsheet can be as detailed or as simple as you like.

Start by creating columns for categories of expenditure such as accommodation, food, transportation, tours, and entertainment costs. Within these categories, add rows for each expense and note the date and cost. You can also add a column to note if the expense is one-time or recurring. Every time you spend money, add it to your spreadsheet.

This helps you get an overview of your spending and make sure you stay within your travel budget. Once you’ve input all the data into your spreadsheet, use the formulas provided to quickly calculate your total expenditures for each category and sum up the totals for all categories. This will give you an at-a-glance view of how much money you’re spending on each item. If you find that you’re going over budget, you’ll be able to quickly tell where you’re overspending.

If that requires too much effort, you can simply track your spending on your phone’s notepad app . A paper notepad also works. After you buy something, write it down .

Generally, I just take note when I withdraw money from the ATM. I also go over my credit card bill and transfer the purchases into my spreadsheet. I don’t really care about the specifics of each purchase every day. For me, it’s not worth the effort to write down every time I buy a soda. I just track total expenditure.

You should use your spending spreadsheet to periodically check whether or not you are sticking to your travel budget. When you first start traveling, you might have to check weekly. If you’re traveling long-term, you can check your spending monthly. If you’re considering a major purchase like an expensive tour or airplane ticket, check your budget before hitting the buy button to check whether or not you can afford it.

Compare the amount that you spent with the amount that you budgeted. If you find that you are over budget, you can make adjustments as you continue your trip. If you overspend a bit one week, try to be more careful with your spending the next. Some weeks, you will have an unexpected expense; some weeks, you may come under budget. It’s all about the average.

Lately, I’ve been living as a digital nomad. I usually check my spending monthly. If I overspent, I’ll try to be more frugal the next month. If I’m under budget, I simply save the extra money.

Another Way to Budget for Traveling

If you’re planning a long trip, it can be easier to make a daily or monthly budget to stick to. It would be too difficult to add up all of your expenses. When you travel long term, you may not know how long you’re going to spend in each destination or what you’re going to do. You may not even know where you’re going. Your budget probably wouldn’t be very accurate.

The easiest way to create a travel budget for long international trips is to start with the total amount of money you have saved for your trip. From there, subtract all major expenses that you can think of. You may include airfare, travel insurance, expensive tours and activities, bills you have back home, etc. For shorter domestic trips, you might include accommodation and known transportation expenses. Move this money from your checking account to your savings account. When the money is out of your checking account, you’re less likely to spend it.

Divide whatever’s left over by the number of days you plan to travel. This gives you a rough daily budget that you can try to stick to. If you want a monthly budget, you can multiply the daily budget by 30. You could also create a weekly budget if you prefer.

Having a rough daily budget can make it easier to stay on budget. If your budget is $100 and you spend $10 on museum tickets, $20 for lunch, and $30 for a bed in a hostel, you know you have $40 left for the day. If you go over one day, you can try to spend less the next day to average it out.

Removing major expenses makes it easier to calculate a realistic daily budget and stick to it. The money that you set aside for major expenses is basically already spent. If you remove it from your budget, you won’t feel like you have more money than you do. You also won’t have to worry about large upcoming expenses, such as an international airline ticket. It’s difficult to budget if one day you have to spend $1200 on an airplane ticket. This blows your daily budget. With this method, the money is already set aside prior to determining how much you have left to spend daily. All you have to worry about is daily costs such as food and accommodation. You won’t skip things as often because you are stressed about your finances. You know that you have already budgeted for major expenses.

An Example of a Travel Budget

Imagine you’re traveling to Kenya for two weeks for a vacation from the U.S. and you want to create a travel budget. Let’s say you have a $5000 budget for the whole trip.

First, add up all of your major expenses. Maybe you spend $2000 on airfare, $500 on a safari in the Maasai Mara, and $1500 on hotel rooms. This means your major expenses cost $4000. This leaves you with $1000 for daily expenses. $1000/14 days = $71.42 per day in spending money.

This $71 would need to cover your food and drinks, souvenirs, local transportation, and any other activities or tours you plan to do while visiting Kenya. That is a manageable budget. You’ll still have to watch your spending but at least your airfare home and accommodation will be covered. You’ll have plenty of spending money for food and entertainment costs. This simple formula will work for any trip.

Tips for Reducing Your Travel Budget

  • Skip some cities- Visiting fewer destinations cuts your transportation costs and activity costs. It’s nice to spend more time in one city rather than moving around every other day.
  • Visit cheaper countries-  Traveling in expensive developed countries like Norway or Japan can cost well over $100 per day. In many developing countries, you can get by on less than $40 per day.
  • Travel slowly- Rather than flying from one city to another, take a bus or train. To save even more, you can walk or bicycle tour.  Also, stay in each city longer. You’ll spend less on accommodation.
  • Prioritize your expenses- Maybe want to go on a hot air balloon ride and eat at a Michelin-star restaurant but you can’t afford both. Pick one and skip the other.
  • Travel domestically- Domestic trips are generally cheaper than international trips. You’ll save big on airfare when you stay closer to home.
  • Stay in cheaper accommodation- Rather than hotels, consider staying in hostels. Camping is also great for saving money.
  • Spend more time in each city- If you spend a week or a month in each city, you can often find discounts on accommodation. I recommend checking Airbnb if you decide to do this. Many hosts offer weekly and monthly discounts.
  • Cook your own food- Rather than eating out, cook for yourself. It’s cheap and easy to make basic meals like sandwiches, salads, or pasta. It’s pretty easy to cook yourself a meal for $5. A meal in a restaurant might cost $15-$25.
  • Take advantage of credit card points- Credit card companies offer generous introductory offers when you sign up. You can also earn points for all of your travel expenses. You could save a few hundred dollars or earn a free flight if you pick the right card. You can save money by signing up for a travel credit card.
  • Find ways to reduce fees- Use a credit card without foreign transaction fees or ATM fees. I use the Schwab bank debit card.
  • Take advantage of free attractions- You can often visit museums, parks, and beaches for free. For more ideas, check out my guide: 30 free things to do while traveling .
  • Shorten your trip- If you aren’t willing to make any sacrifices in terms of comfort, you can always simply travel for a shorter period of time.
  • Wait and save more money- Maybe your desired trip costs $10,000 but you only have $8,000 saved for your trip. Consider postponing your trip for a few months to save more money.

Iguazu Falls, Brazil

My Travel Budget Philosophy

While planning my first trip abroad, I had no idea how much money I would spend. I bought a round-trip plane ticket and a Eurail pass and set off without making a budget. During my trip, I didn’t really overspend but I was constantly worried about running out of money. Over the next 10 years of travel, I learned how to budget.

I’m naturally a pretty frugal traveler. I take my personal finance seriously. I walk to save on transportation . S ometimes, I travel by night to save on accommodation. I cook my own meals instead of going to a restaurant. The less I spend, the longer and further I am able to travel. One area I splurge is accommodation. I prefer to stay in a private hotel or Airbnb rather than hostels.

While making a travel budget for international trips, I try to be very conservative. I overestimate every expense by 20% or so. This gives me a bit of cushioning if things are more expensive than I expect. I prefer to spend less rather than underestimate my cost and overspend or run out of money.

With that being said, I don’t like to miss out on anything. There is no point in going somewhere if you’re just going to sit around the hotel all day trying not to spend any money. There is a difference between cutting back on luxury and cutting back on experiences. I much prefer to spend money visiting a national park, museum, or concert than staying in a fancy hotel or eating a nice meal. 

To Wrap it Up

Unless money is no object, it is a good idea to make a travel budget before setting off on a trip. If you have a travel budget, your trip will go smoother and you’ll end up saving money.

The first time you make a travel budget, it may take you a couple of hours. You’ll spend the majority of your time researching the costs of flights, hotels, and activities. After you get the hang of it, you could make a rough trip budget in 20 minutes. You can also save time by creating a budget while you plan your trip. Simply take note of costs as you research.

The level of detail that you need to go into with your budget depends on how good you are with money. If you’re good at personal finance, you can just keep a simple budget. If you’re a spender, you’ll have to track your expenses more closely to make sure you don’t overspend.

Just having a budget isn’t very helpful. You have to stick to it. During your trip, d on’t forget to track your budget periodically as you go. Make spending adjustments as necessary . Wherever you’re traveling, I hope this guide helps you stay on budget and save some money.

Do you make a budget for traveling? Share your tips in the comments below!

For more help budgeting, check out my Guide to Ultra Low Budget Travel on $10 Per Day .

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budget for international travel

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  • 21 Free Airline Stopover Options and How to Make Them
  • The Best Solo Travel Destinations
  • Am I Too Old For Hostels

Zachary Friedman

Zachary Friedman is an accomplished travel writer and professional blogger. Since 2011, he has traveled to 66 countries and 6 continents. He founded ‘Where The Road Forks’ in 2017 to provide readers with information and insights based on his travel and outdoor recreation experience and expertise. Zachary is also an avid cyclist and hiker. Living as a digital nomad, Zachary balances his professional life with his passions for hiking, camping, cycling, and worldwide exploration. For a deeper dive into his journey and background, visit the About page. For inquiries and collaborations, please reach out through the Contact page. You can also follow him on Facebook.

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The 18 Cheapest Places to Travel in 2022

Plan an exciting vacation without spending an arm and a leg.

budget for international travel

Looking to catch a cheap flight this year? Kayak , one of the world's leading travel search engines, shared with Travel + Leisure a list of the cheapest places to travel this year.

To determine the most wallet-friendly destinations, Kayak analyzed the searches for flights from Nov. 20, 2020, through Nov. 19, 2021, for travel between Jan. 1, 2022, and June 30, 2022. Kayak then considered the top 100 most-clicked destinations with the lowest average flight price, excluding outliers based on criteria such as travel restrictions and security concerns.

Fly against the grain and get rewarded with major savings.

Unsurprisingly, Mexico makes the list of the cheapest places to travel in 2022. The country has long ranked as an affordable and easy-to-reach destination for many Americans; reasonably priced direct flights are abundant.

Within Mexico, San José del Cabo (in Baja California Sur), Puerto Vallarta, and Cancún come out on top as the cheapest places to fly, with January being the most affordable month to visit for each. Fortunately, January is nothing short of glorious in each of these beachy destinations — warm, balmy, and filled with rich colors, textures, and flavors to beat the winter blues.

Searching for a city break instead of a beach retreat? Mexico City, with its rich Aztec heritage and generous smattering of museums, is another affordable option in Mexico. May is the cheapest month to book a flight there.

Chicago, Illinois

Who wants to visit Chicago in winter? You will, once you see the rock-bottom prices you can score in January and all there is to do in this Midwest winter wonderland. Spend an afternoon on the Maggie Daley Park Ice Skating Ribbon, then warm up with a slice of deep-dish pizza.

Colombia is a beloved travel destination for its rich history, vibrant culture, and mouthwatering food. It's also well priced against what many Americans are used to paying for, say, a fresh arepa and cup of Colombian coffee.

February is the least expensive month to fly to the country's capital, Bogotá. The weather here is chilly, but not too cold to stroll the painstakingly maintained Bogotá Botanical Garden, which dates back to 1955 and is filled with almost 20,000 plants (and costs just over $1 USD to enter).

In January, head to Cartagena, a port city on the country's Caribbean coast. You don't have to spend much to enjoy your time here — simply walking the picturesque streets is enough for most visitors.

Nashville, Tennessee

There's a reason bachelorette parties and reunions of every sort flock in droves to the Music City — it's not hard to have a boot-scootin' time on a budget. Mural-hopping is free, hot chicken will only set you back a few bucks, and there's lots of live music to be heard (free of cover charge) along Honky Tonk Highway . January is the cheapest month to book.

New York City, New York

New York City isn't known for being a cheap destination, but go in January and you'll get the best prices they've got. The city never sleeps, but it does slow down during the cold winter months — the perfect time for you to swoop in and take advantage of the decreased demand for flights and hotel rooms. Plus, there are plenty of free things to do in New York City , too.

Mexico isn't our only neighboring country with deals aplenty — Canada also makes for an easy getaway, with well-priced flights widely available from most of the U.S.

In Montréal, Quebec, the must-try food is the steamé — the city's take on a hot dog — served steamed in a side-loading bun (which is also steamed). It's the perfect food to gobble up during freezing February, when the flights are cheapest. Best of all, each delicious (and filling) hot dog will only set you back a couple of dollars.

February is also the cheapest month to fly to Toronto, Ontario. The weather may make you leery, but don't let it: During February, the annual installation of art and lights, known as the Toronto Light Festival (totally free), takes place in the walkable and historic Distillery District. It's also a good time for The Bentway Skate Trail under the Gardiner Expressway overpass, which will set you back only $5.

And while Vancouver, British Columbia, is gorgeous in the summertime, January is the cheapest month to fly there. Take the ferry for an affordable "tour" of the city from the water.

Atlanta, Georgia

Jackson Vance/Travel + Leisure

Atlanta has all the big-city perks at prices far more wallet-friendly than most of its counterparts. Splurge on a SkyView Ferris wheel ride for views of Centennial Olympic Park and beyond, and go in January for the lowest possible prices. There are lots of things to do in Atlanta during this time of year, from visiting the marine animals at the Georgia Aquarium to learning about local history at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights.

