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The trip costs what it costs. Find out before you book, not after you land.
Vacations blow budgets in the same places every time: the food estimate was per person but the flights were for two, and nobody budgeted the buffer. This calculator builds the trip from its real parts — lodging, transport, food per person per day, activities, and a surprise buffer — then converts the total into the number that actually matters: what you need to save each month before you leave.
Families use it in the planning argument: "can we afford this trip" becomes a per-day number and a monthly savings target instead of a vibe. It is also the antidote to the post-vacation credit card bill — the trip gets paid before it happens.
Build it, don't guess it. Example: 2 travelers, 5 nights at $180, $700 flights, $60/day food each, $400 activities, $200 misc, 10% buffer → $3,080 total, $1,540 per person, $616 per day. The per-day figure is the honest way to compare trips against each other — and against staying home.
The buffer items: resort and parking fees, tips, baggage fees, airport food, the one rainy-day activity, and the "we're on vacation" splurge dinner. That is why the 10% buffer is a line, not an option — trips reliably produce unbudgeted costs, and the buffer is what keeps them off a credit card at 22%.
Reverse the math: total cost ÷ months until departure = monthly savings. A $3,080 trip 4 months out is $770/month; 8 months out is $385. If the monthly number doesn't fit, adjust the trip — one fewer night, one hotel tier down — not the emergency fund. The fund is for disasters, not departures.