After seven days on vacation, one begins
to lose track of the number of credit card hand-offs made for everything from gas to swim diapers.

So when I got home, I tallied up the rough amount we spent on our summer vacation and was stunned at how it all added up. Without throwing airfare into the mix– which we paid for in March– we spent about $1,200.

At first glance that seems like a steal. But we only paid for one night at a hotel in that time, relying on the generosity of family for the rest.

Where did it go?

• $316 for the rental car (we picked up and dropped off at different locations, although we did get a free upgrade minivan)
• $100 for gas
• $110 for airport transportation/parking
• $144 for tickets to an amusement/water park
• $50 for tips of all sorts– for drivers, luggage handling, room cleaning, etc.
• $50 on souvenirs and gifts

That means the rest was spent on food and we’re not talking a couple great meals out. We’re talking overpriced airport slop and beach boardwalk fare.

At least we were able to charge most of it on the card that currently offers 6 percent back in the form of reward points on dining and gas.

Add the $800 spent on plane tickets and it’s hard to believe we spent $2,000 for a pretty modest adventure.

A recent Visa survey found on average Americans plan to spend $1,654 on summer vacationing.

Visa also just launched a travel budgeting site that includes a rough travel calculator. It didn’t allow for staying some nights with friends and others at hotels or for renting a car.
It does have an activity screen that lets you add expected activities and their cost, so you could put the rental car right there.

It also has tips on travel budgeting, such as:

Expect the unexpected. Even short trips can be plagued by unanticipated expenses, so if you’re not careful, you might end up paying for your vacation for months afterward. Add 10 to 15 percent to your budget for unanticipated events

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 26th, 2007 at 4:33 pm and is filed under Kara\'s finances, budgeting, saving, spending. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.