Baltimore, Maryland

Head to Charm City this year to keep costs low and still have a memorable travel experience. Chilly January may be the cheapest month to visit, but luckily, you can still check out places like the Rawlings Conservatory and Botanic Gardens ($5 donation encouraged) in the urban oasis of Druid Hill Park.

San José, Costa Rica

The capital and largest city of Costa Rica, San José is a must-visit for any intrepid traveler. Expect Victorian mansions, nightlife in El Pueblo, lots of culture, and surrounding historic coffee plantations.

Check out the Pre-Columbian Gold Museum for a glimpse into what it might look like to have an unlimited jewelry budget. Admission is $15 for non-residents, but offers access to more than 1,500 gold objects and artifacts. Head to San José in May for the cheapest airfare to this lively (and affordable) city.

Dallas, Texas

This year, visit Dallas outside of Cowboys football season — like in January, when prices are at their lowest. During this time, you can expect more reasonable rates, but still get in on the sports action by catching a home game for the Mavericks (basketball) or the Stars (hockey).

Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas can be as cheap or expensive as you want it to be, but if you prefer to devote the majority of your dollars to slots and shows rather than airfare and accommodations, go in January. Just don't expect hot temps, as even the desert gets cold in the winter. Here are some more tips to keep in mind and mistakes to avoid on your next trip to Sin City.

Panama City, Panama

Panama City, the capital of Panama, is an impressively modern Central American destination framed by the Pacific Ocean on one side and the Panama Canal on another — best viewable from the Miraflores Locks. Visit in January for great flight deals, and don't miss the cobblestone streets of historic Casco Viejo.

Tampa, Florida

Florida as a destination is hotter than ever, but Tampa isn't as inundated with crowds as the state's other major cities — plus, its location on the western coast promises gorgeous sunsets over the Gulf of Mexico. Go in January for a good deal, warm (but not sweltering) temps, and plenty of sunshine.

Hamilton, Bermuda

If January's chill has you dreaming of pink-sand beaches, you're in luck, as it's a great month to visit Bermuda. Fly into Hamilton and stroll Front Street for a peek at the pastel buildings that are iconic to this glitzy British island territory, but stick to window-shopping if you want to keep your trip cheap. Biking and beach-hopping are the name of the game here.

Boston, Massachusetts

January may be the cheapest month to fly to Boston, but it's not the best season for strolling its idyllic Common or touring the Freedom Trail. Luckily, many stops along the historic route are indoors — and cheap (like the Paul Revere House, which is just $6 per adult).

Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic is another popular destination for American travelers. January is the least expensive month to visit the two most affordable cities to fly into: Santo Domingo and Punta Cana.

Though Santo Domingo is the country's capital, it doesn't have to be an expensive visit. Take in the architecture that dates back to the late 1400s and stroll the Colonial Zone for a memorable (and free) experience.

Punta Cana, on the other hand, is known as a tourist hot spot with plenty of resorts (and ways to spend lots of money). However, some of life's greatest treasures — like sandy beaches and waterfall hikes — are as free in Punta Cana as they are anywhere else.

St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands

You don't need a passport to fly to St. Thomas, but you'll have a hard time believing this jaw-dropping, colorful island is technically U.S. soil. Make sure to visit Magens Bay, climb the 99 Steps in Charlotte Amalie, and marvel at the sheer blueness of the water surrounding this popular cruise ship port. Go in January for the best flight prices; you'll be glad for the savings when you see what accommodations cost on this luxurious island.

Denver, Colorado

Denver has a ton to do, even in January, which is the cheapest month to visit. Hitting the slopes is hard to do at a discount (unless you go in the summer to hike instead of ski), but at least you'll save money on airfare if you visit Denver during this snowy month.

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Budget for International Travel: An Easy Guide for 1st Time Travelers

Published by Ms. D on November 9, 2023 November 9, 2023

This post may contain affiliate links, which means that we may receive a commission if you click on the links we provide or make a purchase using them.  Learn more .

How Much to Budget for International Travel

In general, a PHP 2,500 ($50) to PHP 5,000 ($100) budget per person per day is enough budget for international travel. However, do note that this travel budget is just a general estimation, and factors such as the destination, time of travel, preferred comfort, and more can significantly affect this. As for the cost of the airplane ticket and accommodation, the cost is between

Traveling abroad can be an exhilarating and life-changing experience, but it can also be financially challenging. Hence, careful budgeting is essential to make your international adventure more enjoyable and less stressful.

In this article, we will give you tips on how to budget for international travel and answer how much travel budget you should prepare.

Table of Contents

budget for international travel

Generally, travel budget per day per person is between $50 to $100 . The budget for international travel can vary depending on many factors. These factors include the destination, the time of year, the duration of the trip, the mode of transportation, the type of accommodation, and the activities planned during the trip. All of these factors can have a significant impact on the overall cost of the trip. Therefore, it’s important to carefully consider each of these factors when planning an international trip and to budget accordingly.

How to Budget for International Travel

budget for international travel

Budgeting for international travel can be challenging, but it is crucial to stay within budget. Below we share some tips and tricks that can help you prepare a budget for your travel.

1. Research Your Destination

Before you begin planning for an international trip, it is important to conduct thorough research on your destination. Each country has its own unique cost of living, currency exchange rates, and price levels. You should consider several factors, such as accommodation, food, transportation, and activities, to have a clear understanding of what to anticipate in terms of expenses. Popular travel destinations such as Europe or North America tend to be more expensive, while countries in Asia, South America, or Africa can offer more affordable alternatives.

2. Determine How Much You Are Willing to Spend on Your Travel

Determine how much money you are willing to spend on your international trip. Be realistic and consider your financial situation. Your budget should include categories such as transportation, accommodation, food, activities, travel insurance, and a contingency fund for unexpected expenses. Remember that exchange rates may fluctuate, so it’s essential to plan for some flexibility in your budget.

3. Determine Your Travel Dates

The timing of your international trip can significantly impact your budget. Traveling during the off-peak season can often mean lower costs for flights and accommodations. Flexibility in your travel dates can save you money, so consider different times of the year to visit your chosen destination.

4. Plan Your Itinerary, Flights, and Accommodation

Plan your travel itinerary in detail, including the places you want to visit and the activities you’d like to do. Research the cost of admission fees, tours, and any special experiences you’d like to have. Knowing your itinerary will help you allocate your travel budget to specific items.

Flights and accommodation are often the most substantial expenses when traveling internationally. Be on the lookout for flight deals and consider using flight search engines and fare comparison websites. Booking in advance or being flexible with your travel dates can result in significant savings.

When it comes to accommodation, consider options like hostels, guesthouses, or vacation rentals, which are often more budget-friendly than hotels. Additionally, research and book accommodations well in advance to secure the best deals.

5. Take Into Account Food and Dining

One of the joys of international travel is experiencing the local cuisine. To save money while dining abroad, eat where the locals do. Street food and local markets can offer delicious meals at a fraction of the cost of high-end restaurants. You can also plan to cook some of your meals if your accommodation allows it.

6. Check Out Transportation Options

Explore different transportation options within your destination. Public transportation, such as buses and trains, is often more cost-effective than taxis or rental cars. Consider buying city passes or transportation cards for discounts on multiple trips.

7. Don’t Forget About Currency Exchange and Banking

Research the best methods for exchanging currency and using your money abroad. Avoid exchanging currency at the airport or in high-traffic tourist areas, as they often offer less favorable rates. Consider using a travel card, a credit card with no foreign transaction fees, or a local ATM to withdraw cash at more favorable rates.

8. Prepare an Emergency Fund

Always have an emergency fund on hand for unexpected expenses, such as medical emergencies or unexpected changes to your travel plans. Having a financial safety net can prevent your trip from turning into a financial disaster.

9. Adjust Your Budget Accordingly

After identifying the key expenses for your upcoming trip, consider adjusting your budget to better align with your needs. This step allows you to fine-tune your financial plan, ensuring it remains well-suited to your travel requirements. It’s a neutral and practical approach to make sure your budget serves you effectively during your trip.

Discover More Budgeting Guides

Want to read more about budgeting for your daily life or travel budget? Check out our budgeting guides here !

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The author of Budget and Life is a Filipina who holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mass Communications and is a licensed professional teacher in the Philippines. She is currently pursuing a career in content writing.

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Cost-Cutting Tips to Help You Save for Your Dream Vacation

Because every penny (okay, maybe every quarter) counts..

Published on 2/26/2024 at 10:54 AM

passport and cash

What comes to mind when you think about taking the trip of a lifetime? Whether it involves donning cold-weather gear and setting foot on a glacier in Antarctica , cruising past the Big Five on an African safari , or something equally grand, it’s bound to be a pretty expensive feat. And aside from the usual budgeting tips you’ve likely come across—like traveling during shoulder seasons and opting for shared accommodations or transportation whenever possible—you’re going to need to save up a significant amount of cash to make that bucket list dream vacation come true.

That’s why we hashed out the best ways to organize everything from an extravagant weekend getaway to a long-haul round-the-world adventure without breaking the bank, with tips from financial experts and professional travel writers who’ve done it themselves.

First, figure out exactly how much money you’ll need

When it comes to tallying up your budget for a trip, your first step should be researching how much things cost so you can get a better idea of how much you’ll need to spend. That’s how full-time digital nomad and TravelSpill.com founder Giovanni Hashimoto says he was able to enjoy a recent month-long trip to New Zealand without breaking the bank.

“Plan your trip meticulously to avoid unnecessary expenses—map out your daily activities, transportation routes, and accommodation options in advance,” says Hashimoto. “This will help you identify potential cost-saving opportunities and avoid last-minute splurges.”

Travel blogger Riana Ang-Canning , who celebrated her honeymoon in New Zealand in 2023, says it’s all about looking ahead and tailoring your budget to your interests. By adding up all the known costs for things like flights, hotels, transportation, and pre-booked activities as well as estimating additional funds needed for gas, food, and other incidentals, the couple was able to come up with a more accurate figure to aim for.

“We booked our flights almost a year in advance, which gave us lots of time to save,” says Ang-Canning. “We created a separate savings account, named it ‘New Zealand,’ and put aside money every month or so. By the time the trip came around, we had already saved all the money we needed and it didn't put a dent into our regular finances.”

Once in New Zealand, Ang-Canning continued to track their expenses . Researching prices before they left also allowed them to budget in a few splurges along the way, including lounge passes for the airport and an overnight cruise to beautiful Doubtful Sound on New Zealand’s South Island .

“In the end, we spent $12,481 NZD (about $7,700 USD) for our three week trip,” says Ang-Canning. “As a testament to how accurate my research was ahead of time and how well I know our usual spending style, my estimated budget was less than $300 NZD (about $184 USD) off the actual.”

Hashimoto and Ang-Canning both recommend putting aside a little extra as a buffer if things turn out to be slightly more expensive than you anticipated or, God forbid, in case of unexpected expenses like a speeding ticket or medical issue.

To that point, Rochelle Flynn, founder of trip planning service Go Farther Travel , worries that too many travelers underestimate how much their dream trip will actually cost. This mistake can lead to overspending during the trip and, even worse, higher credit card balances to deal with when they get home. For that reason, it’s worth considering working with a professional if you find yourself struggling to create a realistic budget.

“When I work with clients, I give them an all-in, out-the-door estimate and then create a savings plan to reach that target. I check in with them monthly to track their progress and let them know how much of their trip they’ve covered to date,” says Flynn. “There’s something oddly satisfying about knowing what you thought was a measly $600 in the bank can cover two or three nights’ accommodations—you get excited to save more.”

Online banking

Make regular contributions to your travel budget

It’s okay to start small; remember, every dollar saved counts toward your goal, whether you’re foregoing non-essential purchases or taking on a side gig to help boost your trip fund.

“Take a look at your [finances] and see if there are any areas where you can cut back, such as dining out less frequently or switching to a more affordable gym,” says Andrea Osorio, a senior wealth advisor at Citi Personal Wealth Management . “Consider setting up automatic transfers from your paycheck to make saving easier. If you need to reach your financial goals more quickly, you may also want to look into additional sources of income.”

Louise Slyth, a communications consultant and freelance writer who self-funded a yearlong trip around the world, agrees. “If you can afford it, set a little aside each month regardless of what plans you might have—even small deposits can give you the confidence to take the first step toward your dreams.”

Osorio adds that you should also be smart about where you stash your savings, as certain account types can accrue more interest than others.

“Determine what’s feasible month-to-month and create a separate savings vehicle to make sure those funds are earmarked for your goal,” she says. “Also, consider your time horizon and pick a vehicle (i.e. a high-yield account or a CD) that will maximize returns while keeping the funds secure.”

According to Nellie Huang, travel writer and the driving force behind both WildJunket.com and Mexicotravel.blog , it’s important to have your monthly earnings and expenses down pat. That way, you can get a much clearer picture of your financial situation and figure out a monthly savings contribution that works for you.

“I think it boils down to calculating your finances and always over-estimating your budget,” says Huang. “For my first big backpacking trip through South America, I didn't want to go bankrupt, so I gave myself a goal of $10,000 for the five months. In the end, I spent around $7,000 and still had some to fall back on when we returned.”

As far as knowing when it’s the right time to start booking flights, hotels, car rentals, and other parts of your trip, Osorio says it depends on how confident you are about reaching your budgeting goals—and your ability to earn back the money you spend afterwards.

