Vacation Budget Calculator

A dream trip can sour fast when the spending you didn't plan for outpaces the spending you did. The goal here is to map every line of a getaway in advance, from flights and lodging down to meals and activities, so the final tab holds no surprises.

The calculator works from three inputs: a destination type, the number of travelers (1 to 6) and the trip length (3 to 14 days). Each destination type carries a built-in daily budget per person ($100 for a budget domestic trip, $200 for a mid-range domestic trip, $300 international) and a round-trip airfare per person ($300, $400 and $1,200). Lodging is 45% of the daily figure per night for each room, assuming two travelers share a room; food is 30% and activities 25% of the daily figure per person per day. Travel insurance is shown separately at 5% of the total and is not added to it, and there is no contingency buffer, so add one yourself if you want it. These are planning assumptions built into the tool, not quotes, so compare them with real fares and rates for your dates.

Food and activities are where travelers most often guess low, because small charges pile up day after day. Local prices vary enough to be worth checking before you lock in a number, since the calculator uses one daily figure for every destination in a category. Build in the line items that hide outside the headline price too, including baggage fees, travel insurance, and getting around once you arrive.