travel expenses spreadsheet example

Free Expense Report Templates

By Andy Marker | November 28, 2016 (updated June 5, 2023)

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We’ve compiled the most useful collection of free expense report templates for businesses, individuals, nonprofits, contractors, consultants, construction employees, and fundraisers so they can better track and manage their expense reports. 

Included on this page, you’ll find a monthly expense report template , a personal expense templat e, a printable business expense template , and more. We’ve also included a list of helpful tips for completing these expense report templates .

Simple Expense Report Template

Download a Simple Expense Report Template for

Excel |  Google Sheets  |  Smartsheet

This expense report is a simple spreadsheet template for documenting the date, type, and total amount for each expense. You can customize the template by changing the column headings for categorizing expenses, or adding new columns if needed. Expenses are itemized, and the total reimbursement amount is calculated for you, minus any advance payments.

Monthly Expense Report Template

Download a Monthly Expense Report Template for Excel | Google Sheets 

Keep your expenses organized and under control with this versatile monthly expense report template. The template features month-over-month records, with each month listed on a separate sheet, as well as a year-to-date total. This printable template is perfect for individuals, small businesses, fundraisers, project managers, contractors, construction workers, consultancies, and event managers who need to track expenses. Use it to stay on top of your finances and make better budgeting decisions.

Try one of these free business budget templates for your organization’s budgeting needs.

Personal Expense Template by Month

Download a Personal Expense Template by Month for Excel | Google Sheets

Consider using this personal expense template to effectively track your personal expenses on a monthly basis. With its user-friendly spreadsheet format, this printable expense template automatically calculates totals for you. You can customize the template to include only the expenses you want to monitor. Each month has its own dedicated sheet, making it convenient to track both monthly and annual expenses.

Expense Sheet Template

Download an Expense Sheet Template for Excel |  Google Sheets |  Smartsheet

This basic, printable expense spreadsheet template is designed for tracking expenses, whether personal or business related. Keep track of purchases and other expenses by recording the payment method, type of transaction, amount of payment, and other details. You can refer to this expense sheet as an easy reference tool, create a monthly expense report, and quickly add up expenses over any time period.

Weekly Expense Report Template

Download a Weekly Expense Report Template for Excel | Google Sheets |  Smartsheet

Some businesses require employees to submit a weekly expense report so that expenses are tracked and reimbursed at consistent intervals. This printable template provides a detailed record of expenses for each day of the week. You can edit the expense categories to match your needs, whether it’s travel costs, shipping charges, business meals, or other expenses. There is room for describing the business purpose, the payment type, and subtotals.

Travel Expense Report Template

Download a Travel Expense Report Template for Excel | Google Sheets  

Use this detailed , printable travel expense report template to keep track of business trip expenditures. The template includes mileage tracking, other transportation costs, lodging, meals, and more. There is also space to list miscellaneous expenses that may not fit in the other categories. You can include contact information for employer and employee, as well as info on the travel destination and purpose for the trip.

Expense Report With Mileage Tracking Template

Download an Expense Report With Mileage Tracking Template for Excel | Google Sheets  

Many businesses and organizations reimburse employees for mileage costs. This printable mileage expense sheet can be used to record and calculate any miles accrued for business purposes. Enter the rate per mile and number of miles to calculate the total reimbursement amount. You can include odometer readings and any pertinent notes about the travel purpose or outcome.

Business Expense Reimbursement Form

Download a Business Expense Reimbursement Form for

Excel | Google Sheets  

Employees can use this expenses template to request reimbursement for business costs, and employers can use it to document that remuneration has been paid. This is a basic, printable expense report template for describing costs, listing amounts, and recording the dates of each transaction. It can also easily be modified to include more columns or additional information.

Explore these small business budget templates to find effective tools for managing the financial health of your company.

Printable Template to Fill Out Manually for Business Expenses

 Download a Printable Template for Business Expenses Microsoft Word | Adobe PDF | Google Docs  

If you need a printable business expenses template, this template provides an itemized outline in table format and is perfect for manually filling in your expenses. Use this easy-to-fill template to document various expenses, the dates they were accrued, total costs, and employee information. This is a simple form that can be modified to suit your business. 

Download one of these free small business expense report templates to help ensure your small business’ expenditures and reimbursements are accurate.

Credit Card Expense Report Template

Download a Credit Card Expense Report Template for Microsoft Word | Adobe PDF | Google Docs 

This template summarizes credit card expenses to track business purpose and amount spent. This printable expense report should be accompanied by receipts for each transaction listed. This can be used for tracking monthly credit card expenses and to support accounting practices.

Annual Expense Report Template

Download an Annual Expense Report Template for Microsoft Word | Adobe PDF | Google Docs  

Use this annual expense report to itemize monthly, quarterly, and yearly totals. This printable form provides a quick breakdown of costs for different business categories and creates a brief report. There is also room for notes if additional information needs to be included.

Startup Expenses Template

Download a Startup Expenses Template for Excel | Google Sheets

This comprehensive expenses-tracking template is designed for startups to monitor all the expenditures related to launching a new business. The printable template consists of pre-built sections for specific expense categories, such as building and real estate, leasehold improvements, location and administrative expenses, opening inventory, capital equipment, advertising and promotional expenses, and miscellaneous expenses. It offers a ready-made report that can be shared with key stakeholders and investors to review your startup's expenses.

Daily Expense Report Template

Download a Daily Expense Report Template for Excel | Adobe PDF | Google Sheets

This printable daily expense report template is a versatile solution for various industries such as nonprofit, fundraising, construction, events, trucking, and more. It empowers you to track and monitor daily expenditures efficiently, ensuring timely and accurate reimbursements.

Petty Cash Expense Report Template

Download a Petty Cash Expense Report Template for Excel | Google Sheets

For organizations that keep petty cash on hand to pay for incidental expenses (e.g., paying for employees’ lunches, reimbursements, office supplies, etc.), this printable template is the perfect solution to track minor, one-off expenditures. The template provides Currency on Hand, Quantity, and Balance columns for each petty-cash expense. The template then allows you to reconcile these expenses with Total Reconciled Petty Cash and Total Approved Petty Cash cells, and the over-under difference between the two.

What Is an Expense Report? 

An expense report is a document used to track business-related expenses, such as transportation, food, lodging, and conference fees. This report includes details about each expense and acts as an organized record for reimbursement or accounting purposes.

An expense report can be used in various scenarios, such as tracking mileage and gas expenses during work-related travel, documenting client meetings that involve meals or entertainment, or recording office supply purchases made by employees. Maintaining these reports is crucial for budgeting and tax purposes.

Requiring receipts for all listed expenses on a report is essential to minimize errors and facilitate tax filing and audits for businesses. Regularly collecting expense reports from employees, whether on a weekly or monthly basis, serves as a safeguard against budgeting inaccuracies and helps ensure responsible use of funds.

An expense report can vary in length and complexity depending on your business requirements. It can range from a simple form to a more detailed document. Typically, an expense report includes a comprehensive list of expenses, with each item accompanied by a corresponding description. Expenses are often categorized, such as mileage, meals, hotel costs, or employee training. In the case of a travel-specific report, additional details about the destination and purpose of travel may also be included.

When listing expenses for reimbursement, it is essential to include any advance payments, which should be deducted from the total reimbursement amount. Additionally, the expense report should feature a signature line for approval and provide contact information for the individual requesting reimbursement. To maintain accurate records, it is advisable to indicate the specific time period during which the expenses were incurred.

What Is an Expense Report Template? 

An expense report template is a tool that allows businesses or individuals to track and manage their expenses. An expense report template helps you record and organize your expenses, making it easier to get reimbursed and keep accurate financial records.

Expense report templates are not only helpful for tracking business expenses but can also be useful in creating a personal budget. Whether you're managing your monthly income and household expenses, undertaking a remodeling project, or planning a special event like a wedding, a personal budget can help you keep track of your primary expenses. It enables you to identify areas where you can reduce costs and increase your savings.

While expense reports may vary, they typically include the following sections, which you can customize to suit your expense-tracking needs: 

• Name: Enter the name of the individual to be reimbursed upon submission of the expense report.
• Department: Specify the department where the employee or individual works or the department responsible for reimbursement.
• Manager: Provide the name of the manager overseeing the individual who can authorize expense reimbursement.
• Date: Indicate the date(s) when the expenses were incurred.
• Description: Provide a brief description for each expense.
• Expense Category: Categorize expenses into specific categories such as transportation, lodging, food, or mileage.
• Subtotal: Calculate the total of all expenses.
• Advances: Record any advances given to the individual being reimbursed.
• Total Reimbursement: Calculate the final reimbursement amount by subtracting any advances from the subtotal.
• Authorized By: Enter the name of the person authorized to approve the expense reimbursement.
• Receipts: Attach all relevant receipts to the expense report for accurate and timely payment processing.

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Guide To How To Make A Travel Expense Spreadsheet

Introduction.

Traveling is an exciting and enriching experience, but it can also come with its fair share of expenses. Whether you're a business traveler or a frequent wanderer, keeping track of your travel expenses is crucial for budgeting and financial planning. One of the most efficient ways to do this is by using a spreadsheet to organize and monitor your spending. In this blog post, we'll provide a guide on how to create a travel expense spreadsheet, as well as the importance and benefits of doing so.

Key Takeaways

• Tracking travel expenses is crucial for budgeting and financial planning.
• Using a spreadsheet for travel expenses allows for efficient organization and monitoring of spending.
• Regularly reviewing and analyzing travel expenses can help identify areas of overspending and make necessary budget adjustments.
• Additional features such as currency conversion, mileage tracking, and per diem rates can further enhance the usefulness of a travel expense spreadsheet.
• Sharing and collaborating on a travel expense spreadsheet can streamline expense tracking for travel companions and business partners.

Setting up the Spreadsheet

When it comes to managing your travel expenses, creating a spreadsheet can be an effective way to stay organized and keep track of your spending. Here are some key steps to set up your travel expense spreadsheet:

Before you start creating your travel expense spreadsheet, it's important to choose the right software or platform. You can use popular spreadsheet software like Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, or Apple Numbers. These platforms offer templates that can make the process easier, or you can create your own custom spreadsheet.

Once you've chosen your software, create the necessary columns for your expenses, dates, and categories. Common columns to include are the date of the expense, the category (such as transportation, accommodation, food, etc.), the amount spent, and any additional notes. This will help you categorize and track your expenses more efficiently.

To streamline the process of calculating your total expenses, set up formulas for automatic calculations. For example, you can use formulas to sum up expenses in each category, calculate the total amount spent, and even track your budget against your actual spending. This will save you time and minimize the risk of manual errors in calculations.

Recording Expenses

When creating a travel expense spreadsheet, recording expenses accurately and efficiently is crucial for keeping track of your finances. Here are some key points to consider when recording your expenses:

Inputting each expense in real-time

It’s important to record each expense as it occurs to avoid forgetting or misplacing receipts. Whether you’re paying for a taxi, meals, or accommodations, make sure to jot down the amount and category of the expense in your spreadsheet as soon as possible.

Categorizing expenses for easier analysis

Organizing your expenses into categories such as transportation, accommodation, meals, and miscellaneous costs can help you analyze your spending patterns more effectively. This can also be useful for budgeting future trips and identifying areas where you may be overspending.

Attaching receipts or documentation

Keeping track of receipts and documentation for each expense is essential for accuracy and record-keeping. Consider attaching digital copies of receipts to your spreadsheet or keeping physical copies in a designated folder. This will also come in handy for verifying expenses during the reimbursement process.

Analyzing and Reviewing

After creating a travel expense spreadsheet, it's essential to regularly analyze and review your spending to ensure that you are staying within your budget and making the most of your travel funds.

• Set a specific time, such as weekly or monthly, to review the overall spending recorded in your spreadsheet.
• Take note of any patterns or trends in your spending habits.
• Compare your actual spending to your budgeted amounts to see if adjustments are necessary.
• Look for categories in your spreadsheet where you consistently exceed your budget.
• Consider whether there are specific reasons for overspending in certain areas, such as unexpected expenses or impulse purchases.
• Identify any areas where you may be able to cut back in order to reallocate funds to other aspects of your travel.
• Based on your review, make any necessary adjustments to your budget to better align with your actual spending habits.
• Consider reallocating funds from categories where you tend to underspend to those where overspending occurs.
• Be proactive in making changes to your budget to ensure that you can make the most of your travel funds without overspending.

Adding Additional Features

As you continue to refine your travel expense spreadsheet, you may want to consider adding additional features to make it even more comprehensive and useful. Here are some features you may want to integrate into your spreadsheet:

Integrating currency conversion for international travel

If you frequently travel internationally, it can be helpful to include a currency conversion feature in your spreadsheet. This will allow you to input expenses in the local currency and have them automatically converted to your home currency for easy tracking and reporting.

Including mileage tracking for transportation expenses

For those who frequently use their personal vehicle for business travel, including a mileage tracking feature in your spreadsheet can be incredibly valuable. This will allow you to easily track the distance traveled for each trip and calculate the associated expenses based on your organization's reimbursement rate.

Incorporating per diem rates for meals and incidentals

Many organizations use per diem rates to reimburse employees for meals and incidentals during business travel. By incorporating per diem rates into your spreadsheet, you can easily calculate and track these expenses according to your company's policy.

Sharing and Collaboration

When it comes to travel expense tracking, sharing and collaborating with others can be extremely beneficial. Here are some ways to make the process easier for everyone involved.

