2019 Vacation Costs

This years vacation can be divided into several segments:

• Short visit with our granddaughters in Washington DC
• 5 night stay in Edinburgh
• 11 week stay in Umbria
• Overnight ferry and 3 nights in Barcelona
• 15 night transatlantic cruise back to Tampa

Our stay in DC was relatively cheap thanks to vouchers from Southwest Air covering the entire cost of our one-way flight TPA-DCA, and free accommodations with my son's family. We did pay to rent a car for our time there, then drove to Philadelphia for our next flight.

The flight to Scotland was covered by FF miles, so that was a savings right off the bat. Our five night stay at an Air B&B was perfectly located, but certainly not cheap. The Royal Tattoo and the Edinburgh Festival were both in full swing, so we were more than happy to pay for our incredible location just steps off the Royal Mile. We bought tickets to the Royal Tatoo, took a half-day walking tour of the city, and took a full day bus tour to the Highlands – I couldn't be in Scotland and not see some of its gorgeous scenery.

We flew from Edinburgh to Rome (via London) using British Airways. Due to our luggage, a budget carrier wouldn't work for us. Our car rental for 78 day through AutoEurope was $800 cheaper than last year, which was a huge savings. We rented an apartment for 3 months at €450/month, plus utilities. We ate out more this year for several reasons: first of all, the apartment kitchen is tiny, really tiny, and cooking is a challenge. It can be done, but it's not as much fun. Additionally with the deli right downstairs we bought many simple meals to either eat cold (sliced meats and cheeses with fruit), or heartier dishes we heated up in our toaster oven. We took several day trips during out 11 weeks, but no overnight trips.

We returned our rental car in Civitavecchia and took an overnight ferry from Rome to Barcelona, then spent 3 nights in Barcelona just wandering and exploring. (I was coughing throughout most of this phase)

Our transatlantic cruise stopped in ports 6 of our first seven days, followed by seven long days at sea. We didn't spend much money in the ports, and didn't take any organized excursions. When we arrived in Tampa we just took an Uber home.

To track our expenses I start a spreadsheet early on, and have several categories to track costs. At the end I add up all our prepaid costs like car rental, apartment deposit and cruise payments. I then add in the actual cost of all the cash withdrawals we made, and all the credit card charges, making sure to deduct any recurring charges that aren't related to the vacation. After figuring out how much money (euro) I started out with, and how much euro I still have left, I now know the complete cost of our vacation.

To track vacation funds available I use a separate bank account, and I add in the regular budget items like food and gas for the time we'll be gone. I put our cable into a seasonal mode, and reduce our car insurance coverage, which saves a little money as well.

This year I kept track of how much we spent for gas – we often pay cash for gas if the station in unattended, so it's never quite as simple as looking on the credit card statement. I should have computed the mileage as well, but I don't remember it now. Something else to add to the list for next year. For the eleven weeks, driving a diesel Jeep Renegade, our gasoline cost approximately $550.

Here are some of our costs:

• Edinburgh Air B&B - $814
• Royal Tatoo - $167
• Walking tour and bus tour - $300
• flight EDI-FCO - $439
• Car Rental - $1482
• Apartment - $1485
• Utilities - $220
• Diesel fuel - $550
• Overnight Ferry - $175
• Barcelona Air B&B - $284
• Transatlantic cruise - $2350
• -tips - $500

Included in our expenses were numerous gifts – Christmas and birthday – but that's fairly typical, so I don't deduct those costs. This year I bought one ceramic bowl and three inexpensive posters to frame – I guess I should add the cost of framing into my final tally as well.

Our total cost for our 106 day adventure came out to about $138 per day – for both of us, so $69 per person, per day. I guess the days of Europe on $5/day are long gone. The important thing is we stayed in comfortable, convenient locations, and even more importantly, we ate to our heart's content. We enjoyed local treats and simple, seasonal food, often paying only €20 for an incredible meal. Yes, we splurged on a few high-end dinners, but honestly, one of Marco's pizzas followed by gelato from Stefania and I'm a happy camper!