BUDGETING
Yes, its time for that dreaded budget discussion. Can you really afford to take the trip that you’d like? What will the trip REALLY cost?
Hostels in developing countries can start out as low as $2 per night. An overwater bungalow on Bora Bora can start out as low as $600 per night. You might be able to stay with relatives or friends for free; while private villas in Tuscany or on you own private island can be in the thousands or even tens of thousands per night. A ham bagette in Paris can be had for the equivalent of under $5, while a fine dinner in a Michelin *** restaurant in Paris can cost over $150 per person. An off-season roundtrip ticket from New York to London can cost under $1000, while in First Class, the fare can be in excess of $4500.
The key is to be able to travel the way you want to travel – in a manner where you are comfortable. If attaching a sleeping bag to your backpack and sleeping under the stars at the outskirts of town is not your cup-of-tea, realize that and budget more than a $100 a week! It’s just a matter of what’s important to you. If you want to have a reasonably comfortable bed, a reasonably clean room, and a private bath, you need to budget accordingly. If nothing but the Intercontinental will do, then budget for that. And if you’re young or young at heart and hostels sound appealing, that’s great, too. Just don’t let anybody else tell you how you should travel.
So, as you begin your travel planning effort, take an initial crack at your budget. Refine it as you learn more about lodging and food costs; be sure to include big-ticket special expenses – remember that 4 days at Disney World for a family of four can run $1200 in admissions alone! And continue to keep your expectations in mind and adjust downward only as you are comfortable doing so.
In preparing your travel budget, be realistic. Just because you typically spend $50 a day on food in Wyoming doesn’t mean $50 a day will be realistic in London (though it COULD be by eating take-away fish and chips and having fewer sit down, multi-course meals). Many travel guidebooks have guidance on typical meal costs. As you travel more and more, you will get a feel as to whether you typically spend on the low end or high end of the ranges mentioned in these books. Based on the insights of the books and your own personal experience, it becomes easier over time to develop realistic travel budgets.
Relate your budget to your trip objectives. If one of your objectives is to learn to scuba drive in Baja, then include the cost of the classes, dive equipment rentals and certification tests. If you want to play golf at St. Andrews in Scotland, check out their rates and include it in your budget. And, of course, if you are going to Disneyland or Universal Orlando or similar, include the daily admission prices in your budget (they are significant!). If eating great meals in France or Italy or going to clubs or the opera is your goal, budget for it.
On the other hand, if driving along the coast of Ireland and having pub grub (and a pint or two in the evening) is your main agenda, a basic budget may be adequate.
Budget Categories
When developing your detail budget for your trip, here are the main categories for consideration.
Transportation
Airfare, including taxes, surcharges, luggage fees
o Check out www.kayak.com to set an initial estimate of airfares
Rental cars, trains, internal flights while overseas or away from home
o Check out www.carrentals.com to set an initial estimate of car rental costs
Travel to/from airport, cruise terminal, train station
o Most guidebooks have information on bus/train/cab fares to and from airports, cruise terminals and train stations
Travel from your house to/from airport, train station, including parking fees
o Based on your personal experience
Accommodations
Budget for number of nights, adjusted for typical costs by city/area visited
o Most guidebooks have ranges of typical lodging costs
o Refine as you research and book accommodations
o Include resort fees and parking fees
Food
Budget for number of days, adjusted for typical costs by city/area visited
o When in doubt or when lacking information, suggest starting at $30-40 per day per person and adjusting from there as you find out more information.
· o Include snacks, drinks, groceries, bottled water while in 3rd world areas; assume $10 per day per person for initial budgeting; adjust based on personal experience
Miscellaneous ·
Budget $10/day per person for miscellaneous that includes postcards, stamps, local transportation (bus/subway), admissions/entrance fees, newspapers. Some days you will likely spend a lot more, while on other days practically nothing. You may adjust this up or down according to your experiences.
o DON’T SKIP ON ADMISSIONS, FEES. A recent news article entitled “Too much penny-pinching can spoil your trip,” hit the nail on the head. A disease aptly titled “extremis budgetitis” affects many backpackers, “I’ve seen travelers skip Michelangelo’s “David” in Florence because of the $9 admission fee.” While the admission price may seem on the high side, the reality is that you have already spent hundreds if not a thousand or more getting to Florence. The final admission price in miniscule in comparison and does provide admission to one of the art masterpieces in the world. Don’t shortchange yourself when it comes to the sites and sounds that you’ve come to experience. There are ways to reduce the cost of many of the sites. Many museums have one free (or pay what you want) day a week. Museum passes may also prove to be cost-effective. (And note: "David" is 17 Euros in 2017!)
o Wi-fi or internet services. Wi-Fi can often be found for free or low cost at coffee shops; many hotels/resorts charge fairly high daily fees.
o Phone cards, international cell phone services. Check with your current provider concerning international roaming fees, etc. Usually cheaper to use phone cards overseas or to rent a phone overseas.