• Consider using a spreadsheet editor that allows for easy sharing and collaboration, such as Google Sheets.
• Grant access to others by simply sending them a link to the spreadsheet, or by inviting them via their email address.
• Set permissions to allow others to view, edit, or comment on the spreadsheet, depending on your preferences.
• Encourage your travel companions to enter their expenses directly into the shared spreadsheet, rather than relying on separate records.
• Designate specific columns or tabs for each traveler to input their expenses, making it easier to track individual and group costs.
• Regularly communicate and reconcile expenses with your companions to ensure accuracy and fairness.
• Utilize cloud-based platforms, such as Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, or Dropbox, to store and access your travel expense spreadsheet from anywhere with an internet connection.
• Take advantage of real-time updates and automatic syncing to ensure that everyone involved has the most up-to-date information.
• Enable notifications or alerts to keep track of any changes or additions made by your travel companions.

Using a travel expense spreadsheet can greatly benefit your financial organization and planning. It allows for better tracking and management of expenses, which ultimately leads to a more organized and stress-free travel experience. We strongly encourage you to start implementing this practice for your future travels, as it can save you time and money in the long run. Remember, financial organization during travel is crucial for staying within budget and enjoying your trip without any worries.

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Finance Microsoft Excel

11 minute read

How to Use Excel to Manage Your Travel Budget

Eliza Medley

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Crafting the perfect travel spreadsheet transforms trip planning into a seamless experience. It tailors your itinerary to match your travel whims while effortlessly adapting to changing plans. Let's discuss how to use Excel to manage a travel budget.

How to create the ultimate travel spreadsheet

Here is a simple guide to creating a travel spreadsheet.

Set up your Excel spreadsheet

Follow these steps to create a new spreadsheet:

• Open Excel. Launch Microsoft Excel on your computer. You can typically find it in the Microsoft Office suite or as a standalone application.
• Create a new spreadsheet. Once Excel is open, click on "File" in the top-left corner. Select "New" and then choose "Blank Workbook" to start with a fresh spreadsheet.
• Familiarize yourself with the interface. Take a moment to familiarize yourself with the Excel interface. You'll see a grid of cells arranged in rows and columns.
• Create sections for clarity. Label the first few rows for specific sections. For example, use the first row for titles like "Date," "Expense Category," "Description," "Amount," and "Balance."
• Format for readability. Adjust the column widths to accommodate your labels and make the spreadsheet visually appealing. Consider using bold fonts or shading for headers to distinguish different sections.
• Reserve space for totals. Dedicate a section at the bottom for total expenses, income, and the remaining budget. Excel will do the math for you later.

You've now set up the foundation for managing your travel budget in Excel.

Track expenses

Now that you've established the groundwork for your travel budget spreadsheet, it's time to delve into the crucial task of tracking your expenses efficiently.

• Create a column for expense categories. In the "Expense Category" column you created earlier, list the categories that align with your travel plans. For instance, if your trip involves flights, include a category for "Transportation".
• Customize categories to suit your trip. Tailor the categories based on your unique itinerary. If you plan to indulge in specific activities, create categories accordingly.
• Enter each expense. With your expense categories established, it's time to start logging individual expenses.
• Fill in the details for each expense. In the rows beneath your category labels, start entering the details of each expense. Include the date, a brief description, and the amount spent in their respective columns.
• Be detailed and accurate. The more detailed your entries, the better you can analyze your spending later. Instead of a generic "Food", specify if it was a restaurant meal or grocery.
• Utilize the SUM function for totals. Click on the cell where you want the total to appear (e.g., the cell beneath the "Amount" column for each category). Use the formula =SUM(range) to add up all the expenses within a specific category. Replace "range" with the cells containing your expense amounts.

By following these steps, you've successfully set up your Excel spreadsheet to track expenses for your upcoming trip.

Budgeting for your trip

Now that you've diligently tracked your expenses , it's time to take control of your travel finances by setting a realistic budget for your trip and allocating funds strategically.

• Establish your total budget. Decide on the maximum amount you're comfortable spending during your trip. This includes all anticipated expenses, from accommodation and transportation to meals and activities.
• Enter the total budget in your spreadsheet. Designate a cell in your spreadsheet, perhaps at the top, to enter your total budget. This serves as your financial anchor throughout the trip-planning process.
• Distribute the budget among categories. Allocate a portion of your total budget to each expense category. For example, if you've budgeted $1,000 for your trip and plan to spend more on activities than accommodation, adjust the allocation accordingly.
• Monitor category budgets. Regularly check your category budgets as you enter expenses. This will help you stay on track and make adjustments if necessary.
• Be realistic and flexible. While setting a budget is essential, it's equally crucial to be realistic and flexible. Unexpected expenses may arise, so allow some flexibility in your allocations.
• Consider contingency. Include a contingency or buffer in your budget to account for unforeseen expenses. This ensures you're prepared for unexpected costs without derailing your entire budget.

By setting a total budget and strategically allocating funds to different categories, you've taken a significant step toward financial planning for your trip.

Tips and tricks for managing your travel budget in Excel

Now that you've set up your Excel spreadsheet to manage your travel budget, let's explore additional tips and tricks to maximize Excel's features.

Tip 1: Use conditional formatting

Conditional formatting is a powerful tool in Excel that allows you to visually highlight specific cells based on their values. How to apply conditional formatting to expense totals:

• Select the cell containing the total expense for each category.
• Navigate to the "Home" tab, click on "Conditional Formatting," and choose a relevant option, such as color scales or data bars.
• This visual representation makes it easy to identify categories where you may need to reconsider your spending.

This can help you quickly identify budget exceedances or areas where you may overspend.

Tip 2: Regularly update your spreadsheet

Consistency is key to effective budget management. Make it a habit to update your spreadsheet regularly to ensure accurate and up-to-date financial information. You should:

• Set a schedule for updates. Establish a routine for updating your budget, whether it's daily, weekly, or bi-weekly. Consistent updates help you stay on top of your financial situation.
• Document expenses promptly. Record your expenses as soon as possible to avoid forgetting or misplacing receipts. This practice ensures that your spreadsheet reflects the most accurate information.

Tip 3: Include contingency in your budget

Unforeseen expenses are a part of travel. Including a contingency in your budget helps you account for unexpected costs without jeopardizing your overall financial plan.

You should allocate a contingency fund. This can act as a safety net for emergencies or unexpected opportunities that may arise during your trip. If you dip into your contingency fund, be sure to update your spreadsheet accordingly. This adjustment ensures that your remaining budget accurately reflects your financial situation.

Tip 4: Leverage Excel's graphs and charts

Excel offers various tools for visual representation, such as graphs and charts . Utilize these features to gain a more insightful overview of your budget trends:

• Select relevant data in your spreadsheet.
• Navigate to the "Insert" tab and choose the type of graph or chart that best represents your data (e.g., a pie chart for expense categories).

Visualizations can provide a quick and easy way to understand your budget distribution.

Make use of Excel templates

Here is how you can use Excel templates to manage your your trips like a pro.

⭐ Organize a meal plan

To keep track of your nutrition on the trip, you can create a table or download a ready-made one. Click the File - New tab and choose from one of Meal Planner templates.

Excel spreadsheets make it easy to plan your daily trip menu and count calories, proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. Search for " Food " within the templates and you will find not only templates for managing your grocery budget, but also the immensely popular calorie-counting logs.

These spreadsheets are designed so that if you exceed the norm, you'll immediately see the deviation. They use basic yet popular Excel functions , including IF and SUM to summarize the details entered. For convenience, there are drop-down lists and visual chart effects.

⭐ Check your car costs

To find out the cost of a car for the trip, you need basic skills in MS Excel to create your own budget or expense tracker. Skills like creating dropdown lists , using the SUBTOTAL function, and working with Excel Tables will come in handy.

Download this template

We've done most of the work for you. Just customize this free template to suit your needs.

Enter the data with detailed descriptions. As a result, you will understand what the most expensive items of car usage consist of and will be able to optimize your expenses. Statistics throughout the trip will help you plan your budget.

Suppose you go for a trip for a month with your own car. In that case, you can expand the template. You can include the cost of insurance, spare parts, technical inspections, tire fitting, and other minor expenses.

This way, you can find out how much the full cost of car maintenance costs you on your trip.

⭐ Calculate your travel budget

Buying cheap airline tickets is half the battle. Include all expenses in your travel plan to avoid flying off into the unknown.

If you search for " Trip planner ", you will find several templates for entering trip details and all expenses.

Take charge of your journey

Mastering your travel budget with Excel can be a game-changer in ensuring a financially stress-free and enjoyable trip. The step-by-step guides provided in this article empower you to take control of your finances and personal life, allowing for informed decisions and flexible adjustments as needed.

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Eliza Medley is an experienced writer and psychologist. She is actively interested in management, new technologies, and writing motivational articles. She also loves catching up on modern trends. She inspires people to learn new things and reach new heights with her work. In case of any inquiries or suggestions kindly reach out to her at [email protected].

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Excel Expense Report Template

An Expense Report is an organized way for businesses and their employees to track and report their expenses for business-related trips and events. The expense report is usually a printed form or a spreadsheet that is filled out and kept for accounting and tax purposes. Because of this, it is especially important to track any expenses that are tax deductible.

For a quick solution , instead of making your own expense report in Excel or Google Sheets, download and use one of our free Expense Report Templates below. Easily customize the spreadsheet by adding your company information and other details, then share the file with your employees.

Important Note for Employers : When your employees use a travel expense report, they should also submit copies of receipts along with the report so you can keep adequate records for tax purposes. We've included the note "Don't forget to attach receipts" in these spreadsheets to help serve as a reminder.

Travel Expense Report Template

License : Private Use (not for distribution or resale)

Description

Report your travel expenses , especially those that are tax deductible, with a simple and easy-to-use spreadsheet. This report template includes separate columns for common types of expenses. It also includes a table for recording detailed itemized expenses, such as a break-down of your meals or transportation expenses.

Simple Expense Report Template

The Simple Expense Report template uses one column for all expense types. The expense type can be selected from a drop-down that is easy to customize. There is also a designated place to specify the rate for mileage reimbursement.

For a blank, printable expense form that you can fill out by hand, simply remove the sample data and fill in the information you want printed.

Update 5/7/2020: I've added a new worksheet to this version of the expense report that lets you mark specific expenses "to be reimbursed" in case you use both a company card as well as personal money. Place an "x" in this column (or check the box in the Google Sheets version) if you want the amount to be added to the "Amount to Reimburse" total.

What business travel expenses are tax deductible?

Some of the most common tax deductible travel expenses include: flights, car rentals, mileage, uber rides, lodging, meals, tips, dry cleaning and laundry. We've based the expense types in our templates on these common expenses. For an official and detailed list that includes explanations and examples, we highly recommend visiting the Business Travel Expenses page on IRS.gov: https://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc511 )

Other Helpful Expense Report Templates

Our Reimbursement Form template is great for general employee expense reimbursements (for non-travel expenses). The Business Mileage Tracking Log lets you keep track of daily mileage for record keeping and reporting. The Weekly Expense Report template provides a way to include more details and more expense categories.

Disclaimer: The information on this page is for general education and not to be used as personal financial or tax advice. If you have questions about taxes or proper reporting procedures for travel expenses, please consult a certified professional.

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Managing travel expenses can be a challenging task, especially when you’re dealing with multiple receipts and transactions. Our Travel Expense Report Template is designed to help you organize and analyze your travel expenses, providing you with a clear picture of your spending patterns and financial health.

Section 1: Why You Need a Travel Expense Report

A Travel Expense Report is an essential tool for anyone who travels frequently for business or personal reasons. It helps you:

• Organize Expenses: Categorize and record all your travel-related expenses in one place.
• Identify Spending Patterns: Analyze your spending patterns and identify areas where you can cut costs.
• Prepare for Reimbursements: Simplify the process of claiming reimbursements by having all your travel expenses organized in one place.
• Make Informed Decisions: Use the insights gained from the report to make informed decisions about budgeting and financial planning for future travels.

Section 2: How to Use Our Travel Expense Report Template

Our template is user-friendly and requires no advanced spreadsheet skills. Here’s how you can use it:

• Download the Template: Click the download button to get your free copy of the template.
• Input Your Data: Enter your travel-related expenses for the trip into the respective categories.
• Analyze Your Spending: The template will automatically calculate the total expenses for each category, providing you with valuable insights.
• Make Informed Decisions: Use the insights gained from the template to make informed decisions about your travel finances.

Don’t let the complexities of travel expense tracking overwhelm you. Download our Travel Expense Report Template now.

Travel Expense Report

Travel expense report: track your spending & reimbursement. a travel expense report helps you keep track of your travel costs. use our free templates to record your travel expenses for business trips, vacation, or any other purpose. easily track expenses and save money with our free expense tracking tool..

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Ankita Potdukhe

Travel expense report description, travel expense report template.

Traveling for work can be an exciting adventure, but it can also be costly. To ensure that you are reimbursed for all of your business-related travel expenses, it is important to fill out a travel expense report. This helpful template will provide you with the information you need to accurately document your expenses and get your money back.

What is a Travel Expense Report?

A travel expense report is a form that is filled out by a traveler to document and track their expenses. The purpose of the report is to provide a detailed accounting of all the money spent while the traveler is away. It is also used to help the employer or client to understand how the money was spent and to make sure that the traveler is reimbursed for all of their expenses.

What Does the Travel Expense Report Include?

The travel expense report template includes the following information:

• Name of traveler
• Date of travel
• Destination(s)
• Purpose of travel
• Total travel expenses
• Details of each expense (item, cost, method of payment, etc.)

How Can I Use the Travel Expense Report Template?

The travel expense report template can be used to document and track all of your travel expenses. Simply fill out the form with the relevant information and submit it to your employer or client for reimbursement. It is also a good idea to keep a copy of the form for your own records.

