Let’s Talk Travel Budgets…
Budgets are weird. If you don’t sell travel professionally and stare at numbers all day long, it can be hard to imagine what a trip costs upfront, before anything has been booked.
And to be honest, when it comes to international destinations, sometimes we assume that the almighty dollar is more almighty than it actually is. Or we remember those guide books that said things like “Europe on $50 a day.”
Nobody really wants to think about the numbers—but once you do, the math is pretty straightforward. You just have to map it out.
Here’s how my brain works when planning a trip:
A family of four. Four nights in Rome. Four star budget
Remember…I don’t make the rules…and these prices are just estimates using 2024 pricing…
📍 Rome Hotels
In peak Italy season (June through September), expect prices of around €1,000 per night for a decently sized, well-located family suite or two rooms at a quality 4 star hotel (€500 euros per night per room) with air conditioning where the rooms may or may not be connecting. Important points…
Connecting rooms are in short supply, no matter where you are in the world. If connecting is important to you, book early!
In Europe, it is rare to find a hotel room with two Queen beds for a family of four. Hence needing a family suite (usually a bed and a sofabed) or two rooms for two people each.
You always want to check the size of any hotel room you are looking at. If the rate is low, there’s probably a reason why. I recommend targeting rooms that are 20 sqm (215 sqft) or larger. This is generally a room that is 10 feet by 20 feet or 14 feet by 14 feet. Anything smaller than that can feel claustrophobic. 18 sqm if you have to. Personally, if I’m traveling by myself, I may be fine with 16 sqm but when you’re traveling with someone else…that’s SMALL.
When I say “well-located,” I don’t mean the Rome train station. I’m talking Piazza Navona, the Pantheon, and the Spanish Steps. Places where you can walk out your door and be surrounded by great restaurants, shops and sites to see.
My budget targets are refundable rates with breakfast included.
Note I only book 4- and 5-star properties because I want my clients to be comfortable. Sure, there are 3-star hotels out there, but they often come with too many compromises: no air conditioning, tiny elevators (or no elevators at all and LOTS of stairs), small rooms, basic breakfasts, no front desk staff late at night, and not a lot of charm. This may be fine when you are a college student, but as an adult…don’t compromise.
📍 Rome Touring
Even with small group tours (not private!), here’s a typical spend:
Vatican tour: ~€200 per person
Colosseum tour: ~€150 per person
That’s €1,400 total for tours for a family of four. Note it’s really challenging these days to visit the Vatican without pre-booking a tour. And there’s so much stuff in the Vatican that trying to do it on your own is pointless. The Colosseum is much more interesting with a tour guide. Otherwise, it’s just a pile of rocks.
So now we’ve booked four nights of accommodations (€4,000) and done two tours (€1,400). That puts us at €5,400…for four nights.
📍 Rome Extras
Private airport transfers: ~€200 each way = €400 total
Food tour (you should definitely do one!): ~€200 per person = €800 total
Add those in, and the total climbs to €6,600.
And that’s just for four nights in Rome.
Can you do it for less? Sure—in January or February. But Rome is magical in the spring and summer. And I believe your hotel should feel like a retreat, not a compromise.
Now let’s look at three nights in Florence…
For a family of four, staying in a family suite or two rooms at a well-located 4-star hotel in Florence with air conditioning during peak season (June to September) most pricing starts at €750 per night. Over three nights:
€750 x 3 nights = €2,250
Note: Prices may vary based on hotel amenities and exact location.
📍 Florence Touring
Florence is renowned for its art and history. Two must-visit galleries include the Uffizi and the Academia.
For a family of four:
Uffizi Gallery Tour: €150 x 4 = €600
Accademia and City Tour: €150 x 4 = €600
Total for Tours: = €1200
🚗 Private Day Trip to Tuscany
Exploring the Tuscan countryside with a private driver offers flexibility and comfort. A full-day (8-hour) private tour can cost around €1000+ per vehicle for up to four people . Sure, there are group tours out there but for families or when you’re with older travelers, I think a private driver is the way to go and gives you so much more flexibility in Tuscany, in particular.
🚖 Florence Airport Transfers
Private transfers between Florence Airport and your hotel are approximately €150 each way, totaling €300 for round-trip service
So where does that leave us? €4750 euros for three nights in Florence.
So for four nights in Rome and 3 nights in Florence, using rough estimates for hotels and touring, we’re at…
Hotels: €6,250 euros.
Small Group Touring in Rome and Florence + Private Tour to Tuscany: €4,400 euros
Transportation: €700 euros
Total for 7 nights for 4 people: €11,350 euros. This averages out to a minimum of €1,621 per night with 4 star accomodation and mostly small group private touring. And I haven’t included train tickets and transfers to/from the train station in this math.
So when someone tells me their budget is €5,000 for a family of four for a week in Italy, and they want to stay in nice hotels and do all the must-see sights, the math I do is…€5,000 divided by 7 nights is about €714 euros per night. To see the Vatican alone, a family of four will need 800 euros, and that’s for a small group tour. Hopefully you can see how the math isn’t mathing.
In these situations, I might not be the right fit for all the pieces. But I can always do just the tours. Or maybe just the hotels. The challenge is always the transportation between cities.
But Krista, I found a hotel that’s cheaper than your suggested €500 euros a night in Rome! Your math is wrong, Krista!
Sometimes clients will send me links to other hotels that they’ve found that appear to be cheaper than my suggested budget above. I am always willing to be wrong and honestly, this is not a contest. BUT…when I work through my checklist…
4 star or 5 star hotel = Yes
Peak summer travel dates = Yes
Comparing the same currency = Yes
Room size equal to or greater than 20 sqm = Yes
Air conditioning = Yes
Central location = Yes
Breakfast included = Yes
Refundable rates = Yes
Elevator = Yes
The rates that clients find usually compromise on one or more (usually multiple) of these aspects. But hey, I’m willing to do some math here. Let’s say you find hotel rooms in Rome that are €400 a night instead of €500. And then in Florence, you find rooms that are €300 a night instead of€ 375. For your entire trip, you’ve saved…
Rome: Save €100 per night x 2 rooms x 4 nights =€800
Florence: Save €75 per night x 2 rooms x 3 nights = €450
Total savings: €1,250 euros.
This means your new total is €11,350 - €1,250. It’s still a €10,100 trip on the low end. We’re still nowhere near that $5000 DOLLAR budget requested. ($5000 USD is about 4400 EUR as of May 2025.)
And remember we haven’t factored in train tickets or transfers to/from the station to your hotels with all of your luggage.