Summer's on its way, and for a lot of Kiwis that means a trip.
Maybe it's a week on the Gold Coast, catching up with family across the ditch, a wedding in the Islands, or a long weekend somewhere closer to home.
Wherever you're headed, a good budget is what turns a trip you'd love into one you can actually plan for.
Here's how to put one together, the costs our branch teams see people forget most often, and a free planner to help you work it all out.
Add up everything: flights, accommodation, food, getting around, activities, gifts and travel insurance, plus a 10% buffer.
Work out your weekly saving: divide the total by the number of weeks until you go.
Don't forget the little things: three meals a day, transport once you arrive, and something in the fridge when you get home.
Saving, borrowing or a bit of both are all fine ways to pay for a trip. If you borrow, the repayments carry on after you're home, so make sure they fit your budget.
Our free printable planner takes you through it step by step.
Planning a roadie? See our best NZ road trips for summer.
When we talk about how you want to travel, we're not talking about by bus, plane, or car. We're talking about how you want to indulge while you're away. Are you planning to backpack through the Australian outback, treat your family and friends when you catch up, or relax and unwind at a beachfront villa in Rarotonga?
Deciding what kind of holiday you want to have will shape your budget and make sure you're not surprised by costs down the line. If you'd like a hand making it happen, our team can talk you through a travel loan.
Lives can get hectic, so planning in advance is always your best course of action.
Decide when you want to go and get in on those early bird flights and reduced room rates. Christmas, the school holidays and long weekends are the busiest times to travel, so prices go up. Book early, or think about going just before or after the peak. Look up the average food and drink costs at your destination too, so you know roughly how much you'll need.
Remember, the earlier you start planning, the longer you have to build up your holiday funds!
There are always one or two 'must-do' things on our list.
Your non-negotiables might be swimming with dolphins, jumping out of a plane, or even something frivolous like visiting every theme park on the Gold Coast.
It doesn't matter what it is: put it down on paper and carve out space in the budget for it!
Focus on this two-step process:
Step 1: Add up your costs for:
Flights (plus any baggage or seat fees)
Accommodation
Food and drink: three meals a day, plus snacks and drinks
Getting around once you're there: taxis, buses, car hire or fuel
Activities, sightseeing and spending money
Gifts for family and friends
Travel insurance
A 10% buffer for the things you didn't see coming
Step 2: Work out how much you'll need to save each week by dividing the total by the number of weeks until you fly out. If you find yourself coming up short, talk to us. We can make heaps of things possible!
Plus, since you've already done the legwork on what you want to do and the costs at your destination, your itinerary will come together on its own.
Write up a quick checklist with the most important stuff first: passport, wallet, itinerary, and clothes.
Make sure you take a good camera to capture all the memories too.
If you're in need of an upgrade, MyHome has a range of cameras and tech so you don't miss a thing!
Planning makes perfect, so you can kick back and enjoy your trip stress-free.
Now you've got everything you need to make this trip one to remember.
Book those flights and enjoy your holiday!
One last tip from our branch teams: set a little aside for when you get back. Coming home to an empty fridge, with bills waiting, is a common one people forget.
Our branch teams help people with trips every day. Here's what they see people leave out of their holiday budget most often:
Food, especially when you're staying in a hotel. It's easy to forget you'll be eating out three meals a day, plus snacks and drinks. It adds up quickly.
Getting around once you're there. Most people remember getting to and from the airport. The taxis, buses, car hire and fuel at your destination are the bit that gets missed.
The little extras. Activities, sightseeing, entry fees and general spending money.
Gifts. If you're visiting family or friends, gifts and shouts can be a big part of the trip.
Coming home. Groceries for the week you get back, and any bills that came in while you were away.
A few other costs worth checking before you go
Phone roaming: using your NZ plan overseas costs around $8–$10 a day with the big NZ mobile providers. For a week away, that's roughly $56–$70.
Card fees overseas: many cards charge a fee of around 2% on overseas purchases, though some credit cards now charge nothing. Check yours before you go.
Visas and travel authorities: heading to the US? An ESTA costs about US$40 per person.