Tips for Completing the Travel Expense Report

To ensure that you are properly reimbursed for all of your travel expenses, here are a few tips to follow when completing your travel expense report:

• Record all expenses, no matter how small.
• Keep all receipts and other supporting documents.
• Enter all expenses accurately and in the correct categories.
• Double-check your calculations.
• Submit the report in a timely manner.

Using the travel expense report template and following these tips will help you to accurately document your travel expenses and get your money back. So the next time you travel for work, make sure to fill out a travel expense report to ensure that you get reimbursed for all of your business-related expenses.

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How to Create a Trip Planning Spreadsheet [5 Free Templates]

• Last updated April 25, 2023

Travel planning can get exhausting, especially when you have no clear starting point. You can make this (at least) tolerable by creating a trip planning spreadsheet. Here, you can keep your itinerary, transportation details, budget allocation, and similar aspects.

In this article, we’ll discuss how you can create a trip planning spreadsheet using Google Sheets and why it’s so useful. We’ll also provide five different templates you can readily use for your travel planning.

Table of Contents

How to Create a Trip Planning Spreadsheet on Google Sheets

Step 1: make multiple tabs on your spreadsheet.

To keep your travel planner tidy, you should first create several tabs inside your spreadsheet. This allows you to categorize the kinds of information you’re going to deal with. For example, you can separate your flight details from your budget planning.

Follow the instructions below to do this.

• Launch your browser, then go to https://sheets.google.com/ .
• Click “ Blank ” under the “ Start a new spreadsheet ” section.

• Hover over the name of the current worksheet (usually named “ Sheet1 ”), click on the drop-down arrow, then select “Rename.”

• Type your preferred worksheet name, then press  “Enter”  or “Return”  on your keyboard.
• To add another worksheet, click on the  “Add Sheet”  icon (plus + symbol) at the bottom-left corner of your screen.

• Repeat steps 1 to 4 to rename the worksheet.

Common Tabs to Add

You can create many kinds of worksheets depending on your specific requirements. Here are some common tabs you’d typically see in a trip planning spreadsheet:

• Itinerary: Include the basic details of the places you plan to be in, like dinner reservations, conferences you need to attend, tourist attractions, etc.
• Transportation: Keep your flight schedule, the routes you plan to take, your commute options (car rental, bus, etc.), and similar information.
• Accommodation: List the names and locations of your lodgings. You can also include whether or not you’ve made a reservation already, the room prices, and more.
• Food: Plan where you can get your meals, the restaurants you want to visit, and the average costs of eating out.
• Budget: Track your day-to-day expenses and see how much money you’re left with.
• Packing List: Don’t leave anything essential at home before embarking on your trip — passports, IDs, cash, and similar things.
• Activities:  List the things that you can do at your destination, like bar hopping, nightlife activities, concerts, and so on.

Step 2: Add Column Headers

After creating multiple tabs, you can further categorize your details using column headers. These are found at the top of your worksheet, describing what kind of values are present in a column’s cells.

To add column headers, simply follow these steps.

• Click on the first cell (cell A1) in the upper-left corner of your worksheet.
• Enter your preferred column header, such as “Location”  (as used in our example).
• Repeat the previous step for other cells in the same row. (We used the headers “Date,” “Time,” “Transportation,” “Costs,”  and  “Status”  in our example below).

• Once done, select all the column headers you’ve added, then click “Bold”  in the toolbar.

• Alternatively, you can make them bold by pressing “Ctrl” + “B” (or “Cmd” + “B”  for Mac) on your keyboard.

Common Column Headers

The column headers we’ve used in the demonstration above are applicable to the Itinerary tab. Keep in mind that you can virtually use any word or phrase for your column headers, though. Below are some options you can consider.

For the Accommodation tab

• Nearby shops and attractions
• Room prices

For the Transportation tab

• Travel date and times
• Flight details, such as flight schedule and flight number
• Car rental company, including name, address, and contact number

For the Budget tab

• Daily budget
• Total budget
• Total amount spent
• Amount remaining
• Expense description

After adding your column headers, you can start filling out the fields with your information.

Step 3: Personalize Your Travel Planning Spreadsheet

All that’s left for you to do is add a touch of creativity to your vacation spreadsheet. Here are some ways you can do this.

Use Conditional Formatting

The term “conditional formatting” simply refers to a change in a cell’s appearance when certain requirements are met. Below is an example where we change a cell’s color to green when it contains the word  “Done.”

• Right-click on a cell, then select “View more cell actions” > “Conditional formatting.”

• On the side panel that appears, click the drop-down list under the “Format cells if…”  menu.

• Select  “Text is exactly”  from the options.

• Type  “Done”  in the “Value or formula”  field.
• Click on the “Done”  button to save your changes.

• Drag the cell’s contents to copy the conditional formatting rules to other cells.

Use Alternating Colors

If you’re dealing with a lot of details, you can also use alternating colors, making it easier for you to read. Here’s how to enable different cell colors on your spreadsheet.

• Select the cells you want to display in alternating colors.
• On the menu bar, select “Format” > “Alternating colors.”

• Choose your preferred color, then click the  “Done”  button to save your changes.

When to Use a Trip Planner Template

You can use spreadsheets every time you’re planning a trip — there’s no reason you shouldn’t! They are handy regardless of whether you’re traveling to a nearby town or going on an overseas vacation.

How about trip planner templates? Well, if you don’t have the time to create a spreadsheet from scratch, using a template would be excellent. These are some helpful pre-made planners that are ready for you to fill out.

Free Google Sheets Trip Planner Templates

1. daily itinerary planner spreadsheet.

Especially when traveling to faraway places, going into detail about the activities you plan to do daily is a good practice. You can share this daily itinerary with the people you went on a trip with, letting them know where to find you in case of grave situations.

Template Features

• Categorize your itinerary into multiple days (which are color-coded for organization)
• Describe your activities in a separate section and indicate the time and location where you’ll do them
• List the diners or restaurants where you can eat near the location of your activity
• Schedule your day properly by indicating the end time for each activity

Access Template

2. Travel Budget Template

Allocating your travel budget ahead of time lets you set boundaries when it comes to spending. This lets you know what costs you need to put first, too. Such money allocation is rarely followed, though (with impulsive purchases and unplanned expenses), making it important to have an expense planner and tracker throughout your trip.

• Categorize your expenses per location according to the transportation you used, your accommodation, food you ate, and activities you did
• Pick from a drop-down list of common transportation methods (e.g., bus, car rental, ferry, etc.)
• Enter your total and daily budget allocation, as well as their converted counterparts in your destination’s local currency
• Automatically calculate your daily expenses, including the total amount spent and your remaining budget for the day
• Calculate your total expenses throughout the trip, as well as the amount remaining from your budget

3. Travel Checklist Template

Successful and non-stressful trips can’t go without good preparation. For example, you’d want to ensure that your passport hasn’t expired yet before strutting over to your flight. A travel checklist spreadsheet would be handy in this case.

• Set a completion status for each of your to-dos
• Categorize your to-do list into  “Travel prep,” “Home prep,” “Transportation,”  and “Money/documents”
• Add notes to each item on the list
• Set a due date for your to-dos
• Determine the number of days remaining for you to accomplish the things listed with an automatic counter included
• Automatically count the number of tasks that are not yet done and those already finished

4. Destination Planner Spreadsheet

Researching your destination should always be part of your planning. For example, you want to know the available hotels and accommodations that you can opt for in your target location. This lets you find the ones with the lowest prices, the most convenient in terms of route, and more.

Knowing the current climate and the community there would be essential too. This allows you to anticipate what things to bring, what activities you can possibly do, and similar aspects.

• Enter your destination’s information, such as its current season, whether it’s rural or urban, and more
• List the tourist spots that you can visit in your destination, including their name, specific location, and transportation route
• Detail the activities that you want to do, together with their category, description, duration, and estimated expenses
• Find and compile a list of all available accommodations in your target location, as well as their name, address, price range, and pros/cons

5. Packing List Template

Before your trip, it is helpful to make a packing list of everything you’ll need — bathing essentials, clothing, money, documents, and more. Then, right before leaving your home, you can do a quick check to see if you’ve already placed every item on your list inside your luggage. You can do both with a packing list spreadsheet.

• Enter the details of your target destination, such as its usual weather, temperature, clothing restrictions, and more
• Add notes about your packing list
• Categorize your items by location, like the beach, conference, office, and other places
• Classify your things by type, such as clothing, money, documents, electronics, etc.
• Mark the items “Ready” once you have prepared them inside your luggage

Why Use Our Templates?

Below are some reasons you’d want to use the travel spreadsheet templates we have here at Spreadsheet Point :

Formulas and Drop-down Lists

We added several drop-down lists for common topics to make things easier for you. For instance, we included a drop-down where you can select common transportation types like buses, ferries, airplanes, car rentals, and more.

Easy Sharing and Collaboration

All of our templates are built on Google Sheets — you can easily collaborate with your friends in planning your trip with the  “Share”  button.

Color-Coded Categories

We displayed each category in unique colors and shades to keep them tidy.

Other Trips on Planning Your Travel

In addition to the travel planning templates we’ve discussed, here are a few bonus tips you can apply to prepare for your trip:

• Pick a location that your current finances can accommodate.
• Don’t bring things that won’t fit inside your backpack to avoid paying for extra luggage costs.
• When selecting a hotel or apartment, choose one that’s near major transportation lines.
• Weigh whether taking a bus would be more cost-effective than taking a flight.
• Always get travel insurance before embarking on your trip — it won’t shield you from accidents, but it will keep you from having an empty bank account.

Enjoy Your Trip with Everything Prepared

A lot of unknowns await you at your destination — unexpected expenses, spontaneous activities, booking problems, and more. With a trip planning spreadsheet, you can minimize these by anticipating the things on your journey. Feel free to use the templates we’ve included here to plan a successful trip today.

You can also access more of these useful templates on our Gumroad  profile. Don’t forget to use the code “ SSP ” to get 50% off all templates!

• 4 Free Google Sheets Itinerary Templates To Plan Your Trip
• Build a Schedule Template in Google Sheets [Free Downloads]
• The 9 Best Google Sheets Templates to Streamline Your Life
• Google Sheets Expense Tracker: Free Template & How to Use
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Home » Google Sheets » 9 Best Free☝️ Google Sheets Travel Budget Templates for 2023

• Updated: April 17, 2023

9 Best Free☝️ Google Sheets Travel Budget Templates for 2023

Planning for a vacation is undoubtedly one of the more exciting budgeting exercises you can do. Even a business trip can be an occasion to look forward to. 

However, a lack of proper planning can result in a flop of a holiday or a business trip rather than a fabulous or productive one. 

But that doesn’t have to be you. In this article, we review some of the best Google Sheets travel budget templates to help you prepare for your long-awaited break or business trip!

1. Free Downloadable Travel Budget Template

Designed by Vertex42

If your itinerary is going to be jam-packed with lots of stopovers and plenty of travel activities to see and do, the Free Downloadable Travel Budget Template by Vertex42 is an excellent option.

It is so user-friendly and ideally suited to travel planning, with a graph that depicts the sum totals of your budget categories so that you can view how these costs are going without necessarily having to go back to the drawing board to establish where you overspend.

2.Daily Travel Budget Template

Designed by Charlie Marchant

The Daily Travel Budget Template by Charlie Marchant is an excellent step-by-step guide to use if you have a jam-packed travel trip coming up that requires you to track daily expenses more carefully. 

What’s unique about this travel budget template is that you have a local currency column and a home currency column you can use for comparison purposes. 

And then there’s also a total budget row that you can compare to the sum of your daily totals to see if you are edging towards going over budget or keeping to the plan .

3. Artist Tour Budget Template

Designed by The Crafty Musician

The Artist Tour Budget Template by The Crafty Musician is a great touring budget if you plan on going from place to place and want to enjoy yourself in the process while not being too preoccupied by expenses that go with the territory. 

This budget template also has a special column for venue prices depending on the town you’re in, so you can pick the most profitable venue for you depending on your tour goals and the spend you have available – which, of course, relies on how your trip pans out while you’re visiting each destination.

4. Business Travel Budget Template

Designed by Spreadsheet Daddy

The Business Travel Budget by Spreadsheet Daddy is designed nicely for business trip expenses. This spreadsheet should help you monitor and account for expenses on a business trip for record-keeping purposes. 

Category expenses that this budget template include are airfare, hotel, car rental, gas, entertainment, food, and other miscellaneous costs.

5. Corporate Travel Budget Template

Since a corporate travel budget needs to be a little more finessed than the norm, this spreadsheet template by Spreadsheet Daddy is the one to use to accurately record typical corporate travel costs in a neat and corporate-looking document for future company reference.

6. Family Travel Template

The Family Travel Template by Spreadsheet is perfect for your next family vacation. It has a place for listing itineraries and transportation details. 

If you need a helpful reminder on what to pack, this template has a section for that, too, so you won’t forget the essentials when you and your family depart on a long journey.

7. Study Abroad Travel Budget Template

Studying and living abroad can be costly. Take control over your new lifestyle expenses with The Study Abroad Travel Budget Template by Spreadsheet Daddy and jot down the main category expenses to avoid being caught unawares regarding unanticipated expenses in a new country.

8. Sales Travel Budget

The Sales Travel Budget Template is ideal for recording all the sales you make while on your travels. You can even use filters to establish what you sold more of and when this occurred to validate your trip.

9. Year-Long Travel Budget Template

The Year-Long Travel Budget Template by Spreadsheet Daddy is a good example to use if you are a perpetual traveler and require a suitable budget for year-round travel.