“Money is a tool you should use to enjoy your life and live it to the fullest,” says Osorio. “It’s important to learn how to wield that tool effectively so you can do more of what you love and worry less about being able to afford things.”

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Learn how to stretch your money to the fullest

“Outside of budgeting strategies, I recommend taking time to learn about ways to score deals on travel, such as the optimal times to book flights and hotels and using price-tracking tools,” says Osorio. “It's always a good idea to take advantage of credit card perks and loyalty rewards programs for hotels and airlines. Doing so can potentially grant you access to airport lounges and even upgrades.”

Osorio also says the cost of your trip can vary depending on the kinds of places you’re staying in, the activities you’re doing, and how much you’re willing to shell out for transportation.

Hashimoto agrees. “I'd always prioritize the experiences, so look for budget-friendly day-to-day expenses and focus your main budget on what really matters to you,” he says. “Opt for shared accommodations or ridesharing to cut down on costs while immersing yourself in the culture—it's a great way to make friends and see your destination through a local's eyes.”

Another thing to remember? You can usually save money by being flexible with travel dates, especially by scheduling your trip during shoulder seasons instead of the high season, or flying weekdays instead of over the weekend.

In a similar vein, when it comes to your dream trip, you should only start planning whenever you and your budget feel ready. There’s no need to rush. “You may have to compromise a bit on the ‘when’, but don’t change your ‘where,’” says Flynn. “If you can’t afford it this year, you can go next year—and that doesn’t mean you can’t vacation at all this year.”

Osorio agrees. “Avoid spending beyond your means, if possible,” she says. “If you need more time to reach your goal, take it. You may even find better deals.”

And even when stashing your hard-earned cash away feels really tough, it’s important to stay motivated and remember why you’re striving so hard to reach your goal.

“Focus on what you'll be gaining, not what you're losing,” says Slyth. “Look at photos of your destination, remind yourself of all the amazing things you'll be doing, and above all, remember that you’re gifting your future self an incredible opportunity.”

Want more Thrillist? Follow us on Instagram , TikTok , Twitter , Facebook , Pinterest , and YouTube .

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Travel Better, Cheaper, Longer

10 Best Places to Travel on a Budget

An ancient Buddha statue with a sash at a historic site in sunny Thailand

The world is full of cheap vacation spots. No matter what continent — and no matter what interests you have — there are countless places you can visit on a budget.

Few destinations are “too expensive” as long as you do some research, get creative, and have some flexibility. You just might not be living large when you visit them.

Fortunately, there are lots of destinations out there that make budget travel easy, fun, and safe.

These destinations offer affordable accommodation, cheap food, and plenty of activities and excursions that can be enjoyed without breaking the bank.

Here’s my list of the best cheap travel destinations so you can get inspired and plan your next affordable adventure!

Table of Contents

1. Thailand

2. central america, 3. cambodia, 4. the balkans, 8. portugal, 10. morocco.

Longtail boats parked on a beautiful beach on an island in Thailand

It’s also super affordable.

With a tourist trail going back decades, Thailand is the heart of backpacking in Southeast Asia , and you can get by on between $25-35 USD per day thanks to cheap guesthouses, budget street food (which can be found for as little as $1 USD!), local buses, and the many cheap and free attractions. If you spend all your time on the islands and in expensive accommodation, expect to pay closer to $60 USD per day. However, even at the price, Thailand is still one of the most bargain-friendly destinations in the world and should not be skipped!

  • The Ultimate Thailand Travel Guide
  • 9 Incredible Things to Do in Thailand
  • How Much Does It Costs to Visit Thailand?

Palm trees on the lush coast of Panama, taken by Nomadic Matt

Belize , Panama , Costa Rica — these are expensive destinations by regional standards (yet they are still quite affordable). If you visit these central Central American countries, you can get by on $45-60 USD per day as a backpacker or splash out and spend $100-120 a day to live large. Your money goes really far in this part of the world. And with so many countries to choose from, it’s easy to bounce around and see a lot without going broke.

READ MY TRAVEL GUIDES TO THE REGION:

  • El Salvador

Ancient Buddhist relics at a historic site in beautiful Cambodia

Cambodia is cheaper than popular Thailand but just as beautiful and filled with some of the nicest people in the world. Plus, it’s home to the incredible Angkor Wat (which, while expensive to visit, is worth the expense!).

  • Cambodia Budget Travel Guide
  • Backpacking Cambodia: 3 Suggested Itineraries for Your Trip
  • Angkor Wat Travel Guide

Clear, stunning water near the lush mountains of Albania

You can get by for as little as $45 USD per day — a fraction of what you’d pay in Western Europe. A week’s worth of groceries costs as little as $25 USD while a beer costs around $2-5 USD.

And while the region was once known for being unsafe, things have greatly improved over the past decade. There’s a growing backpacking trail here and tourism is on the rise. It’s Europe least-explored region — but not for long so visit before you crowds arrive and the price skyrocket.

  • Bosnia & Herzegovina

The famous Great Wall of China rolling over the landscape

But the country becomes even cheaper when you get off the beaten path and the interior . This is where you’ll find the best travel deals and bargains. China still remains one of the best value places in the world and, with it’s massive size (it’s the 3rd largest country by landmass), there is a ton to see and do here!

  • 7 Lessons Learned from 3 Months in China
  • China Travel Guide: What to See, Do, Costs, & Ways to Save
  • What Hitchhiking as a Solo Female in China Taught Me

A view of old buildings along the famed Ganges River in India, with lots of people and boats

India is a cheap backpacking destination with a rich cultural history, mouthwatering food, helpful and curious locals, incredible regional diversity, great tea, and a lot to do. It’s a gigantic place best either explored in either one large trip or a few smaller chunks. Either way, don’t miss India.

  • 13 Amazing Things to Do in India
  • India Travel Tips for First-Time Visitors
  • Is It Safe for Women to Travel India?

The bustling capital of Georgia, Tbilisi, on a bright and sunny day

Tucked away in the Caucasus, Georgia has been at a cultural crossroads for centuries yet it’s not nearly as popular as it should be. Tbilisi is a city bursting with activity, while the rest of the country offers intrepid adventures a rugged, off-the-beaten-path feel.

You can get by on next to nothing here too, with budget travelers spending as little as $30 USD per day. Beer is around $3 USD, a week’s worth of groceries costs around $25-30 USD, and most museums and historic sites cost just $2-5 USD.

While it might feel out of the way, Georgia is one of the next big backpacking hubs. I’d go back in a heartbeat!

  • The 15 Best Things to See and Do in Georgia
  • The Ultimate Georgia Travel Guide
  • Finding Love and Home in Tbilisi, Georgia

A narrow street with bright colors and an old tram going up the hill in Lisbon, Portugal

Portugal has become a lot more popular and crowded in recent years (it has a growing expat and digital nomad scene) and Lisbon has become especially expensive was people move there and drive up prices. It’s a great place after all! However, once you get outside of Lisbon, prices are still relatively cheap compared to the rest of Western Europe — and you’ll see far fewer tourists too. Expect to get by on $50-60 USD per day if you’re a budget backpacker.

While is gorgeous in the summer, if you’re looking for a cheap place to spend the winter in Europe, Portugal is one of your best options.

  • Portugal Budget Travel Guide
  • That Time I Went to Portugal and fell Madly in Love with It
  • Porto Travel Guide

An iguana relaxing on the warm stones of Tulum, Mexico

While there are some regions that aren’t that safe to explore, the majority of the country is yours to enjoy. No matter your interests — beaches, partying, food, history, nature — there’s a corner of the country that you can enjoy safely without breaking the bank.

  • Mexico: A Love Story
  • The 20 Best Things to Do in Mexico City
  • The Ultimate Mexico Budget Travel Guide
  • How to Stay Safe in Mexico as a Solo Female Traveler

A view looking over the blue roofs of Chefchaouen in sunny Morocco

I fell in love with Morocco when I visited, and not just because it’s super affordable (though that did help!). Budget backpackers can get around on just $30-40 USD per day here, while midrange travelers can have a comfortable trip for around double that. You get a lot of value here. In fact, I love it so much I used to run tours there!

Morocco is a country that mesmerizes. Don’t miss it.

  • 11 Reasons Why I Fell in Love with Morocco
  • Morocco Budget Travel Guide
  • Is Morocco Safe?

I believe most destinations in the world can be explored on a budget without sacrificing too much comfort ( heck, I even traveled Iceland on $50 USD per day ).

If you’re a savvy traveler, you know how to maximize your money no matter where you go in the world. But your mission to travel on a budget gets a lot easier when the places you’re going to are already affordable, allowing you make the most of your budget without missing out!  

Book Your Trip: Logistical Tips and Tricks

Book Your Flight Find a cheap flight by using Skyscanner . It’s my favorite search engine because it searches websites and airlines around the globe so you always know no stone is being left unturned.

Book Your Accommodation You can book your hostel with Hostelworld . If you want to stay somewhere other than a hostel, use Booking.com as it consistently returns the cheapest rates for guesthouses and hotels.

Don’t Forget Travel Insurance Travel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. It’s comprehensive protection in case anything goes wrong. I never go on a trip without it as I’ve had to use it many times in the past. My favorite companies that offer the best service and value are:

  • SafetyWing (best for everyone)
  • Insure My Trip (for those 70 and over)
  • Medjet (for additional evacuation coverage)

Want to Travel for Free? Travel credit cards allow you to earn points that can be redeemed for free flights and accommodation — all without any extra spending. Check out my guide to picking the right card and my current favorites to get started and see the latest best deals.

Need Help Finding Activities for Your Trip? Get Your Guide is a huge online marketplace where you can find cool walking tours, fun excursions, skip-the-line tickets, private guides, and more.

Ready to Book Your Trip? Check out my resource page for the best companies to use when you travel. I list all the ones I use when I travel. They are the best in class and you can’t go wrong using them on your trip.

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Save money on airfare by searching for cheap flight tickets on KAYAK. KAYAK searches for flight deals on hundreds of airline tickets sites to help you find the cheapest flights. Whether you are looking for a last minute flight or a cheap plane ticket for a later date, you can find the best deals faster at KAYAK.

New York Flights

  • Flight Chicago - New York (ORD - LGA) $53+
  • Flight Miami - New York (MIA - LGA) $54+
  • Flight Fort Lauderdale - New York (FLL - LGA) $58+
  • Flight Fort Lauderdale - Newark (FLL - EWR) $61+
  • Flight Miami - Newark (MIA - EWR) $61+
  • Flight Orlando - New York (MCO - LGA) $64+
  • Flight Dallas - New York (DFW - LGA) $77+
  • Flight Atlanta - Newark (ATL - EWR) $78+
  • Flight Orlando - Newark (MCO - EWR) $88+
  • Flight Dallas - Newark (DFW - EWR) $96+
  • Flight Chicago - Newark (ORD - EWR) $120+
  • Flight Chicago - New York (ORD - JFK) $139+
  • Flight Miami - New York (MIA - JFK) $147+
  • Flight Los Angeles - New York (LAX - LGA) $153+
  • Flight Los Angeles - Newark (LAX - EWR) $165+
  • Flight San Francisco - New York (SFO - LGA) $169+
  • Flight Orlando - New York (MCO - JFK) $195+
  • Flight Dallas - New York (DFW - JFK) $197+
  • Flight San Francisco - Newark (SFO - EWR) $200+
  • Flight Fort Lauderdale - New York (FLL - JFK) $201+
  • Flight Burbank - Newark (BUR - EWR) $234+
  • Flight San Francisco - New York (SFO - JFK) $258+
  • Flight Los Angeles - New York (LAX - JFK) $267+
  • Flight Ontario - New York (ONT - JFK) $267+

Orlando Flights

  • Flight Chicago - Orlando (ORD - MCO) $50+
  • Flight Baltimore - Orlando (BWI - MCO) $55+
  • Flight Cleveland - Orlando (CLE - MCO) $55+
  • Flight Philadelphia - Orlando (PHL - MCO) $55+
  • Flight Cincinnati - Orlando (CVG - MCO) $58+
  • Flight New York - Orlando (LGA - MCO) $63+
  • Flight Dallas - Orlando (DFW - MCO) $71+

London Flights

  • Flight Boston - London (BOS - LHR) $371+
  • Flight New Windsor - London (SWF - STN) $378+
  • Flight Boston - London (BOS - LGW) $379+
  • Flight Newark - London (EWR - LHR) $431+
  • Flight New York - London (JFK - LGW) $434+
  • Flight Washington, D.C. - London (IAD - LGW) $462+
  • Flight Washington, D.C. - London (IAD - LHR) $465+
  • Flight New York - London (JFK - LHR) $467+
  • Flight Atlanta - London (ATL - LHR) $485+

Fort Lauderdale Flights

  • Flight Atlanta - Fort Lauderdale (ATL - FLL) $44+
  • Flight Philadelphia - Fort Lauderdale (PHL - FLL) $48+
  • Flight Raleigh - Fort Lauderdale (RDU - FLL) $49+
  • Flight Cleveland - Fort Lauderdale (CLE - FLL) $53+
  • Flight Newark - Fort Lauderdale (EWR - FLL) $57+
  • Flight New York - Fort Lauderdale (LGA - FLL) $58+
  • Flight Chicago - Fort Lauderdale (ORD - FLL) $59+

