Free Tool

Travel Sinking Fund Calculator

Plan your next bucket-list trip. Save guilt-free. The same method I used to fund Machu Picchu.

Your trip

Destination

Name it. The label matters.

Trip date

Total trip cost ($)

Be honest. Include the impulse purchases (souvenirs, that nicer hotel, the warmer coat).

Already saved ($)

Save how often?

Bi-weekly matches most paycheck cycles.

Cost breakdown (optional)

Plan where your money will go. The numbers below add up to your total cost.

✈️ Flights

🏨 Accommodation

🍽️ Food

🎒 Activities

🛟 Buffer (recommended)

Breakdown total $0

Your trip

Save this amount per paycheck:

Set a trip date to start planning.

Where you are now

Saved so far 0%

$0 of $0

Days until trip

Still need

Where your money is going

Based on the breakdown you entered

💡 Sinking fund tip

Open a separate high-interest savings account just for this trip. The visible balance makes the goal real.

Why sinking funds work

If you're a natural saver, spending money on yourself can feel like betrayal. Vacations get cancelled because spending on flights feels reckless. You end up with a healthy bank account and zero memories.

A sinking fund flips that. You pre-decide that this money is for this trip. When the trip comes, you spend the money guilt-free, because every dollar was always meant for it.

I used this for Machu Picchu in 2022. $150 per paycheck, automatic, for a year. By the time we left, the money was already gone in a separate account. The 5-day hike, all the flights, accommodation, food — every dollar spent was money I'd already grieved 12 months earlier. Best $3,500 I've ever spent.

The 4 rules of a sinking fund

Separate account. Not a mental subaccount. A different bank account with the trip name on it.
Automatic transfer. Same day as your paycheck. Don't rely on willpower.
Don't dip in. If you start raiding it for unrelated expenses, you'll never finish funding it.
Spend it when the time comes. The point is to spend it. Don't bring it home unspent.

Where to keep your travel fund

Same as an emergency fund — a high-interest savings account (HISA). In Canada: EQ Bank's Personal Account, Wealthsimple Cash, or Tangerine. Earn ~2-4% while it sits.

Buffer is non-negotiable

Add 10-15% buffer to your total. The cold-weather merino wool layer for the Andes ($200). The cooking class you didn't know you wanted. The last-minute upgrade because the original hotel was a disaster. Every trip has surprise costs. Plan for them.

This calculator is for educational purposes only.

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