Travel Money Calculator
Calculate how much spending money you need for your trip based on destination and duration.
Converting Your Holiday Spend to Local Currency
Type in your total trip budget in pounds, pick a destination country, set the trip length in days, and the calculator pulls the live mid-market rate from Frankfurter and splits the converted total across accommodation (40%), food (25%), activities (20%) and transport (15%). £1,500 for a week in the US at GBP/USD 1.25 returns $1,875 total: $750 accommodation, $469 food, $375 activities, $281 transport, working out to about $267 daily.
The 40/25/20/15 split is calibrated for self-funded leisure travel where flights are already paid; if your accommodation is included (work trip, friend's spare room, cruise) ignore that bucket and redistribute. The live rate updates every weekday at 16:00 CET via the European Central Bank, so the figure you see is the same rate banks reference for their commercial pricing. The rate you actually transact at on holiday will be 0.5-3% worse than this, depending on your card and method - more on that below.
Why a Live FX Rate Matters For Trip Planning
Sterling moves 1-3% in a typical month and 5-15% across a year. £1,500 to Tokyo at GBP/JPY 187 is ¥280,500; the same £1,500 at 175 (recent yen strength) is only ¥262,500 - an £18,000-£18,000 yen difference is enough to lose two restaurant dinners and a museum day. Booking flights and accommodation 4 months out and then watching the rate drift before you spend cash on the ground is the difference between mid-range and budget travel for the same nominal pounds.
Practical tactic: lock part of your budget in advance. If GBP/EUR is at 1.18 and historically it sits 1.10-1.20, change £500-£800 to euros now via a multi-currency card (Wise, Revolut, Chase) and let it sit. The rest you spend on card at the live rate during the trip. If sterling weakens between now and then, the locked portion was the smart move; if it strengthens, you lose 1-2% on the locked portion - still a sensible insurance policy. For longer-horizon planning use the [Historical Exchange Rate Checker](/historical-exchange-rate-checker) to see how the pair has moved over the past 12-24 months.
Cards, Cash and the True Cost of FX
The cheapest way to spend abroad in 2026 is a fee-free travel card (Revolut Standard, Wise debit, Chase UK debit, First Direct debit) which gives you the live mid-market rate on weekdays and a small markup at weekends (usually 0.5-1%). High-street debit cards add 2.75-3% non-sterling fee plus a £1.50-£2 ATM fee per withdrawal. Credit cards are worst: 3% fee, sometimes 3% cash advance interest from day one if you withdraw cash. Always say "no" to dynamic currency conversion at the till - it adds 4-7% on top.
Cash is still useful for tipping, taxis, markets and small vendors, especially in countries where card acceptance is patchy (parts of Italy, Spain, Greece, all of Japan outside major cities, much of South-East Asia). Withdraw a small float on arrival from an airport ATM, then top up at city ATMs which often have lower fees. Avoid airport bureaux de change - their rates are usually 5-10% worse than ATM withdrawals. For a 7-day trip to most countries, £200-£300 in local cash is plenty; for cash-heavy economies (Japan, India, Vietnam) take 50-70% of your daily budget in cash.
Country Examples With Today's Rates
France, £1,500 for 5 days at recent GBP/EUR ~1.17: €1,755 total, €351 daily. That is €140 accommodation (3-star Paris), €88 food (one nice dinner, two casual), €70 activities (one museum, one concert), €53 transport (metro, occasional taxi). Comfortable mid-range. Japan, £1,500 for 7 days at GBP/JPY ~190: ¥285,000 total, ¥40,700 daily. ¥16,300 accommodation (business hotel), ¥10,200 food (combini breakfast, lunch set, izakaya dinner), ¥8,140 activities (two paid attractions), ¥6,100 transport (subway plus one Shinkansen leg).
US, £1,500 for 4 days at GBP/USD ~1.25: $1,875 total, $469 daily. $188 accommodation (budget Manhattan or mid-range Brooklyn), $117 food, $94 activities, $70 transport. Tight in NYC, comfortable in Miami or smaller cities. India, £1,500 for 14 days at GBP/INR ~108: ₹162,000 total, ₹11,571 daily. That is ₹4,628 hotel (mid-range in Mumbai), ₹2,893 food, ₹2,314 activities, ₹1,736 transport. Genuinely luxury territory in India for this budget. The [Tipping Guide By Country](/tipping-guide-by-country) is essential context for the food line - US tipping at 18-20% is already eating most of the food budget.
Frequently Asked Questions
How accurate is the live rate?
It is the European Central Bank reference rate, updated each weekday at 16:00 CET. Mid-market rates do not include any spread, so this is the cleanest possible figure. Your actual transaction rate will be 0.5-3% worse depending on card type and country. Weekends and bank holidays use the most recent weekday close, which is fine for budgeting but can lag the actual market by 1-2% during volatile periods.
Should I exchange cash before I leave?
Usually no. Bureaux de change at airports and high streets typically give 3-7% worse rates than ATM withdrawals on a fee-free travel card. Exception: very small amounts (£50-£100) for arrival expenses if you are landing late and might struggle to find an ATM. For larger sums, just use your card. Order online from Tesco, Sainsbury's or Asda for slightly better rates than walk-in if you must take cash, and order at least 5 days ahead for stocked-rare currencies (Indonesian rupiah, Vietnamese dong).
Are travel cards safe?
Yes, broadly. Revolut, Wise and Chase are all regulated and FCA-supervised. Cash on a travel card is held in segregated client accounts (Wise) or via a regulated bank (Chase). The main risks are fraud, account freezes (Revolut occasionally freezes accounts for AML reasons - take a backup card), and being abroad with a single card. Always travel with two cards from different providers and carry enough cash to last a couple of days if both fail.
What's the best card for travel in 2026?
For the UK: Chase Sapphire (cashback plus fee-free FX), Revolut Standard or Plus, Wise debit, Halifax Clarity credit, First Direct debit. Each has trade-offs: Chase gives 1% cashback but the FX rate is slightly less generous than Wise; Revolut is fast but freezes accounts more than others; Wise has the best rate but requires a balance top-up. The Halifax Clarity credit card is the only fee-free credit option from a major UK bank as of 2026.
Why does the budget split add up to 100% with no contingency?
The 40/25/20/15 split is structural budgeting, not actual spending. Add 10-15% on top as a contingency before you put the figure into this calculator. £1,500 planned spend should come from a £1,650-£1,725 actual budget held back. The calculator does the conversion and category split; the contingency lives outside that as a buffer for delays, illness, surprise costs and the inevitable upgrade decisions that cost more than planned.
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