You can even record miles traveled, how much time you spent traveling during daylight hours and during the night, and additional expenses incurred. You can gain insights and reflect on how your travels were spent and if the trip was optimized as much as possible.

Does Google Sheets have a travel budget template?

Google Sheets does not have a travel budget template that you can download within its standard templates. However, there are plenty of free travel budget templates available for download that you can access simply by clicking on the links shown above. Perhaps best of all is the fact you can customize these spreadsheet templates to personify your travel trip best.

How do I create a travel budget in Google Sheets?

Travel budgets are one of these things where you might not think it necessary to list certain expenses. Or you may think it’s necessary to list everything – but this can get a little messy and difficult to track if you don’t have the main travel categories to follow.

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How to Make a Travel Budget in 2023 [Free Template]

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Can You Afford to Travel?

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Creating a travel budget isn’t all about boring spreadsheets and searching for low budget bargains — a finely-crafted budget it is designed to maximize your total travel experience.

Let’s start out easy here. You may have dreams of globetrotting and living your best life in distant lands, but can you actually afford it?

The amount you have to spend on your trip will need to be proportionate to the place you are visiting. By that, we mean that some destinations can be done on the cheap, while others will be a bit more of an investment.

Where you want to stay, what you intend to do when you get there, and physically how far away you will be from home can all have a considerable bearing on how deep your pockets will need to be.

Before you book yourself silly, really break down the potential costs of your dream trip and tally it up with the amount of money you will realistically have to fund it.

Bottom Line: Sometimes, it may be better to put your plans on hold until you have saved up enough cash to really experience a place, rather than rushing to get there and missing out on some of the best bits.

Whether you are a plan-well-in-advance sort of traveler or more of a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants kind of person, there are different ways to approach setting out your budget based on what works best for you.

Plan Your Adventure Well in Advance

The most traditional way to book a vacation is to think of somewhere you want to go, plan your vacation dates, and decide how long you want to stay. This kind of advanced planning is the usual go-to for most travelers, as it allows you to book time off of work or plan trips around school semesters, and gives you the opportunity to firm up plans before you leave.

Knowing when and where you are going also has another key advantage — it gives you plenty of time to save up all the cash you will need to really enjoy your time there. Booking in advance also means you get your choice of cheaper accommodation at better rates.

Book months in advance and you can research your planned itinerary and potential expenditure, and maybe even save enough extra for upgrades of luxuries to make your adventure truly special. This kind of planning is a great incentive for saving hard.

Travel Based on Your Bank Balance

If, on the other hand, you want to take your cash and get the hell out of dodge, you can work backward to identify the most amount of fun you can have for your money. If you are feeling lucky, and you know how much you are willing to spend, the world really is your oyster.

The awesome power of the internet has made impulse traveling even easier, as you can simply hit up any number of booking sites to find an exciting destination, as well as suitable flights, accommodation, and excursions in just a few clicks.

Another great way to make your budget go further is to think outside the box. Visiting popular destinations out of season, taking shorter vacation times, or even looking at places away from the main tourist trail can all make your money go further.

A trip to the legendary Yosemite National Park during April or May, for example, is a great way to experience some of the most iconic open spaces in America before the schools let out, or hit the beaches of Miami or the Florida Keys during September and October when tourists shy away from the increased risk of stormy weather.

You can also look at alternatives to the more traditional resort destinations to get more bang for your buck. Consider a trip to Reno instead of Las Vegas, hit the slopes in Winter Park instead of the sky-high prices in Vail, or take in the history of Williamsburg and avoid the price tags of New York or Los Angeles on your next city break.

To help you plan and keep track of your travel budget we have created a free, handy Microsoft Excel spreadsheet.

📋  Click to Download Our Travel Budget Template >  📋

Travel Budget Considerations

When planning your travel budget, there are lots of different things to consider. Break down your budget into subsections to make it easier to plan and stick to:

One of the most essential elements of your travel plan will revolve around the legal and local requirements for travel to and from your destination. You must research any visa requirements and restrictions before you fly, and be sure to have all the documentation you need before you leave.

Most countries will have their own individual and very specific entry requirements, and there may be restrictions on how much local currency you can bring with you, as well as how long you can stay.

As a very rough guide, some examples of the requirements for U.S. citizens could include:

• Travel to Europe — If you are traveling to or through any of the main 26 European countries, you must know the requirements of the Schengen Agreement, which eliminates borders and assumes that travelers will be able to enjoy up to 3-months of visa-free travel. This will change in January 2021 with the introduction of the ETIAS .
• Travel to Australia — You must have a valid U.S. passport and an Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) to enjoy up to 90 days of travel in Australia.
• Travel to Central America — You will not need a visa to visit most Central American countries, but you may need a tourist card for some destinations (~$10) to allow stays of up to 90 days visa-free.
• Travel To South Africa — You must have a valid U.S. passport, but do not need a visa for stays of 30 days or less.

Check out our guide to tourist visa information on over 100 countries.

There are many great reasons why you should always buy travel insurance coverage for your trips overseas, and only 1 reason not to. Trust us. If the worst should happen while you are away, you will wish you hadn’t tried to save money by skipping on the insurance, so make sure you always make space for travel insurance in your travel budget .

The best travel insurance policy does not necessarily have to be the most expensive one you find, but it probably won’t be the cheapest either. With this in mind, shop around and speak to a variety of providers before committing to any 1 product.

There will be different levels of coverage available to suit the requirements of every type of traveler, from lone backpackers to family vacations, but at the very least you should try to include:

• Emergency medical expenses
• Repatriation expenses
• Cancellation or curtailment coverage
• Lost baggage coverage
• Travel delay/missed departure coverage
• Journey disruption coverage
• Personal liability coverage
• Legal expenses coverage
• Electronics loss/theft and damage coverage

Depending on where you go, what you’ll be doing, and the nature of your trip, you may want to also consider dedicated financial protection that could include specific coverage for:

• Winter sports coverage
• Terrorism disruption coverage
• Cruise coverage
• Business coverage
• Sports equipment coverage

It is important to remember that the domestic health insurance that you use at home will not necessarily cover you if you get into medical trouble overseas . Don’t leave it to chance — invest wisely in your travel insurance and never skimp on the coverage just to save yourself a few bucks before you go.

You should also look into insurance coverage for your prized electrical items and personal belongings, too . While we would recommend leaving the diamonds at home, unless you are going somewhere exceptionally glamorous, many of us will take expensive electronics with us everywhere we go.

Find coverage that offers repairs or replacement for damaged, broken, lost, or stolen items before you go.

Hot Tip: There are some credit cards with travel insurance , so you might already have some coverage without knowing it!

Some parts of the world pose more of a risk to our health than others. By ensuring that you have all the travel vaccinations you need before you go, you can reduce the risk of developing serious diseases that your immune system may not be used to.

You can pretty much be vaccinated against all of the world’s most common communicable diseases at your local doctor’s office, health care center, or health department, and there will be medical professionals who will be able to provide you with useful information for your trip.

You will need to do your own research before you travel and speak to healthcare providers about the risks. But, as a rough guide to keep in mind when planning your travel budget, here are some of the most common travel vaccinations and their approximate costs:

• Cholera — A single-dose oral vaccine costs around $45.
• Hepatitis A — A single-dose vaccine costs around $115.
• Japanese Encephalitis — 2 doses given 4 weeks apart costs around $290 per injection.
• Meningococcal Disease — This single-dose vaccine is recommended from pre-teenage years and costs around $135.
• Rabies — A series of 3 or 4 injections into the muscles over the course of 4 weeks costs around $3000 for the entire course.
• Typhoid Fever — A single oral dose for anyone over 6 years old costs around $60.
• Yellow Fever — This vaccine is not stocked everywhere, but if you can find a clinic that offers it, you will need a single shot costing as much as $350.
• Malaria — There is no single vaccine, but antimalarial tablets can be taken to reduce the risk of contracting the disease by 90%. These may need to be taken as far as 3 months in advance and can cost anything from $20 a pack up to $260 per pack.

What you need to take with you will depend very much on where you headed. Whether you choose to travel light or max out your luggage allowance is up to you, but there are plenty of ways to help keep costs down when it comes to packing for your next adventure.

Compile a Capsule Wardrobe

Travel guides always bang on about the legendary “capsule wardrobe” — but it literally is a real thing. By taking 7 or 8 items of clothing with you that can be worn in a variety of ways you can dress for days at a time without worrying about overfilling your luggage or maxing out your travel budget.

Choose 2 pants, skirts or jeans, 3 tops, 1 sweater, 1 dress or a smart shirt and a coat or jacket, and you should be pretty much good to go. Throw in beachwear, sports gear, or thermals as-needed and some socks and underwear to see yourself sorted for the duration of your stay.

Another way to keep costs down is to avoid buying new stuff for every vacation . Your favorite bikini, flip flops, party dress, or even hoodie should be shown off time and time again, so never feel the need to replace your vacation clothing unless you really need to.

Here are some destination-specific packing lists:

• Beach Vacation Packing List
• Cruise Vacation Packing List
• Disney Vacation Packing List

If you want to take your travel camera with you, your GoPro for awesome live video, your phone, tablet, laptop, headphones , or any other bits of kit — think carefully about whether or not you really need it.

Taking more expensive gear with you increases the risk of stuff getting lost, broken, or stolen, as well as weighing your luggage down and tying you to charging ports and electrical sockets.

Keeping Clean

Most people like to have their favorite toiletries with them, but save money and space in your luggage by not taking full-size products.

You needn’t even worry about wasting money on cute little travel size products either. Simply decant your full-size bottles and pots into smaller travel containers instead . This is super easy to do, meets with TSA regulations, and saves you a few dollars here and there.

Alternatively, buy what you need when you arrive. Most destinations and airports will have plenty of shops to choose from. One area where you shouldn’t cut costs, however, is sunscreen. Buy the best you can, ideally from a trusted brand, before you leave.

Finally, check if the airline you are using charges extra for checked baggage and if so, see if you can get away with just a carry-on case instead.

The amount you pay for your flights will vary widely depending on a wide number of variants, including:

• Your destination
• Who you choose to fly with
• Whether you fly direct
• Whether you fly return or one-way
• The day of the week and time of day that you fly, and even the time of year
• Where you fly from
• When you book

There are many different ways to fly around the skies, but here are some ways to bag cheaper flights :

• Use Points and Miles — If you aren’t accumulating points to fly, read this beginner’s guide to get started.
• Book as Early as You Can — Flights often significantly increase in price within 3 weeks of the departure date.
• Stay Flexible — Flights leaving on different days or at times of day can be cheaper than others.
• Don’t Dismiss Discount Airlines — Short journeys, internal flights, and even some international journeys can be way cheaper on discount, no-frills airlines.
• Sign Up and Shop Around — Sign up with airlines direct to be notified of discounts and flash sales, and be sure to check in on all airlines that fly to your preferred destination.
• Use Aggregation Sites — Sometimes this is a winner, sometimes it isn’t — but don’t be afraid to try. Sites like Kayak or Skyscanner can be good, but don’t just accept the first price they give you.
• Buy Connecting Flights — It can be cheaper to buy 2 separate connecting flights than a direct 1. Check your destination and see who stops where along the route.

Again, how much you spend on where you stay is entirely up to you. Keeping costs down can be harder in large cities or expensive beach resorts, but there are ways to rest your head without losing your mind over the cost of it all.

Whether you are going for an all-out 5-star luxury or a family-friendly motel room, there are always deals to be had. Book direct through the hotel, include weeknights or a Sunday night in your stay, and be flexible on location.

Hot Tip: A hotel just outside of town, for example, will offer more attractive nightly rates and free parking and will usually represent better value for money than a downtown hotel will.

Renting a private home or vacation apartment on a short term basis can be much more affordable than a hotel. You can also find some superb properties for rent, complete with everything you need to enjoy your stay.

Fully-equipped kitchens, parking, TVs, and even pools often come standard and depending on your destination, there are lots of great Airbnbs and other holiday rental websites available.

If you are heading to the coast, the backcountry, or just getting out into the great outdoors, camping can completely transform your experience. Many campsites come complete with showers and cooking facilities and even pools, sports facilities, and fitness centers. You can take your own tent or rent one.

Another great way to save money on accommodation is to look at hostels in the area. A far cry from old fashioned student accommodation, many modern hostels are clean, bright, and modern and offer a combination of dorm-style bedrooms and private double or family rooms with en-suite facilities.

Hot Tip: Hostels are a great way to stay right in the middle of some of the most expensive cities in the world.

Rent a Recreational Vehicle

Another great choice if you are heading out on the open road, RVs can save you a fortune as you literally take your accommodation with you. RV trips are fun, family-friendly, and provided you aren’t always in a gas station, a great way to save money on where you stay.

RVshare and Outdoorsy are 2 companies that rent out campers and RVs.

You can pretty much rent any kind of vehicle , anywhere in the world. Although if you are staying in a city, public transport is a much more useful and affordable proposition.

The same rules also apply to some intercontinental trips, as well. For example, it can be easier and cheaper to travel through Europe using trains and buses than worrying about having to take care of a car when you get there.

If you want to explore out of the way destinations, hard to reach beaches, or just like the idea of being free to come and go as you please, car hire is readily available in most corners of the world.

Before you commit to it, think about the rental fees, fuel costs, and other potential expenditures and compare the costs of using public transport in your chosen destination.

Car hire here in the U.S. will vary depending on the type of car you choose and how long you intend to hire it. Small city cars are the most cost-effective, and big SUVs, 4x4s and luxury cars can also be hired if you have deep pockets.

