This 10-day trip cost example will help you see what a longer vacation might really cost before you book.
Planning a 10-day vacation is exciting, but it’s easy to underestimate how much the full trip will really cost once you add flights, hotels, food, and activities together. A longer trip multiplies small daily costs into a big final number.
In this example, we’ll walk through a simple 10-day trip for two travelers, break down the main cost pieces, and show you how everything adds up. Then you can plug in your own numbers using our Trip Cost Calculator to see what a longer vacation might cost for you.
Example: 10-Day Trip Overview
To keep things simple, we’ll use a sample 10-day trip and apply realistic numbers to it. You can then swap in your own details later.
- Trip length: 10 nights (10 days)
- Number of travelers: 2 adults
- Destination type: Popular mid-range city (not ultra-budget, not ultra-luxury)
- Travel style: Mid-range (comfortable but not fancy)
We’ll use these assumptions in the next steps so you can see how a longer vacation’s costs add up.
Step 1: Set the basic trip details
First, write down the basic facts about your trip. These details will shape almost every cost, and you’ll use them later when you plug numbers into the Trip Cost Calculator.
- Number of nights you’ll be away
- Number of travelers (adults, kids, or both)
- Destination type (cheap, mid-range, or expensive city/region)
- Travel style (Budget, Mid-range, or Luxury)
For our example, we’ll use 10 nights, 2 adults, a popular mid-range city, and a mid-range travel style. You can use different numbers for your own trip – the important part is to be honest about how you actually like to travel.
Step 2: Estimate your daily budget per person
Next, decide how much you expect to spend per person, per day. This daily budget should cover things like accommodation, food, local transport, and most activities.
- Budget travel: $60–$90 per person per day
- Mid-range travel: $100–$180 per person per day
- Luxury travel: $200+ per person per day
For our example, we’ll use a mid-range daily budget of $140 per person per day. With 2 adults, that’s $280 per day in on-the-ground spending for accommodation, food, local transport, and activities.
If you’re not sure what number to use, start with a rough guess and then read our guide How Much Should You Budget Per Day for Your Trip? (Easy Benchmarks) for more detailed daily budget ranges.
Step 3: Add flights and big one-time costs
Your daily budget covers most of what you spend during the trip, but there are a few big one-time costs you should add on top: flights, maybe one or two big activities, and travel insurance if you decide to buy it.
- Round-trip flights for 2 adults: $600 per person → $1,200 total
- One special activity or day trip: $200 total
- Travel insurance for the whole trip: $150 total
You can adjust these numbers for your own situation – for example, driving instead of flying, skipping travel insurance, or adding more paid activities. The important part is that you remember these bigger one-time items in addition to your daily spending.
Step 4: See the total 10-day trip cost
Now let’s see how everything adds up for our sample 10-day trip. We’ll combine the daily spending with the one-time costs from the previous steps.
- Daily spending: $140 per person × 2 people = $280 per day
- 10 days of on-the-ground spending: $280 × 10 days = $2,800
- Flights for 2 adults: $1,200 total
- One special activity or day trip: $200 total
- Travel insurance for the whole trip: $150 total
Now add everything together: $2,800 (daily spending) + $1,200 (flights) + $200 (special activity) + $150 (insurance) = $4,350 total for this example 10-day trip.
For 2 travelers, that works out to about $2,175 per person for the full 10-day trip.
Step 5: Adjust the example for your own trip
This 10-day example is just a starting point. Your real trip might be shorter or longer, more budget-friendly, or more luxurious. The goal is to use this example as a template and then swap in your own details.
- Change the number of nights – try 7, 12, or 14 nights instead of 10.
- Adjust the daily budget – increase or decrease your per-person daily budget to match a cheaper or more expensive destination.
- Switch travel styles – try Budget, Mid-range, or Luxury to see how much your preferences change the total.
- Add or remove big one-time costs – for example, add another paid activity or remove travel insurance if you’re not buying it.
Once you’ve made a rough list of your own numbers, you’re ready to plug them into the Trip Cost Calculator to see your total cost and cost per person.
Step 6: Run your own numbers in the Trip Cost Calculator
Now that you’ve seen how a 10-day trip can add up, it’s time to plug in your own details. Your numbers will be different, but the process is the same.
- Open the Trip Cost Calculator on CostPerTrip.
- Enter your number of travelers, number of nights, travel style, and daily budget per person.
- Compare the estimated total and cost per person with your own budget, then adjust your plan until the numbers feel comfortable.
Use the free Trip Cost Calculator to see a quick estimate for your own 10-day trip, then try changing the nights, daily budget, or travel style to see how the total changes.
Thinking about stretching your trip a bit longer? Check out our 14-day trip cost example to see what a 2-week vacation might really cost.
If you’d like more practical ideas to bring your 10-day trip cost down, read our 21 Simple Travel Money-Saving Tips (Without Ruining Your Trip) for easy ways to save without killing the fun.