Special
Admissions to costly venues/events, such as theme parks (Disneyland), high admission areas (Machu Picchu and African game reserves), Broadway Plays, and national park passes that the “Miscellaneous” budget item will clearly not cover.
Workshops (art, photography, crafts), cooking classes, etc. These will often be booked prior to your departure, but are sometimes available upon arrival at a destination.
Boat rentals (ranging from canoes to narrowboats and everything in between)
Cruise or tour package (which may zero out accommodations, meals on some or all days, depending on what is covered)
Optional tours when on cruises or other tours. Your tour operator or cruise ship operator can advise on the range of costs, or you can go on your own, oftentimes for less.
Travel insurance
With more and more fees paid up-front and non-refundable, trip insurance has taken on a whole new dimension. With more and more folks traveling overseas for longer and longer periods and with health insurance at home coming with more and more restrictions, the need for medical insurance while on a trip has increased as well. Then there is the cost of medical evacuation in case of a major illness or injury. Travel insurance is now a major industry and a much more common travel expense, especially for overseas travel. The range of policies is enormous, as is the range of costs. The simplest and least expensive policies tend to be for medical evacuation and some cost of medical treatment. The most complex and expensive policies are so-called comprehensive policies covering trip cancellation, baggage loss, trip delay, medical, evacuation and a host of other features.
Airlines themselves are offering policies now that cover some of the basics (medical and medical evacuation) and cover the cost of non-refundable airfares in certain cases. They tend to be less expensive than other policies but also have more limited coverage. If you are booking a tour, the operator often has a recommended insurance carrier. Your travel agent may also have one. Another good place to check is an on-line agency with access to policies from multiple insurance companies. One that I’ve used is www.insuremytrip.com. Also check with your own medical insurance carrier and see what’s covered, if anything, based on where you’re headed.
Passports, visas
o See Chapter 7
Guide books
o See Chapter 2
Immunizations, other travel medical costs
o See Chapter 7
Costs for dog/cat/pet/animal sitters
Travel agent/travel coaching fees
Money exchange
While there are countries where the U.S, dollar is readily accepted for any and all purchases (Ecuador, for instance, or cruise ship ports in the Caribbean), its most common to have to exchange some U.S. currency for the currency of the realm. With the plethora of ATM machines in much of the world, this has become the easiest and often least expensive way of getting local currency. Its fast (no long lines at the exchange window), has relatively low fees and is basically honest. Exchanging U.S. currency or Traveler’s Checks (remember Traveler’s Checks?) usually involves bank lines or shopping for the best rate at exchange bureaus or traders on the street. Some less scrupulous traders may even try to rip you off if you’re not careful and observant.
If the hotel is outside of your home country, is the price subject to currency fluctuation or billed in US dollars? (Also note that even if booked in US dollars, credit card companies may charge you a foreign transaction fee. This is something to be careful about when booking an overseas air carrier as well. The same flight booked through Expedia or similar would not have a foreign transaction fee; one booked directly with the non-US carrier would – sometimes as much as a 3% fee.)
Foreign Currency
Other cost considerations include foreign current fluctuations. It’s wise to assume an exchange rate about 10% less than the current rate when budgeting for a trip. This usually covers changes in rates and ATM and credit cards fees. If there is a significant change in exchange rates (either up or down), you can modify the budget accordingly. The more countries you travel to and through on a trip, the more exchange fees you will likely run up. The Euro zone has made a big change when traveling in many parts of Europe, though Great Britain, Switzerland and Norway are among the countries that still have their individual currencies.
Laundry
If you’re traveling for less than two weeks – it’s not really an issue – maybe wash some socks and underwear in the sink and dry them over the heat vent. But on a longer trip – laundry becomes a real issue – in terms of time, cost and even availability. On our 16-week trip across western Europe, we had real struggles. Spaniards almost all have their own washing machines and young adults tend to live at home until they establish their own home – so laundromats are nearly non-existent. We found one in Seville - $16 and two days for two loads of clothing. Elsewhere, we found ourselves sending select items to the hotel laundry – not uncommon to spend $16 to get 4 items cleaned! Of course, we also did a lot of in-room laundering. Here’s where the Lonely Planet guidebooks come in handy – laundries are a basic component of their listings.
