4 Simple Ways to Track Travel Expenses & Stay on Budget + FREE Travel Expense Tracker

Don’t come home from a trip with debt. Track travel expenses and enjoy your time away guilt-free! Find out 4 methods that are simple and easy.

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Have you ever come back from a vacation and been sick to your stomach once you opened up the credit card statement and realized how much you spent?  If so, then you are not alone.  The good news is that it doesn’t have to be that way, although it may mean you have to change some habits.  Track travel expenses and you will stay on budget.  I promise you, it works!

The idea of tracking your expenses while travelling or on a vacation sounds like a pain.  Who wants to think about tracking your travel expenses when you are enjoying some much-needed time away?  It may not sound exciting, but it doesn’t have to be complicated and time-consuming.  Just a little bit of organization and you’ll be set.

Determine Your Travel Budget

Before I dive into ways to track travel expenses, this entire topic is based on the premise that you have actually set a budget for your travel.  Please don’t skip this step.  You will surely overspend if you don’t even know what you have to spend.

You don’t need a complicated formula to determine a travel budget.  We put money into our slush fund each month for vacations and travel, so our travel budget depends on how much money we have saved up in that account (or how much we are willing to take out).  Debt is not an option for us, so we don’t take a vacation unless we have the cash for it.

I start with the total that we have to spend and then estimate the different categories (accommodations, transportation, food, spending money, etc.) based on what prices appear to be and what deals I may be able to find.  I make adjustments based on how far it looks like the money will take us.

Related:  10 Ways to Save Money on Road Trips, 8 Ways to Save Money on Beach Vacations

If you have a specific vacation in mind (such as Disney World), then you will budget backwards.  Determine the overall spending using the different categories for your specific trip.  Once you have worked out the detailed spending, you will have your overall total.  If your trip is further out, you can save each month so that you have the money available at the time of your travel.

However you decide to do it, know ahead of time what you have to spend and do your absolute best to track travel expenses and stick to it!

4 Simple Ways to Track Travel Expenses

Now that we have that out of the way, there are some really simple travel budget tracker options so you don’t have to stress while enjoying your travel.  Here are 4 simple ways to track travel expenses.  Check them out and decide which method might work best for you!

1.  Cash

Sometimes the simplest methods are the absolute best.  Our parents and grandparents were often more fiscally responsible than our generation, so maybe we complicate it too much?

Using cash for travel sounds so outdated, but it works!  For us, it is the simplest and easiest way to track travel expenses.  Take the cash out for your trip and then when it’s gone, it’s gone!

There are some instances when cash won’t work such as hotels, but using cash for everything else will simplify so much.  If you are hesitant about keeping that much cash in your wallet, then only keep what you need in your wallet and put the rest in a safe place.  Often, my husband and I will divide it up between the both of us so that no one person has all of it.

2.  Paper

Next to using cash, using paper to track travel expenses is the simplest way.

Bring along a small notebook, notepad, or piece of paper and jot down your expenses along the way.  You can organize your expenses based on categories if you want or just list them outright.  Keep a running total along the side so you know what you have left to spend.

If you prefer a pretty printable to notebook paper, then you are in luck!

Click here to download a FREE Travel Expense Tracker Printable

3.  Spreadsheet

I’ve come to love spreadsheets for budgeting.  Our main family budget is done on a spreadsheet every month and it has been working for years.

You can use a simple spreadsheet to track travel expenses and you’ll always know where you stand.  With cloud based tools and storage options, you can access the spreadsheets as long as you have an internet connection via your computer or on your phone when you are on the go.  Share the document with your spouse and you both have access to it!

If you like Google spreadsheets, then make sure you sign up below and you’ll receive one that I created for you! 🙂

Click here to open the FREE Travel Expense Tracker spreadsheet

4.  Smartphone App/Website

I don’t have much first-hand experience with budget apps, but I’ve heard great things about them.  A couple of years ago, I did sign up for Mint and it seemed like it was pretty easy to use.  I didn’t use it for long because my spreadsheet method was working so well for us.  (Old habits die hard!)

I’ve also heard of an app called Mvelopes that might work for you.  I’ve heard good things about both apps, but I don’t have much personal experience to share.  If you have tried them, let me know about your experience!

{Update:  I’ve begun using the EveryDollar app and highly recommend it!}

With travel season upon us, it’s not too soon to start thinking about your travel plans and your travel budget.  With some planning and a simple method to track travel expenses, you will be on your way to a guilt-free trip!

Do you track travel expenses?

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