When it comes to car rental, keep your costs down by:

• Booking your vehicle in advance
• Looking outside the airport as you may get a better deal in town
• Choosing a practical vehicle to suit your needs, not your dream supercar
• Being aware of mileage limits and one-way fees
• Use a credit card with car rental insurance , so you can be ready to turn down unnecessary add-ons and cross-sells that you don’t need
• Making sure the vehicle is checked for damage before you take the keys
• Only hiring it for as long as you need it
• Keeping your eyes out for deals on particular types of car, and better prices for longer-term rentals

Most tourist hotspots, big towns, cities, and even some iconic landmarks will offer a wide range of public transport options to get you around. There will be more choice and more frequent services in highly populated areas, while services may become more restricted further out in the countryside or suburbs.

If you are clever, you could save yourself a small fortune by grabbing good deals on public transport, leaving you with more cash to spend on the fun things in life.

Try these to tips for traveling around town on the cheap:

• Buy daily, weekly or even monthly travel passes in advance
• Bulk buy tickets online or via an app
• Take advantage of student passes or discounted fares for families, seniors, or children
• Avoid traveling during peak commuter times
• Services like Greyhound offer cheaper fares for mid-week journeys
• Sign up for early notification of flash sales and other promotional codes and discounts

Wherever you are headed, there will no doubt be plenty of things to do and places to see when you get there. The key to not missing a single thing is researching everything before you leave.

Have a plan in place of all the activities you want to take part in and the attractions you want to see and integrate the potential entrance costs, additional fees, and other expenses into your initial budget.

With a bit of luck, you will be able to find plenty of local discounts, city passes, and money-saving ways to see all of the very best attractions at rock bottom prices.

Pick up a copy of the local listings magazine or newspaper and check out free events , as well as using the coupons and discount codes they supply for all kinds of attractions. You can also subscribe to online discount sites like Groupon to find discounted ticket prices.

Historical landmarks, museums , art galleries, theme parks , sporting events, concerts, and many more attractions often offer reduced entrance prices at off-peak times or group discounts to entice visitors in. Some even have a free entrance day once a month.

Big cities often have lots of free entertainment on offer, too. Check out the artsy districts of major cities for street entertainers and free shows. If you are heading to the beach, research costs such as sunbed rental, locker rental, and even the menus at local restaurants to gauge an idea of how much a day on the beach could potentially cost you.

If you want to try your hand at surfing, sailing, or other kinds of water sports, you may want to get back on the internet and find reduced price lessons or discounts for group bookings.

While you may have budgeted every dollar down to the last cent, you should also keep a contingency plan for some pocket money . Days out in the town, lazy afternoons on the beach, or even a trip on a planned excursion can present you with lots of little unknown expenses.

Whether you need to buy an extra bottle of water, some sunscreen for your face, or entrance to additional attractions, keeping a little cash on you is a good way to be prepared.

Large amounts of cash should never be carried about your person while you are out exploring, but a couple of dollars stashed into your pocket or travel wallet and can be incredibly useful.

In order to keep your money safe, you should:

• Never flash wads of cash
• Keep your notes and loose change somewhere safe like your inside pocket or in a money belt
• Carry small denomination notes and coins
• Understand the local currency you are carrying, so you known how much to give over when paying

Walk-around money is simply a little buffer to keep you going, but set yourself a daily budget and stick to it.

These days, almost everyone travels at some point. This means that those unusual and unique products that we used to buy as souvenirs are no longer as sought after as they once were.

Nearly every tourist destination on earth will be able to sell you tacky bits and pieces for you to take home, but savvy travelers bypass these and look for more personalized and unique mementos to take home with them instead.

Bottom Line: A t-shirt here, a guide book there, and lots of little bits and pieces in between can soon add up. Spend wisely, and if you must buy gifts and souvenirs, choose ones that have a special meaning to you, that you can treasure forever.

To help make your research easier, some clever folks who have traveled before you have made websites that can help you to research and plan every single aspect of your next big adventure and what the costs involved may be.

Budget Your Trip

Budget Your Trip is a huge repository of travel costs that have been hand-gathered from thousands of travelers, and now provides an incredibly comprehensive guide to how much your trip will really cost you.

You can create and personalize your very own travel budget once you register with the website. You can also pick up tons of top travel tips and advice for both new and experienced travelers alike.

Nomad List offers a heap of resources and information for remote workers, digital nomads, and travelers, Nomad List is designed to help users navigate the world. Find information on thousands of destinations, places to work, neighborhoods to stay, and even make new friends before you go.

A great site for anyone who wants to work and travel for longer-term adventures, you can ask questions and arrange meet-ups to touch base with other like-minded wanderers.

This clever little website has 1 goal in mind — to let you know exactly how much money you really need to stay at your dream destination. Expatistan offers direct comparisons between different locations and the website is essentially a giant cost-of-living database that is updated and improved on a regular basis.

Using collaborative information garnered from expats from all over the world, this website really will give you the lowdown of where you can, and can’t, afford to be.

Keeping track of your expenses using your bank balance alone can be a real pain. A dedicated travel money app will help you to keep control of your finances, even when you can’t check the internet. Here are some of the best:

Trail Wallet

This easy to use expense tracker is a great way to keep an accurate record of your finances on the go. Designed to be incredibly intuitive and easy to use, you can make a note of all your expenses in a way that makes the best sense to you. Set up daily spending limits, view records of your recent outgoings, and upload images of receipts for multiple trips with custom start and end dates.

Perfect for use both at home and away, this clever little app will even let you input amounts in local currencies from over 200 countries , and you can update the app with the current exchange rate.

Trail Wallet can be used on both iPhone and iPad and is free for up to 25 items, or unlock unlimited amounts for continuous travel with the $4.99 upgrade.

Trabee Pocket

Trabee Pocket is available on both iOS and Android, and you can choose between the free version or additional services in the paid-for version. Even with the basic version, you can add the details of as many expenses as you like, covering various trips and destinations. You can choose your currency, and there are 8 basic categories to file your virtual expenses under.

You can add images of the physical receipt and produce an expense report and breakdown of expenditure using the data from each category . The upgrade costs around $2.49, and you can add multiple currencies and additional customized categories.

All in all, Trabee Pocket is sleek and an easy to use app that helps you to see how much you are spending and where you are spending it.

TripCoin is a concise and easy to use app that is available on iOS only. It is free to download , and there are no upgrade options at the present time. This smart app allows you to keep tabs on your spending at the touch of a button while making is super easy to add new entries when you need to.

Summary reports can quickly be compiled to let you see progress reports and spreadsheets, and you can even export the data to Excel, Numbers, Open Office, or Google to keep your inner accountant happy anywhere in the world.

Wally was designed to help anyone to manage their finances, anywhere in the world easily. It promises to offer a simple, seamless tool that works in an intuitive way, making it super easy to keep track of your money on the move.

The basic version allows you to add details of all of your regular incoming and outgoings as well as inputting your day to day expenditure, creating groups to manage joint accounts, and splitting payments with your friends when you need to.

It can be set to your local currency and lets you divide your outgoings into easy to find pre-set categories. Available on both iOs and Android, you can upgrade to the paid-for version for $24.99 a year to enjoy unlimited trips and categories.

This is a brilliant invention for anyone traveling with friends. Available on both iOS and Android, you can download it for free, but an in-app upgrade is available to Splitwise Pro. No more scrambling around with a pen and paper to split the bill, this app allows you and your buddies to keep track of your shared expenses and balances at the touch of a button.

You can add a bill, and choose how to split it, or send text or email requests to remind your friends and family that payments are now due. You can also categorize your expenses, calculate amounts in over 100 different currencies, and even sync all of your expenditures with the Cloud.

If you want to keep a more detailed record of your accounts, this little app will also export the data into easy to read CSV reports.

Before you worry about how to manage your finances while you are away, you will need to devise a plan that gives you the funds to get you there in the first place. Unless you have been blessed with a sudden windfall or a lottery win, you will need to save your cents to achieve your goals.

Set a Savings Timeline

If you receive a regular wage, or you are able to forecast your earnings accurately, you can start to set a timeline on how long it will take you to save up for your vacation . If you put aside just $100 a month, for example, you will be able to have $1200 to play with in just a year. This amount may not pay for a new life abroad, but it could you buy a week by the ocean.

Bottom Line: Think of where you want to go to, find out how much it will cost, and then set a monthly savings goal and stick to it. Some months you may have to sacrifice on your social life or shopping habits, but it will all be worth it in the end.

Multiple Savings Accounts

Once you know how much you need to save each month, be sure to physically remove that money from your day to day bank account. Set up at least 1 separate savings account and electronically move it , or set up an automated payment to leave your regular account on payday.

Visualization

Re-train your brain to save instead of spend, and you will be able to tally up every cent you save with something amazing . Your first $150 saved, for example, could mean that you have those tickets for that boat party in Miami in the bag, or that you are on your way to paying for a 4-star hotel instead of a mid-range one.

Whether you are dreaming of trekking up the Himalayas, backpacking around Asia, Interailing through Europe , or a long-awaited family vacation, seeing what your savings can afford will super motivate you to save more.

Wherever you are planning on traveling to, being in control of your finances will make your experience even more amazing. Worrying about getting into debt on your credit cards or not having the cash in your pocket to really explore the region will ruin your adventures.

Save hard, spend well, and look for ways to save money across every aspect of your trip. Plan your spending before you go and keep track of your expenditure while you travel. There are deals to be had on flights, accommodation, food, attractions, and almost every area of your next vacation. Plan in advance and enjoy knowing that you are having the best time for less.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where can i travel with a low budget.

There are plenty of excellent places to travel on a low budget. Here are some great options:

• South Africa

How much should I budget for a trip?

There are lots of factors that make up how much you should budget for a trip. Where you are going, the time of year, your travel style, what you want to do, and how long are you going for are just some of the considerations. It’s best to work out exactly what the trip would cost, cut out anything you can do without, and go from there.

How do I stick to a budget while traveling?

The best way to stick to a budget while traveling is to keep track of all your expenses so you know exactly where you are against your budget. The easiest way of doing this is to use a travel budget and expenses up like Trail Wallet, Trabee Pocket, or Tripcoin.

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About Amar Hussain

Amar is an avid traveler and tester of products. He has spent the last 13 years traveling all 7 continents and has put the products to the test on each of them. He has contributed to publications including Forbes, the Huffington Post, and more.

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The Travel Quandary

The Ultimate Trip Planner Template – Easy To Use Excel Format!

You’re about to embark on your next adventure – hooray! 

Travel planning comes naturally to some who thrive on the challenge to find the best deal on a tour, stay at the coolest hotel or dine at the hottest new restaurant. These travellers are always at the airport on time, check opening hours of attractions before leaving home and have packing down to a fine art form. On the other end of the scale, there are travellers who prefer to go with the flow, do things spontaneously and are happy to rock up to a new destination and “wing it”.

According to the World Tourism Organization (UNTWO), 1.4 billion people travelled internationally in 2018. And apparently, there are over 750 million users of Microsoft Excel worldwide. There’s a high chance that you’ll fall into both of these categories (we don’t know the exact number but it would make for a pretty neat Venn diagram). And if you also classify yourself as an “unprepared” and/or “unorganised” traveller, our trip planner template is designed to help YOU.

Microsoft Excel is not only used by accountants and finance people. Microsoft Excel has become the ultimate planning and analysis tool, recognised and used worldwide which is why we’ve chosen it to create our trip planner template. We hope you find it useful and welcome your feedback and recommendations!

FREE TRIP PLANNER TEMPLATE! MICROSOFT EXCEL & GOOGLE DOCS

Why use a spreadsheet to plan your trip.

• Identify gaps in your itinerary (closures, public holidays, mandatory reservations)
• Save money (better budget decisions, better choices on trip)
• To get you excited! You’re going on a holiday! Hooray!

Download your free trip planner template here

Note: For Google Docs template, download the .zip file and upload the spreadsheet to your Google Drive. Once uploaded, open with Google Sheets.

Using this spreadsheet

The Ultimate Trip Planner Template is built into a spreadsheet which is divided into six sections. We’ve built this trip planner to include 16 days of travel but you can adjust the length of the trip by adding or removing columns in the spreadsheet.

Once you’ve confirmed your travel plans, add them here. This is where you can record all your reservations – flight details, accommodation, car rental, equipment rental, tour reservations etc. Listing them on one tab means you can quickly jump in and find those important details when you need them.

2. Planning

Researching airlines, hotels, Airbnbs, car hire, tour operators and travel insurance policies can be exhausting. You’ll probably go through a phase where you’ll have so many tabs open on your browser, it’ll make you want to pull your hair out! If you also need to compare prices and dates with your travel companions, it can become downright overwhelming.

When you find a potential option you like, add it to the “Planning” tab. When your research is condensed into a neat summary, it will be a simple exercise of reviewing all possible suppliers, key dates and prices and then after a process of elimination, you will be left with the most suitable option.

A budget is by no means set in stone. Our budget tab is designed to help with your travel planning decisions. We feel that it is important to understand the costs of a holiday before making any hasty decisions. And we consider it even more important that you don’t spend beyond your means!

We don’t want to sound like party-poopers but the last thing you want is to get ripped off and/or find yourself stuck abroad without any money. By understanding where you plan to spend the bulk of your hard-earned money on your holiday, you can plan where you’ll allow yourself to splurge and other areas where you may need to tighten the purse strings.

For example, we give ourselves extra budget for food and coffee experiences as this is an aspect we love about travelling. We tend to book budget/basic accommodation on the road depending on the destination and available options, as all we need is a bed, access to a (preferably) hot shower in a secure room.