Airport parking and transfers, and baggage or seat fees on cheaper fares.
Here's what a week away could look like, close to what people typically borrow for a trip:
|
Cost |
Amount |
|
Flights |
$1,300 |
|
Accommodation |
$950 |
|
Food & Drink |
$600 |
|
Getting Around |
$200 |
|
Activities & spending money |
$300 |
|
Travel Insurance |
$150 |
|
Gifts |
$140 |
|
Subtotal |
$3,640 |
|
10% Buffer |
$364 |
|
TOTAL |
~$4,000 |
If you save for it: that's about $154 a week over six months, or about $77 a week over a year.
If you borrow for it: a $4,000 travel loan at 19.95% p.a. over 12 months works out to $92.84 a week ($394.53 a month), or $4,827.68 in total, including interest and fees.
Your repayments carry on for the year after you're home, so it's worth making sure they fit your budget alongside everything else.
Rates are personalised and range from 9.95% to 29.95% p.a. Try your own numbers in our loan calculator.
There's no single right way to pay for a trip.
Some people save up for the whole thing. Some pay for the flights or accommodation themselves and borrow for the rest. Others borrow for the full trip so they can go when it suits, like for a family wedding or the school holidays.
In an average three-month period, we help with around 1,100 travel loans. The average loan is about $3,780, and half are for less than about $2,930. (Figures checked October 2026.)
Whichever way you go, the key is making sure it fits your budget, both while you're saving and after you're home. Our five questions to ask before you borrow can help.
A lot of travel is about people, not places.
Visiting family in Australia, the Pacific or around New Zealand, or heading away for a wedding, a reunion or a funeral.
These trips often come with their own costs: gifts, shouting a meal or two, and sometimes staying longer than planned. Build a bit of extra room into the budget for them.
Christmas, the school holidays and long weekends are the busiest times for family trips.
Flights and accommodation usually cost more, so book as early as you can. If your dates are flexible, travelling just before or after the peak can save a good chunk.
You're in good company. New Zealanders took around 1.4 million trips to Australia in 2025–26, more than visitors from any other country.
Remember to budget for getting around once you're there, as Australian cities are bigger than they look on the map!
On top of your flights, budget for your first few weeks of living costs before your first pay, any visa costs, a rental bond, and travel insurance.
Having a buffer for the first month makes the move a lot less stressful.
Download our free holiday budget planner and work it all out on paper.
It covers getting there, where you'll stay, food, getting around, spending money, gifts and coming home, then helps you work out your 10% buffer and how much you need to save each week.
Not sure where to go? See our most popular holiday destinations for Kiwis.
Heading to the Islands? Here's how to save money while travelling in the Pacific.
Staying closer to home? Check out the best summer roadie destinations in NZ.
Add up your trip costs, add a 10% buffer, then divide by the number of weeks until you go. For example, a $4,000 trip works out to about $154 a week over six months, or about $77 a week over a year.
There's no single right number. A reasonable budget is one that covers the whole trip, including the costs people often forget like food, getting around and spending money, plus a buffer, without stretching your everyday budget. For context, the average travel loan with us is about $3,780.
It depends on your situation. If you're saving, it's about how long it will take you to get there. If you're borrowing, it's about whether the repayments fit comfortably alongside your other costs, including after you're home.
It's a simple way to split your take-home pay: 70% on living costs and spending, 20% on savings, and 10% on paying off debt or giving. Putting part of your 20% into a holiday fund is an easy way to save for a trip.
Yes, you can apply for a travel loan with Instant Finance to cover your whole trip or just part of it. You can borrow from $500 to $50,000, with interest rates from 9.95% to 29.95% p.a. depending on your circumstances. Just remember your repayments continue after you're home, so make sure they fit your budget.
Some airlines and travel providers offer buy now pay later at the checkout, so you can split the cost into a few payments, usually over about six weeks. It's handy for smaller bookings you can pay off quickly.
For a bigger trip, or if you'd like longer to pay, a personal loan may suit better. Our guide to personal loans vs buy now pay later compares the two.
