Key takeaways
- These travel budget apps are built to help you track expenses, set budgets, plan trips and split costs across your travel group.
- Choosing the right travel budget app for you will depend on your travel purpose, who you’re traveling with and your individual expense tracking needs.
- For planning group travel budgets, the best apps are Batch app, Splitwise and TravelSpend.
- Work travel apps include Expensify and SAP Concur.
- To plan solo travel budgets use PocketGuard, Trabee Pocket, TravelSpend and Tripcoin.
We’re in the midst of the summer travel season, where expenses on hotels, airfare, and other travel essentials tend to increase. According to Bankrate’s Summer Travel Survey, more than 1 in 3 people planning a summer vacation in 2024 are considering taking on debt to cover the costs. Whether you’re using travel credit cards or not, setting a budget for your travel expenses is crucial.
Tracking your vacation spending with the best travel budget apps can help you avoid overspending and manage expenses when traveling alone or with a group. Here are the top travel budget apps you should consider for your next trip.
Best travel budget apps
There are numerous travel budget apps available, each catering to different travel styles and needs. Whether you’re traveling solo or with a group, looking for a simple budget tracker or planning tools, there’s an app for you. Here are some of the best options:
Work travel budget apps
Expensify
Managing expenses during work travel can be challenging, but Expensify simplifies the process by allowing you to easily track expenses. The app features a Smart Scan function that lets you snap pictures of receipts for reimbursement. It also offers tools for tracking mileage and creating expense reports effortlessly.
Expensify offers different account options, with pricing ranging from free for most users to $9 per month for advanced features. Signing up is quick and easy, and you can start using the app immediately. Consider exploring the Expensify Card for simplified business transaction imports.
If you use Expensify regularly for work travel, consider the Expensify Card for seamless business transaction imports.
If you use Expensify regularly for work travel, look into the Expensify Card, which simplifies the process of importing business transactions. You can also import card transactions into Expensify directly.
SAP Concur
If you’re a frequent business traveler, you may already be familiar with SAP Concur, a comprehensive business travel solution. The Concur suite includes modules for managing travel plans and submitting expense reports. The ExpenseIt app simplifies capturing and categorizing travel expenses, while Concur Travel facilitates booking business travel and accommodations.
SAP Concur caters to organizations of all sizes, offering solutions for small businesses and enterprise leaders. Business owners and managers can try Concur Expense and Concur Travel for free, while individual users can download the app on iOS or Google Play.
Solo travel budget apps
PocketGuard
PocketGuard, known as the “#1 budgeting app for college students and overspenders,” is also an excellent vacation budget planner. The app calculates your disposable income using the “in my pocket” feature, helping you allocate funds towards your travel budget. It can also assist in debt repayment strategies and financial goal setting.
Trabee Pocket
Trabee Pocket offers a user-friendly interface for travel budgeting and expense tracking. You can set a vacation budget, track expenses by category, and benefit from currency conversion features. The app allows you to export expense data for future budgeting and tax purposes, making it a valuable tool for budget-conscious travelers.
Tripcoin
Tripcoin stands out for its offline usability and Dropbox integration for data backup. The app organizes spending by category, providing insights into transportation, meals, and activities expenses. With support for over 150 currencies, Tripcoin ensures accurate budget tracking with automatic currency conversion.
Group travel budget apps
Splitwise
Splitwise is an essential tool for group travelers, simplifying shared expense tracking and balancing owed amounts. The app allows for easy input of expenses, receipt scanning, and payment integrations for seamless settlement. Whether you’re splitting costs for activities or meals, Splitwise streamlines expense management for group trips.
Check out Splitwise’s “simplify debts” feature, which balances debts across group members to minimize the total number of payments needed to settle up. It doesn’t change the amount each person owes, but it does make it easier to pay everyone back across the group.
Batch App
Batch app is ideal for planners, offering budgeting and planning tools for various group activities. Whether it’s a bachelorette party or a birthday celebration, Batch app helps in organizing and budgeting activities. While it does not handle payments, it tracks group expenses through its Ledger feature, allowing for easy expense division and tracking.
TravelSpend
TravelSpend is a simple yet effective travel budget app that automatically converts spending to your home currency and enables shared expense tracking. With features like category breakdowns and expense sharing with friends, TravelSpend helps you stay within budget and monitor your spending habits. The app is especially useful for tracking expenses across different categories and destinations.
The bottom line
As summer travel picks up, having a travel budget app is essential to stay on track with expenses and plan your trips efficiently. By utilizing the best travel budget apps, you can manage your budget effectively, avoid overspending, and make the most of your travel experiences.