A good chunk of your budget will already be paid or known in advance before you’ve even left home (i.e. flights, some ground transport, accommodation, tours (if applicable) etc), so this should also help when allocating your budget to food, shopping and extras. There will also be times where you need to be strict and say “no” if your gut feeling and bank account tell you that you cannot afford a certain something. Be conservative but also be kind to yourself – you are treating yourself to a holiday after all and you’ll have to spend money to fully enjoy the experience!

4. Itinerary

We spend a lot of time planning our travel itineraries on a day by day basis and even breaking it down to each hour of each day. Some people call us crazy but when we are short on time and have an extensive list of things to see/do/eat/shop etc, we prefer to be organised.

Laying out our trip day by day also helps us to block out periods of time for travel or to take note of when restaurants and attractions are closed. Of course, plans can and will change. Rain may force you indoors (museums, galleries, shopping) or an unknown public holiday may disrupt your planned travel day.

We recommend using this tab to roughly outline your plans and drop in the activities and places you simply cannot miss. You can move activities to different days if your original plan doesn’t work out. If you want, record your daily expenses at the bottom and you can track how your actual spending goes against your budget.

5. Packing List

For those who begrudge packing, it tends to be the case that you will end up wearing 20% of your packed belongings during 80% of your trip. Or if you’ve left packing until the last minute and thrown items higgledy-piggledy into your suitcase, you’ll arrive at your accommodation to realise you’ve forgotten your favourite undies or packed the wrong shoes.

Packing lists work. Once you’ve considered the weather and climate at your destination, your baggage allowance plus the duration of your trip, you can plan what you need and limit unnecessary purchases on the other side.

We’ve compiled a pretty epic packing list covering practically every type of adventure and possibly everything that you may need. Feel free to adjust accordingly to your requirements.

6. Checklist

This is the final step before you walk out your front door to embark on a brand new adventure. Before you go, use this tab to ensure you’ve dotted all the i’s and crossed all the t’s. And then you’re off!

Bon voyage!

WHERE WILL YOU TRAVEL NEXT?

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• How To Spend 2 Days In Prague
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• A Tasty Encounter at Jalan Alor Street Food Market, Kuala Lumpur
• A 3 Day Singapore Itinerary
• Beach Destinations Australia | 25 Sensational Places To Visit
• Tasmania Road Trip Itinerary | 17 days around Van Diemen’s Land
• Far North Queensland Itinerary | Palm Cove, Daintree Rainforest, Fitzroy Island & More

Give us your feedback of the Trip Planner Template below!

Like this post pin it and share it.

CONTINUE PLANNING YOUR TRAVELS

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Tasmania Road Trip Itinerary | 17 days around Van Diemen’s Land

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Accommodation Review | The Keep – Goulds Country, Tasmania

28 thoughts on “the ultimate trip planner template – easy to use excel format”.

HOLY COW I cannot believe I found EVERYTHING I needed all in one for FREE. I feel like I have ROBBED someone! My partner and I never grew up in households where family vacations were had, so we have no idea what were doing. Thank you kindly to The Travel Quandary. If I can donate, share your page, volunteer, etc. let me know how I can repay <3

SO HELPFUL ! THANK YOU SO MUCH !

How you extend the dates! I am going for a month

This template is so great! Planning a trip to New Zealand and will be traveling around a lot – this is super helpful!

NICE!! MUCHAS GRACIAS VERY COOL!!! Alina

Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and your files!

Thanks so much for the template. This is a very good start for a traveller like me. Easy to use!

Amazing template! Exactly what I needed. Thank you!

Thank you for the great tool! I was wondering if theres a way to enter an end date as well to the itenerary?

Hi there! I was wrapped to see that the template is created by some Aussies! and local ones as well. I’m from Melbourne! Template is a charm! Just what I’ve been looking for ages! Planning our Europe trip for 2023 that got cancelled in 2020! (We all know why!!) Will let you know how it goes and will definitely check out your website! Thanks,

Hi Rosanna, we’re so glad to hear that you’ve found this template useful! Very jealous that you’re planning an escapade to Europe. No doubt it will be amazing! Safe travels 🙂

Thankyou for your post on THE ULTIMATE TRIP PLANNER TEMPLATE on excel. It is very usefull. I have been using this template to plan my trips for a while now and it has saved me a lot of time. I highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for a travel planner.

Didn’t work. At least, not on my version of excel.

something about “delimited” something or another.

Hi Piotr, We’re sorry to hear this. What version of excel are you using? Are you on a Mac or PC? If you wish, we can email you an Excel copy of the template.

So so sooo helpful! I’m happy to find this great itinerary template! Thank you so much.

Thanks Tahira! We’re so glad that you found it helpful. Enjoy your travels! 🙂

Hi Tahira, we’re thrilled you found this template helpful. Enjoy your travels!

I needed this so much, easy and simply. Thank you for a great spreadsheet.

Thanks Nga! Happy travel planning!

Hi Nga, we’re so glad you loved this spreadsheet. Hope you had an amazing travel adventure!

Thank you , soooo much ! I appreciate you putting this together and sharing it

Hi Priscilla! So glad that you found this planning template useful! We hope you enjoy your trip!

I am so excited to find this. (Thank you, Pinterest!) I will be leaving in a month on an eight day train trip and this is exactly what I needed to get all my ducks in a row. Thank you so much!

HiTeresa! We’re so glad to hear this and so exciting for you. Enjoy your trip!

This is great! Found this as i was looking for a newer travel planner and this is very helpful and user friendly!

We’re so glad to hear this! Happy travel planning!

great tool. never used a planner before and it has most every item to consider… add a route sheet for those who driving to, during and back from their vacations…

Glad you like it and thanks for the feedback. We’ll look into adding a new tab for routes.

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Employee Travel Expense Report Template in Excel

Use this Travel Expense Report in Excel to get reimbursements from all expenses spent during your trip. Receipts should be attached along with this form.

Employees going on a business trip are expected to submit a travel expense report to their employers after returning from the trip. This is primarily done for the employees to get travel expenses reimbursement from their employers. At the same time, this is also a way for the employers to track and keep records of such expenses. With that, this template would be a great help to you. You can use this travel expense report form as originally designed or as reference for creating your own expense report.

This excel travel expense template is the perfect version for those who want an auto-calculated expense report . Use this template so you can save time while tracking your expenses. It’s designed with formulas; therefore, you don’t need to do the calculations yourself. All sections needing computations should autogenerate calculations upon entry of figures under any of the expense areas provided.

Complete this travel and expense tracker by filling out details in each blank section. Sections featured include the purpose of your travel, reimbursement address, employee name, department, pay period, date of travel, description, daily total, total expenses, employee signature, authorizer signature, and date. Various expense areas are also provided which include transportation, lodging, meals, and miscellaneous expenses. To use this template, refer to the following instructions:

Instructions in using the Expense Report:

Enter purpose of travel along with your reimbursement address.

Enter employee name, department, and pay period.

Enter date of travel.

Enter description of each expense, e.g., specific name of hotel, restaurant, vehicle mileage, etc.

Indicate specific amount of expenses spent under columns of expense areas applicable to you, e.g., transportation, lodging, meals, or miscellaneous expenses.

Just enter amounts on expense areas applicable to you and you may leave the other fields/columns blank. Once these figures are entered, sections for daily total and total expenses should autogenerate calculations.

Attach signatures of both the employee and the manager/supervisor at the lowermost section of the template for validation purposes.

Review, email, or print the completed expense report.

Receipts of all expenses should also be attached along with this travel expense sheet before sending it to the designated company department who would handle the reimbursements. Feel free to also change any of the labels/headings featured in this expense tracker based on your needs.

Edit, print, or download this template for free. It’s the perfect tool for tracking your travel expenses. It’s also designed with light colors and can be customized easily. You can download and edit it in your phone, laptop, or tablet.

This template is also available in...

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10 Free Expense Report Templates in Excel, Google Sheets, and ClickUp

Praburam Srinivasan

Growth Marketing Manager

February 13, 2024

Whether you’re submitting a spending reimbursement or managing a project budget, expense reports are integral to any type of business.

Still, writing them isn’t exactly fun.

In fact, it can be a tedious and time-consuming process—especially if you’re creating them from scratch every time. Luckily, there’s an easy and free solution every team can turn to!

Expense report templates make the process of submitting your expense reports faster, smoother, and error-free with pre-made professional outlines to start with. Plus, you can access a number of customizable and detailed templates at no cost.

In celebration of expense report templates, let’s discuss the top qualities to look for in your next expense report template and access 10 of our favorites for Excel, Google Sheets, and ClickUp. We’ll explore their best features and show you how to make the most of them in time for your next great expense. 🎉

What Is an Expense Report Template? 

What to look for in a top expense report template, 1. expense report template by clickup, 2. monthly expense report template by clickup, 3. employee expense report template by clickup, 4. business expense & report template by clickup, 5. small business expense report template by clickup, 6. finance management template by clickup, 7. travel expense report template in excel by vertex42, 8. yearly expense report template in word by exceltemplates, 9. employee expense report template in excel by exceltemplates, 10. expense report template in google sheets.

An expense report is a document businesses use to track expenses. An expense report template is a pre-built form that facilitates the business’ report-building process. 🖊️

Expense reports are most often created when an employee incurs charges on behalf of the company. It specifies the cost of each item or service to ensure accurate reimbursement. But they can serve other purposes too! Many teams use expense reports when filing tax returns, assessing project impact , or for simple budget control . 

Some benefits of using an expense report template include:

• Efficiency : Since you only need to input values for each new expense, you can create reports quickly and efficiently
• Professional results : The template has you covered on this front so all you have to worry about are the numbers. You have to ability to choose the expense report template that best aligns with your brand and business’ preferred level of formality
• Guidelines : If you’ve never written an expense report before, a template will ensure you don’t forget any important information
• Improved communication : With a thorough expense report, reviewers and other stakeholders gain clarity on where the approved budget is really going
• Additional features : Digital templates have various embedding functionality, integrations, and features to attach receipts and other useful media to your reports

A high-quality expense report template should…

• Have a clear outline : It must be clean, organized, and easy to read
• Include all the necessary sections : It should provide enough space and sections to add every key detail
• Provide sufficient instructions : It needs to precisely define where your information goes and which files to attach
• Allow for some flexibility : You should be able to customize the template to reflect your practices, policies, and branding
• Be accessible on multiple devices : You should be able to edit the template on the go via your laptop or phone
• Improve team collaboration : Whether it be through comments or simple file sharing, a high-quality template must allow you to communicate with coworkers

10 Expense Report Templates To Use in 2024

Expense reporting is simple when you have the right template to guide you. With a well-structured framework and predefined categories, you can document your expenditures and ensure all accounts are perfectly balanced. 

Need help finding one? We’ve got you covered.

Follow along as we break down the 10 best expense report templates for ClickUp, Excel, Word, and Google Sheets.

As a cherry on top, they’re all free! So you can manage your business expenses without breaking the bank. 🍒

Let’s start with something simple but effective. The Expense Report Template by ClickUp captures all the key information of any expense in a clean and colorful layout. 🌈

This beginner-friendly template is created in ClickUp Docs —ClickUp’s dynamic and built-in document editing tool that’s unlike anything you’ve used before. In this ready-made Doc, you’ll find pre-set formatting, banners, and styling to make the processes of completing and sharing your expense reports easier than ever.

With detailed sections for defining the member involved, budget, expense, and more, this template has everything you need to properly document all charges related to any team or project. The Expense Breakdown section includes a table where you can list all expenditures along with the date, description, and subcategories, such as food and travel.

After listing the business expenses and finding the total sum, the submitter can add photos of their receipts and describe them directly in the template. Once you’ve reached the end of the template, you’ll see a final space for the reviewers to approve and sign the report. Plus—as with any ClickUp template —you can customize any and all parts of the Doc to align with your branding and processes.

The Monthly Expense Report Template by ClickUp shares many similarities with the previous ClickUp Doc template, but is designed to handle an employee’s business-related spending over the span of a month, providing a convenient solution for regular and systematic reporting.

At the top of this template, you’ll see designated sections to add your company logo, name, and contact information. Further down the page, you’ll see sections for defining the purpose and the period of spending. The submitter can then state their name, position, ID, Social Security number, and other details in the Employee Information section to ensure proper reimbursement.

There are two tables where they can list their expenses. The first is a general summary with total costs for each category including transportation, lodging, and food. The second and final table allows you to itemize and break down the expenses in greater detail. If the expense relates to a certain business account , you’ll have the space to specify that in this section.

If you frequently organize company trips, the Employee Expense Report Template by ClickUp will make the process significantly easier with a pre-formatted Doc to stay on top of each employee’s travel-related expenses. 🧳

This loaded template consists of eight pages in total. The first and primary page holds basic information about the organization, submitter, and recipient. The following five pages represent different types of expenses including:

• Accommodation
• Transportation and fuel
• Entertainment
• Miscellaneous

Each page contains tables to list all costs and provide details about each transaction. From there, the employee can navigate to the pre-made Receipt Attachments subpage to support their expenses with the proper documentation. 

Finally, on the Trip Expense Summary page, you can find the final list of expenses by type and the total refund amount owed to your employee.

For an even smoother experience, use the table of contents on the left side of the document. Toggle on the sticky table of contents to display the page’s contents on the right.

while Doc-style templates are certainly popular among expense report templates, that’s not the only way to create one! Let’s take a look at how you can organize more complex spending and budgets using the Business Expense & Report Template by ClickUp . This List-level template is packed with tons of ready-to-use features including Custom Fields, pre-made tasks, and multiple views to help you manage your expense reports from every angle.  