Boston Flights

  • Flight Charlotte - Boston (CLT - BOS) $46+
  • Flight Philadelphia - Boston (PHL - BOS) $68+
  • Flight Miami - Boston (MIA - BOS) $70+
  • Flight Orlando - Boston (MCO - BOS) $78+
  • Flight Baltimore - Boston (BWI - BOS) $79+
  • Flight Fort Lauderdale - Boston (FLL - BOS) $89+
  • Flight Chicago - Boston (MDW - BOS) $91+

India Flights

  • Flight New York - New Delhi (JFK - DEL) $504+
  • Flight New York - Mumbai (JFK - BOM) $521+
  • Flight San Francisco - New Delhi (SFO - DEL) $523+
  • Flight San Francisco - Bengaluru (SFO - BLR) $590+
  • Flight New York - Kochi (JFK - COK) $597+
  • Flight Washington, D.C. - Hyderabad (IAD - HYD) $638+
  • Flight San Francisco - Mumbai (SFO - BOM) $690+

Japan Flights

  • Flight Los Angeles - Tokyo (LAX - NRT) $601+
  • Flight Honolulu - Tokyo (HNL - HND) $649+
  • Flight San Francisco - Tokyo (SFO - NRT) $671+
  • Flight San Francisco - Tokyo (SFO - HND) $715+
  • Flight Los Angeles - Tokyo (LAX - HND) $754+
  • Flight Dallas - Tokyo (DFW - NRT) $792+
  • Flight Seattle - Tokyo (SEA - NRT) $856+

Phoenix Flights

  • Flight Ontario - Phoenix (ONT - PHX) $58+
  • Flight Salt Lake City - Phoenix (SLC - PHX) $62+
  • Flight Chicago - Phoenix (ORD - PHX) $70+
  • Flight Dallas - Phoenix (DFW - PHX) $71+
  • Flight Santa Ana - Phoenix (SNA - PHX) $73+
  • Flight Los Angeles - Phoenix (LAX - PHX) $74+
  • Flight Portland - Phoenix (PDX - PHX) $76+

Honolulu Flights

  • Flight Los Angeles - Honolulu (LAX - HNL) $194+
  • Flight Ontario - Honolulu (ONT - HNL) $239+
  • Flight San Francisco - Honolulu (SFO - HNL) $249+
  • Flight San Jose - Honolulu (SJC - HNL) $257+
  • Flight Las Vegas - Honolulu (LAS - HNL) $281+
  • Flight San Diego - Honolulu (SAN - HNL) $294+
  • Flight Seattle - Honolulu (SEA - HNL) $297+

Los Angeles Flights

  • Flight Salt Lake City - Los Angeles (SLC - LAX) $58+
  • Flight San Francisco - Los Angeles (SFO - LAX) $63+
  • Flight Denver - Los Angeles (DEN - LAX) $71+
  • Flight Oakland - Los Angeles (OAK - LAX) $75+
  • Flight Dallas - Los Angeles (DFW - LAX) $76+
  • Flight Atlanta - Los Angeles (ATL - LAX) $92+
  • Flight Detroit - Los Angeles (DTW - LAX) $92+
  • Flight San Jose - Los Angeles (SJC - LAX) $94+
  • Flight Houston - Los Angeles (HOU - LAX) $100+

Chicago Flights

  • Flight Orlando - Chicago (MCO - ORD) $51+
  • Flight New York - Chicago (LGA - ORD) $53+
  • Flight Dallas - Chicago (DFW - ORD) $57+
  • Flight Atlanta - Chicago (ATL - MDW) $58+
  • Flight Minneapolis - Chicago (MSP - ORD) $77+
  • Flight Houston - Chicago (HOU - ORD) $78+
  • Flight Philadelphia - Chicago (PHL - ORD) $81+

Denver Flights

  • Flight Minneapolis - Denver (MSP - DEN) $55+
  • Flight Ontario - Denver (ONT - DEN) $56+
  • Flight Houston - Denver (HOU - DEN) $66+
  • Flight Santa Ana - Denver (SNA - DEN) $68+
  • Flight Los Angeles - Denver (LAX - DEN) $73+
  • Flight Chicago - Denver (ORD - DEN) $77+
  • Flight Baltimore - Denver (BWI - DEN) $83+

Washington, D.C. Flights

  • Flight Atlanta - Baltimore (ATL - BWI) $53+
  • Flight Fort Lauderdale - Baltimore (FLL - BWI) $63+
  • Flight Boston - Baltimore (BOS - BWI) $79+
  • Flight Dallas - Baltimore (DFW - BWI) $87+
  • Flight Chicago - Baltimore (ORD - BWI) $93+
  • Flight Los Angeles - Baltimore (LAX - BWI) $93+
  • Flight Minneapolis - Washington, D.C. (MSP - DCA) $103+
  • Flight Boston - Washington, D.C. (BOS - DCA) $113+
  • Flight Chicago - Washington, D.C. (ORD - DCA) $117+
  • Flight Atlanta - Washington, D.C. (ATL - DCA) $119+
  • Flight Chicago - Washington, D.C. (ORD - IAD) $119+
  • Flight San Francisco - Washington, D.C. (SFO - DCA) $127+
  • Flight Los Angeles - Washington, D.C. (LAX - DCA) $147+
  • Flight Seattle - Washington, D.C. (SEA - DCA) $147+
  • Flight Dallas - Washington, D.C. (DFW - DCA) $158+
  • Flight Atlanta - Washington, D.C. (ATL - IAD) $159+
  • Flight New York - Washington, D.C. (JFK - DCA) $160+
  • Flight New York - Washington, D.C. (LGA - DCA) $164+
  • Flight San Francisco - Baltimore (SFO - BWI) $168+
  • Flight Seattle - Baltimore (SEA - BWI) $202+
  • Flight Dallas - Washington, D.C. (DFW - IAD) $209+
  • Flight Los Angeles - Washington, D.C. (LAX - IAD) $237+
  • Flight Seattle - Washington, D.C. (SEA - IAD) $248+
  • Flight San Francisco - Washington, D.C. (SFO - IAD) $265+

Atlanta Flights

  • Flight Chicago - Atlanta (ORD - ATL) $39+
  • Flight Fort Lauderdale - Atlanta (FLL - ATL) $42+
  • Flight Baltimore - Atlanta (BWI - ATL) $44+
  • Flight Miami - Atlanta (MIA - ATL) $45+
  • Flight Orlando - Atlanta (MCO - ATL) $47+
  • Flight Philadelphia - Atlanta (PHL - ATL) $47+
  • Flight Detroit - Atlanta (DTW - ATL) $48+

United States Flights

  • Flight New York - Miami (LGA - MIA) $54+
  • Flight New York - West Palm Beach (LGA - PBI) $54+
  • Flight Newark - Miami (EWR - MIA) $56+
  • Flight Dallas - Las Vegas (DFW - LAS) $75+

Hawaii Flights

  • Flight San Francisco - Hawaii (SFO - USHI) $177+
  • Flight Los Angeles - Hawaii (LAX - USHI) $182+
  • Flight Ontario - Hawaii (ONT - USHI) $239+
  • Flight Seattle - Hawaii (SEA - USHI) $252+
  • Flight San Jose - Hawaii (SJC - USHI) $257+
  • Flight San Diego - Hawaii (SAN - USHI) $294+
  • Flight Salt Lake City - Hawaii (SLC - USHI) $299+

Tampa Flights

  • Flight Baltimore - Tampa (BWI - TPA) $49+
  • Flight Detroit - Tampa (DTW - TPA) $57+
  • Flight Cincinnati - Tampa (CVG - TPA) $58+
  • Flight Raleigh - Tampa (RDU - TPA) $60+
  • Flight Dallas - Tampa (DFW - TPA) $61+
  • Flight Philadelphia - Tampa (PHL - TPA) $65+
  • Flight Chicago - Tampa (ORD - TPA) $68+

Houston Flights

  • Flight Atlanta - Houston (ATL - IAH) $39+
  • Flight Fort Lauderdale - Houston (FLL - IAH) $59+
  • Flight Chicago - Houston (ORD - IAH) $60+
  • Flight Miami - Houston (MIA - IAH) $60+
  • Flight Orlando - Houston (MCO - IAH) $65+
  • Flight New York - Houston (LGA - IAH) $69+
  • Flight Philadelphia - Houston (PHL - IAH) $73+

Las Vegas Flights

  • Flight Santa Ana - Las Vegas (SNA - LAS) $39+
  • Flight Los Angeles - Las Vegas (LAX - LAS) $40+
  • Flight Oakland - Las Vegas (OAK - LAS) $40+
  • Flight Burbank - Las Vegas (BUR - LAS) $47+
  • Flight Denver - Las Vegas (DEN - LAS) $58+
  • Flight San Francisco - Las Vegas (SFO - LAS) $63+
  • Flight Seattle - Las Vegas (SEA - LAS) $74+
  • Flight Fort Lauderdale - Las Vegas (FLL - LAS) $88+
  • Flight Houston - Las Vegas (HOU - LAS) $92+
  • Flight Houston - Las Vegas (IAH - LAS) $92+
  • Flight Baltimore - Las Vegas (BWI - LAS) $98+
  • Flight Minneapolis - Las Vegas (MSP - LAS) $106+
  • Flight Atlanta - Las Vegas (ATL - LAS) $110+

Miami Flights

  • Flight Atlanta - Miami (ATL - MIA) $43+
  • Flight Philadelphia - Miami (PHL - MIA) $49+
  • Flight Chicago - Miami (ORD - MIA) $53+
  • Flight Raleigh - Miami (RDU - MIA) $56+
  • Flight Baltimore - Miami (BWI - MIA) $57+
  • Flight Houston - Miami (HOU - MIA) $57+
  • Flight Houston - Miami (IAH - MIA) $57+
  • Flight Detroit - Miami (DTW - MIA) $61+
  • Flight Dallas - Miami (DFW - MIA) $68+
  • Flight Boston - Miami (BOS - MIA) $70+
  • Flight Cleveland - Miami (CLE - MIA) $100+
  • Flight Minneapolis - Miami (MSP - MIA) $102+
  • Flight Denver - Miami (DEN - MIA) $115+
  • Flight New York - Miami (JFK - MIA) $147+
  • Flight Los Angeles - Miami (LAX - MIA) $152+
  • Flight Hartford - Miami (BDL - MIA) $157+
  • Flight Ontario - Miami (ONT - MIA) $159+
  • Flight Washington, D.C. - Miami (DCA - MIA) $160+
  • Flight San Francisco - Miami (SFO - MIA) $171+
  • Flight Washington, D.C. - Miami (IAD - MIA) $178+

San Francisco Flights

  • Flight Ontario - San Francisco (ONT - SFO) $56+
  • Flight Los Angeles - San Francisco (LAX - SFO) $70+
  • Flight Denver - San Francisco (DEN - SFO) $73+
  • Flight San Diego - San Francisco (SAN - SFO) $79+
  • Flight Portland - San Francisco (PDX - SFO) $85+
  • Flight Dallas - San Francisco (DFW - SFO) $88+
  • Flight Chicago - San Francisco (MDW - SFO) $98+
  • Flight Minneapolis - San Francisco (MSP - SFO) $120+
  • Flight Seattle - San Francisco (SEA - SFO) $133+
  • Flight Santa Ana - San Francisco (SNA - SFO) $140+
  • Flight Chicago - San Francisco (ORD - SFO) $146+
  • Flight Houston - San Francisco (HOU - SFO) $146+
  • Flight Washington, D.C. - San Francisco (DCA - SFO) $147+
  • Flight Fort Lauderdale - San Francisco (FLL - SFO) $154+

Seattle Flights

  • Flight Denver - Seattle (DEN - SEA) $88+
  • Flight Phoenix - Seattle (PHX - SEA) $96+
  • Flight San Diego - Seattle (SAN - SEA) $104+
  • Flight Ontario - Seattle (ONT - SEA) $106+
  • Flight Chicago - Seattle (ORD - SEA) $109+
  • Flight Santa Ana - Seattle (SNA - SEA) $114+
  • Flight San Jose - Seattle (SJC - SEA) $116+

Paris Flights

  • Flight New Windsor - Paris (SWF - CDG) $309+
  • Flight Boston - Paris (BOS - CDG) $310+
  • Flight Baltimore - Paris (BWI - CDG) $311+
  • Flight Washington, D.C. - Paris (IAD - CDG) $320+
  • Flight Newark - Paris (EWR - ORY) $402+
  • Flight Newark - Paris (EWR - CDG) $415+
  • Flight New York - Paris (JFK - CDG) $422+

Europe Flights

  • Flight Baltimore - London (BWI - LHR) $324+
  • Flight Washington, D.C. - London (IAD - LHR) $324+
  • Flight Boston - London (BOS - LHR) $370+
  • Flight New Windsor - London (SWF - STN) $376+
  • Flight Newark - London (EWR - LHR) $399+
  • Flight Newark - Barcelona (EWR - BCN) $416+

Florida Flights

  • Flight Chicago - Florida (ORD - USFL) $50+
  • Flight New York - Florida (LGA - USFL) $54+
  • Flight Philadelphia - Florida (PHL - USFL) $55+
  • Flight Newark - Florida (EWR - USFL) $56+
  • Flight Baltimore - Florida (BWI - USFL) $63+
  • Flight Boston - Florida (BOS - USFL) $70+
  • Flight New York - Florida (JFK - USFL) $147+

Dallas Flights

  • Flight Chicago - Dallas (ORD - DFW) $54+
  • Flight Denver - Dallas (DEN - DFW) $58+
  • Flight Atlanta - Dallas (ATL - DFW) $65+
  • Flight Fort Lauderdale - Dallas (FLL - DFW) $68+
  • Flight Los Angeles - Dallas (LAX - DFW) $68+
  • Flight Detroit - Dallas (DTW - DFW) $78+
  • Flight New York - Dallas (LGA - DFW) $78+

San Diego Flights

  • Flight San Francisco - San Diego (SFO - SAN) $58+
  • Flight San Jose - San Diego (SJC - SAN) $59+
  • Flight Oakland - San Diego (OAK - SAN) $67+
  • Flight Phoenix - San Diego (PHX - SAN) $72+
  • Flight Denver - San Diego (DEN - SAN) $78+
  • Flight Portland - San Diego (PDX - SAN) $82+
  • Flight Sacramento - San Diego (SMF - SAN) $82+

Frequently asked questions

What do i need to know before booking a flight.

