More than just flights and hotel cost….there are a series of other costs you should consider when planning travel. Early last year, I found myself pinching pennies on some trips because while I had budgeted for flight and hotel, I did not budget for some of the other costs that make travel happen. This post is not to discourage you from traveling; it more to help you better plan out your budget to include these other costs. Doing this has meant cutting back my travels compared to prior year; it also led me to create a travel budget document to not only help you sort out the true cost of a trip; but if you maximize it and start with it early in the year, you can map out how much you need to set aside per month to make you travel dreams happen this year. I am making that document available to you as a thank you for the support and also to give you a tool to get you closer to your 2020 travel goals.
There are some unknowns here that may help i.e. if you have a work trip where the flight is already covered, that may allow you tack on another trip because you only have to fund your personal expenses and the hotel rates for the personal portion of your trip. As you set out your travel budget for 2020, here are a few additional costs you may want to consider going to another location.
Visa Cost - Depending on what passport you hold, this may not be a high cost. For those of us with traveling limiting passport, this is a massive cost of travel and can up to one or multiple trips i.e., for a Nigerian passport holder, the price of a two-year visa for the U.K. is about $450. That is the same cost as a roundtrip flight.
Airport trip cost - Whether you take a taxi or cab to the airport or from airport to hotel - the costs of these can add up fast on a recent trip - getting to airport from home and back home from airport cost me about $100 in uber and taxi cost (if you run the numbers, you may find that parking at the airport is cheaper than taking the round trip uber/taxi)
Food - If you want gourmet or roadside meals, it will still cost money. Within my travel budget, I have a designated amount of money I set aside for food, and I try to work within that amount when I travel. To help with this, I try to find hotels with free breakfast (some have a great spread, you can get fruits to snack on throughout the day, or I stop by the supermarket to get snacks). Food is a huge part of travel for me, and while I spend on eating out, I try not to do it for every meal.
Tours. The cost of tours can add up fast; I generally try to weigh my itinerary toward free things; there are some cases where spending money is necessary to experience a city or Country. Research before you go; sort out how much you are willing to spend and allocate that accordingly to the tours you are interested in. I was recently in Montego Bay, and the logistics of getting around was very tedious for me; I had to cut out one of my planned tours to make sure I did not come back in the red.
Logistics - From trains; buses; ubers; hired car service; you may need some mode of transportation to get around a city or get to some sites that are not within walking distance; you should account for that cost in your budget. Even if you account for your rental car cost, don’t forget parking cost or toll cost or both
Style. I tend to pack what I already own for trip (you will see my blue and yellow “leopard” patterned top in just about every beach trip I take). Some trips require new style pieces; before I decided on Jamaica for the new year; I was seriously considering Iceland and Norway; that trip will have required new boots with proper winter insulation. That is not a cost you usually think of, but there you of it.
Tips. I am perfectly fine with tipping when service is excellent; however, in many countries that don’t have a tipping culture. The tipping culture is starting to infiltrate, especially if they think you are coming from the states. In the U.K., some restaurants now add a service charge to the bill, and if you are not paying attention, you are paying 15% to 25% more than your meal cost or even leaving an additional tip when you have already paid a service charge.
Souvenirs. I stopped collecting fridge magnets and key chains a long time ago and instead moved to souvenirs that were more practical for me. Buying Argan oil in Morocco was more useful and relatable to me than buying a Marrakech fridge magnet. However, whether it is an argan oil or fridge magnet, it costs money. If you are buying for friends or family, that also adds to your final tab.
Charity. This is not the tax-deductible kind I am afraid; There are places I have visited where I would not have been at peace with myself if I did not give money or buy food for a homeless person. This is not something you can necessarily plan for, but you may find yourself faced with human suffering that you compel you to do your small part.
Entertainment. I was watching Mrs. Dow Jones “What I am cutting from my budget in 2020,” and one of the things she mentioned was airport purchases like magazines and books ahead of a flight. I could not agree more - the next day, I found myself at the airport heading on holiday and needed books and magazine for laying poolside, in some case, you may find these cost more at the airport or cheaper to download.
Additional Airlines cost. We know all the different ways airlines nickel and dime us. I am aware of baggage fees for a domestic flight; however, on a recent trip to the Caribbean, I found out there is no allocated free bag, and the cost to check in cost $65 (what ?!?). Thankfully, I had decided on carrying on.
Like I said, I created this tool for myself and it has been great for sorting out finances for my travels and knowing what trips I can and cannot afford to take. You can use this tool in two ways:
My Preference
Use it to get a picture of my what trip - flights, hotels, food, tours etc will cost. If that total comes in above budget, I find paid things to cut out or replace with free things. If cutting out items or switching them out for will alter the experience then I consider going elsewhere.
Another option
Determine how much you want to spend - no one can help you decide that; you have to take a look at your wilder budget to figure out what you are comfortable spending;
Spread that amount out into the different categories; you can estimate airline cost via google flights and accomodation via websites like booking.com or similar.
Websites like get your guide and viator (or just a quick internet search) can help you sort out how much tours will cost
Allocate what is left to the other categories ; divide your total budgeted amount by the number weeks / months to the trip to sort how much you need to set aside per month
The tool also gives you the option of doing a budget to actual review after a trip to highlight areas you have gone overbudget so you can better budget for your next trip.
DOWNLOAD MY TRAVEL BUDGET TOOL HERE
Either way you use this tool, I hope you find it useful and it gets you closer to your 2020 travel goals. Don’t forget to tag / share with me at the_simi_edit
