When moving to another state, across the country or to a new country, you need to factor in the costs of travel as part of your moving budget.
If You're Moving by Air
- Air Flight Charges: If you're flying, your trip costs will be a little easier to calculate. Just remember that in addition to your air line tickets, you should include any additional costs such as taxi fares plus tips to and from the airport, extra baggage charges if you're taking on more than the allotted amount, or the cost of flying pets with you.
If You're Moving by Car
- Gas and Car Maintenance: Before you leave, make sure your car's been checked, including fluids, tires and brakes. To determine how much gas you're going to need, you can use some handy online resources to do your calculations. Check out this great tool by AAA; it'll help you determine how far your travels will take you and how much gas you'll be using. If possible, also calculate extra charges that might arise such as parking fees and tolls.
- Accommodation: To determine how much you'll need for hotels or motels, especially if you're not sure where you'll be staying, just use an average per night rate multiplied by the number of night you'll think you'll need. If you're unsure what an average night might cost, use a hotel reservation site to check out prices and rates, such as www.hotels.com or www.expedia.com. If you have an automobile club membership, you can save between 10-15% per night.
- Food: Food costs are the most difficult to determine since prices change from area to area. Again, you can calculate average costs per day based on average cost per meal. For example, breakfast might cost $10.00 per person, on average, with lunch being $12-15 and dinner $20-25. It depends on where and what you like to eat. In our travels, we usually eat a large breakfast, then buy fruit and other snacks to have for lunch, then have a light dinner. You can also save money by buying food at grocery stores then stopping for a picnic. Or take into consideration breakfast-included motels or hotels that will also help you save money. Always over-budget for food since this is usually where the budget is broken.
- Entertainment: Before you leave, it's a good idea to plan where you might stop along the way for some fun and side trips. Remember, even though you're on the move, you're also traveling and you are allowed to have some fun along the way. If you have children, and are traveling a long distance, planning stops and side trips will make the experience more exciting and will help with the move transition. It also breaks up the long trip and give children (and you) something to look forward to. Check out local tourist destinations on your travel route before you leave by doing a search online. Also, budget for extra in-car entertainment things you might need to keep the young ones busy while on the road.
- Emergencies: It's always good to budget extra for possible emergencies that might arise, This could be anything from car trouble to needing to spend an extra night in a motel because one of your passengers is sick. If you have the extra money to use, than you'll be easing the stress that emergencies usually induce. Also, I highly recommend that if you're driving any distance, get a membership with your local automobile club; this will not only save you money, time and frustration should anything happen on the road, but can also save you money on hotel and food costs, too. I would never leave home without it.
- Keep Receipts: Make sure you keep your receipts. If you're eligible for a tax deduction because of your move, costs such as accommodation and food can be considered part of your moving expenses. Find out more by checking out the articles: Can You Deduct Moving Expenses? and What Expenses Can You Deduct?.