There are various factors to consider when booking a flight including cost, fare classes, baggage policies, the complications of flying long haul, and complying with airport regulations. To make your booking journey smoother KAYAK has developed a comprehensive flight guide including insights on finding affordable flights, packing efficiently, and utilizing the best travel tools.

Which month of the year are flight prices lowest?

It’s well established that flights in the low season are generally cheaper than ticket prices during the high season. That means that knowing which month to find the lowest priced plane tickets will depend heavily on seasonality and your destination. While avoiding peak travel times can help you keep costs down, our data shows that the month with the lowest priced plane tickets for domestic flights based on all searches made on KAYAK in the last 12 months was January, while the most expensive was March. If you’re booking an international flight, then January is the cheapest month to fly and June the most expensive.

Can flying international flights with a layover save money on airfare?

For many long-haul international flights, flying non-stop is not possible and you will have to fly with a layover. Some routes will offer both and you could consider flying with a layover for a number of reasons. Firstly, breaking up what would otherwise be a long-haul flight, taking a rest and then completing the journey might make the flight more manageable. Secondly, prices can also be lower than non-stop flights, so while it might take longer for you to reach your destination, you could save money. We’ve looked at prices over the last 12 months for the 100 most popular international destinations for KAYAK users and on average, prices for non-stop flights were cheaper than flights with a layover.

How do I find the best flight deals on KAYAK?

A simple flight search at https://www.kayak.com/flights scans for prices on hundreds of travel sites in seconds. We gather flight deals from across the web and put them in one place. Then on the search results page you can use various filters to compare options for the same flight and easily choose the best flight deal from all of the deals coming straight from the travel sites to your screen, with no extra fee from KAYAK.

Does KAYAK query more flight providers than competitors?

Yes, KAYAK has access to more data and information than online travel agencies and consistently outperforms the competition in accuracy, globally.

What is KAYAK's "flexible dates" feature and why should I care?

Sometimes travel dates aren't set in stone. If your preferred travel dates have some wiggle room, flexible dates will show you flights up to 3 days before/after your preferred dates. That way, you can see if leaving a day or two earlier will find you a better deal. You can also select the flexible "weekend" or "month" search options to widen your search range and find the cheapest price that works for you.

What is the cheapest day of the week to book a flight?

The best day to book your flight depends on a number of factors, but there are general trends that you can follow to increase your chances of cheaper plane tickets. Based on an analysis of KAYAK data for all flights departing from inside United States over the last 12 months, the cheapest day to fly for domestic flights is Tuesday. For international flights, Thursday had the cheapest tickets on average.

When is the best time to buy plane tickets - Last minute or in advance?

Last minute flight deals are definitely up for grabs but when exactly to purchase your plane tickets will depend on where you’re traveling to and from. Based on all data for flight searches made on KAYAK over the last 12 months, prices for domestic flights remained below the average price up to 1 weeks before departure. For international flights, deals could still be had up to 1 weeks prior to the departure date, with prices remaining below average. If you’re flexible, KAYAK brings you both advance and last minute one-way and round-trip flight deals.

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KAYAK processes over 2 billion flight queries annually and displays results from hundreds of airlines and third party sites, allowing it to find a variety of flight prices and options. It also displays results from 2M+ properties along with rental cars, vacation packages, activities and millions of verified reviews so users can see as many available travel options as possible.

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Hacker Fares allow you to combine one-way tickets on different airlines when it can save you money over a traditional round-trip ticket.

How does KAYAK's flight Price Forecast tool help me choose the right time to buy?

KAYAK's flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a given destination and date is likely to change within 7 days, so travelers know whether to wait or book now.

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Best International Travel Destinations for Those on a Budget

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International travel often seems maddeningly out of reach. Friends seems to be constantly posting on social media about magnificent tropical vacations spent at lush island resorts. If you’ve even wondered (or fumed) how it was possible, there’s a secret you’re probably not aware of just yet. International travel need not be prohibitively expensive. With the right combination of airfare hunting and budget-friendly destinations, you too can have an incredible time abroad. We’ve done some of the heavy lifting for you and profiled these 20 international destinations we think offer great experiences without the corresponding risk you’ll need to refinance your home to afford them. These are our recommendations for the best international travel destinations for those on a budget.

Puebla, Mexico

Best International Travel Destinations for Those on a Budget

Located a few hours south of Mexico City, Puebla is a wonderful town with strong colonial-era ties. In addition to being a renowned destination for mole, Puebla features incredible architecture and beautiful scenery. Start in the Zócalo de Puebla. The vibrant public square features fountains and benches and is surrounded by delicious restaurants. Visit the Cathedral de Puebla just opposite the Zócalo. This Roman Catholic cathedral contains a fascinating octagonal alter. It’s easy to get from there to Puebla’s commercial district where you can browse for bargains or hunt for a souvenir. The Museo Amparo has an impressive collection of Mexican art set in a unique gallery space. Biblioteca Palafoxiana is arguably one of Mexico’s finest libraries and well-worth a visit for its tasteful interior design. With strong ties to Spain and lots of great attractions, Puebla is a great cost-effective travel destination.

Transylvania, Romania

Best International Travel Destinations for Those on a Budget

Transylvania is a place more associated with vampire novels than budget travel. Historically part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, modern Transylvania is located within the borders of Romania. From the capital Bucharest, travel first to Brașov, a lovely town with cobblestone streets and baroque buildings surrounded by the Carpathian Mountains. Spend a day here getting acquainted with the region and snapping some lovely photos. Next travel onwards to the nearby village of Bran. Though not the inspiration for the castle in Bram Stoker’s 1897 Gothic horror masterpiece, Dracula , Bran Castle has nevertheless become intimately associated with the Dracula legend. Today, the castle houses a museum with exhibits on the art and furniture collected by Romania’s late Queen Marie. Despite having a reputation that strikes fear into many people’s hearts, Transylvania is an impressive and downright beautiful place. As with much of Eastern Europe, this is an excellent destination for price-conscious travelers.

Cape Town, South Africa

Best International Travel Destinations for Those on a Budget

Though he hailed from Johannesburg, Cape Town is intricately linked to the life of South Africa’s most famous citizen, Nelson Mandela. Mandela’s leadership in the struggle against Apartheid resulted in his long imprisonment on the notorious Robben Island . Visitors can tour the island and see where Mandela and other prominent ANC comrades endured years of isolation. Cape Town is not far from the famed Cape of Good Hope, the geographic point sailors marked when they began traveling more eastward than southward on their long journey from Europe to Asia. The region’s geology is nothing less than stunning. Venture out to the Cape Peninsula for some lovely hiking trails. Also pay a visit to Table Mountain National Park , which offers stunning views over Cape Town itself. Visit the Iziko South African Museum located downtown and stroll through the neighboring Company's Garden . This beautiful destination is full of warm welcomes and amazing culture. Best of all, it won’t cost you a fortune to visit.

Marrakesh, Morocco

Best International Travel Destinations for Those on a Budget

Marrakesh has long fascinated travelers. Its narrow alleyways and distinctive red stone architecture are a delight for shutterbugs. Though somewhat less well-known than Casablanca, Marrakesh is no less important. The city’s main plaza, the Jemaa el-Fna , is among the busiest in all Africa. Likewise, the old quarter, known as the Medina of Marrakech, is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Given Marrakesh’s history as a cultural crossroads, there are numerous museums in addition to a rich artistic tradition. The Ali Ben Youssef Madrasa showcases some of the city’s Islamic influences. Visit the intricately designed Bahia Palace and the nearby Dar Si Said museum. English-speaking guided tours are not hard to find and these can be great way to discover the city. Central Marrakesh is a tangle of tight streets so it’s advisable to have a guide. With lots to discover you should budget a least a few days. Fortunately however, this won’t drain your bank account.

Brisbane, Australia

Best International Travel Destinations for Those on a Budget

The Land Down Under is a vast continent full of rich biodiversity, incredible culture, and untamed wilderness. The Australian Outback is the stuff of legend. Running along the country’s eastern coast is the Great Barrier Reef, the world’s largest coral reef system. Brisbane , capital of Queensland, is a place to enjoy lots of Australian experiences without overloading your wallet. Start in Central Brisbane at the Brisbane City Botanic Gardens . Enjoy a walk in the lovely park set long the banks of the Brisbane River. Cross Goodwill Bridge and visit the Queensland Maritime Museum . Grab something to eat at one of the cafes and restaurants along the river before dropping by Streets Beach for some fun and relaxation. Many people enjoy traveling out to St Helena Island National Park in Moreton Bay. The former penal island is lovely for a bit of bird watching. If you ask us, Brisbane is without a doubt a great budget-friendly travel destination.

Agra, India

Best International Travel Destinations for Those on a Budget

India’s incredible heritage and dizzying pace make it a wonderful destination. Immense and diverse, it can be hard to know where to go or what to see. If you’re a budget-minded traveler looking to maximize your excitement and adventure, we recommend heading for the northern city of Agra. Located in India’s most-populous state, Uttar Pradesh, Agra is where you will find that most recognizable Indian landmark, the Taj Mahal . Tour Agra Fort, the former residence for emperors during the Mughal Dynasty. Be sure to visit the monumental Delhi Gate before walking through Taj Garden and Mumtaz Park on your way to the Taj Mahal. The temple’s outer gardens are great places for pictures. With its long history and rich cultural treasures, Agra is a fantastic place to simply wander around. This is one of the many reasons Agra a great destination for budget-conscious travelers.

Budapest, Hungary

Best International Travel Destinations for Those on a Budget

Hungary’s capital is a beautiful Eastern European city set along the River Danube. Start your tour at Buda Castle and explore the former residence of Hungarian kings. Today, the Hungarian National Gallery and the Budapest History Museum are housed there. Walk to Matthias Church and then to Fisherman’s Bastion , a great place to snap photos of the Hungarian Parliament Building on the other side of the river. Parliament’s iconic architecture is easily one of the most recognizable sights in all Hungary. Cross the river and tour Parliament. Head east from the museum to Hero’s Square and explore the fairytale Vajdahunyad Castle . The Museum of Fine Arts is a great stop if you like Renaissance and 19th century European paintings. Finally, enjoy a bit of relaxation at one of Budapest’s famous thermal spas. Some occasionally host raucous rave parties catering to a younger crowd. Budapest is an absolutely fabulous city where you can enjoy the best of Eastern Europe without spending an arm and a leg.

Kathmandu, Nepal

Best International Travel Destinations for Those on a Budget

Kathmandu remains the gateway to the Nepalese Himalayas and is home to several UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Start at Kathmandu Durbar Square where you will find a collection of beautiful Hindu temples and sites. Not far away is the famous Swayambhunath Stupa, also known as the monkey temple. The National Museum of Nepal and the National Military Museum are two fun stops if you like museums. Eventually make your way across town to Boudha Stupa, one of the largest stupas in South Asia and an important focal point for Nepal’s Tibetan Buddhist community. The National Museum of Nepal features many exhibits on the history and significance of Nepalese culture. Take a trip to the outskirts of town and see Bhaktapur Durbar Square with its ornate palace complex. Nepal is a welcoming destination and Kathmandu is the country’s vibrant center. Come discover all the wonders it has to offer.

Lombok Island, Indonesia

Best International Travel Destinations for Those on a Budget

Neighboring Bali is often considered a tropical resort destination par excellence . However, international attention has made Bali something of a victim of its own success. Overpriced and often overcrowded, it’s one destination budget-minded travelers best avoid. Fortunately, you don’t have to go far for a great Indonesian resort experience. Lombok Island is just to the east and offers may of the same great attractions. Visit Indonesia’s second-highest volcano, Mount Rinjani and hike up to the beautiful a crater lake. Multi-day treks are popular with backpackers and are an excellent way to explore some rugged landscapes. You can also visit the island’s many popular waterfalls including Tiu Teja, Tiu Kelep, and Sendang Gile. Lombok is a great place to do some island hopping. To the northwest are the three famous Gili islands: Gili Trawangan, Gili Meno, and Gili Air. These are worth a visit if you have the time. The best part is you don’t need much more than a strong sense of adventure.