Postcards, postage
As much as your friends and colleagues feign envy, they will be even more upset if you don’t send them at least one postcard from the road. Even in this day of e-mail (more about that later), a picture postcard is well received back home. Don’t skimp here – and be aware that it’s not cheap to send a postcard from nearly any foreign country to home. Post offices themselves can be somewhat intimidating when English is not the native language. There is no good rule of thumb here – just kind of go where the people are and wait your turn. It’s helpful to have a postcard with you and nearly all clerks understand “United States” or “Estados Unidos.” Use your fingers to designate how many. We’ve never left without our stamps. Also remember to use them all in the country of origin – they lose all of their postal value after crossing the border (though they can still make good souvenirs)!
Sundries
Not a big issue for a two or three week trip – but the longer you’re gone, the more likely that you will have to replenish shampoo, soap, laundry detergent, aspirin, etc. These are not big-ticket items, but it helps explain the need to budget some daily amount for “miscellaneous.”
The occasional splurge
For some of you – any vacation away from home is a splurge in and of itself. Great! Enjoy! For others, there is an expected level of comfort while traveling. If you tend to budget for ** accommodations for the bulk of your trip, there may be a desire when you’ve been on the road for a while to stay somewhere different – an Irish castle for instance or a Spanish Parador or Portuguese Pousada or the 5-star hotel in a large city.
Gifts
Think ahead to the next birthdays or holidays and determine whether there is local merchandise that would be appropriate as gifts, especially if it’s something pretty unique – such as songet cloth from Malaysia – or a true bargain, such as woodcarvings in Bali. If you are looking for something special, do some research before you leave concerning local crafts and pricing. It’s also wise to buy it when you see it, rather than wait until later in the trip. There’s a good chance you won’t come across it again. Also be aware of the space it takes to get it home and how breakable the item is (lessons we’ve learned the hard way). Jewelry, beads, a couple skeins of yarn, fabric and CD’s, for instance, take little space and don’t break.
When shipping larger items back to the U.S., be prepared to pay customs duties that you may not have to pay if carrying the item in your luggage. There are also customs broker fees that may apply. If the items are indeed gifts, so mark the package – it reduces the likelihood of such fees being levied.
The purchase of interesting items can also result in other long-discussed stories – again, in Bali, we purchased a 3-foot tall Balinese “goddess” wood carving. In order to carry it along on the rest of our trip, we went to a local “wrapping and shipping” stall (literally a little shack by the side of the road). After convincing us that shipping it to the states would cost way too much, they proceeded to literally sew packing material around the carving, including a fabric carrying handle. The cost was probably under $5, the time to “wrap” it a good hour, and the piece survived the rest of the trip and still hangs on a wall of our home.
Duty-Free
There are bargains to be had, but do your research on prices before you leave home. If there’s a spirit that you are fond of, know what the cost back home is; same goes for perfume, the other popular duty-free item. Years ago, everything in duty-free was a true bargain – not so these days. Heightened airport security makes the purchase of any liquid of more than 3 ounces problematic if you are taking a connecting flight after going through U.S. immigration and customs. You can still purchase alcohol, for instance, in London or Tokyo or Lima and board a nonstop flight to the US. If you are then connecting to another flight, however, your alcohol purchase will be confiscated since you will need to go back through security after completing customs and immigration formalities.
Electronic goods are rarely worth the risk – incompatible voltages and/or plug-ins, invalid warranties and prices no better than the discount houses all work against you. If you know exactly what you are looking for and understand the compatibility issues, and truly know a bargain when you see it, such a purchase might be worth your time.
Putting it All Together
A computer spreadsheet (using Excel or other software) allows you to easily play with and/or adjust the budget as you are planning your trip. You can then print the budget spreadsheet and take it with me on the journey. Each evening, you can summarize the day’s expenses (not necessarily to the dollar, but rough approximations) and compare to the budget. That way you can see if you’ve been too extravagant on meals or beer or whatever, or if you can do that castle splurge! This might be too much for many people, but if staying on or close to budget is important to you, it’s worth figuring out a tracking system that works for you.
I have found it very helpful to track actual expenses on a daily basis. This helps me remain calm about the budget and how much I’m spending. I save the marked-up budget sheets and use them when estimating costs for future trips.
