The spreadsheet had 47 rows. A family of four – two adults, two kids aged 7 and 10 – had just returned from a week in Cancun. The total was $6,800. The mother, a woman named Laura, thought she had budgeted $5,000. She was wrong by $1,800. She sent me the spreadsheet with a note: “I don’t understand where the money went.”
I looked at her line items. She had booked an all-inclusive resort for $3,500. That seemed like a deal – $125 per person per night. But then she added flights ($1,200), airport transfers ($80), tips ($200), excursions ($600), and incidentals ($220). The $3,500 resort became a $6,800 trip.
The Family Trip Cost Estimator would have shown her the total before she booked.
Laura’s mistake was focusing on the resort price and ignoring the extras. All-inclusive covers food, drinks, and basic activities on the property. It doesn’t cover flights, tips, excursions, souvenirs, or the $12 bottles of sunscreen at the gift shop. Those “little” things added up fast.
A friend of mine, a dad named Mark, took his family to a DIY villa in Costa Rica instead of an all-inclusive. He rented a three-bedroom house with a pool for $1,800 a week. He shopped at a local supermarket – $300 for groceries for the week. He hired a private chef for two nights – $200 total. He rented a car for $250. His total for accommodation, food, and transport was $2,550. His all-inclusive quote for the same week was $5,200. He saved $2,650.
The Multi-City Trip Cost Calculator can be adapted for family trips by treating each day as a “city” and adding transport costs.
Mark used it to compare the cost of a road trip through the Costa Rican countryside. He budgeted $2,000 for the week, including rental car, gas, and activities. His actual spending was $2,300 – over, but still less than half the all-inclusive.
The hidden math of kids’ costs
Kids make travel more expensive in ways you don’t expect. It’s not just the extra plane ticket.
Accommodation. A family of four needs two hotel rooms or a suite. That’s 50-100% more than a couple’s room. Vacation rentals are often cheaper. Mark’s villa had three bedrooms for less than two hotel rooms.
Food. Kids don’t eat cheaply. They want chicken nuggets and pizza, not street food. A family of four at a mid-range restaurant spends $80-120. At a food court, $40-60. At a supermarket, $20-30. All-inclusive resorts charge full price for kids, even though they eat less. Mark’s DIY villa allowed him to cook simple meals the kids liked.
Activities. Disney World is the extreme example. A one-day ticket for a family of four is $500-700. Water parks, zoos, aquariums – all charge near-adult prices for kids over age 3. Mark skipped the expensive parks and took his kids to a wildlife rescue centre ($10 per person) and a volcano hike (free).
Equipment rentals. Strollers, cribs, car seats, beach gear. Resorts charge $15-30 per day. Mark brought a lightweight stroller and bought cheap beach toys at the local supermarket for $10.
Travel insurance for families. Some policies charge per child. Others include children free when booked with an adult. Mark’s policy was $80 for the whole family – cheaper than individual policies for each member.
Souvenirs. Kids want everything. Laura’s children spent $120 on T-shirts, keychains, and a stuffed iguana. Mark gave his kids a $20 budget each at the start of the trip. They spent $18 and $22 respectively.
All-inclusive vs. DIY – the real comparison
All-inclusive pros: predictable cost, no decision fatigue, easy for first-time travellers. Cons: you pay for things you don’t use, food is mediocre, you’re stuck on the property.
DIY pros: cheaper, more authentic, flexible. Cons: more work, more risk of unexpected costs, requires planning.
The Family Trip Cost Estimator can run both scenarios.
I ran Laura’s Cancun trip through the estimator twice. Scenario A: all-inclusive resort. Total $6,800. Scenario B: DIY rental house, cooking half meals, eating out half, same flights. Total $4,200. She saved $2,600 by going DIY.
She didn’t. She went all-inclusive and regretted it. “The food was bland, the pool was crowded, and the kids were bored by day three.” She booked excursions because they were bored. That added $600.
A travel agent friend of mine says all-inclusives are great for certain families – those who want to drink all day, don’t care about food quality, and don’t want to leave the property. For families with active kids who want to explore, they’re a poor fit.
Budgeting for kids – a practical guide
Ages 0-2. Lap babies fly free on most airlines (domestic) or pay 10% of adult fare (international). You don’t need a separate seat, but you’ll be uncomfortable. The Travel Budget Calculator doesn’t account for lap babies – add 10% to your flight budget.
Ages 2-5. Child fares are usually 75% of adult fare. Hotels often don’t charge for children under 5 if they share a bed. Food is cheap – they eat small portions.
Ages 6-12. Full-price flights. Hotel rooms need two beds. Kids eat adult portions at some restaurants. Budget 80% of adult daily spending for this age.
Ages 13-17. Budget as adults for flights, hotels, and most activities. Some attractions offer student discounts. Rail passes have youth rates (about 75% of adult).
The family road trip budget
A different family – let’s call them the Wilsons – drove across the US for three weeks. Two adults, two kids (9 and 11). Their total cost: $4,800. Breakdown:
Gas: $600 (3,000 miles at 25 mpg, $5 per gallon – 2026 prices were high)
Accommodation: $1,200 (mix of budget motels and campgrounds, average $57 per night)
Food: $1,000 (groceries for breakfast and lunch, cheap dinners)
Activities: $800 (national park passes, museums, one water park)
Car maintenance: $200 (oil change, tyre check)
Miscellaneous: $200 (laundry, souvenirs, ice)
That’s $1,600 per person for 21 days – $76 per person per day. Cheaper than flying. Cheaper than all-inclusive. And they saw 12 states.
The Travel Budget Calculator can be used for road trips by entering “USA” as the destination and selecting “budget” mode.
The Wilsons’ secret: they cooked their own breakfast in motel microwaves, packed sandwiches for lunch, and ate one restaurant dinner per day. They stayed at KOA campgrounds in a tent (six nights, $30 each) to save money.
The mother told me “the kids complained about the tent. Then we let them toast marshmallows. They stopped complaining.”
Final advice for family vacation budgeting
Get a quote for both all-inclusive and DIY before deciding. The Family Trip Cost Estimator does this in one click.
Build in buffer days. Kids get sick, flights get delayed, plans change. A $500 buffer saved Laura from going into debt.
Book refundable accommodation for at least half the nights. The flexibility is worth the extra $10-20 per night.
Don’t over-schedule. Two activities per day maximum. Kids (and parents) need downtime.
Bring snacks from home. Airport snacks are $10 for a bag of crisps.
Laura is planning her next trip – a DIY villa in Portugal. She’s using the estimator to stay on track. “I learned my lesson,” she said. “All-inclusive isn’t cheaper. It’s just a different way of spending money.”
