Free Excel template

Free Excel vacation budget template

For anyone planning a trip who wants the whole cost in one place, from flights to daily meals. Enter the dates and number of travelers once; nightly and per-person costs multiply out automatically, booked items show budget versus actual, and the summary works out the cost per traveler, what is still to pay and how much to put aside each month until departure.

cellwise-vacation-budget-template.xlsxExcel workbook · 5.6 KB · works in Excel, Google Sheets, Numbers and LibreOffice · no signup

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Preview and try it

This is the template's sheet, calculated by the same engine as the Cellwise app. Change any number to see the formulas react before you download.

	A	B	C	D	E	F	G	H	I
1	Vacation budget
2	Destination	Lisbon, Portugal
3	Departure date	May 14, 2027
4	Return date	May 21, 2027
5	Travelers	2
6	Nights	7
7	Budget as of	Nov 2, 2026
8
9	Item	Category	Qty	Unit cost	Budget	Actual	Paid?	Difference	Status
10	Round-trip flights	Travel	2	689	1378	1342	Yes	36	Under
11	Airport parking (per day)	Travel	8	14	112		No		Estimate
12	Hotel (per night)	Lodging	7	165	1155		No		Estimate
13	City tourist tax (per person per night)	Lodging	14	4	56		No		Estimate
14	Airport transfers	Transport	2	28	56		No		Estimate
15	Metro and tram day passes	Transport	14	7	98		No		Estimate
16	Train to Sintra and back	Transport	2	11.5	23		No		Estimate
17	Breakfast (per day, both)	Food	7	24	168		No		Estimate
18	Lunch (per day, both)	Food	7	40	280		No		Estimate
19	Dinner (per day, both)	Food	7	75	525		No		Estimate
20	Fado show with dinner	Activities	2	65	130	150	Yes	-20	Over

How the formulas work

Nights from the travel dates

B6=B4-B3

Dates are day numbers in Excel, so the return date minus the departure date is the number of nights. Every per-night row uses it: the hotel quantity is =$B$6 and the meals are =$B$6, so moving your return by a day reprices the whole trip.

Budget per line from quantity and unit cost

E10=IF(A10="","",ROUND(C10*D10,2))

Each line is quantity times unit cost. Writing costs as "per night" or "per person" with a quantity makes it obvious where the money goes and easy to change: the city tourist tax row uses =$B$5*$B$6 (travelers times nights) as its quantity. Taxes and fees like this vary by city, so look up the current rate for yours.

Flag lines that cost more than planned

I10=IF(A10="","",IF(F10="","Estimate",IF(F10>E10,"Over","Under")))

Lines without an actual amount are still estimates. Once you book, type the real price in Actual and the status changes to Over or Under. In the sample, the flights came in under budget but the fado show went over, and the difference column shows by how much.

A trip total that mixes bookings and estimates

E30=SUMIF(F10:F27,"",E10:E27)+F28

(F10:F27="") is TRUE for every line you have not booked yet. Multiplying by the budget column adds the budget only for those lines, and the actual total covers everything you have booked. That is your best estimate of the real trip cost at any point in planning.

How much to save each month

E37=IF(E36>0,ROUND(MAX(0,E34-E35)/E36,2),MAX(0,E34-E35))

Still to pay, minus the cash you have already set aside, spread over the whole months left before departure (DATEDIF with "m" in E36). If you are leaving within the month, it shows the full gap instead of dividing by zero.

Make it yours

Traveling abroad? Add an Exchange rate cell, type local prices in the Unit cost column, and multiply by the rate in the Budget formula so everything is in your home currency. Your card may add a foreign transaction fee, so check its terms.
Add a buffer line (Other, quantity 1, about 10% of the total) for things you do not plan: a taxi in the rain, a forgotten charger, a museum you discover on the day.
Color the statuses: select I10:I27, Home > Conditional Formatting > Highlight Cells Rules > Text that Contains, type Over and pick red fill. Repeat with Under in green.
There is no TODAY() in the file on purpose, so the sample statuses stay put. Type today's date in the Budget as of cell (B7) when you open it, or replace that cell with =TODAY() if you want it to update by itself.

FAQ

How do I make a travel budget in Excel?

List every cost with a quantity and unit cost (nights times nightly rate, travelers times ticket price), multiply them per line and SUM the column. Add an Actual column for what you really paid so you can compare as you book. This template also divides the total per traveler and per night.

How do I split vacation costs between travelers?

Divide the trip total by the number of travelers, as the Cost per traveler line does. If people share some costs but not others, add a column with how many people each line is for and divide each line by it.

Why does the months until departure look one short?

DATEDIF with "m" counts complete months only, so 6 months and 12 days shows as 6. That makes the monthly savings figure slightly cautious, which is the safer direction.

Functions used

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Updated November 2, 2026