How Much Money Do I Spend?
In general, a lot - but on vacations? Not so bad. Because we try and do a couple big trips a year, I've really had to find ways to fine tune our budget and save money where I can, especially on things we don't care about (like food).
So, here is what I do, and in general what I spend. Everyone is different though, if you want to blow the bank - go for it, I ain't mad atcha.
Airfare: $0 - $400
We very rarely pay for airfare to/from the US...AT ALL. We currently have two rewards cards, the Penfed Amex and the Penfed Visa. There are tons of reward cards out there, and depending on your lifestyle some may be better than others. We only use the Amex for airfare purchases because we get 5X the points and we use the Visa for everything else (5X gas, 3X groceries, 1X everything else). The points basically equate out to cents, but it really adds up. Just don't pay any convenience fees for using your credit cards, thinking it's worth it for points. 100 points is basically equal to $1.00, so a convenience fee of $4.27 on a $150 charge makes no sense. Then, I just follow my lazy rules for finding cheap airfare and purchase them with my points.
The only time I do pay for airfare on trips is for the local flights. For example, Ireland to Scotland or Buenos Aires to Calafate. These are usually pretty cheap, $100 or less per ticket, so I just use it to rack up some points on our Amex.
Rental Car: $200 - $1000/week
This one varies widely. A rental car in Iceland for a week is triple if not quadruple a rental car in Spain for a week. I would say on average we spend about $300 - $400/week on basic rental then add in extra for insurance, depending on what plan we choose. The best you can do with your rental car is book early, check often for price changes and strip down on the extras.
Hotel: $50 - $250/night
Ideally I like to stay around $100 - $150/night for our accommodations, but depending on the location and circumstances that price point might be a little higher or lower. If I have to book a room that is higher than the $100 - $150 range, then I will usually look for something on the cheaper end when I have the flexibility. We almost always prefer B&Bs to hotels and primarily use Booking or AirBNB.
Food: $50 - $100/day
When budgeting our trips out I usually factor in $100/day for both of us for food but we are usually under that amount, no matter the country. If it is a place where going out to eat is expensive and nothing to write home about (I'm looking at you Iceland, Norway and Scotland) then we will typically cook most of our meals. If it is a country where the food is a destination in and of itself (France, China, Spain, Italy) we will go out to eat more often, but go for quality vs. quantity and still make our own breakfast (if its not included) and lunch.
Also, before you feel like me and Jorge are eating beans out of a tin can, this is a meal we cooked for ourselves in Norway.
Entertainment/Misc: $0 - $200/person
This is also something that can vary depending on the location. I think the most I've ever spent on an activity was our glacier climbing in Iceland for approximately $200/person.
Out of all our trips we have had the MOST fun exploring and finding new things on our own, so I am very selective about what/if I book.
Gas/Transportation: $100 - $300/week
Again, this one varies widely. We probably spent the most on this in Norway because in addition to gas and tolls there were quite a few ferries, but it really just depends on how far you're driving and where you are. You can't really negotiate on this, so it just is what it is.
Grand Total
What this all breaks down to is for an expensive country like Iceland or Norway we end up spending around $2000 - $2500/week (for both of us) and for a cheaper country like Argentina or France, it's closer to $1500 - $2000/week (for both of us).
Not too shabby, if I do say so myself.
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