Where are you headed?

Pick your country and see what the trip really costs. Checked, dated, and never a sales pitch.

TTC = True Trip Costs. It runs the real, decomposed cost for the country you pick.

or browse by region, by worry, or all countries

Latest checks

See what changed
United KingdomEdinburgh visitor levy: 5% of the room price before VAT, capped at the first five nightschecked Sep 1CambodiaTourist tax: about 12% added on lodgingchecked Aug 31AustriaVienna accommodation tax (Ortstaxe): 5% of the net room pricechecked Aug 3Costa RicaTourist tax: about 13% added on lodgingchecked Aug 31PhilippineseTravel registration: Free and mandatory online, within 72 hours before arrival and again on departurechecked Jul 25Dominican RepublicTourist tax: about 18% added on lodgingchecked Aug 31ArubaED Card and sustainability fee: Mandatory online form before boarding, 20 dollars per person (under 8 exempt)checked Jul 22FranceTourist tax: about 3.7% added on lodgingchecked Aug 31ChinaTourist (L) visa for US citizens: Required for a normal round trip, roughly 185 to 250 dollars all in, applied for in advancechecked Jul 20Hong KongTourist tax: about 3% added on lodgingchecked Aug 31EcuadorGalapagos National Park entrance fee: 200 dollars per foreign adult, 100 per child, cash on arrivalchecked Jul 20IndiaTourist tax: about 5% added on lodgingchecked Aug 31GeorgiaVisa-free stay for US citizens: Up to 365 days per entry, no visachecked Jul 20IndonesiaTourist tax: about 10% added on lodgingchecked Aug 31AustraliaETA (entry authorization): Required for US visitors, AUD 20 service fee, applied for only in the official Australian ETA appchecked Jul 12Sri LankaTourist tax: about 19% added on lodgingchecked Aug 31

What a guide actually tells you

JapanChecked Jul 2026

Cards

Cities yes, rural cash

Carry

10k to 20k yen

ATMs

7-Eleven works

Tourist tax

Some cities only

Tipping

Not expected

Watch out

Most bank ATMs refuse

MexicoChecked Jul 2026

Cards

Hotels yes, stalls cash

Carry

Pesos daily, small notes

ATMs

Bank ATMs, not airport

Tourist tax

A few areas only

Tipping

10 to 15%

Watch out

Always pay in pesos

ItalyChecked Jul 2026

Cards

Almost everywhere, by law

Carry

50 to 100 euros

ATMs

Bancomat, not Euronet

Tourist tax

Yes, most cities charge

Tipping

Round up only

Watch out

Coperto, not a tip

FranceChecked Jul 2026

Cards

Tap is the norm

Carry

Very little needed

ATMs

Use a bank machine

Tourist tax

Yes, per person nightly

Tipping

Service already included

Watch out

Small shops set minimums

United KingdomChecked Jul 2026

Cards

Nearly cashless country

Carry

20 to 40 pounds

ATMs

Free LINK cashpoints

Tourist tax

A few cities only

Tipping

Often 12.5% service charge

Watch out

ETA needed before flying

ThailandChecked Jul 2026

Cards

Malls yes, street cash

Carry

Cash daily, small notes

ATMs

Flat fee per withdrawal

Tourist tax

None today

Tipping

Light, not expected

Watch out

Always choose baht

GermanyChecked Jul 2026

Cards

Widely, but not everywhere

Carry

50 to 100 euros

ATMs

Sparkasse or Cash Group

Tourist tax

City bed tax varies

Tipping

Round up the bill

Watch out

Expect an ATM fee

VietnamChecked Jul 2026

Cards

Cities yes, street cash

Carry

Small notes, used daily

ATMs

VPBank is fee free

Tourist tax

None at all

Tipping

Not expected, appreciated

Watch out

Count the zeros

Read the full Japan guide Read the full Mexico guide Read the full Italy guide Read the full France guide Read the full United Kingdom guide Read the full Thailand guide Read the full Germany guide Read the full Vietnam guide

The calculator

See what your trip really costs, and what you can refuse to pay.

Real dollar figures for your exact country, party size and trip length: not an estimate of what you'll spend, a list of what you don't have to.

Open What you can refuse to pay

Popular guides

AsiaVietnamA cash country at heart. Cards work in cities, far less beyond them.Guide AsiaPetsJapanMore card-friendly than its reputation, but keep cash for small spots.Guide AmericasPetsMexicoCards taken widely at resorts. Watch the peso conversion trick at the till.Guide AsiaThailandCards in malls and hotels, cash for street food and markets.Guide EuropePetsItalyCards almost everywhere, plus a nightly tourist tax to plan for.Guide EuropePetsFranceTap and pay is the norm, with a small nightly city tax on top.Guide EuropePetsSpainCards taken widely, with a per-night tourist tax in many regions.Guide EuropePetsPortugalEasy on cards, with a small municipal tax in the bigger cities.Guide EuropePetsUnited KingdomA tap-to-pay country. No card-fee worries, just the exchange rate.Guide EuropePetsGreeceCards work in the cities, but the islands still run on cash and a nightly climate fee.Guide AsiaIndonesiaBali runs more on cash and QR codes than tourists expect, plus a one-time entry levy on top.Guide EuropePetsGermanyMore cash-loving than its reputation suggests, with a patchwork of city bed taxes to plan for.Guide
See all 59 country guides

Arriving with a worry, not a country?

Start from the question on your mind.

Will my card work abroad?How much cash should I carry?What are the money rules where I am going?Do I need a visa?Do I have to file a form before I fly?What will tourist taxes cost me?Why is my hotel bill higher than the room rate?Will the taxi overcharge me?

The money question

Booking the trip is the easy part. The money side is a mess.

You search how much cash to bring and get ten-year-old blog posts, contradictory forum threads, and pages quietly written to sell you one credit card. So you guess. Then comes the surprise card surcharge, the bad airport exchange counter, or a tourist tax nobody mentioned. We turn that into one calm, current answer for each country, in about five minutes.

Will my card work?

We look at the cards you already carry, not a generic one, against how each country actually takes payment day to day.

Do I need cash?

A straight read on how much to carry, and the places where the honest answer is almost none.

What will it really cost?

The conversion tricks, ATM fees and tourist taxes that creep in, named up front so nothing ambushes you later.

How we are different

We would rather tell you to do nothing.

Sometimes the answer is, you are fine

If the card already in your pocket works with no fee, we say so plainly, and there is nothing for you to buy.

Labeled, every single time

Links that earn us a commission are marked as such, and the ones that do not are marked too, so you always know which is which.

Checked, dated, kept current

We do not sell hotel rooms, and every guide shows the date we last checked it. Money rules shift, so staying current is the whole point.

Before you go

A heads-up when the money side changes.

Heading somewhere, or just travel a lot? We will let you know when we add a country or a money rule shifts. Nothing else.