Hostels in developing countries can start out as low as $2 per night. An overwater bungalow on Bora Bora can start out as low as $600 per night. You might be able to stay with relatives or friends for free; while private villas in Tuscany or on you own private island can be in the thousands or even tens of thousands per night. A ham bagette in Paris can be had for the equivalent of under $5, while a fine dinner in a Michelin *** restaurant in Paris can cost over $150 per person. An off-season roundtrip ticket from New York to London can cost under $1000, while in First Class, the fare can be in excess of $4500.
The key is to be able to travel the way you want to travel – in a manner where you are comfortable. If attaching a sleeping bag to your backpack and sleeping under the stars at the outskirts of town is not your cup-of-tea, realize that and budget more than a $100 a week! It’s just a matter of what’s important to you. If you want to have a reasonably comfortable bed, a reasonably clean room, and a private bath, you need to budget accordingly. If nothing but the Intercontinental will do, then budget for that. And if you’re young or young at heart and hostels sound appealing, that’s great, too. Just don’t let anybody else tell you how you should travel.
So, as you begin your travel planning effort, take an initial crack at your budget. Refine it as you learn more about lodging and food costs; be sure to include big-ticket special expenses – remember that 4 days at Disney World for a family of four can run $1200 in admissions alone! And continue to keep your expectations in mind and adjust downward only as you are comfortable doing so.
In preparing your travel budget, be realistic. Just because you typically spend $50 a day on food in Wyoming doesn’t mean $50 a day will be realistic in London (though it COULD be by eating take-away fish and chips and having fewer sit down, multi-course meals). Many travel guidebooks have guidance on typical meal costs. As you travel more and more, you will get a feel as to whether you typically spend on the low end or high end of the ranges mentioned in these books. Based on the insights of the books and your own personal experience, it becomes easier over time to develop realistic travel budgets.
Relate your budget to your trip objectives. If one of your objectives is to learn to scuba drive in Baja, then include the cost of the classes, dive equipment rentals and certification tests. If you want to play golf at St. Andrews in Scotland, check out their rates and include it in your budget. And, of course, if you are going to Disneyland or Universal Orlando or similar, include the daily admission prices in your budget (they are significant!). If eating great meals in France or Italy or going to clubs or the opera is your goal, budget for it.
On the other hand, if driving along the coast of Ireland and having pub grub (and a pint or two in the evening) is your main agenda, a basic budget may be adequate.
Budget Categories
When developing your detail budget for your trip, here are the main categories for consideration.
Transportation
Airfare, including taxes, surcharges, luggage fees
o Check out www.kayak.com to set an initial estimate of airfares
Rental cars, trains, internal flights while overseas or away from home
o Check out www.carrentals.com to set an initial estimate of car rental costs
Travel to/from airport, cruise terminal, train station
o Most guidebooks have information on bus/train/cab fares to and from airports, cruise terminals and train stations
Travel from your house to/from airport, train station, including parking fees
o Based on your personal experience
Accommodations
Budget for number of nights, adjusted for typical costs by city/area visited
o Most guidebooks have ranges of typical lodging costs
o Refine as you research and book accommodations
o Include resort fees and parking fees
Food
Budget for number of days, adjusted for typical costs by city/area visited
o When in doubt or when lacking information, suggest starting at $30-40 per day per person and adjusting from there as you find out more information.
· o Include snacks, drinks, groceries, bottled water while in 3rd world areas; assume $10 per day per person for initial budgeting; adjust based on personal experience
Miscellaneous ·
Budget $10/day per person for miscellaneous that includes postcards, stamps, local transportation (bus/subway), admissions/entrance fees, newspapers. Some days you will likely spend a lot more, while on other days practically nothing. You may adjust this up or down according to your experiences.
o DON’T SKIP ON ADMISSIONS, FEES. A recent news article entitled “Too much penny-pinching can spoil your trip,” hit the nail on the head. A disease aptly titled “extremis budgetitis” affects many backpackers, “I’ve seen travelers skip Michelangelo’s “David” in Florence because of the $9 admission fee.” While the admission price may seem on the high side, the reality is that you have already spent hundreds if not a thousand or more getting to Florence. The final admission price in miniscule in comparison and does provide admission to one of the art masterpieces in the world. Don’t shortchange yourself when it comes to the sites and sounds that you’ve come to experience. There are ways to reduce the cost of many of the sites. Many museums have one free (or pay what you want) day a week. Museum passes may also prove to be cost-effective. (And note: "David" is 17 Euros in 2017!)
o Wi-fi or internet services. Wi-Fi can often be found for free or low cost at coffee shops; many hotels/resorts charge fairly high daily fees.
o Phone cards, international cell phone services. Check with your current provider concerning international roaming fees, etc. Usually cheaper to use phone cards overseas or to rent a phone overseas.
