How much does a family trip abroad cost? A full budget breakdown
A budget guide for a family trip abroad: flights, lodging, attractions, food and transport, with real price ranges and tips for saving.
One of the first questions every parent asks before a trip is "how much will this cost us?" The answer depends on lots of variables, but you can break it down into five clear components and get a realistic estimate. The figures below are in Israeli shekels (NIS), for a trip from Israel.
1. Flights
The most variable component of all. To Europe in mid-season, a round-trip ticket per person usually runs NIS 800 to 2,000, or NIS 3,200 to 8,000 for a family of four.
Flexibility of a day or two in your dates can save hundreds of shekels per person here, and where possible it's worth avoiding holidays and school vacations.
2. Lodging
An Airbnb apartment for a family runs around NIS 400 to 900 a night, and a hotel (two rooms or a family room) NIS 500 to 1,200 a night. An apartment with a kitchen almost always comes out cheaper for families, on both lodging and food.
3. Food
Breakfast in the apartment barely registers in the budget, while a family meal out costs about NIS 150 to 350. If you plan one hot meal a day out and the rest from the supermarket, the savings add up nicely.
4. Attractions
Here the differences are big. Some of the best attractions (parks, gardens, views) are completely free, while others, like amusement parks and museums, cost NIS 50 to 150 per person. Note: many people waste money on attractions that don't really suit their kids' ages, and good advance planning saves both money and frustration.
5. Local transport
Public transport costs about NIS 30 to 80 a day for a family, and a rental car NIS 150 to 350 a day including fuel and parking.
Bottom line: a realistic range
For a family of four on a week in Europe, a reasonable range is NIS 12,000 to 25,000 all in. The difference between the low and high ends is almost always planning, not luck.
Budget is only part of the picture, and if you want to see how it fits with choosing the destination, the length of the trip and your kids' ages, you'll find it in the complete family trip abroad guide.
How do you know in advance what it will cost?
The real difficulty is seeing the full picture before you set off. Diretix calculates an estimated daily budget alongside the itinerary itself, so you know what each day costs before you've even booked a flight. You can try it for free.
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