Start with nights
Multiply nightly lodging cap by nights—if that number scares you, dates or destination needs a tweak. When you are ready to compare real rates, use the Hotels hub alongside our hotel evaluation framework.
Food bands
Groceries + one splurge vs all restaurants—pick a band per day so you are not math-ing every meal.
Activities bucket
Park fees, tours, rentals—sum the big tickets first; coffee and stickers fit in slack.
Transport all-in
Rental + gas + parking often beats rideshare in spread-out cities; reverse in dense downtowns.
Buffer
A 10–15% untagged buffer absorbs surge pricing and “we should do that” moments.