I should start by saying that all of my planning, budgeting, etc. is for 2 people. My husband and I are a twosome, so that reflected in all of my facts and figures. We have, on occasion, traveled as a foursome and the biggest cost savings there has been on a shared rental car. But my budgeting methods can be applied if you're a solo traveler. More on that later.
When the hubs and I first got married in 2006 and began outlining the next several years, we knew that traveling was one thing we definitely wanted to do, but we proceeded (surprise surprise) with caution. As I've mentioned before, neither one of us are the backpacking sort, so we knew we would have to save our pennies in order to travel internationally in the fashion that we wanted. We initially planned on taking an international trip every other year, and a domestic trip in between. Except for a few oddball years this has worked out very well. Starting in 2000, here's where I've gone:
2000 - Scotland
2001 - Ireland
2005 - Guadeloupe & Martinique
2007 - Italy
2008 - San Fransisco and Yosemite
2009 - France & England
2010 - Alaska
2011 - Disney World & Las Vegas
2012 - Japan
2013 - United Arab Emirates (Dubai)
2013 - Germany, Austria, & Denmark
2014 - Georgia
2015 - Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore
2016 - Yellowstone
2017 - Ecuador, Galapagos, Peru
2019 - China
Our general rule of thumb is 1 week for domestic trips and 2 weeks for international trips. We've kept to this rule for every trip except for the UAE; we only spent a week there (which was plenty of time).
In terms of budget, I feel I need to define what that means for me since people often define it differently. When I set a budget, it's a limit. It's not a loose guideline that can be gone over. I am very conservative with my budget because I want to leave room for unexpected problems, pretty souvenirs, unplanned experiences, etc. My budget may seem high, so I'll be sure to point out areas to save depending on the type of traveler you are.
1 week domestic trip budget for 2 = $5,000
2 week international trip budget for 2 = $10,000
The factors that go into our budget are: flight, food, transportation (aside from the flight - i.e. rental car, trains, taxis, etc), lodging, activities, souvenirs, and a misc column. So, for a 2 week/14 day vacation, here's our budget breakdown.
| Flight | $2,500.00 |
| Hotel | $2,800.00 |
| Food | $1,400.00 |
| Transportation | $1,000.00 |
| Activities | $1,000.00 |
| Souvenirs | $800.00 |
| Misc | $500.00 |
| Total | $10,000.00 |
Flight costs are difficult to control. Everything depends on the time of year, the airport you're flying into, the day you book your travel, nonstop vs. connecting flights, etc. If you start planning a trip with the intent of going within 1-2 months, you're going to be at the mercy of whatever flights you can find within your budget. If you have a little more wiggle room, you can hunt around for the best prices/airlines, etc. That being said, I usually estimate $2,500 for 2 plane tickets always hoping to get a better deal (and I almost always find one!). Note that the biggest cost savings for international vs. domestic travel is airfare. Flights within the United States are significantly cheaper than travel outside the U.S.
For hotels, I always budget $200/night. This might seem high, but it depends on where you're going. Remember that a 4-star hotel in Europe is comparable to a 3-star in the United States. We always try to get a hotel for less than $200/night (and we're usually successful) so long as it meets our standards (air con if we're traveling in the summer, good reviews on sites like Trip Advisor, and location location location). The only place we ever spent more than $200/night for a hotel was in Venice. But since we undershot in other Italian cities, it balanced out.
For food, we budget $100/day for 2 people. We have never gone over this. In fact, I'm considering knocking this down to $50 or $75/day for us because we are cheap eaters. But if you're the type of traveler that enjoys local beverages and fine dining, $100/day might be better for you.
Activities depend on the city and this line item on the budget is the most fluid along with transportation. Train tickets and taxis are always a wild card, so you estimate high and see how it goes.
Souvenirs greatly depends on the traveler. Do you like to buy gifts for everyone and their brother while also coming home with costly trinkets for yourself? If so, you might want to budget higher.
Misc. is a catch all for things you don't expect. I always put things like ATM fees, foreign transaction fees, pet sitting costs, etc. into this category.
I know that $10,000 seems like a lot for a 2 week international vacation (and in all honesty, we've never actually paid more than $9,000 for a trip). The reality is that you can easily spend less if you're willing to settle for less. You can stay in cheaper hotels, eat cheaply, and follow internet itineraries that recommend free tourist attractions. But as I mentioned in my first blog, those types of things terrify me. I don't want to worry about searching my bed for bedbugs or question what part of the animal my dinner came from (though this is sometimes inevitable). I am a timid traveler and spending a few extra dollars on a trip can often make the difference between anxiety and comfort. Though let it be known that I am always on the hunt for a bargain, and in my next posts I'll give you my best planning tips for getting the best rates on flights, hotels, etc.
Thanks for reading!
- Foxy the Traveler
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