Before I started traveling, I had NO idea how much it cost to travel.
Unfortunately, it isn’t free and can be quite spendy.
But, ultimately it is attainable and completely do-able. There are so many different price ranges and choices!
I have added up the total costs of 5 different types of trips to give you an idea of what you might have to save for.
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Table of Contents
My Traveling Style (Background):
I am by no means a full-blown budget traveler, but I do travel on a teacher’s salary, so I try to save money where I can.
If you have read any of my other posts, you may know that I like to save money, but I still like to have the essentials (private bathroom, bed, my own car…). I will also occasionally splurge for unique experiences.
Of course these prices will differ depending on your travel style. There is much room for saving money (as well as spending much more money).
I also excluded food from the totals, because that will differ so much depending on your interests.
For us, we do not spend much money on food on vacation (except in Iceland…). We typically will eat breakfast at our accommodation, have a picnic for lunch, and go out for dinner.
Soo, I would average 50 dollars a day in food for two people.
**Prices are in USD**
Iceland
Number of Days: 3 nights, 4 days
Flight: 230 dollars per person (DFW-Reykjavik)
Accommodation: 544 dollars (2 people) at Hotel Viking
Activities: Golden Circle Self Drive: 6 dollars (parking fee)
South Iceland Self Drive: Free
Blue Lagoon: 88 dollars pp
Car Rental: 150 (75 pp)
Total Cost to Travel: 671 dollars per person
Additional Cost to Budget for: FOOD (this will be a major expense during this trip…Check out my Iceland Itinerary for some money saving tips), gas, any additional activities, pet care.
Read more about our Iceland Road Trip HERE!
Hawaii
We were busy this whole trip but found many activities that were free and 100 percent worth doing. Flights are always expensive to get to Hawaii, but it wasn’t too expensive once we arrived.
We hiked, snorkeled, rented a boogie board, and explored beaches and national parks.
Number of Days: 6 Nights
Flight: 552 dollars pp (DFW- Maui)
Accommodation: 1,539 (we rented a condo through Ali’i Resorts with a full-sized kitchen, right on the beach…so you could definitely save money here)… 770 dollars pp
Activities: Snuba Diving: 170 dollars pp
Haleakala National Park: 50 dollars (we visited twice so 25×2=50)
Car Rental: 336 dollars or 168 pp
Total Cost to Travel: 1,685 dollars pp
Additional Costs to budget for: Food, Gas, any additional activities, pet care (we use Rover and paid 220 dollars)
Read more about this BUCKET LIST Maui Vacation HERE!
Utah
This was such a fun hiking and camping trip! Seriously, the views were AMAZING!
Number of Days: 4 nights, 5 days
Flight: DFW- Las Vegas- 130 dollars
Accommodation: Camping at Zion Ponderosa: 60 dollars pp.
Activities: National Park Entrance: 35×2=70 or 35 pp.
Horseback Riding: 50 dollars pp.
Car Rental: 100 dollars (50 dollars pp)
Total Cost to Travel: 325 dollars pp.
Additional Costs to budget for: Gas, food, drinks, additional activities, any needed camping equipment.
Read more about this Utah trip HERE!
Alaska
This was our honeymoon, so we splurged more than usual on this trip.
Number of Days: 7 nights, 8 days
Flight: Minneapolis to Seattle: 170 pp
Accommodation: Cruise: 2400 (Carnival Cruise Lines for two people) 1200 pp
Activities: Helicopter: 360 dollars pp.
Snorkeling: 129 pp
Boat Safari: 80 pp
Bus Tour: 50 pp
Whale Watching: 115 pp
Food: Included in Accommodation Price (we didn’t drink or buy extra alcohol)
Total Cost to Travel: 1,934 dollars pp
Extra Costs to budget for::: Food before/after the cruise, hotels before/after cruise and Uber/shuttle to cruise port, car rental (if arriving early or staying after cruise)
Check out details from our Alaska Cruise HERE!
Arkansas (Weekend Trip)
Weekend trips are the perfect excuse to travel and explore without having to spend all your savings!
Sometimes they are even more fun that the big extensive trips, because they are a lot less stressful and allow more time for spontaneity.
Number of Days: 3 nights, 4 days
Flight: No Flight
Accommodation: Airbnb 254 dollars (This is the cabin we stayed in)
Use this link to save 55 dollars off your first Airbnb!
Activities: Free (hiking, swimming, fires, relaxing, board games, bbq’s, yard games, reading)
Car Rental: No rental needed when you can drive your own car. Your only expense will be gas.
It was four hours away from Dallas, so 346 miles divided by 25 mpg =14 gallons, or about 35-40 dollars each way in gas.
I will round up and say 100 dollars in gas.
Food: We went grocery shopping before leaving and brought all our food with. The cabin had a microwave, small refrigerator, and a grill.
Total Cost to Travel: 354 dollars or 177 pp.
Seriously, so worth it! Explore locally!
Read more about Weekend Getaways from DFW HERE
As you can see, there are SO many possibilities when it comes to traveling.
The cost to travel is really up to you! I have had some of the best times on weekend trips for less than 200 dollars!
If you are interested in how I save money before and during travel, click the pictures below:)
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