Calculator
Travel Budget Estimator
Pick a destination, your travel style, and how many days. We'll estimate flights, accommodation, food, transit, and activities — based on real-world cost data from major destinations.
Trip details
Estimates use typical traveller spending in that destination. Currency converted to GBP.
Accommodation and transit are shared per room/booking; food and activities scale per person.
Travel style
Flights
Leave at 0 to use our regional estimate, or paste your actual quote for an accurate total.
All estimates run locally. Numbers are typical traveller averages — your trip will vary.
Where the money goes
Costs are based on aggregated data from Numbeo, Budget Your Trip, and travel-industry surveys. Treat the total as a planning estimate — add a 15–20% buffer for the unexpected.
How the travel budget calculator works
Trip costs break down into a handful of repeating daily categories — where you sleep, what you eat, how you move around, and what you do — plus one-off costs like flights and visas. This calculator multiplies realistic per-day rates by your trip length, scaled by destination cost band and travel style.
The result is a planning baseline: enough to know whether a 10-day Tokyo trip costs $1,500 or $5,000 before you start booking. Add flights separately, because their price varies by origin, season and lead time more than anything else.
The formula
Trip total = days × (lodging/day + food/day + transit/day + activities/day) × style multiplier
Style multipliers are roughly: budget 0.6×, mid-range 1.0×, luxury 2.0–3.0×. Destination band sets the base per-day rates — Bangkok and Lisbon sit far below Zurich and Tokyo.
Worked example
10 days in Lisbon, mid-range: ~€90 lodging + €40 food + €10 transit + €25 activities = €165/day → €1,650 on-trip. Add a €180 return flight from London = €1,830 total.
Same trip, budget style (hostel, supermarket food, walking): ~€100/day → €1,000 on-trip. Luxury style (boutique hotel, tasting menus, day trips): ~€350/day → €3,500 on-trip.
Frequently asked questions
How is the trip budget estimated?
We multiply per-day rates for accommodation, food, local transit and activities by the number of days, scaled by your destination's cost band and travel style (budget, mid-range or luxury).
Does the estimate include flights?
Flights are entered separately because they vary enormously by origin, season and how far in advance you book. Add your real flight quote to the on-trip total to see the full cost.
What's the difference between budget, mid-range and luxury?
Budget assumes hostels or cheap guesthouses, street food and public transit. Mid-range assumes 3-star hotels, mixed dining and occasional taxis. Luxury assumes 4–5 star hotels, restaurant meals and private transfers.
How accurate are the numbers?
They're realistic order-of-magnitude estimates based on typical traveller spending. Actual costs vary by season, exact city, and your habits — treat the result as a planning baseline, not a quote.
How much should I budget for emergencies?
A common rule is 10–15% of your trip total as a contingency — for medical issues, missed connections, lost gear, or simply the unexpected great experience you didn't want to miss.
Should I budget in my home currency or local?
Plan in your home currency so you know what you're committing. Convert on arrival for day-to-day decisions, and watch FX fees — many travel cards charge 0% vs 2–3% on regular debit cards.