How to budget a group trip

The whole thing gets easier once everyone sees one honest per-person number. Here's how to build it in ten minutes — and the calculator to do the math for you.

1. Pick the destination and the number of nights. Cost swings more on where and how long than on anything else. Lock a city and a night count first — everything below flexes around them.
2. Get a per-person number from the calculator. Drop your destination, trip type, nights, and group size into the calculator above. It splits the estimate into flights, a shared stay, food, activities, and drinks so nobody's guessing.
3. Add a 10–15% buffer. Rideshares, tips, that one big dinner — the extras always show up. Padding the per-person number now prevents the awkward 'can everyone Venmo me more' text later.
4. Decide what's shared vs. on your own. Agree up front on what the group splits (the house, the boat, group dinners) versus what each person covers (their flight, their bar tab). Put it in writing in the group chat.
5. Collect a deposit to lock bookings. The house and any big activity need a deposit to hold. Collect it early from everyone so one person isn't floating thousands of dollars on a maybe.

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By the VoyageVault crew — we've helped organize hundreds of group trips.

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