How much should you save for a vacation?

Travel there and back. Accommodation. Food and drink each day. Local transport. Activities and entry fees. Everything else — visas, insurance, bags, pet or house sitting, a gift or two.

Estimate each part separately. Six honest estimates land far closer to reality than one confident guess.

Pick a realistic amount per person per day for meals, coffee, and small purchases, then multiply by the days. This is the part that most often doubles a trip's real cost.

If you are unsure, check menu prices for the destination rather than guessing from home. Twenty minutes of research changes the estimate meaningfully.

Something always costs more: a delayed connection, a rainy-day plan, a taxi instead of a bus. A buffer means these do not turn into a card balance you bring home.

If the buffer is unspent, it comes back with you. That is a good outcome, not a failure of planning.

Subtract whatever is already saved, divide the rest by the months until you leave, and that is the amount to set aside monthly. The calculator on this page does the arithmetic.

If the amount does not fit, the same three levers apply: a later trip, a cheaper version of the trip, or more room in the month.

Flights and accommodation usually reward booking early and lock in the largest amounts. Activities and food rarely do, and locking them in early mostly removes the ability to change your mind.

Paying the big pieces on the way to the date also means the trip is largely paid for before it starts, which is most of what makes a holiday feel restful.

A named account for the trip keeps the total visible and protects it from ordinary months. Watching it fill is also a large part of the enjoyment.

When you return, keep the account open. The next trip starts from whatever is left rather than from zero.