Special
Admissions to costly venues/events, such as theme parks (Disneyland), high admission areas (Machu Picchu and African game reserves), Broadway Plays, and national park passes that the “Miscellaneous” budget item will clearly not cover.
Workshops (art, photography, crafts), cooking classes, etc. These will often be booked prior to your departure, but are sometimes available upon arrival at a destination.
Boat rentals (ranging from canoes to narrowboats and everything in between)
Cruise or tour package (which may zero out accommodations, meals on some or all days, depending on what is covered)
Optional tours when on cruises or other tours. Your tour operator or cruise ship operator can advise on the range of costs, or you can go on your own, oftentimes for less.
Travel insurance
With more and more fees paid up-front and non-refundable, trip insurance has taken on a whole new dimension. With more and more folks traveling overseas for longer and longer periods and with health insurance at home coming with more and more restrictions, the need for medical insurance while on a trip has increased as well. Then there is the cost of medical evacuation in case of a major illness or injury. Travel insurance is now a major industry and a much more common travel expense, especially for overseas travel. The range of policies is enormous, as is the range of costs. The simplest and least expensive policies tend to be for medical evacuation and some cost of medical treatment. The most complex and expensive policies are so-called comprehensive policies covering trip cancellation, baggage loss, trip delay, medical, evacuation and a host of other features.
Airlines themselves are offering policies now that cover some of the basics (medical and medical evacuation) and cover the cost of non-refundable airfares in certain cases. They tend to be less expensive than other policies but also have more limited coverage. If you are booking a tour, the operator often has a recommended insurance carrier. Your travel agent may also have one. Another good place to check is an on-line agency with access to policies from multiple insurance companies. One that I’ve used is www.insuremytrip.com. Also check with your own medical insurance carrier and see what’s covered, if anything, based on where you’re headed.
Passports, visas
o See Chapter 7
Guide books
o See Chapter 2
Immunizations, other travel medical costs
o See Chapter 7
Costs for dog/cat/pet/animal sitters
Travel agent/travel coaching fees
Money exchange
While there are countries where the U.S, dollar is readily accepted for any and all purchases (Ecuador, for instance, or cruise ship ports in the Caribbean), its most common to have to exchange some U.S. currency for the currency of the realm. With the plethora of ATM machines in much of the world, this has become the easiest and often least expensive way of getting local currency. Its fast (no long lines at the exchange window), has relatively low fees and is basically honest. Exchanging U.S. currency or Traveler’s Checks (remember Traveler’s Checks?) usually involves bank lines or shopping for the best rate at exchange bureaus or traders on the street. Some less scrupulous traders may even try to rip you off if you’re not careful and observant.
If the hotel is outside of your home country, is the price subject to currency fluctuation or billed in US dollars? (Also note that even if booked in US dollars, credit card companies may charge you a foreign transaction fee. This is something to be careful about when booking an overseas air carrier as well. The same flight booked through Expedia or similar would not have a foreign transaction fee; one booked directly with the non-US carrier would – sometimes as much as a 3% fee.)
Foreign Currency
Other cost considerations include foreign current fluctuations. It’s wise to assume an exchange rate about 10% less than the current rate when budgeting for a trip. This usually covers changes in rates and ATM and credit cards fees. If there is a significant change in exchange rates (either up or down), you can modify the budget accordingly. The more countries you travel to and through on a trip, the more exchange fees you will likely run up. The Euro zone has made a big change when traveling in many parts of Europe, though Great Britain, Switzerland and Norway are among the countries that still have their individual currencies.
Laundry
If you’re traveling for less than two weeks – it’s not really an issue – maybe wash some socks and underwear in the sink and dry them over the heat vent. But on a longer trip – laundry becomes a real issue – in terms of time, cost and even availability. On our 16-week trip across western Europe, we had real struggles. Spaniards almost all have their own washing machines and young adults tend to live at home until they establish their own home – so laundromats are nearly non-existent. We found one in Seville - $16 and two days for two loads of clothing. Elsewhere, we found ourselves sending select items to the hotel laundry – not uncommon to spend $16 to get 4 items cleaned! Of course, we also did a lot of in-room laundering. Here’s where the Lonely Planet guidebooks come in handy – laundries are a basic component of their listings.
