When you’re on vacation, your hard-earned dollars sometimes feel like “Monopoly” money ― especially if you’re dealing with cash in an unfamiliar currency. Then there’s the inescapable temptation of “travel math,” which might seem fun but can lead to catastrophic overspending.
To help travelers keep this phenomenon at bay, HuffPost asked personal finance experts to break down “travel math” and share their tips for enjoying small splurges without blowing through their budgets.
What is ‘travel math’?
“‘Travel math’ is how our perception of spending changes while we’re traveling,” said Julie Guntrip, head of financial wellness at Jenius Bank. “It’s the moment you say, ‘Well, I’m already spending $1,000 to get here, what’s another $200 for a nicer hotel?’ or ‘We only take a trip like this once a year, so we have to do the first-class upgrade.’ Travel math often prioritizes experience over expense, but that logic can stack up quickly if you’re not careful.”
The concept is similar to “girl math” ― a cheeky internet trend in which women shared their playful and generally illogical reasoning to validate unnecessary purchases.
