From the survey so many of you guys did for me a few months ago, one of the things you wanted to see more of here on Land of Marvels going forward was actual budget posts for trips.  And while in the past, I’ve shied away from these a little bit, I realize that it’s super helpful to get an idea of how expensive travel is and how much you should budget for a trip.  So before I jump into today’s post and future budget posts, let me preface this by saying that I don’t really try to stick to a strict budget when traveling.  Of course we have a general budget for the whole trip, but we’re not pinching pennies by any means, so if you need to be on a stricter budget for your trip, then adjust as needed for your own situation.

Charleston and Savannah have been high on my travel list for years and this year when we had a few days open in February, we jumped at the chance to get to these beautiful Southern US cities.  Below is the total budget for this trip, which included a total of 5 days in Charleston and Savannah.  Hopefully this will help you plan your own escape to these amazing cities and give you an idea of how much you might want to budget for your own adventures!

AIRFARE

• $521.24 for 2 people using the Alaska Air companion pass – from Seattle to Charleston roundtrip
• $11.20 for 2 people using Alaska Air Miles – from Portland – Seattle 
• $101.72 for 2 people on Alaska Air – from Seattle – Portland

HOTEL

• $681.74 for Renaissance Charleston Historic District Hotel for 2 nights
• $642.54 for Kimpton Brice Hotel in Savannah for 2 nights

TRANSPORTATION

• $255.74 for rental car for 5 days

EXPENSES ON THE GROUND 

This section includes everything we spent once on the ground in the destination like food, public transportation, museums, etc.

• $300 cash for everything while traveling

TOTAL = $2,014.18

WAYS TO SAVE MONEY

• Stay in cheaper hotels or rent apartments on AirBnB
• Buy food from markets instead of eating out at restaurants
• Be organized for your days while traveling so you don’t use extra money getting from place A to B when they are super far apart – plan out your days so you see things in the same areas and don’t have to go too far