Travel Budget Calculator & Tracker

# Travel Budget Calculator & Tracker

Research real costs at your destination, build a detailed budget with live currency rates, and generate a trackable expense file.

## When to Use

- "How much will a week in Barcelona cost?"
- "Create a budget for my Japan trip"
- "Track my travel expenses"

## Requirements

- **Brave Search MCP** for cost research and exchange rates
- Filesystem for budget file storage
- `python3` for calculations (optional)

## Workflow

### Step 1 — Collect Trip Details

- **Destination** and **duration**
- **Travel style** (backpacker, mid-range, luxury)
- **Number of travelers**
- **Home currency**
- **Pre-booked items** (flight, hotel already paid)

### Step 2 — Research Real Costs

```
brave_web_search: "{CITY} average daily travel cost {YEAR} {STYLE}"
brave_web_search: "{CITY} hotel price per night {STYLE} {YEAR}"
brave_web_search: "{CITY} meal cost restaurant average {YEAR}"
brave_web_search: "{CITY} public transport day pass tourist price"
brave_web_search: "{CITY} top attraction entrance fee prices"
brave_web_search: "USD to {LOCAL_CURRENCY} exchange rate today"
```

### Step 3 — Build Budget Breakdown

```markdown
# Travel Budget: {CITY} ({N} days)

💱 Exchange rate: 1 {HOME_CURRENCY} = {RATE} {LOCAL_CURRENCY}

## Pre-Trip Costs
| Item | Cost ({HOME_CURRENCY}) | Notes |
|------|----------------------|-------|
| Flights | ${X} | {Airline, route} |
| Travel insurance | ${X} | {Provider} |
| Visa | ${X} | {If required} |
| **Subtotal** | **${X}** | |

## Daily Budget
| Category | Per Day ({LOCAL}) | Per Day ({HOME}) | {N} Days |
|----------|-------------------|-------------------|----------|
| Accommodation | {X} | ${X} | ${X*N} |
| Breakfast | {X} | ${X} | ${X*N} |
| Lunch | {X} | ${X} | ${X*N} |
| Dinner | {X} | ${X} | ${X*N} |
| Transport | {X} | ${X} | ${X*N} |
| Activities | {X} | ${X} | ${X*N} |
| Misc/shopping | {X} | ${X} | ${X*N} |
| **Daily total** | **{X}** | **${X}** | **${X*N}** |

## Total Estimate
| | Amount |
|---|--------|
| Pre-trip costs | ${X} |
| On-trip costs ({N} days) | ${X} |
| Emergency buffer (10%) | ${X} |
| **Grand total** | **${X}** |
| Per person | ${X} |
```

### Step 4 — Create Expense Tracker

Generate a CSV or markdown table for tracking actual spending:

```bash
mkdir -p outputs/travel
cat > "outputs/travel/{city}-budget.csv" << 'EOF'
Date,Category,Description,Amount ({LOCAL_CURRENCY}),Amount ({HOME_CURRENCY})
{DATE},Accommodation,Hotel check-in,,
{DATE},Food,Breakfast,,
{DATE},Food,Lunch,,
{DATE},Food,Dinner,,
{DATE},Transport,Metro,,
{DATE},Activity,Museum,,
EOF
```

### Step 5 — Save Budget

Save to `outputs/travel/{city}-budget-estimate.md`.

## Important Rules

- Always use Brave Search for current prices — costs change yearly
- Include 10% emergency buffer in all budgets
- Note which prices are estimates vs. confirmed bookings
- Use local currency AND home currency side by side

## Example Prompts

- "Budget a 7-day trip to Japan for 2 people, mid-range"
- "How much should I budget daily in Lisbon?"
- "Create an expense tracker for my Barcelona trip"