Sihanoukville, Cambodia

Best International Travel Destinations for Those on a Budget

White sand beaches, great dive spots, fresh-from-the-ocean seafood, and a rapidly growing casino scene make Cambodia’s premier beach town of Sihanoukville a fantastic budget destination. Known locally as “Kampong Som,” this southern coastal city is the capital of Sihanoukville Province. Surrounded on three sides by the Gulf of Thailand, it has a long coastline with a series of beautiful beaches that are winning over tourists from around the world. Otres Beach, often highlighted as the number one beach in Sihanoukville, is known for its relaxing environment and clear waters. Stretching some 4.5 km and divided into several sections, Otres is exceedingly popular with Western tourists. Cambodia’s Buddhist heritage are also on rich display in Sihanoukville. Venture to Wat Leu Temple , situated on a hilltop 1.5 km northwest of the city center. At night checkout the nightlife near nightlife options are concentrated along Occheuteal and Serendipity beaches and you enjoy a fantastic resort vacation on the cheap!

Buenos Aires, Argentina

Best International Travel Destinations for Those on a Budget

Argentina’s capital and largest city is a great destination for budget-minded travelers looking to enjoy South American culture with a dash of European flavor. For a fascinating and inexpensive tour, start outside the central train station where you can see the Torre Monumental, a large clock tower commemorating Argentina’s independence. Wander through General San Martin Plaza and visit the Monument to the Fallen in Malvinas. Nearby you’ll find Basílica Santísimo Sacramento, a large Catholic church with elaborate décor. Make your way west towards Recoleta Cemetery while exploring central Buenos Aires . Take some time to see the statues and mausoleums while enjoying the cemetery’s peaceful atmosphere. Head into the National Museum of Fine Arts where you can enjoy one of Latin America’s largest public art collections. At night, check out the city’s San Telmo neighborhood. We’re sure you’ll agree, Buenos Aires has a lot going for it, not least the fact that it’s a great budget-friendly travel destination.

Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Best International Travel Destinations for Those on a Budget

Mongolia is a land where the vast Eurasian Steppe unfurls before as endless grassland and gorgeous rivers. With a backpack and some camping gear you can wander to your heart’s content. Most visitors will arrive in the capital Ulaanbaatar , which for several years has been one of the world’s fastest growing cities. A budding tourism industry is expanding to cater to foreign visitors. Start at Sukhbaatar Square and visit the State History Museum of Mongolia. Enjoy a traditional meal and visit some of the many temples and monasteries. Later travel to Gorkhi Terelj National Park, located about 37 km from downtown. See some Mongolian grasslands, explore traditional yurt accommodations, and sample authentic stone barbecue. Depending on your schedule, consider visiting a few other places around the countryside to get yourself out of Ulaanbaatar. Mongolia has for years now sought to attract travelers from abroad and it remains a fantastic budget-friendly travel destination.

Sophia, Bulgaria

Best International Travel Destinations for Those on a Budget

Bulgaria continues to remake itself. Once trapped under Soviet domination, the country is now a full member of the European Union. In the capital Sophia, start at Cathedral Saint Aleksandar Nevski and explore the fantastic Bulgarian Orthodox church with its Neo-Byzantine architecture. Neighboring St. Sophia Church was built in the 6th century and features an underground crypt. From there you can easily walk to the National Art Gallery, National Ethnology Museum, and National Archaeological Museum. These three institutions are clustered together and make for a lovely few hours exploring Bulgaria’s history, arts, and culture. Afterwards spend time wandering Central Sophia where you can enjoy numerous restaurants, bars, and cafes. Southeast of downtown is Borisova gradina, the city’s oldest and best-known public park. Sophia’s many attractions are easily within reach of even the most price conscious budget traveler.

Ipoh, Malaysia

Best International Travel Destinations for Those on a Budget

Ipoh is a former mining town located about two hours north of Kuala Lumpur. The tranquil atmosphere in the city’s Old Town makes it difficult to imagine that 70 years ago the region was one of the world’s largest producers of tin. In the early 1900s Ipoh was dubbed the “millionaires’ city” thanks to the number of fortunes made from mining-related activities. If you are a café lover, you will love Ipoh. Numerous boutique shops with peculiar designs have sprung up and are breathing new life into the city. Ipoh is also home to some of the most picturesque cave temples in Malaysia. The Gunung Rapat area contains two such temples. Sam Poh Tong temple is a Chinese Buddhist Temple discovered in 1912. It sits within a natural limestone cave and is the oldest and most famous cave temple in Ipoh. Climb the 246 steps to the cave opening and enjoy the magnificent view of Ipoh and its surroundings.

Berlin, Germany

Best International Travel Destinations for Those on a Budget

When the Berlin Wall came down young people flooded east. In districts abutting the wall like Kreuzberg, a vibrant arts and culture scene sprung up. Start your Berlin tour at the famed Brandenburg Gate. Notice the small stone markers in the street indicating where the Berlin Wall used to stand. Make your way to the historic Reichstag Building and take the tour. See graffiti left by Soviet soldiers when they took Berlin in May, 1945 to end the Second World War in Europe. Visit the solemn Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe and allow yourself to get lost as the monument’s undulating design evokes a world where nothing is stable. Spend your afternoon touring Museum Island before venturing to either Kreuzberg or Kurfürstendamm for some evening entertainment and a great meal. There’s a lot to do in Berlin so give yourself a few days in order to really get to know one of the most affordable cities in Europe.

Cappadocia, Turkey

Best International Travel Destinations for Those on a Budget

Cappadocia , located in central Turkey, is world famous for its geological formations called hoodoos. Also known as “fairy chimneys,” these rock structures resemble thin smokestacks. The thing to do is take a hot air balloon ride so you can see the otherworldly landscapes during the magic hours at dawn or dusk. Plan to stay a day or two and book a room in one of the famous cave hotels. These accommodations are often built right into the fairy chimneys and are a great place to meet fellow travelers. Be sure to visit the UNESCO World Heritage Site at Göreme National Park and explore Derinkuyu underground city, the largest excavated underground city in Turkey. The natural landscapes in the area are truly remarkable and you can spend hours wandering around snapping photos. With so much to see outdoors, it doesn’t cost a lot to have a great time here. If you’re aiming to see Turkey on a shoestring budget, do yourself a favor and visit Cappadocia.

Colombo, Sri Lanka

Best International Travel Destinations for Those on a Budget

Sri Lanka, the island nation in the Indian Ocean located off the southeastern tip of India, combines a world of wonder with growing travel amenities. Sri Lanka’s capital and largest city is a hive of activity. As the country’s entertainment, commercial, and financial center, there is always something happening. Viharamahadevi Park is a convenient place to start your tour. Wander through the green space and see the Golden Buddha statue. Visit the nearby National Museum as well as the National Theater. Enjoy a walk along the beach at Galle Face. The seaside park is popular with locals and is certainly one of the best things to see in Colombo . Stop in for a cocktail at the Galle Face Hotel before eventually working your way to Colombo Central. See the iconic Red Masjid, a famed mosque constructed in the early 20th century and known for its distinctive candy cane appearance. At night enjoy a lavish meal while you delight in the rhythms of this eminently fascinating (and budget-friendly) city.

Zanzibar, Tanzania

Best International Travel Destinations for Those on a Budget

Located off Tanzania’s Indian Ocean Coast is tiny Zanzibar . This semi-autonomous region has positioned itself in recent decades as a world-class travel destination. Economic incentives designed to spur development have succeeded in helping Zanzibar blossom into one of the best resort islands in Africa, if not the entire Indian Ocean region. Commonly referred to as the “spice islands,” Zanzibar produces significant quantities of cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, and black pepper. Walk the narrow alleyways in the historic Stone Town neighborhood. Visit the Old Fort and explore the history at Old Slave Market. Find yourself some decent accommodations outside the main city where you can enjoy Zanzibar’s famous beaches and pristine waters. There are numerous small towns running up and down the island’s east coast. Zanzibar is a place where you can enjoy both the pace of urban life and a far more relaxing atmosphere. Best of all it won’t cost you a fortune.

Moscow, Russia

Best International Travel Destinations for Those on a Budget

Despite its reputation as a playground for Russian billionaires, Moscow remains a relatively inexpensive place to visit. At the heart of the city is the famous Moscow Kremlin, the figurative and literal epicenter of Russian power. Take the tour and visit the impressive cathedrals there. Afterwards, wander around Red Square where you can see the famous Kremlin Wall, Lenin’s Mausoleum, and the tombs of other Russian dignitaries. Opposite the Kremlin across Red Square is the GUM Department Store. Head in there for some shopping and souvenir hunting. Next wander down to the iconic St. Basil’s Cathedral, recognized as the world’s finest example of Russian architecture. From there make your way to Gorky Park, a large central park along the Moscow River. At night, nearby Arabat District is a great place for food, drinks, and more shopping. Enjoy the Russian high life without spending a fortune is what makes this such a great place to visit.

Montreal, Canada

Best International Travel Destinations for Those on a Budget

Montreal has an unmistakable French character. Start with a visit to Old Montreal. Wander the cobblestone streets and visit Notre-Dame Basilica, a stunning gothic revival cathedral inspired by its namesake in Paris. Pay a visit to the Montreal Museum of Archaeology and History then explore the Centre d'histoire de Montréal, a nice local history museum housed in a former fire station. The city’s Chinatown neighborhood is where you’ll find the MAC Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal, a wonderful contemporary arts museum highlighting local and international artists. For some scenic time, head up to Mont Royal where you can enjoy the many tree-covered paths and overlooks providing excellent vantage points for photos of the Montreal skyline. At night, return to Old Montreal and explore the diverse selection of restaurants and cafes. The music and entertainment here are some of the best around. Montreal offers a sense of Europe for far less than a ticket to Paris.

If you’ve been putting off some quality vacation time aboard for fear you just can’t afford it, let 2020 be the year you finally make it happen. These 20 budget-friendly destinations are sure to inspire the adventurer in you. Take a little time to consider what you’d most like to see and then hunt for that great bargain airfare. We’ve given you a lot to work with, but the rest is up to you. Don’t let another year go by before you finally take the trip of a lifetime!

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cheap travel destinations

Canadians can travel to these 34 budget-friendly destinations for just $40 a day

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Travelling outside Canada adds up fast. From the cost of plane tickets to rising fees , international travel can get expensive. However, where you go can certainly affect your budget.

According to a guide by Flytrippers , a Quebec-based flight deal website, travelling can be affordable depending on the destination.

"The cheapest countries to travel to are also wonderful destinations, allowing you to travel for less, for longer, or in luxury," states co-founder Andrew D'Amours. "It's so sad that so many people think that travel is necessarily expensive because it's just not true."

The company compiled a list of 34 affordable countries to travel to where you can make the most of your vacation for just $40 a day.

D'Amours said that in Brazil, he scored Taylor Swift tickets for just $31, while in Toronto, the cheapest tickets were $200 for nosebleed seats .

"The same simple principle obviously applies to hotels, meals, activities, EVERYTHING: the same quality is much cheaper if you simply choose affordable countries," he said.

And these countries have much to offer too, from cities rich in culture to beaches and nature.

Here's a list of the best countries (by region) to consider for your next budget-friendly vacation.

Southeast Asia

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With plenty of affordable options for warm destinations, this region is famous for a reason.

1. Indonesia 2. Malaysia 3. Thailand 4. Vietnam 5. Cambodia 6. Philippines 7. Laos 8. Myanmar

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Expect a variety of exotic options at an affordable price.

9. India 10. Nepal 11. Bangladesh 12. Sri Lanka

Central Asia

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This "often overlooked" region offers fantastic scenery and a rich history. 13. Uzbekistan 14. Kyrgyzstan 15. Turkey 16. Georgia 17. Azerbaijan 18. Armenia

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kari-Jo Koshes (@karijokoshes)

"The world's least explored continent has many affordable destinations," said D'Amours.

19. Egypt 20. Morocco 21. Tunisia 22. Algeria 23. Madagascar 24. Kenya 25. Ghana

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"Far from being the most affordable continent, there are still a few options," states D'Amours.

26. Bosnia-Herzegovina 27. North Macedonia 28. Moldova

Central America

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Due to its proximity, this affordable region is the ideal choice for shorter trips.

29. Guatemala 30. El Salvador 31. Nicaragua

South America

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32. Argentina 33. Colombia 34. Bolivia

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The Best Luggage to Buy in 2024

These are the top-tested suitcases brands for all of your travel needs.

away luggage labor day sale 2023

We've been independently researching and testing products for over 120 years. If you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. Learn more about our review process.

As you gear up for any travels that are in store for 2024, it's important to keep in mind that the right luggage can have a huge impact on your trip. A good suitcase should be easy to maneuver, spacious to pack, compact and lightweight enough for carrying and durable to hold up to wear and tear.

Our top picks

Samsonite

Best Overall Luggage

American Tourister

Best Value Luggage

American tourister.

Away

Best Carry-On Luggage

Briggs & Riley

Best Luggage for International Travel

Briggs & riley.

Amazon Basics

Best Under-$100 Luggage

Amazon basics.

