MTCBudget guide
A travel budget checklist that says which lines are already counted
The short answer
A trip budget has two halves. The first half is modelled for you here: flights, accommodation, food and daily spending, local transport, activities, and an "other" line. The second half is conditional and personal, so no model can supply it: checked baggage, entry costs, insurance, connectivity, and card or currency charges. Budget the first half from the estimate and the second half from your own facts.
Match each provider quote to the spending it replaces. If breakfast is included, adjust only the breakfast amount you would otherwise budget separately. If a package includes transfers, do not add the same transfer twice; keep an allowance for other local travel.
Be precise about what the local transport line is. It is a general daily allowance for getting around, not a confirmed airport transfer quote for your flight at your arrival hour. If your arrival is awkward or your accommodation is far out, price that transfer separately and treat the allowance as covering the rest of the days.
How to do it
- Start from the modelled breakdown below and read each line's note: it tells you whether that line is per person, per room, or partly shared. That note is what makes the line checkable.
- Add checked baggage only if you will check a bag. Fares differ in what they include, and the airline's own size and weight rules are the ones that apply at the gate.
- Add entry costs only if they apply to your passport: a visa or entry fee, and any tourism tax collected on arrival or at the property.
- If you plan to buy insurance or connectivity such as an eSIM or roaming pass, check the actual coverage, terms and price, then include any amount not already covered by your bookings.
- Check whether your payment method or currency exchange carries a fee or conversion spread. Use the current terms of your bank, card or exchange provider; do not assume every payment has the same charge.
- Before you add anything, check whether it is already inside a quote you hold. Then subtract, never double.
Worked example
This is the full modelled breakdown for the stated scenario — these are the lines that are already counted:
Scenario: Thailand · departing Riyadh · November · 7 days · 2 travellers · Mid-range · SAR · flights included
| Cost component | Modelled estimate |
|---|---|
| International flightsround trip · per person × 2 | 4,700–7,350 SAR |
| Accommodation6 nights · 1 room | 1,600–2,450 SAR |
| Food & daily spendingper person × 2 | 1,500–2,100 SAR |
| Activities & experiencesper person × 2 | 700–1,300 SAR |
| Local transportpartly shared | 400–650 SAR |
| Other / bufferper person × 2 | 350–700 SAR |
| Whole-trip total | 9,250–14,550 SAR |
- Seasonal price level: High
What this example assumes
- On-the-ground costs come from the site's cost bands, whose data reference is 2026-08-23. Loading this page does not refresh that data.
- Rooms are one room per two travellers. There is no children's pricing and no age-based discount anywhere in the model.
- Airfare is modelled from the departure metro and the travel month. It is not a quote, and if you already hold a real fare you should enter it in the calculator so it replaces the modelled one.
Cost data reference: 2026-08-23. Opening this page does not refresh it.
Where this goes wrong
- Adding a contingency percentage on top and calling it a component. The "other" line is already part of the estimate; a reserve you choose yourself is a separate decision, kept separate on purpose.
- Counting breakfast twice because the hotel rate includes it and the food line already assumes you eat.
- Assuming the local transport allowance is a booked airport transfer. It is a daily allowance; a 2am arrival at a distant property is its own cost.
- Budgeting a child as a discounted adult. There is no age-based pricing in this model at all, so a family total is travellers × the same rates, with one room per two people.
What this guide does not do
- Every figure on this page is a modelled estimate built from typical costs for the stated scenario. It is not a live fare, not a live room rate, not an offer and not a booking.
- Visa costs, travel insurance and card charges are conditional questions that depend on your passport, your insurer and your bank. This guide tells you to ask them; it does not answer them for you, and it is not legal or financial advice.
Where to go next
Sources
External documentation, paraphrased. The date is the day the page was read.
- Google Flights: comparing fares with bag fees included, and checking the airline's own size and weight rulesGoogle Travel Help · 2026-09-13
- Google Flights: how to search, and what the Dates and Price graph views showGoogle Travel Help · 2026-09-13