Collect and store data neatly within your Workspace while gaining valuable insights into your company or team’s spending habits using this customizable template. This template is packed with different resources to manage expenses from intake through fulfillment including:

• Form view : An expense report intake form you can share with employees via a simple URL to gather information about their expenses. Once completed, the submission automatically creates a task
• List view : An interactive master List of expenses, organized by expense type by default. You can find the critical information about each expense in the columns on the right
• Board view : A Kanban-style board of expenses organized by status. Drag and drop tasks across the board to change their status on their way to being approved
• Docs : A Business Expense Report document similar to the previous templates found on the list

You can customize all aspects of this template to match the steps in your process and apply filters and change the grouping or sorting criteria.

Check out these budget proposal templates !

While multiple views, Custom Fields, and customizable task statuses seem impressive for any expense report—your small business might not need those bells and whistles to stay efficient. This next template gets that, keeping things short and sweet to facilitate accurate and timely reporting. 🔔

This Small Business Expense Report Template by ClickUp is a handy tool designed for that exact purpose. It’s easy to use for everyone, even if you’re new to ClickUp or less tech-savvy. 

Another Doc-style template, this resource shares a familiar structure. It starts with the company name, logo, and Reporter Overview , a section dedicated to the submitter’s information. In the Expense Details section, you’ll break down each expense, when it occurred, and how much it set the company back. 

After the designated section for receipts comes the final Authorization segment . The person approving the transaction will fill out these areas and provide their name, date, signature, and more.

The ClickUp Finance Management Template is your one-stop shop for all things finance. It centralizes financial data, providing easy access to critical information and project documentation in an organized Space within the platform. It also allows you to assign tasks and track their progress using multiple views, Custom Fields, and custom task statuses.

In this Space-level template, you’ll find separate Folders to organize spending related to Sales, Expenses, and Products and Services. Within each Folder, you’ll find separate lists with multiple views for related reimbursements, a Payment Schedule calendar, price lists , and more.

This template also comes with four pre-made Automations to eliminate the mindless busy work attached to the reimbursement process. For instance, when a Custom Field changes, the task’s status updates automatically. You can also introduce custom Automations to cater to your specific workflow and task dependencies.

If you prefer to stick with your tried and true spreadsheets, we’ve got you covered! This Travel Expense Report Template in Excel is a reliable and familiar option for managing travel-based expenses. 🛍️

Starting with the reporting period, enter all the necessary information in the designated cells, such as purpose, name, and department. The following sections list all travel dates and how much each expense category amounted to each day. There’s also a section dedicated to expense itemization. 

Don’t forget to attach the receipts as proof since the template doesn’t have a section for them. 🧾

Since it’s an Excel document, this template doesn’t support real-time collaboration or mobile access. While ClickUp offers a unified platform that goes beyond expense tracking, Excel is a standalone spreadsheet tool.

A lot can happen in a year—business trips, client dinners, team-building events . 👥

A solid annual expense tracking system is paramount if you want to be thorough and clear on where your yearly expenses go.

That’s exactly what the Yearly Expense Report Template for Word is for. It’s a simple but invaluable tool for maintaining accurate annual expense records.

As you would in any Word document, type in and format the desired text. First, provide your name, title, ID, and department at the top. Calculate your expenses for each month of the year, then sum them up by quarters. Input the numbers in the table provided, sorting them by type of expense.

For any special remarks or clarifications, refer to the Additional Comments section. End with the approver’s name, date, and signature to validate the document. ✒️

If you still prefer to use Word, this template will do the trick. Still, as it was intended primarily for text editing, this program offers limited functionality compared to Excel and ClickUp. 

The Employee Expense Report Template for Excel is a seamless way to document, categorize, and analyze your monthly income and spending. 📆

It’s designed mainly for personal use. It features expense categories such as housing and utilities, which are typically not covered by the employer. Still, due to its flexible nature, you can adapt the template to various business-related contexts. Its placeholder text offers a solid starting point for creating your own content.

In the main summary tab, the employee should list their income streams in the green section and expenses in the blue section. The columns represent months. The template also features separate tabs for each month, allowing you to go more in-depth. Each income or expense category can have multiple subcategories. 

At this point, everyone and their dog knows what an expense report template is for. So, let’s cut to the chase—what makes this simple Expense Report Template for Google Sheets unique? 

For starters, it’s possibly the most detailed weekly expense report template on this list. It offers numerous examples for each category, letting you precisely detail weekly expenses. Thanks to the pre-built formulas, all sums are automatically calculated. Not only can you save time and effort, but also avoid doing math, which is always a plus! 🔣

Like ClickUp, Google Sheets is a cloud-based platform that automatically saves your progress and safely stores it online in the cloud. You can access the document from any device and even edit the report with others in real time.

Top 10 Expense Report Templates—An Overview 

We know you’re super busy, so we’ve summed up the key points for you in the table below:

Incorporating these templates into your workflow also ensures a smooth project closure process. It enables you to wrap up financial records and approvals promptly and accurately. 💵

Simplify Expense Tracking With Templates by ClickUp

Take advantage of the many benefits these expense report templates offer. Document all your spending and other financial data in one place, analyze it, and get a systematic overview of your business’s financial standing.

For a complete understanding of your business and project-related spending, you can’t go wrong with any expense report template by ClickUp. Not only will you have access to tons of rich and dynamic features at absolutely no cost, but you’ll be able to take your template significantly farther with more than 1,000 integrations and a vast Template Library for any use case.

Sign up for ClickUp today to take your expense reporting to new heights. ⛰️

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Travel Expense Report Templates & Vacation Budget Planners

When you intend to travel to another nation or even locally, you have to look sensibly at your costs. Regarding your budget, it is a lot simpler when you utilize the travel expense report template. Without an arrangement, you might spend more than you anticipate. The  budget trip planner  encourages you to gauge the majority of your travel costs so you can get ready without surpassing what you can.

Table of Contents

• Accounting Templates
• Art & Media
• Budget Templates
• Business Templates
• Calendar Templates
• Certificates
• Education Templates
• Inventory Templates
• Invoice Templates
• Letter Templates
• Medical Templates
• Personal Templates
• Project Plan Templates
• Timesheet Templates

When you set aside the effort to design your budget utilizing the travel expense report template, you better see the amount you require for your trip. You will likewise check whether you have the cash to spend on shopping for things. Making a budget plan for these special seasons a while before your trip gives you a thought of ​​how long you have to spare.

Download Free Travel Expense Report Templates & Vacation Budget Planners

Why Do You Need A Travel Budget Template?

The budget trip planner encourages you to decide whether you can bear the cost of the trip you need to travel on your preferred date. If not, you can begin booking flights to understand that you cannot manage the cost of whatever else to the story. When you make a budget while arranging your trip, it keeps you from spending more than you anticipated. The best activity is to plan everything to get ready for upcoming circumstances that are included in your vacation budget template.

How Would You Make A Travel Budget Template?

So, if you intend to make  budget estimations , begin with straightforward travel expense report templates in Excel format. With MS Excel, you can utilize a travel expense spreadsheet for your budget. For MS Word, make a table with enough lines and sections for various parts of your trip and some other data you need to incorporate into the cost data with the help of a travel budget worksheet.

Traveling expenses format in Excel allows you to compile the data of all types of expenses during your journey. When planning your budget trip, here are a few hints to support you:

Begin with your vehicle

There are various sorts of transportation costs that you can acquire when traveling. From air travel to open transportation, vehicle rental, and so on. Explore what sorts of transportation you may need to do while traveling. From beginning to end, attempt to arrange for how to walk.

In attempting to decide the sorts of transportation you need, additionally, get some information about the expenses. At that point, enter the data you find in your vacation budget template to give you a decent mode of transportation required.

Consider the Tour packages that you will take.

When traveling, you need to see however much time as could reasonably be expected during a short destination. You need to choose if you need to exploit the travel bundles or investigate the spots yourself.

If you are traveling just because of another nation or alone, choose a bundle. If you travel frequently, maintain a strategic distance from the traveler bundle and set aside a great deal of cash. However, you visit your goal and discover the amount you need to spend on the whole procedure mentioned in the vacation budget template.

Remember your accommodation

There are various kinds of accommodation that you can book on a trip, depending upon your budget. There are lodgings in hotels with various evaluations, and passing houses, and you can even surf on a lounge chair. Numerous variables must be considered when picking your settlement.

Consider your budget, comfort level, area, and other significant highlights, for example, free Wi-Fi, pool, complimentary breakfast, transport administration, and so on. There are such huge numbers of web-based booking locales where you can analyze convenience rates and see which ones address every one of your issues and inclinations. At that point, enter the expense of the settlement you have picked in your vacation organizer with the help of these travel budget templates.

The following thing you have to do is search for the food and beverages that you will expend during your trip. Of the considerable number of things you should anticipate, this is something you ought not to pay attention to. To make it part of your budget, look into the kinds of fast food, bars, and cafés you anticipate from your goal.

When you have done your exploration, you will have a decent range of the amount you will spend for supper in the spots that intrigue you the most. At that point, incorporate this amount in your travel budget planner sheet.

If you appreciate shopping and know it, set a gauge that you feel good with. The one that, as you would see it, enables you to spend what you need in recollections and blessings, and the sky is the limit from there. No matter what, if the shopping is not good, you can set a lower level and compose it on the structure. In the two cases, it is essential to distribute a budget for shopping if you find what you need.

At last, you need a sum in your budget for some other costs you may bring about. Never go on a trip without additional cash in sudden circumstances. You don’t need to put aside an enormous whole; however, ensure it is adequate for most kinds of crises.

In short, these travel expense report templates allow you to make your budget in a well-planned manner and make your journey simple and comfortable.

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"Shoeboxed makes it stupid simple to scan receipts...”

Travel expense template google sheets: top 4 free templates.

Tomoko Matsuoka

Published on

April 9th, 2024

Shoeboxed is an expense & receipt tracking app that helps you get reimbursed quickly, maximize tax deductions, and reduce the hassle of doing accounting.

Traveling can be a thrilling and enriching experience, but it also comes with its share of expenses. The costs can quickly add up from transportation and accommodations to daily meals.

Many travelers turn to Google Sheets as a versatile tool for managing travel expenses . Utilizing travel expense templates in Google Sheets helps individuals and businesses organize their financial data, ensuring specific details are not overlooked and that they are making the most of their money on their journey.

The beauty of using Google Sheets for this purpose lies in its accessibility and simplicity. With many pre-designed travel budget templates available, anyone can start planning their trip's finances with minimal setup.

Here are our favorite travel expense templates for Google Sheets, plus 1 service perfect for frequent travelers!

Table of Contents

Best free travel expense templates for Google Sheets

1. travel budget template by vertex42.

Creator : Vertex42

Main features : This template is designed for those with extensive itineraries. It includes various sections for stopovers and activities.

Benefits : Users benefit from a comprehensive approach to budgeting, ensuring that no expense is overlooked during travels. Users can also save ahead of their trip by inputting projected costs.

👉 Download link

2. Travel expenses template by Google Sheets

Creator : Google Sheets

Main features : The template comes with fields for Accommodation, transport, eating in, eating out, drinks, activities, and other items, along with columns for each place in your itinerary.

Benefits : You can analyze travel costs based on location.

3. Travel expenses tracking template by Jeff Blum

Creator : Jeff Blum

Main features : Tracks up to 1 year of travel and has options for recording shorter trips.

Benefits : Travelers can download and edit their spreadsheets in Microsoft Excel. The charts tab provides an excellent overview of your trip or vacation.

👉 Download link  

4. Travel expense report by Richard Anderson

Creator : Richard Anderson

Main features : Employees can use this template to request reimbursement for business-related travel expenses.

Benefits : This is great for small businesses that need a template for employees to use when on business-related trips.

5. Bonus: Shoeboxed, the best alternative to a travel expense spreadsheet

Need a simpler alternative to spreadsheets? We hear you.

Shoeboxed is a receipt management service that simplifies expense tracking for frequent travelers. It offers a streamlined approach to managing and maintaining records of expenses that you want to keep track of.

If you're traveling by car, you often have many expenses on the road, such as fuel, meals, and maintenance costs. 

Keeping track of all these receipts can be a challenge, but with Shoeboxed’s Magic Envelope service , drivers just need to stuff all their receipts into the prepaid envelope provided by Shoeboxed and send it in. 

Shoeboxed’s data entry team will scan, categorize, and organize these receipts digitally.

Here’s how that would work: Keep a Magic Envelope in the seat next to you as you drive. After you fill up for gas or leave that drive-in, slip the receipt into the prepaid envelope. Send the envelope in at the end of the month, and you won’t have to go near a spreadsheet again!

“Set and forget” expense reporting—use the Magic Envelope to store your receipts, then send them in and get them scanned and uploaded to your account. 

Accurate mileage tracking that can be included in expense reports.

Add multiple users to a single account for FREE.

Store digital copies of important documents, including invoices, warranties, contracts, and other important documents.

Importing e-receipts to your Shoeboxed account is as easy as syncing your Gmail with Shoeboxed, using Shoeboxed's special Gmail Receipt Sync feature.

Integrate with other software, such as QuickBooks, for tax reporting and accounting purposes.

Used and trusted by travelers.

Plans that include the Magic Envelope cannot be purchased through the mobile app.

Plans that include the Magic Envelope start at $18/month, up to $54/month. 

All monthly plans come with a 30-day free trial.

All annual plans are charged upon sign-up and come with a full money-back guarantee if the plan is terminated at any point within the first 30 days.

Shoeboxed is the only receipt scanner app that will handle both your paper receipts and your digital receipts—saving customers up to 9.2 hours per week from manual data entry!

Hit the road with Shoeboxed 🚗

Stuff receipts into the Magic Envelope while on the road. Then send them in once a month to get scanned. 💪🏼 30-day full money-back guarantee!

What else can Shoeboxed do?