Hartmann

Best Luggage for Frequent Flyers

Béis

Best Viral Luggage

TravelPro

Best Luggage for Flight Crews

Heys

Best Printed Luggage

Calpak

Best Fashion Luggage

You can learn more about how we test luggage and what to consider as you shop — including how to decide between hardside and softside luggage — but first, here's everything you need to know about our top-tested luggage brands.

Best Carry-On Luggage | Best Checked Luggage | Best Hardside Luggage | Best Duffel Bags | Best Underseat Luggage | Best Luggage on Amazon | Best Travel Backpacks | Best Packing Cubes | Best Luggage Trackers

Samsonite earns our top spot for the best luggage brand because it has a wide assortment for every preference — from business travelers to vacationers — and has continuously proven to be high quality as we've tested it over the years. In particular, it stands out for its durability and ease-of-use features: There's been no struggling to open and close the cases, and packing them has been a breeze , thanks to the functional compartments that maximize space. It's certainly not inexpensive, but as direct-to-consumer luggage brand prices have skyrocketed, Samsonite's have remained fairly consistent.

Both hardside and softside styles from the brand have excelled in our tests. We've also been impressed by each of the sizes, including carry-ons, checked bags and underseat luggage. Some of our favorite models include the Freeform hardside (pictured here), the Solyte DLX softside and the Stryde Glyder , which is a checked case that's wide instead of tall so it's less likely to tip over.

best luggage brands samsonite luggage testing at good housekeeping

A consumer tester rolling the Samsonite Freeform carry-on through an obstacle course at the Good Housekeeping Institute.

If you're on a budget or you don’t use luggage regularly — i.e., it doesn’t need to be the most durable and you don’t need all the bells and whistles — American Tourister offers competitive pricing and an excellent variety to choose from . There are a lot of options if you prefer bright colors and fun prints, plus there are cases for the entire family, including a Disney collection . Between the designs and versatile offerings, the models are fun, functional and especially ideal for vacationers.

Just note that while luxury hardside cases are usually made of polycarbonate, American Tourister typically uses ABS plastic, which is more affordable but more prone to scratches. Still, it gets high ratings from online reviewers who note that the bags are surprisingly spacious. Another perk: The brand offers luggage sets for an even better value, especially if you need to purchase multiple pieces. Pictured here is the Pop Max Softside set , which at $150 for a set of three, is less than other single cases.

Away is one of the most popular luggage brands on the market, and our testing shows it actually lives up to its hype. Though the brand has a wide range of offerings, we especially love the hardside carry-on. It's made of 100% polycarbonate that proved to be durable and lightweight in our evaluations — even lighter than some fabric bags we’ve tested. It was also surprisingly spacious and held a full packing load in our review. The company offers a 100-day return policy on unused items; it also offers a lifetime limited warranty on its suitcases that covers any "functional damage."

Besides the main Carry-On model , it comes in variations like a Bigger Carry-On (which the brand says can hold 20% more) and a Carry-On Flex (which has an expandable zipper). We also love the brand's Everywhere Bag , which is a stylish and surprisingly spacious weekender.

READ OUR FULL REVIEW: We Tested Away's Trendy Carry-On to See If It's Worth The Price

an empty away carry on laid open flat on a white table, good housekeeping's luggage review

An inside view of Away's The Carry On.

Briggs & Riley

Briggs & Riley bags are pricey — a carry-on can cost over $600 — but they come with a lifetime guarantee that will cover all repairs if the luggage ever gets broken or damaged. They also come with innovative features, such as the brand's signature compression packing system. Bags that have this feature expand to let you pack and then compress down after they're filled. In fact, one of our testers said she packed a week's worth of summer clothes for two people into a compact carry-on, and it easily fit into an airline's overhead bin.

The suitcases also use top-notch construction and timeless designs in a range of styles, including hardside, softside, carry-ons and checked bags. The Baseline Global Carry-On Spinner (pictured here in the 21-inch version) has been a selected as GH Family Travel Award winner for the past two years after travel testers gave it perfect scores across the board. Its nylon fabric also aced our Lab's abrasion tests.

a view of the interior of briggs and riley baseline carry on luggage

The interior compartment of Briggs & Riley's Baseline Carry-On, including its easy-to-use expansion button.

It’s hard to find good luggage for under $100, but Amazon’s luggage does not disappoint. There are softside and hardside styles to choose from, plus garment bags , duffels and more. Amazon also boasts extensive testing to make sure their products will hold up, and though the luggage might not the absolute best quality out there, the price can’t be beat.

We were impressed with its hardside 20-inch spinner carry-on (pictured here) when we tested it on our Lab. Our analysts found it to be exceptionally easy to pack, though the ABS material wasn't as scratch-resistant as other models in our tests. Still, consumer testers liked the maneuverability and wheel performance. This style also comes in two other sizes (24 and 28 inches) and can be purchased as a two- or three-piece set.

This luxury brand is on the pricey side but has timeless designs — from hardside to tweed fabric — that never go out of style. In fact, the brand’s marketing and aesthetics are focused heavily on its heritage. It has been a top performer in our tests, thanks to its spacious interior that's easy to pack and its wheels and handles that make it smooth and comfortable to maneuver.

The hardside cases have earned high scores in our tests — especially standing out for being scratch-resistant, lightweight and spacious — but we also love the softside Legend collection (pictured here), which is made of durable tweed fabric and leather trim.

This fashionable yet functional travel brand was founded by actress Shay Mitchell and incorporates smart features designed to make traveling easier. It also has a stunning aesthetic, including monochromatic color schemes in which the handles and hardware match the case.

Pictured here is the Carry-On Roller, its best-selling case that comes in a range of neutral and fun hues. It was spacious for packing and easy to maneuver in our tests, and though it did scuff during use, it resisted dents well during our Lab's drop tests. Another popular style is its Mini Weekender , which can be used as a personal item that fits underneath the airplane seat in front of you.

READ OUR FULL REVIEW: Experts Weigh In On Buzzy Travel Brand Béis

a photo of the beis carry on luggage and beis weekender bag

The Béis carry-on and compact weekender bag being used as a travel set.

This company was founded by a pilot, and it makes luggage specifically for airline personnel who travel for a living. Still, it's just as functional for business and leisure travelers. The brand primarily sells softside luggage, though it does have some hardside options available. There’s excellent attention to detail that makes frequent flying easier, like cushioning around the handles for comfort, self-aligning wheels that let you roll the luggage in any direction and abrasion-resistant nylon fabric.

The Platinum Elite softside luggage (pictured here) stood out in our Lab tests. Not only was it durable, but it was also spacious enough to hold our entire load with room to spare. The downside was that it was heavier than others, but it's a fair tradeoff for the top-of-the-line features.

This brand increases the fun factor and makes it easier to spot your luggage in a sea of solid colors. There are adorable animal sets for kids' luggage , animal prints for adults and more. There are also options for licensed teams and art (like Britto, shown here), making your suitcase a playful yet functional accessory.

When it comes to materials, most Heys suitcases are hardside and made of polycarbonate and ABS composite. This means it's mostly ABS plastic but has a polycarbonate coating on the outside for added protection. The brand wasn't the most durable in our tests, it but earned high ease-of-use scores.

Style is certainly important when it comes to luggage — it's an accessory, after all — but you don't want to sacrifice quality and functionality. Calpak's cases are both well-made and have unique designs. Though its assortment is tailored with fewer models than some of the big brands, Calpak still has a wide range of materials to choose from, including sleek hardside polycarbonate, printed ABS/polycarbonate blends and ripstop polyester.

Calpak's Ambeur carry-on (pictured here) was one of our testers' favorites; they especially loved the easy-to-use telescopic handle and metallic color. We also found it to be easy to pack and though it wasn't as scratch-resistant as some others we tested (which is expected for ABS composites), it still withstood dents and damage from our durability drop test.

Tumi

Rolling TUMI luggage through the airport is like a status symbol; the brand is highly recognized for its upscale products for both business and leisure travelers. In addition to its suitcases , it makes accessories like briefcases and backpacks and has components that make traveling easier, like an anti-slip strap on carrying bags and an extra hook on rolling bags so you can wheel multiple items at once. On top of that, the brand stands out for its unique service offerings, like repairs and luggage registration to help you find lost bags.

We especially love Tumi's Alpha collection (pictured here is the Alpha carry-on ) with its durable materials and removable garment sleeve. One GH analyst who has been using a backpack in this collection appreciates that it fits more than you'd expect and has a versatile design for travel, work and beyond.

L.L.Bean

If you’re going away for weeks or just have lots to pack, L.L.Bean’s duffels are roomy enough to stuff in everything you need. There are options with or without wheels and lots of sizes to choose from (the Adventure Rolling Duffel , shown here, is incredibly durable and one of our go-to picks for vacations with kids).

The flexible shape of the duffel also allows it to store easily under your bed, so it’s perfect for college students or anyone tight on storage space. It’s also made of sturdy, water-resistant nylon fabric that's made to last no matter where your travels take you — in fact, one of our experts says it's lasted for years without signs of wear. She does note that it's a little more cumbersome to pull than four-wheel spinner luggage and it's spaciousness makes it easy to go over the 50-pound weight limit for airlines, but says it's perfect for packing for two kids.

Monos

Monos says its design philosophy is "less is more," — meaning the bags are made to be simple and timeless to avoid passing trends and high quality so they can stand the test of time. Most of its hardside bags are entirely polycarbonate, though some combine polycarbonate and aluminum for increased durability. They also have useful packing features like wide compression straps to help you fit more in the case.

The Check-In Large was a winner of last year's GH Family Travel Awards because of its spacious interior and maneuverability. Testers said it was easy to roll and they loved the sleek appearance. It's also worth noting that the brand has a 100-day return period so you can get a refund if it's not a good fit.

READ OUR FULL REVIEW: Here's Why Travelers Love the Monos Luggage Collection

a group of blue luggage

Monos luggage shown in three sizes: Check-in Large, Check-in Medium and Carry-on

Eagle Creek

Eagle Creek

Whether you’re backpacking internationally or exploring a national park, Eagle Creek gives you both the convenience and durability you need in a bag. Some have various compartments so you can stay organized (or store shoes and dirty laundry separately), and some bags have backpack straps if you need to be hands-free.

We especially love the Cargo Hauler Duffel for shorter trips: It’s affordable, spacious, lightweight and folds up into a small pouch for easy storage. For longer getaways, the Migrate Wheeled Duffel (pictured here) is larger and has two wheels with a telescopic handle. It also opens wide so you can easily access the contents.

best luggage brands how good housekeeping tests luggage

Eagle Creek's Migrate Wheeled Duffel, left, being checked in at an airport terminal.

Headshot of Lexie Sachs

Lexie Sachs (she/her) is the executive director of strategy and operations at the Good Housekeeping Institute and a lead reviewer of products in the bedding, travel, lifestyle, home furnishings and apparel spaces. She has over 15 years of experience in the consumer products industry and a degree in fiber science from Cornell University. Lexie serves as an expert source both within Good Housekeeping and other media outlets, regularly appearing on national broadcast TV segments. Prior to joining GH in 2013, Lexie worked in merchandising and product development in the fashion and home industries.

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Inflation has hit most of the economy, but that’s hardly the case with airfare. Not only are airfares down 6% year-over-year based on January 2024 prices, but they’re even down 15% versus a decade ago. That’s according to consumer price index data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics published in February. Some experts predict airfares to international destinations will drop even lower in 2024.

According to the American Express Global Business Travel Air Monitor 2024 report, prices on certain international routes may drop as much as 12%.

Here’s how AmEx GBT anticipates average economy airfares will change in 2024 versus 2023, for a sampling of regions:

South America to North America: Drop by 11.9%.

North America to Central America: Drop by 7.8%.

North America to Asia: Drop by 7.5%.

Asia to North America: Drop by 5.2%.

North America to Europe: Drop by 3.5%.

Europe to North America: Drop by 1.2%.

So, why are airfares dropping?

Existing airlines are offering more flights and routes

2023 was a huge year for travel, with several records broken. The U.S. State Department issued a record 24 million passport books and cards during the 2023 fiscal year, signaling increased interest in travel abroad.

Katy Nastro, a spokesperson for airfare tracking website Going, has seen an increase in international flights booked as well.

“For example, in 2023, almost 14% more people flew between Costa Rica and the U.S. than pre-pandemic,” Nastro says.

Airlines added 10% more flights between the U.S. and Central America in 2023 versus 2022, according to scheduling data analyzed by Going from aviation analytics company Cirium Diio. In 2024, airlines are expected to add another 10%.

Last year’s high traveler volume has prompted airlines to increase flight schedules to other parts of the world. For example, Delta Air Lines announced that — in light of a record-setting summer 2023 — it would launch its largest-ever transatlantic schedule for summer 2024. That includes new daily service from New York to Naples, Italy, beginning in May, as well as more flights from the U.S. to Paris; Venice, Italy; Barcelona, Spain; and Dublin.

For travel from North America to Asia, there are 5.5 million more airline seats for sale in the first half of 2024 versus the same period in 2023. That’s a 35% year-over-year increase, says Jeremy Quek, principal global air practice line lead at AmEx GBT.

“More availability in turn can help with pricing,” Nastro says. “Heading into 2024, in theory, this should reduce overall prices.”

budget for international travel

Budget airlines are bringing down prices

New, smaller airlines (particularly low-cost carriers ) are also competing for customers, which helps bring down airfares industrywide.

