How this calculator works
Days on the ground are nights + 1, because the travel days still need food. Lodging is per room, daily spending per person. What is left after your savings is spread over the months until you go.
- Lodging = price per night × nights (per room, not per person).
- Food and activities = daily amount × travellers × (nights + 1), because arrival and departure days still need meals.
- Monthly saving = (trip total − already saved) ÷ months until the trip; weekly = the same amount over months × 52 ÷ 12 weeks.
Worked example
With these inputs: travellers 2; nights 5; lodging per night $160; food and activities per person per day $75; flights, trains or fuel $700; extras $150; months until the trip 6; already saved $0.
The result is save each month $425.00, with trip total $2,550.00 and per person $1,275.00.
Estimating each line
Lodging is the easiest number to pin down: look at the actual listings for your dates and include taxes and resort or cleaning fees, which often add a noticeable percentage to the nightly price. For food and activities, a realistic per-person daily figure — breakfast, lunch, dinner, a coffee, one paid activity — beats a guess for the whole trip.
Getting there covers flights, trains, or fuel and tolls for a road trip; the Fuel Cost Calculator works out a drive. Extras catch the things that aren't on a booking page: travel insurance, airport parking, pet boarding, souvenirs and tips.
Saving for it without a card balance
Set the monthly figure up as a recurring bill into a separate savings account the day after payday. Travel booked with a card and paid off from savings you already have costs nothing extra; travel paid off after you get home at card APRs can cost far more than the trip.
If the monthly amount is too high, the three levers are the trip date, the number of nights and the lodging price. Try each in the calculator and see which one moves the total most.
Frequently asked questions
How much should I budget for a vacation?
Add lodging, food and activities, transport and extras. In the example — two travellers, five nights at $160, $75 per person per day, $700 to get there and $150 in extras — the trip costs $2,550, or $1,275 per person.
How much do I need to save each month for a trip?
Divide what's left to save by the months until you go. The $2,550 trip six months away needs $425 a month, about $98 a week.
Why does the calculator count one more day than nights?
A five-night trip has six days with meals: you eat on the day you arrive and the day you leave. Lodging is charged per night, food per day.
How much should I budget per day for food on vacation?
It varies hugely by destination. Look up typical meal prices where you're going and multiply by the meals you'll eat out; groceries for breakfast or a kitchen in the rental can cut it sharply.
Should I include travel insurance?
Put it in extras if you plan to buy it — along with airport parking, pet care at home, and anything else that isn't on the booking confirmation.