Multi-currency & travel: Travel with a baby budget: what a first trip costs
A travel with a baby budget adds gear, extra space and sometimes a seat to the usual trip costs. In a worked example, a week away for two adults and a baby costs 2,100, with 300 of that going on baby extras.
By Wealtie Team · 3 min read
Key takeaways
- A travel with a baby budget adds gear, supplies and space to normal trip costs.
- Babies often fly cheaply on a parent's lap, but extras add up.
- Renting or borrowing gear avoids buying things you'll use once.
- Self-catering apartments often suit babies better than hotel rooms.
What does a travel with a baby budget include?
Travelling with a baby is very doable, and many parents find early trips easier than they expected, since babies don't need much entertainment and often travel for little or nothing. But a travel with a baby budget does need a few extra lines. Gear, supplies, a little more space and sometimes a seat or upgrade all add to the cost of a normal trip.
Here's a worked example of a week away for two adults and a baby, in round numbers that work in any currency. The adults' flights, accommodation and spending come to 1,800, and the baby extras add 300:
| Baby extra | Cost |
|---|---|
| Infant fare | 60 |
| Travel cot and gear hire | 80 |
| Nappies, food and wipes | 70 |
| Bigger room or apartment upgrade | 90 |
| Total | 300 |
That brings the trip to 2,100. Your numbers will depend on where you go and how you travel, but listing the baby extras separately stops them from surprising you.
What do babies cost on flights?
On many airlines, babies under two can travel on a parent's lap for a reduced fare or a small fee, though taxes may still apply. Buying a separate seat costs more, often close to an adult fare, but gives you more space and lets you use an approved car seat. Rules on infant fares, bassinets and baggage allowances vary between airlines, so check before booking.
Most airlines let you bring a pushchair and car seat free, often checked at the gate. That saves hiring them at your destination. Some offer a bassinet for long flights if you book early.
What gear do you need, and should you buy it?
Travel cot
Many hotels and rental apartments provide cots for free or a small fee. Ask when you book.
Pushchair
A lightweight travel pushchair is easier than a full-size one. If you don't own one, borrowing from friends may be easier than buying.
Car seat
If you'll use taxis or a hire car, you'll need a car seat. Bringing your own is often cheaper than renting one at your destination.
Baby carrier
A carrier is useful in airports, on cobbled streets and on public transport where pushchairs are awkward.
Gear hire services
In many destinations, you can rent cots, high chairs, pushchairs and toys for the week, delivered to where you're staying. It saves carrying everything and paying extra baggage fees.
Where should you stay?
Self-catering apartments and holiday rentals often suit babies better than hotel rooms. A separate bedroom lets you put the baby down for naps and evenings without sitting in the dark, and a kitchen makes preparing bottles and food easy. How to save money on holiday rentals covers finding good value. For short trips, a hotel with a family room can work just as well.
How do you save on travel with a baby?
Travel while they fly free or cheap
Before age two, babies usually travel on reduced fares. Trips in that window are often cheaper than later ones.
Go off-peak
Before school starts, you can travel outside school holidays, when flights and accommodation are cheaper. How to save money on a family holiday covers more ways to cut costs.
Pack supplies, buy the rest there
Bring enough nappies and food for the journey and the first day or two, then buy the rest locally. It saves luggage space and baggage fees.
Choose closer destinations
Shorter journeys mean fewer flights or a drive instead, which cuts cost and stress.
Borrow before you buy
Friends with older children often have travel cots, carriers and pushchairs they're happy to lend.
What else should you plan for?
Travel insurance
Make sure your baby is named on your policy and check what's covered for medical care abroad. Is travel insurance worth it? covers what to look for.
Documents
Babies usually need their own passport for international travel, which takes time and costs a fee. Apply well before you book.
A slower pace
Plan fewer activities per day than you would without a baby. A relaxed trip often costs less, too, since you'll eat in more and take fewer paid trips.
Finally, give yourself a little slack in the budget. Babies change plans, and you may need an extra taxi when a nap goes wrong, a pharmacy visit or a meal in the room instead of out. A small buffer, like a tenth of the trip total, means these moments don't feel like a disaster.
How can Wealtie help you plan the trip?
Set a trip budget and log baby extras in their own expense categories, so you can see what the baby adds to the cost of the holiday. If you're spending in another currency, Wealtie supports multiple currencies in one place.
Questions people ask
Costs vary. In a worked example, baby extras like an infant fare, gear hire, supplies and a room upgrade added 300 to a week away.
On many airlines, babies under two travel on a parent's lap for a reduced fare or small fee. Rules vary, so check with the airline.
Pushchairs and car seats usually fly free, so bringing them saves money. Cots and high chairs are often provided or easy to rent.
Travel before age two, go off-peak, choose closer destinations, borrow gear and buy nappies and food at your destination.
This article is general information, not financial, tax or legal advice. Your situation is your own; check the numbers that apply to you before you act on them.
