This is the Window Seat Points & Loyalty series, a practical look at how points and miles actually work, offering exact breakdowns, templates, and systems to help you secure lie-flat seats and 5-star stays for a fraction of the cost.
It’s no secret that when I travel, I like to do it well. A design-forward hotel. A seat in business if I can swing it. But when you’re talking about 7 to 10 days spent on international trips, those costs can stack up fast, especially when traveling abroad is something you want to do more than once a year.
It might sound impossible to do this—travel often, comfortably—but with a careful, consistent budgeting system, I’ve been able to make it possible. It’s helped me figure out what actually matters most to me on a trip: do I need the oceanview suite each night? Or would I rather pocket that money to, say, spend on a lavish meal at a bucket list restaurant?
Below, I’m walking you through my personal system for planning travel finances, including a peek at my actual spending from a recent trip and the spreadsheet I use to map it all out. Because if you want travel to be a meaningful (and frequent) part of your life, budgeting might not be sexy, but it is essential.
Read on for…
My exact trip budget tool (yours to duplicate and use!)
A real-life cost breakdown from our $10K Menorca vacation
The strategy I use to earn points while spending on trips
How I decide what’s worth a splurge vs. where to save
The simple method I use to track and reconcile travel expenses
How budgeting lets me actually travel more, not less
The first step of every trip: saving for it
The short answer is: always.
Saving money is important to my husband and me, and as part of that, we have a dedicated “vacation” fund in our high-yield savings account. A percentage of what we save each month automatically goes toward that fund, so there’s always money set aside.
If you haven’t opened a HYSA yet, I love using Ally.
You can get $100 deposited into your account when you sign up using my referral link!
Travel is a priority, and I like having something on the calendar to look forward to. Even when I don’t have anything booked, that fund gives me peace of mind. I know I could book something tomorrow if I wanted to, and that’s the kind of luxury I prioritize in my life—and budget—over things like clothes & bags.