The first step to create the perfect trip is to make a budget estimate, and this is precisely what we are going to teach you in this post. So don’t miss it!
Before starting, it is necessary to solve this question:
Why is it so important to calculate the budget of a trip?
- Basically, to know how much money you will have to raise to make your trip a reality. And the best of all is that making a budget the trip will end up costing you less.
Grab a pen and paper (or open an Excel) and start estimating your budget item by item
Another aspect, the more you lengthen the trip, the more difficult it will be for you to make the estimate. The simple fact of traveling for more days already means that more unforeseen events may appear, and unforeseen events almost always take the form of expenses.
That being said, we are going to see what must be taken into account when making a travel budget. 10 essential points!
1. Transport to the place of destination
Transportation is usually the most expensive part of the trip, especially if you are going on a long plane trip. That is why it is so important to look at things in advance and try to get the cheapest flight possible.
To find a flight that suits your budget, we recommend that you use Skyscanner’s flight comparator:
If you have not just found your flight but you want to make the trip at all costs, you can always opt for another means of transport:
- Own vehicle (car, motorcycle, van…)
- Car rental
- Train
- Boat
- Bus
You have many options, so choose the one that best suits you and don’t miss out on your trip.
2. Accommodation: hotel, hostel, apartment…
Another fundamental point when budgeting for a trip is accommodation. Along with transportation, what will cost you the most money…
We advise you to spend a large part of your budget on accommodation. You don’t have to book a 5-star resort, far from it, but you don’t have to book a hovel on the outskirts of the city either.
Ideally, you should stay in a place that allows you to enjoy the experience to the fullest, that is, that gives you facilities instead of problems. Do you want to know how to book a good hotel?
Remember that you have several options to stay:
- hotels
- hostels
- apartments
- exchange houses
- hostels
3. The meals
Making a budget of how much you are going to spend on food is quite difficult, but you can make an approximation and see that you do not exceed the daily limit that is set.
In any case, several factors come into play here: the number of meals per day, the type of food, the days the trip lasts. In short, each person is a world food issues.
Breakfast
If you stay in a hotel with breakfast included, you already have it! But this is not always the case, especially when trying to save on accommodation. In addition, hotel breakfast is usually more expensive than doing it on your own.
One way to save on breakfast is to shop at the supermarket the night before or the same day and have breakfast in the room itself or on a walk to visit something.
Normally we do that, except for the coffee, of course, that we drink it in a bar or cafeteria in the area.
Lunch
The most normal thing is that lunchtime takes you out doing some activity or visiting. So if you want to eat good, nice and cheap, the best thing you can do is look on Tripadvisor.
It is a very good option. In this way, you will not go wrong with the price or the quality of the restaurant. We almost always get it right when we look for it on this website. Another alternative is to eat something fast on the street, which on the other hand is very typical in many cities around the world.
Cena
Dinner is probably the hardest meal to budget for. Normally most restaurants now only offer you the menu, which makes them more expensive, and it costs more to find something at a good price.
From our point of view, the cheapest for dinner time is the following:
- Fast food
- Street food
- Prepared food
Meal between meals
Either at snack time or between breakfast and lunch. The good thing about being on a trip is that you spend most of the day having a great time, but that makes us hungry between meals.
A bit of fruit or some snack is the key to kill the bug. Or also, if you have a sweet tooth, you might prefer a waffle or an ice cream hehe. Be that as it may, if you find yourself in a very expensive city we advise you to buy in a supermarket, they are always the cheapest option.
6. Tours and guided activities
There are two ways to sightsee when you travel: on your own or with guided tours. Do you want to know when it is necessary to hire a tour or activity and when not? Read the post we just linked.
From our point of view, there are trips for everything… It is true that we like to go a lot on our own, but that sometimes makes us miss relevant things and we don’t understand many of the things we see. For this reason, for some time now, we decided to do the following when we travel:
- We hire a Free Tour of the place where we are to get a general idea
- We visit on our own what we liked the most and the sites that have been recommended to us
- We reserve an activity that we consider attractive to enjoy the experience more
It is true that you end up spending a little more money, but believe us that it compensates. The experience is much better, you see more things than you would see on your own and you learn from the place you visit. We recommend it!
Do you want to save on your activities and guided tours?
- The best option is to hire a Free Tour, in most cities there are many types. The advantage is that it is much cheaper than a conventional guided tour. How much does a Free Tour cost? Whatever you consider, but we recommend that it be in accordance with how much fun you have had (don’t be a rat).
- If you are going to visit a monument, museum or tourist attraction in general, find out how to buy the most economical ticket. In many cities you can take combined tickets in which you enter more than one tourist attraction. Logically, this option is cheaper than buying them separately.
- If you are studying, do not hesitate to have your student card at hand . We have not met a country that does not give some type of discount to students. Unfortunately, we can no longer take advantage of it.
We hope these tips have been helpful for booking activities and guided tours and that you include them well in your travel budget.
6. Travel insurance
It is 100% recommended to take out travel insurance if you go outside the country, especially if your stay is long and in countries where you cannot access healthcare for free. In the following post we explain it to you in more detail: Is it necessary to take out travel insurance?
Nor do you need to spend a fortune on insurance, with a basic one you have plenty of leftovers. Of course, as long as you are not going on a trip that involves some extra risk, such as mountaineering, diving or things like that…
If you don’t know how to take out insurance on the IATI page, which by the way, by accessing from this search engine you have a 5% discount, take a look at this post and answer all your questions: How to take out travel insurance at IATI?
7. Internal transport
Here it depends a lot on the type of trip you do. If you make a route through different places, you will have to reserve more budget for internal transport: flights, private cars, taxis, buses, trains … You can reserve them before embarking on your adventure.
As for public transport (to move within the city), you will have to budget for them a bit by finger, you do not know how many taxis (for example) you will take or how much they will cost you. In some cities they have offers for days in public transport. It will be cheaper than getting tickets every time you take a bus, metro or train.
8. The visa (not always necessary)
Find out at the embassy of the destination you are going to travel to. Depending on the country you will need a visa or not. If you are a European citizen and your trip is going to be through Europe, your DNI will suffice (and that you save). Logically, getting a visa has a cost, therefore, add it to the budget. The cost of visas can range from €5 to more than €150.
9. Vaccines (only when required)
Getting vaccinated is not mandatory in many cases, although it is recommended. In Spain, common vaccinations are usually free, but the specific ones for traveling to, depending on the territory, are around €18. In some medical centers they can also charge you for the visit. On the website of the Government of Spain you have all the information about vaccines for travelers. Take a look and decide!
10. Other expenses
Many variables enter at this point. For example, if you go to a country where the currency is different, you will have to take into account the commissions when exchanging cash and also what commission your bank will apply to you. Luckily, there are travel cards that do not charge commissions.