For example, Norse Atlantic Airways is a Norwegian low-cost airline that started flying to the U.S. in 2022. Now it operates 13 routes between the U.S. and five European cities. Come May 2024, Norse will launch summer flights between New York and Athens, Greece.

» Learn more: When to fly on low-cost carriers versus full-service airlines

A return to normalcy after COVID-19

Quek says much of the phenomenon of falling airfares is a post-COVID-19 pandemic recalibration, considering so many airlines reduced schedules in 2020.

“Airline schedules, especially on long-haul international flights, are set at least six months out,” Quek says. “Restarting a route can take even longer. As countries announced border reopenings, airlines were constrained on how quickly they could reintroduce flights.”

And it’s not just schedules returning to normal, but airfares too. Airfares originating in the U.S. hit all-time highs in May 2022, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data, when the summer of “revenge travel” was in full swing. Quek says this year’s price decreases are largely a return to pre-pandemic equilibrium rather than an extraordinary drop in prices.

Airfares are falling, but don't wait to book

Though airfares are falling, don’t delay booking in hopes that they’ll fall further. Going advises booking two to eight months out for international travel.

» Learn more: The best days to book a flight

“Airfares tend to increase the closer you get to booking,” Nastro says. “In reality, it is far more likely for airlines to sell tickets at higher prices at the last minute.”

How to maximize your rewards

You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are our picks for the best travel credit cards of 2024 , including those best for:

Flexibility, point transfers and a large bonus: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

No annual fee: Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card

Flat-rate travel rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Bonus travel rewards and high-end perks: Chase Sapphire Reserve®

Luxury perks: The Platinum Card® from American Express

Business travelers: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

Chase Sapphire Preferred Credit Card

on Chase's website

1x-5x 5x on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases.

60,000 Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.

Chase Freedom Unlimited Credit Card

1.5%-6.5% Enjoy 6.5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel; 4.5% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and 3% on all other purchases (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year). After your first year or $20,000 spent, enjoy 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel, 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and unlimited 1.5% cash back on all other purchases.

$300 Earn an additional 1.5% cash back on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) - worth up to $300 cash back!

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

on Capital One's website

2x-5x Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day. Earn 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options.

75,000 Enjoy a one-time bonus of 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel.

budget for international travel

Budget latest: Braverman joins Tory critics of announcements - and says her 'worst fears' look like coming true

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has delivered his budget, announcing measures like a national insurance cut and scrapping the non-dom tax status. Follow live analysis and reaction here in the Politics Hub.

Wednesday 6 March 2024 23:07, UK

  • Budget 2024: All the main announcements
  • Hunt denies 'last throw of the dice' before election
  • Tories want to 'eliminate' national insurance after 2p cut
  • PM did not take part in decision to scrap non-dom status
  • Braverman criticises budget - and her 'worst fears' becoming real
  • Sky News Daily:  Was that a budget for a May election?
  • Beth Rigby:  A safety-first budget despite having nothing to lose
  • Voters Panel: 'Great vote loser' fails to impress 2019 Tory backers
  • Live reporting by Ben Bloch and (earlier)  Emily Mee

 Here are all Jeremy Hunt's headline budget announcements:

  • National insurance cut by 2p in April - from 10% to 8%;
  • Freeze on alcohol duty extended until February 2025;
  • 5p cut to fuel duty to continue for 12 months;
  • Abolishment of non-dom status - a Labour idea that will raise £2.7bn a year;
  • High Income Child Benefit Charge threshold raised from £50,000 to £60,000;
  • Introduction of British ISA, allowing extra £5,000 investments in UK;
  • VAT registration threshold for businesses upped from £85,000 to £90,000;
  • £1m towards memorial for Muslims who died in two World Wars;
  • Repayment period doubled to 24 months for new budgeting advance loans for low-income people;
  • £90 charge for obtaining debt relief order abolished;
  • Household Support Fund kept at current level for six months;
  • £45m for medical charities, including £3m for Cancer Research UK;
  • Nearly £6bn for the NHS, including £3.4bn for "outdated" IT systems;
  • £75m for violence reduction units and "hotspot policing";
  • £105m over next four years to build 50 special free schools;
  • Introduction of excise duty on vaping products and one-off increase in tobacco duty;
  • Reduction of higher capital gains tax rate on property from 28% to 24%.

Our political correspondent Serena Barker-Singh runs through the main points below:

Thank you for joining us on the Politics Hub for likely the last budget day before the general election.

Here are the key announcements from the chancellor:

  • High Income Child Benefit Charge threshold raised from £50,000 to £60,000.

You can read the full details of the budget here .

Here's how it went down:

  • Sir Keir Starmer attacked the budget as "the last desperate act of a party that has failed" as he branded Jeremy Hunt and Rishi Sunak "the Chuckle Brothers of decline" (more on his reaction here );
  • The Scottish Tory leader said he is "deeply disappointed" that the windfall tax on excess oil and gas profits is being extended - and announced he will not support the measure;
  • A serving government minister, Andrew Bowie, also said he is disappointed that the windfall tax is being extended;
  • The Lib Dems branded the statement as a "bottom of the barrel budget from a Conservative government that has given up governing";
  • And many MPs called for a general election as soon as possible.

Here's what else happened:

  • Jeremy Hunt told Sky News that the budget is "absolutely not" the last throw of the dice before the general election;
  • The government lost a further five votes over the Rwanda bill in the House of Lords, bringing the total number of defeats to 10 out of 10;
  • It emerged that it cost taxpayers £15,000 to cover damages paid to an academic Science Secretary Michelle Donelan had falsely accused of supporting Hamas;
  • Suella Braverman did not rule out running for Tory leader when speaking to Sky News earlier, but said it won't happen "any time soon".

Join us again from 6am for the very latest political news.

As you might expect, there is a range of reactions to the budget from the newspapers.

The Times leads on Jeremy Hunt saying "we've turned a corner", and The Telegraph goes big on the Tory party's plan to scrap national insurance entirely.

The Daily Mail is slightly more lukewarm, questioning whether the budget will be enough to "see off Labour" - while the Daily Mirror says: "We deserve better".

You can see all of tomorrow's front pages in our dedicated live blog here:

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What have All Parliamentary Party Groups received in benefits in kind?

And who are the sources of the money and resources that go into our political system?

The multi award-winning Westminster Accounts tool, created by Sky News and Tortoise Media, lets you explore all of those questions.

Use the quick start version below - toggle the drop down menu on the right to filter by donations, earnings and gifts - or head to the  full site  to explore in greater depth.

We spoke a little earlier to the executive chair of Iceland supermarkets, Richard Walker, and we started by asking how today's budget will land with his customers.

He said: "I don't think they'll be declaring that this is a great budget from their rooftops.

He described it as "quite a cynical, almost Thatcherite budget where they're throwing a bit of red meat to the Tory base, claiming tax cuts".

But in reality, he said, the tax take is "the highest its ever been", adding: "Certainly my customers are feeling that day in, day out, and that taxpayers are getting rinsed."

Mr Walker said his customers want things that "make a real, meaningful difference", such as "better bus connectivity, better waiting lists, better access to dentistry, things like that".

"And I don't think a tweak here or there of 2% to national insurance will make a significant difference.

"And I certainly don't think it will have the desired effect of what we really need as a nation and as an economy, which is to elevate us onto a higher growth trajectory.

"This is just at the 11th hour, tinkering around the edges."

Put to him that the chancellor argues this budget will deliver growth, the supermarket boss replied: "I don't buy that. It's the kind of structural, long term vision that we need."

He called for the government to borrow more to invest in order to grow the economy, citing the US and China as examples.

The sort of investment those countries are making is "unlocking two or three times the amount that the government is investing in what's become a global arms race".

"Where are we in this arms race? We can't even build a train track," he said.

By Ed Conway , economics and data editor

Perhaps the most telling thing to say about this budget is that it was just… a little bit thin.

Indeed, in terms of its impact on the public finances, it was significantly smaller than the autumn statement.

Back in November , the chancellor delivered £20bn worth of tax cuts, roughly split between the 2p cut to national insurance and the introduction of "full expensing" on business investment.

Today's budget was essentially half the size of the autumn statement, amounting to around £10bn of tax cuts - essentially a further national insurance cut and a few other bits and pieces.

The chancellor spent much of his speech calling this a "tax-cutting budget", but this is not entirely accurate.

Read Ed's full analysis here:

By Faye Brown , political reporter

It cost taxpayers £15,000 to cover damages paid to an academic Science Secretary Michelle Donelan had falsely accused of supporting Hamas.

The cabinet minister is facing calls to resign and cover the cost herself after her department confirmed the fee.

Labour said it is "outrageous" the taxpayer is having to "pick up the legal bill for hurling abuse at a scientist online".

Ms Donelan on Tuesday issued a statement saying there was "no evidence" Professor Kate Sang was a supporter of the militant group.

Afterwards the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) confirmed they had covered the cost of the damages but would not say how much that was.

Libel action was launched after the minister tweeted a letter she had written to UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) in October, expressing "disgust and outrage" that Prof Sang and another academic, Dr Kamna Patel, had "shared extremist views" and, in Prof Sang's case, alleged she had expressed sympathy for Hamas after the 7 October attacks in Israel.

Read the full story here:

By Beth Rigby , political editor

If you were looking for pre-election fireworks in this budget, look away now.

There was neither soaring rhetoric to win the hearts and minds of the nation nor eye-catching policies to back it up.

Jeremy Hunt was true to himself, choosing fiscal responsibility over political excitement.

The shadow of Liz Truss's mini-budget still looms large. Mr Hunt was taking no risks with the public finances in a budget that was far smaller in tax cuts and policy decisions than the autumn statement.

Normally, when insiders tell you that the chancellor is limited in what he can do - in the context of the economic backdrop and that this budget will be "a proof point" that the prime minister is delivering on his plan, rather than a "poll gamechanger", a few months from an election - you take it with a pinch of salt.

I wasn't the only one, with senior Tories telling me they were still expecting more than the two percentage point cut to national insurance on the day.

Read Beth's full analysis here:

Our economics and data editor Ed Conway  says the UK remains in "negative territory", with people still paying more in tax than ever before. 

In a historical context, he says the budget is not as wide as usual, being one of the lowest for any chancellor in a long time.

In the video below, he breaks down all the main announcements and what they mean for you:

Part of the budget was a promise from Jeremy Hunt to "help small businesses", which he said is "close to my own heart".

He pledged £200m of funding to extend the Recovery Loan Scheme as it transitions to the Growth Guarantee Scheme.

And on VAT, he said he will increase the registration threshold by £5,000, which will "bring tens of thousands of businesses out of paying VAT altogether".

But  Harp Chatha , director of a property rental agency, tells The UK Tonight that the Treasury "will only suffer" and questioned where the money will come from to fill the gap.

He dismisses the £5,000 threshold rise, saying "it won't make a great deal of difference" to small businesses like his.

Rochelle Siviter , a special educational needs consultant, says the chancellor has "mis-sold the VAT matter".

She says it won't make any difference to many small businesses because they are already registered to pay VAT.

Rochelle has also done the maths and calculated that the threshold rise per month is just £416 extra in turnover, which "doesn't seem to make any particular sense".

"Should we be grateful? I don't feel very grateful for that I'm afraid."

On The UK Tonight , we are hearing from three members of our Voters Panel in the target seat of Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes ( read more on the Target Towns project here ).

We start by asking for their reactions to today's budget.

Rochelle Siviter , a special educational needs consultant, tells Sarah-Jane Mee there was nothing in the budget that made her jump for joy.

"I found it a disappointing budget given that we've got a general election coming up."

She says she has more concerns about the content of the budget than she is happy about other measures.

She feels the measures to help small businesses have not matched the government's rhetoric, but she is "slightly happy" there is help around childcare, although it appears "negligible".

Sarah Stook , a writer, says she is "generally quite cynical when it comes to politics" so was not expecting much.

But she goes on: "I don't feel like it was a budget for any age, I don't think it was a budget for my generation or younger, or particularly for my parents' generation."

She was expecting "more of a giveaway", and felt it was quite "restrained".

"Nothing particularly, I think, would help me personally, or perhaps any voters who are subject to changing their minds."

Harp Chatha , director of a property rental agency, labels the national insurance cut a "token gesture", saying taxpayers are "being lied to".

She says the pledge to abolish national insurance entirely is "just to get voters on the side of the Tory party", and the Treasury will suffer.

"Where will they find further funds to fill the coffers?" he questions.

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IMAGES

  1. How Much Does It Cost to Travel World in 2024?

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  2. Travel Budget Templates

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  3. How to Budget for Travel: a guide by The Trusted Traveller

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  4. 4 Step Guide on Planning your International Travel Budget

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  5. Travel Budget Tips {For Creating & Planning}

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  6. Travel Budget Worksheet Template ~ Excel Templates

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VIDEO

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  3. Differences Between Malaysia and Home

  4. We're Leaving Malaysia

  5. Airbnb Condo Tour

COMMENTS

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  29. Budget latest: Braverman joins Tory critics of announcements

    Here are all Jeremy Hunt's headline budget announcements: National insurance cut by 2p in April - from 10% to 8%; Freeze on alcohol duty extended until February 2025;