How do I budget for an overseas trip?

Add the big fixed costs such as flights and accommodation, then estimate daily costs for food, transport and activities, and add a buffer for the unexpected. This calculator brings it together and shows the cost per day and per person.

What do people forget in a travel budget?

Travel insurance, visas, airport transfers, tips, data and a contingency are commonly missed. Including them upfront avoids a nasty surprise, and a buffer of around 10 to 15% covers the things you cannot predict.

How much should I save for my trip?

Use the total here as your savings target, then divide by the weeks until you travel to find a weekly amount. Saving steadily means the trip is paid for before you go, rather than landing on a credit card after.

Travel Budget Calculator

This calculator adds up the real cost of an overseas trip so you know the full amount to save before you go, rather than guessing and hoping the budget stretches. You enter your total flight cost, the accommodation cost per night, what you expect to spend on food and activities per day, the number of days away, any other costs such as insurance, visas and transfers, a buffer percentage for the unexpected, and the number of travellers. The calculator multiplies the accommodation and daily spending by the number of days, adds the flights and other costs to reach a subtotal, then applies your buffer for a realistic total. It returns the total trip budget including the buffer, the cost per day, the cost per person, and the dollar value of the buffer itself, so you can see what the cushion is worth. It assumes the same room and travelling party across every night, so adjust the daily figures if your trip mixes accommodation types or solo and shared legs. A buffer of around 10 to 15% is sensible, since flights, activities and exchange rates rarely land where planned. Use the total as your savings target and divide it by the weeks until departure to find a weekly savings figure. Results are in New Zealand dollars and are an estimate to guide your planning, not a guaranteed final cost.

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Flights (total)

Accommodation per night

Food and activities per day

Days

Other (insurance, visas, transfers)

Buffer

Travellers

total trip budget including the buffer

Per day$0

Per person$0

The buffer$0

Accommodation and daily costs assume the same room and party across the days. Add travel insurance, visas and transfers under other. A 10 to 15% buffer covers the unexpected. Estimate only.

How it works

The calculator adds the fixed flight cost, the accommodation across all nights, the daily food and activities across the days, and your other costs such as insurance and visas, to a subtotal. It then adds your buffer percentage on top to allow for the unexpected, giving the total trip budget. It shows the cost per day and per person, so you can sense-check the trip and set a clear savings target.

Worked example

Flights $3,000, accommodation $180 a night and $150 a day over 14 days, plus $600 of other costs, is about $8,220. A 12% buffer adds roughly $986, for a total of around $9,200, or about $657 a day and $4,600 per person for two travellers.

Related calculators

Group Trip Splitter Calculator: split costs in a group.
Currency Converter: convert currencies.
Savings Goal Calculator: save for the trip.
Budget Calculator: your budget.

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