When you’re planning to travel to another country or even locally, you must come up with a budget for all of your expenses. Sticking to your budget is a lot easier when you use a travel budget template. Without a plan, you might end up spending more than you intended to. A trip budget planner helps you estimate all of your travel costs so you can prepare without going beyond what you can afford.

Travel Budget Templates












Why should you create a travel budget template? 

When you take some time to plan your budget using a travel budget template, you gain a better understanding of how much you need for your trip. You’ll also know if you have any money left over to spend on souvenirs and other shopping items. Creating a vacation budget planner months before your trip also gives you an idea of how long you need to save for your trip.

A trip cost planner helps you determine whether you can afford the trip you want to take on the date you want to take it or not. Otherwise, you might start booking flights and hotels only to realize that you can’t afford anything else as the date approaches. This can be very frustrating and disappointing.

When you create a budget while planning your trip, this prevents you from spending too much than you expected. No matter how much you deserve the trip you’re taking, this doesn’t mean that you should break the bank just to get a couple of days off. The smart thing to do is plan everything so you’re prepared for unexpected situations.

Vacation Budget Planner











How to create your travel budget template? 

If you’re planning to create travel budget, start with a simple travel budget template. With Excel you can use a spreadsheet for your budget. For Word, create a table with enough rows and columns for the different aspects of your trip and all the other information you want to include in your travel cost estimator.

When creating your trip budget planner, here are some tips to help you out:

Start with your transportation

There are different types of transport costs you might incur when you travel. From airfare to public transport, car hires, and more, do research on what types of transport you might have to take on your trip. From start to finish, try to come up with a plan for how you’ll get around.

While trying to finding out the types of transport you need, find out about the costs too. Then input the information you find out in your travel cost estimator to give you a good estimate of how much you need for transportation.

Think about the tour packages you’ll take

When you travel, you want to see as much as you can with the short time you’ll spend on vacation. You should decide whether you want to avail of tour packages or just explore the place on your own.

If it’s your first time to travel to a different country or you’re traveling alone, you may want to go for a tour package. But if you travel frequently or you’re more on the adventurous side, you may want to skip the tour package and save a lot of money.

No matter how you choose to take a tour of your destination, learn about how much you need to spend on the whole process. Once you have all the estimates, input the costs in your trip cost planner.

Don’t forget your accommodation

There are different types of accommodation you can book while traveling and this depends on your budget. There are hostels, hotels with different ratings, transient houses, and you can even couch surf. There are several factors to consider when it comes to choosing your accommodation.

Think about your budget, the comfort level you want, the location of the accommodation, and other important things like free WiFi, swimming pool, free breakfast, shuttle service etc. There are plenty of online booking sites where you can compare the prices of accommodations and see which one satisfies all of your needs and preferences. Then input the cost of the accommodation you’ve chosen in your vacation budget planner.

Food and beverages

The next thing to do research on and plan for is the food and beverages you’ll consume during your trip. Among all of the things you should plan, this is the one which you don’t have to take too seriously. To make this part of your budget, do some research about the types of foods, restaurants, bars and pubs, and local joints to expect at your destination.

After doing your research, you’ll have a good estimate of how much you might have to spend to dine at the places that interest you the most. Then include this estimate in your travel budget template.

Shopping

What trip isn’t complete without a shopping spree? When estimating this amount, think about your own shopping habits. If you love shopping and you know it, then set an estimate which you feel comfortable with. One which you believe allows you to spend what you want on souvenirs, gift items, and more.

But if shopping isn’t really your thing, then you can set a lower estimate and write it down on your template. Either way, setting aside a budget for your shopping is important in case you find anything you like.

Other expenses

Finally, you should also include an amount in your budget for any other expenses you might incur. Never go on a trip without bringing along extra cash for unexpected situations. You don’t have to set aside a huge amount, just make sure that it’s enough for most types of emergencies.

Travel Cost Estimator












Budgeting tips for your travels 

Planning a trip can be quite a tedious task. With so many things to think about, you can easily forget some important things. One thing you shouldn’t forget is to create the budget for your trip. You can use a travel budget template or a vacation budget planner to input all of your cost estimates so you don’t overspend on your trip.

As you create your trip cost planner, you should find ways to save money too. Here are some budget tips for you to consider:

  • Accommodation. Different countries have different prices when it comes to accommodation. Think about what type of accommodation you want to stay in and find the best deals online. One tip is to book your accommodation early as they usually give discounts for early bookings.
  • Food. Think about eating street foods or at local diners and cafes rather than the first-class restaurants. These places often offer more authentic dishes compared to the restaurants which are more expensive.
  • Drinks. If you visit a country that’s developed and you’re sure that the tap water is totally safe to drink, you don’t have to buy bottled water. Just drop by a cafe or bar and drink a glass of water for free or bring your own water bottle and fill it up at the hotel before you leave for the day.
  • But when you think of drinks and expensive beers or cocktails come to mind, make sure to factor in the costs or estimates of these in your budget. That way, you won’t run out of money when you go out for drinks or even coffee.
  • Tours and attractions. If you want to save money on tours and attractions, you may have to do quite a lot of research. In doing this, you can find out which attractions you’d really like to see and whether or not you want to pay for tour packages. If you know you can handle it, you can save a lot of money by taking the tours on your own.
  • Public transport. Learn more about the country you’re going to. For instance, a lot of taxi drivers in Asia have the tendency to extort tourists so it might be a lot cheaper (and safer) for you to hire a car. Try to learn about other public transport options like buses, trains, and other local transportation options.
  • Insurances. A lot of people don’t want to get insurance because it’s expensive. But this is very important, especially when you’re planning to travel for a long time or if you’re traveling to a place which comes with a high risk. Just make sure to learn about the insurance you plan to get before committing to the insurance company.
  • Flights. If you want to book the cheapest flights for your trip, go straight to the budget airline websites. Most of the time, the cost of the flight can make or break your trip. Booking early is also a great idea since this usually comes with discounts.
  • Travel Essentials. If you don’t want to spend money on travel essentials while you’re on your trip, make sure to wear the sturdy, comfortable shoes and use a proper, waterproof backpack. That way, you don’t have to worry about these items wearing down or failing you which would force you to buy new things.
  • Toiletries. Before you travel, call your accommodation and check if they provide free toiletries. You can also check this on the website of your accommodation or on other booking websites. If these free toiletries come with the room, stock up so you won’t have to spend money on them.