A big part of planning for a trip involves figuring out how much it will cost you to travel. What’s expensive in one place can be extremely cheap in another, and costs will be different than what you spend at home. I’ve seen plenty of posts out there about how to travel on some tiny amount per day, and that’s great, but it isn’t how I travel. I’m not a luxury traveler by any means, but I don’t travel on a bare bones budget either. Here’s a look at my travel spending and real travel budgets.
How much does it cost to travel the world?
Over the past few years, I’ve been tracking what we spend when we travel to various parts of the world. It helps Andy and I make sure we don’t go overboard, and it helps us plan how much money we need to travel the next time. As a way to help you, my readers, I’ve written travel cost posts to show how much it costs to travel to different locations.
Some are trips I took by myself, and some are trips me and Andy took together, and it will always be noted in each post. And don’t forget, we all have different travel styles, interests, and priorities, so my travel budgets won’t always match yours.
Hopefully this will get you started in planning your trip budget! For more help, read How to Make a Travel Budget and Saving Money to Travel.
How much does it cost to go to Asia?
Asia is a huge region of the world with widely varying costs. Places like Hong Kong and Japan can be very expensive. But traveling in Southeast Asia is very inexpensive; you can eat there for a full day on what it would cost you to have one meal in Europe or the US. Your travel budget will depend greatly on which country you’re visiting and your travel style.
Japan for 3 weeks
Hong Kong and Macau
Southeast Asia overview – more recent trip
Southeast Asia overview
Cambodia – more recent trip
Cambodia
Indonesia
Laos
Malaysia
Singapore
Thailand
How much does it cost to go to Australia?
Australia is a big country, and you can’t see it all in a few weeks. Though I have visited several parts of the country, I wasn’t tracking my spending until I visited Melbourne and the Great Ocean Road. You might need more money to travel to Australia than even the US or Europe, so this is where I feel it’s more important to watch your budget.
How much does it cost to do a road trip in the American southwest?
We decided to rent a campervan and road trip around the western US, mostly visiting national parks in CA, AZ, and UT. Camping should’ve made things cheaper, but we ended up in hotels more often than we planned. Check out our travel budget for a western US road trip and see where you can do better.
How much does it cost to go to Central America?
Central America is relatively inexpensive, especially food and transportation. But that also means it can be a good place to splurge on activities and nicer hotels.
Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, El Salvador
Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua
How much does it cost to go to Europe?
Living in Germany makes it easier for me and Andy to travel to other parts of Europe. It’s probably my favorite part of the world because of all the history and diversity in cultures. This is definitely not a cheap part of the world, but don’t be deterred by the travel costs. Like Australia, Europe is big, so with limited time, you’re better off picking one country or one small region.
Europe for two months
Belgium
Bosnia & Herzegovina and Montenegro for 4 days
Croatia and Slovenia for 2 weeks
Cyprus & Northern Cyprus for 1 week
Czech Republic – Prague
Denmark – Copenhagen
Finland and Estonia – Turku, Helsinki, Tallinn
France – Paris for 1 week
Germany – Hamburg
Germany – Munich
Germany – Nuremberg and Bamberg
Germany – Dresden and Leipzig
Germany – 3 months living in Berlin
Hungary – Budapest for 1 week
Italy – Amalfi Coast for 1 week
Italy – Rome
Italy – Cinque Terre
Italy – Bologna
Italy – Verona
Italy – 1 month in Pisa and Tuscany
Kosovo
Latvia – Riga
Netherlands
Netherlands – Amsterdam
Poland – Poznan
Poland – Krakow and Gdansk for 1 week
Poland – Warsaw
Poland & Czech Republic – Wrocław (PL) and Ostrava (CZ) for 1 week
Portugal – Lisbon
Slovakia – Bratislava
Spain – 1 month in Sevilla
Spain – Toledo and Salamanca for 1 week
Spain – Malaga for 1 week (solo)
Spain – Malaga for 1 week
Spain – Sevilla for 1 week
Spain – Granada for 2 days
Spain – Almeria for 2 days
Spain – Cartagena for 1 week
Spain – Alicante for 1 week
Switzerland – Bern, Interlaken & nearby
I use the Trail Wallet – Travel Budget & Expense Tracker app on my iPhone to track our expenses, and I really love how helpful it is. I even use it to track my spending at home. I definitely recommend it if you’re looking for an easy way to track your travel expenses.
Planning a trip? Read tour reviews here and check out the travel resources I love here.
