Already, hotel prices have increased more than the average rate of inflation. Set a budget of at least 25 percent more than you expect to spend for expenses that cannot be purchased in advance. Lock in some big expenses in advance, such as bus passes. Hopefully, prices will remain stable, and we will have a lot extra to spend on clothing and gifts at the end of our trips. Anyone travelling in the U.S. needs medical insurance.
Medical care is astronomically expensive in the United States.
Writing Down What We Spend Most of our attention should be on the big expenses, air fares, bus passes, hotel packages, etc., but the incidentals can add up. A keen way to save money every day is to monitor what we spend. Writing down each purchase, regardless of how small, is an excellent budgeting tool, as it forces us to think about the worth of each expenditure. For additional hints on obtaining money to travel, see Dr. Voyageur's lesson on money and goal achievement , some very worthwhile reading. On the other hand, thinking too much about saving money can suck the enjoyment out of a trip.