Travel guide
How to calculate a travel budget, line by line
A travel budget does not start with the airfare — it starts after it. People who overshoot rarely buy something expensive; they simply never counted the small lines.
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The only way to get a travel budget right is to stop guessing a single total. A budget is four separate blocks: transport, accommodation, daily spending and one-off items. People who cost them separately are rarely surprised; people who guess one number overshoot by 30-40% every time.
Block 1: transport
- Return flights: usually 25-40% of the budget.
- Airport transfers: €10-60 both ways — with low-cost carriers flying to distant airports, this line can eat the fare saving.
- Intercity trains or buses: write them as their own line on multi-city routes.
- City transport: €3-10 per person per day. In most cities a three-day pass beats single tickets.
Block 2: accommodation
Accommodation is either the largest line or the easiest one to cut. In the same city, a hostel bed and a mid-range hotel can differ threefold. When you decide, add daily transport to the nightly rate: a cheap room far from the centre means two tickets a day.
| Destination tier | Budget | Mid-range | Comfortable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Europe / Balkans | €45-60 | €80-120 | €150 + |
| Southern Europe | €60-80 | €110-160 | €200 + |
| Western and Northern Europe | €80-110 | €150-220 | €280 + |
| Major US cities | $100-130 | $180-260 | $350 + |
| Southeast Asia | $30-45 | $60-100 | $150 + |
Block 3: daily spending
The most reliable way to estimate daily spending is to write the three meals separately: breakfast (€5-10 in most cities), lunch (€10-18) and dinner (€18-35). Add one coffee and one snack a day. Using the lunch menu halves the cost of the same food you would eat in the evening.
- Museums and entry fees: €15-30 a day in big cities. If you plan several, price the city card.
- Event tickets: €40-120 for a concert, €30-150 for a football match, €60-120 for a festival day.
- Tours and experiences: a boat trip or food tour adds €20-60 a day.
- Shopping and gifts: personal, but never write zero — this is the line people forget most.
Block 4: the lines nobody counts
- Travel medical insurance: typically €10-25 for a week, and mandatory for Schengen applications.
- Checked baggage: €40-80 return, and on low-cost carriers it can exceed the fare.
- Card fees and exchange spread: 1.5-3% of what you spend. A card with a foreign currency account almost erases this line.
- Visa and application fees: one-off if required, but a large number.
- A data plan: a few dollars with an eSIM, considerably more on roaming.
- Contingency: 10% of the total. A missed train, illness or a closed museum happens on every trip.
Practical ways to stay inside the budget
- Lock in flights and accommodation early — these two lines move the most.
- Shift a week either side of high season: the same weather, up to 30% less.
- Set aside daily spending in cash; paying by card makes it harder to track.
- Look for free days — many museums are free on a fixed day each month.
- Buy event tickets from the official seller as soon as they go on sale; resale doubles the price.
- Leave the last day loose; when the schedule tightens, taxis and last-minute spending break the budget.
Keep reading
Frequently asked questions
What does a week in Europe cost?
Excluding flights, between €45-60 per person per day in Eastern Europe and €150-220 in Western Europe at a mid-range level. A mid-range week in Western Europe typically lands at €1,200-1,800 including flights.
How much contingency should I keep?
Ten percent of the total is a sensible buffer. A missed connection, illness or an unexpected transport cost turns up on almost every trip.
Cash or card?
Both. Paying by card makes daily spending easy to track, but small restaurants, markets and some transport lines are cash only. A card with a foreign currency account almost removes the fee line.
How do event tickets fit into the budget?
Concerts run €40-120, matches €30-150 and a festival day €60-120. Buying before you travel is both cheaper and fixes the number; on the resale market prices double easily.