Postcards, postage
As much as your friends and colleagues feign envy, they will be even more upset if you don’t send them at least one postcard from the road. Even in this day of e-mail (more about that later), a picture postcard is well received back home. Don’t skimp here – and be aware that it’s not cheap to send a postcard from nearly any foreign country to home. Post offices themselves can be somewhat intimidating when English is not the native language. There is no good rule of thumb here – just kind of go where the people are and wait your turn. It’s helpful to have a postcard with you and nearly all clerks understand “United States” or “Estados Unidos.” Use your fingers to designate how many. We’ve never left without our stamps. Also remember to use them all in the country of origin – they lose all of their postal value after crossing the border (though they can still make good souvenirs)!
Sundries
Not a big issue for a two or three week trip – but the longer you’re gone, the more likely that you will have to replenish shampoo, soap, laundry detergent, aspirin, etc. These are not big-ticket items, but it helps explain the need to budget some daily amount for “miscellaneous.”
The occasional splurge
For some of you – any vacation away from home is a splurge in and of itself. Great! Enjoy! For others, there is an expected level of comfort while traveling. If you tend to budget for ** accommodations for the bulk of your trip, there may be a desire when you’ve been on the road for a while to stay somewhere different – an Irish castle for instance or a Spanish Parador or Portuguese Pousada or the 5-star hotel in a large city.
Gifts
Think ahead to the next birthdays or holidays and determine whether there is local merchandise that would be appropriate as gifts, especially if it’s something pretty unique – such as songet cloth from Malaysia – or a true bargain, such as woodcarvings in Bali. If you are looking for something special, do some research before you leave concerning local crafts and pricing. It’s also wise to buy it when you see it, rather than wait until later in the trip. There’s a good chance you won’t come across it again. Also be aware of the space it takes to get it home and how breakable the item is (lessons we’ve learned the hard way). Jewelry, beads, a couple skeins of yarn, fabric and CD’s, for instance, take little space and don’t break.
When shipping larger items back to the U.S., be prepared to pay customs duties that you may not have to pay if carrying the item in your luggage. There are also customs broker fees that may apply. If the items are indeed gifts, so mark the package – it reduces the likelihood of such fees being levied.
The purchase of interesting items can also result in other long-discussed stories – again, in Bali, we purchased a 3-foot tall Balinese “goddess” wood carving. In order to carry it along on the rest of our trip, we went to a local “wrapping and shipping” stall (literally a little shack by the side of the road). After convincing us that shipping it to the states would cost way too much, they proceeded to literally sew packing material around the carving, including a fabric carrying handle. The cost was probably under $5, the time to “wrap” it a good hour, and the piece survived the rest of the trip and still hangs on a wall of our home.
Duty-Free
There are bargains to be had, but do your research on prices before you leave home. If there’s a spirit that you are fond of, know what the cost back home is; same goes for perfume, the other popular duty-free item. Years ago, everything in duty-free was a true bargain – not so these days. Heightened airport security makes the purchase of any liquid of more than 3 ounces problematic if you are taking a connecting flight after going through U.S. immigration and customs. You can still purchase alcohol, for instance, in London or Tokyo or Lima and board a nonstop flight to the US. If you are then connecting to another flight, however, your alcohol purchase will be confiscated since you will need to go back through security after completing customs and immigration formalities.
Electronic goods are rarely worth the risk – incompatible voltages and/or plug-ins, invalid warranties and prices no better than the discount houses all work against you. If you know exactly what you are looking for and understand the compatibility issues, and truly know a bargain when you see it, such a purchase might be worth your time.
Putting it All Together
A computer spreadsheet (using Excel or other software) allows you to easily play with and/or adjust the budget as you are planning your trip. You can then print the budget spreadsheet and take it with me on the journey. Each evening, you can summarize the day’s expenses (not necessarily to the dollar, but rough approximations) and compare to the budget. That way you can see if you’ve been too extravagant on meals or beer or whatever, or if you can do that castle splurge! This might be too much for many people, but if staying on or close to budget is important to you, it’s worth figuring out a tracking system that works for you.
I have found it very helpful to track actual expenses on a daily basis. This helps me remain calm about the budget and how much I’m spending. I save the marked-up budget sheets and use them when estimating costs for future trips.