Shoeboxed has been voted as the best receipt scanner app for tax season by Hubspot and given the Trusted Vendor and Quality Choice awards by Crozdesk.

A quick overview of Shoeboxed's award-winning features:

a. Mobile app and web dashboard

There are many ways to upload receipts to Shoeboxed.

Shoeboxed’s mobile app lets you snap photos of paper receipts and upload them to your account from your phone.

Shoeboxed also has a user-friendly web dashboard so you can drag and drop receipts or documents from your desktop.

b. Gmail receipt sync feature for capturing e-receipts

Shoeboxed’s Gmail Receipt Sync grabs all receipt emails and sends them to your account for automatic processing! These receipts are then labeled as Sent to Shoeboxed in your Gmail inbox.

In short, Shoeboxed pulls the receipt data from your email, including the vendor, purchase date, currency, total, and payment type, and organizes it in your account.

Your purchases will even come with images of the receipts attached!

c. Expense reports

Expense reports let you view all of your expenses in one cohesive document. They also make it simple to share your purchases with your accountant.

Shoeboxed makes it easy to export your yearly expenses into a detailed report. All expenses come with receipts attached.

You can also choose certain types of receipts to include in your expense report. Just select the receipts you want to export and click “export selected.”

d. Search and filter

Call up any receipt or warranty in seconds with advanced search features.

Filter receipts based on vendors, date, price, currency, categories, payment type, and more.

e. Accounting software integrations

Export expenses to your accounting software in just a couple of clicks.

Shoeboxed integrates with 12+ apps , including QuickBooks, Xero, and Wave Accounting, to automate tedious life tasks.

f. Unlimited number of free sub-users

Add an unlimited number of free sub-users to your account, such as family members, employees, accountants, and tax professionals.

g. Shoeboxed's mileage tracker

After you sign up for Shoeboxed , you can start tracking miles in seconds:

Open the Shoeboxed app.

Tap the “Mileage” icon.

Click the “Start Mileage Tracking” button.

Whenever you start a trip, Shoeboxed tracks your location and miles and saves your route as you drive.

As you make stops at stores and customer locations, you can drop pins to make tracking more precise.

At the end of a drive, you’ll click the “End Mileage Tracking” button to create a summary of your trip. Each summary will include the date, editable mileage and trip name, and your tax deductible and rate info.

Click “Done” to generate a receipt for your drive and get a photo of your route on the map. Shoeboxed will automatically categorize your trip under the mileage category in your account.

h. The Magic Envelope

The Magic Envelope service is Shoeboxed's most in-demand feature, particularly for businesses, as it lets users outsource receipt management.

When you sign up for a plan that includes the Magic Envelope , Shoeboxed will mail you a pre-paid envelope for you to send your receipts in.

Once your receipts reach the Shoeboxed facility, they’ll be digitized, human-verified, and tax-categorized in your account.

Have your own filing system?

Shoeboxed will even put your receipts under custom categories. Just separate your receipts with a paper clip and a note explaining how you want them organized!

Break free from manual data entry ✨

Use Shoeboxed’s Magic Envelope to ship off your receipts and get them back as scanned data in a private, secure cloud-based account. 📁 30-day full money-back guarantee!

How to create a travel expense template

Creating a travel expense template in Google Sheets helps travelers to stay organized and keeps their finances in check throughout their trips.

1. Basic structure and formatting

A Google Sheets travel expense template starts with a well-organized layout. The first row typically serves as the header, clearly labeling columns such as Date, Description, Category, Amount, and Currency.

Use bold text for header names to distinguish them from other entries. For easy reading, alternating row colors can be applied, and appropriate column widths should be set to ensure all data is visible. Text alignment—dates and descriptions to the left and numerical values to the right—maintains a professional look.

2. Essential categories and fields

Key categories in a travel expense template might include Transportation, Lodging, Meals, Entertainment, and Miscellaneous Expenses. Each category should have its own column or be selectable from a dropdown list in the Category column.

Including a field for notes allows for additional details, such as the purpose of the expense or related project codes.

3. Automating calculations

Google Sheets offers powerful formulas that they can employ to automate various tasks. For instance, the SUM function adds totals across a range of cells, perfect for tallying daily expenses or category totals.

Additionally, the SUMIF function allows them to sum up values based on specific criteria, such as only adding expenses labeled as "transportation."

If playing around in Google Sheets isn't your idea of fun, consider fully automating expense management by outsourcing all your data entry to Shoeboxed!

4. Conditional formatting

Google Sheets allows Conditional Formatting to change the color of cells based on specific conditions automatically. When applied to a travel expense template, it can highlight categories that are over budget or visually distinguish between reimbursable and non-reimbursable expenses.

For example, one could set a rule to turn the cell red if the expense exceeds a defined threshold or green if it is within budget.

5. Dropdown lists and checkboxes

Dropdown lists can be used to select expense categories or payment methods, ensuring data consistency. Checkboxes are helpful for marking expenses as cleared or needing further review.

This level of control simplifies the management of travel expenses and can be particularly beneficial for users sharing the document, as it sets a standard for marking different types of costs.

Frequently asked questions

How can i use google sheets to track my travel expenses.

One can easily track travel expenses with Google Sheets by creating a ledger of the costs categorized by type, such as transportation, lodging, gifts, and food , and with columns for date, cost, description, etc. Users may input their expenses as they occur, helping them stay on budget.

What are some tips for creating an effective travel budget spreadsheet?

When constructing a travel budget spreadsheet, including categories for all expected expenses is important. Also, ensure that it is easy to update on the go. One should consider using formulas to calculate total spending and remaining budget automatically.

Is it possible to generate an expense report using Google Sheets?

Google Sheets allows users to generate detailed expense reports. These reports may include categorized expenses, visual summaries, and automated calculations that simplify expense tracking and reporting.

Can you suggest ways to customize a Google Sheets travel budget for personal use?

A Google Sheets travel budget can be personalized by adding custom categories, using currency conversion formulas for international travel, and incorporating charts to visualize spending trends.

Are there any travel expense templates for Excel that can be imported into Google Sheets?

Excel travel expense templates can be imported into Google Sheets for continued use. The process involves opening the Excel file in Google Sheets and then saving it within the platform, giving users the flexibility to choose their preferred template format.

By incorporating a template into their routine, travelers can focus more on the substantive aspects of travel and less on the administrative intricacies of expense reporting.

About Shoeboxed!

Shoeboxed is a receipt scanning service with receipt management software that supports multiple methods for receipt capture: send, scan, upload, forward, and more!

You can stuff your receipts into one of our Magic Envelopes (prepaid postage within the US). Use our receipt tracker + receipt scanner app ( iPhone , iPad and Android ) to snap a picture while on the go. Auto-import receipts from Gmail. Or forward a receipt to your designated Shoeboxed email address.

Turn your receipts into data and deductibles with our expense reports that include IRS-accepted receipt images.

Join over 1 million businesses scanning & organizing receipts, creating expense reports and more—with Shoeboxed.

Try Shoeboxed today!

Turn business receipts into data & deductibles

Join over 1 million businesses scanning receipts, creating expense reports, and reclaiming multiple hours every week—with Shoeboxed.

How to budget for full time travel – A step by step guide

• July 27, 2023
• curious goose

This post may contain affiliate links. I will receive a small commission if you use these links.

Want to go backpacking in Southeast Asia ? Try out vanlife in Australia? Or travel around Europe? Planning for full time travel can be daunting, most of all because of the cost. Knowing where and how to start preparing your travel budget can feel overwhelming. That’s why I’ve put together this practical step by step guide for how to budget for full time travel.

Table of Contents

How to budget for full time travel - a step by step guide.

This post will guide you through step by step instructions of how to set your travel budget. You can also download my handy Travel Budget Spreadsheet template and simply populate it with your numbers. An easy, simple way to plan your travel budget for your dream trip!

As well as guiding you through completing your own Travel Budget Spreadsheet, I’ll also cover key things you need to think about when budgeting for full time travel.

So, let’s go…!

How can I afford to travel full time?

Before I jump into how to budget for full time travel, I wanted to answer this as it’s a question I get asked a lot – ‘how can you afford to travel full time?!’ Some people we’ve met have even jokingly asked if we’re rich! (Ha! I wish!)

At the time of writing this post, I’ve been travelling full time with my husband for just over a year. We set off in September 2021, spending 3 months in Europe, driving through the beautiful landscapes of Germany’s Black Forest , visiting the Matterhorn in Switzerland and enjoying life on the French Riviera . After a short stop back at home in the UK to spend Christmas with our families, we flew to Thailand in January 2022 and ended up loving it so much, we stayed there for 3 months. Following that, we visited Cambodia, spent a month in Vietnam , had 5 days in Singapore , then continued onto Malaysia and Bali before arriving in Australia, where we are currently travelling around in a van for 3 months. After Australia we fly to New Zealand, where we’ll be enjoying van life again for another 2 months.

Neither of us work whilst we are travelling (although we could both work remotely online if we chose to), so, you’re probably wondering how we afford to travel full time?

Well, the reality is that we spent quite a few years saving really hard for our travels. We consciously decided that we didn’t want to have to work whilst we were taking this time out to travel, so we knew we needed a plan and that involved a lot of saving! We made a rough itinerary of where we wanted to travel and how long we wanted to spend in each place. After that, we then set ourselves a travel budget and started saving! There really is no magic trick I’m afraid, but if you really want something and you are determined to work hard and focus on the end goal, then you can make it happen.

Check out my super simple, but effective tips for how to save for full time travel.

How to create your travel budget - how much money do you need for full time travel?

It’s easy to get carried away dreaming of lying on the sandy beaches of Phuket , in Thailand or visiting elephants in Sri Lanka , but before that becomes a reality, you need to plan your travel budget.

Without knowing how much things cost and how much money you will actually need to travel, you’ll run out of money very quickly. No-one wants to have to cut their trip short because they don’t have any money left!

How much money you will need to travel full time will be different for everyone as it is dependant on a number of things:

• Destination (the place or places you want to travel to)
• Duration (how long you hope to spend in each place)
• Your style of travel (the standard of accommodation, transport, food and drink you are happy with)
• What activities you plan to do (if you have any bucket list activities you want to tick off such as a helicopter ride over the Grand Canyon or snorkel in the Whitsundays , these things will evidently cost more).

The next 9 steps will guide you through how to create your travel budget. This includes not only setting your budget for whilst you are travelling, but also your pre-departure budget, emergency travel funds budget, an ongoing expenses budget and a post travel budget.

That may sound overwhelming, but I promise you it is really quite simple once you get started and hopefully this guide will help you break it down into more manageable chunks.

And to make it even easier for you, I’ve shared my own Travel Budget Spreadsheet as a temple which you can download and use for yourself. It is editable so you can make any changes you might want too.

Creating your Travel Budget in 9 simple steps:

1. decide on your destination(s).

Deciding where you would like to travel to is one of the first steps you should make when starting to budget for full time travel. Your destination(s) will have a huge impact on how much you need to save. For example, travelling in South East Asia will be far cheaper than in Australia, or in Europe. Once you’ve decided on the destination(s) you would like to visit, make a list of them all.

Personally, I would recommend creating this list in an excel or google docs spreadsheet. This will be your Travel Budget Spreadsheet. If you have several places you want to visit, add each destination into its own cell, one underneath each other. Your Travel Budget Spreadsheet doesn’t need to be fancy, keep it simple.

Task: Make a list of the destinations you would like to visit (in order of preference):

Travel Budget Spreadsheet example:

2. Decide how long you would like to travel for

Some people may advise you to just save as much as you can within ‘x months’ and then figure out how long that can sustain you for. I would recommend having a good idea of how long you would like to travel for first, as this will help you to work out how much money you need to save and how long that will take you. I find that having a figure to work towards also means that you are more likely to keep on track with your saving goal.

If you’re planning to travel to several places, make a note of how long you would like to spend in each place as this will help you to work out your travel budget per destination too.

Task: Go back to your Travel Budget Spreadsheet. In the second and third columns, titled ‘Duration’ in both days and weeks, write how long you would ideally like to spend in each place. At the bottom of the Duration column, add up the number of days / weeks / months to get your total.

3. Research the average costs in each destination

How will you know how much to save if you don’t know how much things cost? Do some research into things like accommodation, transport and the price of meals and drinks. Read blogs, watch YouTube videos but also do some research yourself on sites such as booking.com to see how much accommodation is on average, or on sites like Viator to see how much tours and activities might be.

Tip: It is important when looking into the cost of transport, flights , accommodation and van or car hire to input dates at the same time of year you are planning to travel to that destination. For example, the peak season in Thailand is December – February. During these months, the cost of accommodation and flights will be higher than if you visited during the rainy season July – September.

Once you have done your research, make a note of how much you think you might need per day in that destination. Don’t worry about getting this exactly right. Without actually being in the country, it is hard to know the exact costs of things, so this is more of an educated guesstimate, but an estimated cost based on research is far closer to being correct than if you plucked a figure out of the air!

Remember that your daily cost will be different than someone else’s. Your daily cost will depend on things like the standard of accommodation you are happy with, how often you like to party, what activities you want to do and what kind of places you eat at. Make sure you remember that, especially when reading blogs, or instagram posts or watching YouTube vlogs.

Task: On your destinations list, add a fourth column with your average daily spend for each destination. Note that each destination will have slightly different average daily spends, based on how expensive things are in that country or city.

4. Set your travel budget

Now you know where you want to travel to, how long you would like to travel for, and how much things cost in your chosen destination(s), it’s time to set your travel budget. Go back to your Travel Budget Spreadsheet. You should now have four columns with the information you have collected so far. Add a fifth column – this is where you will calculate the amount of money you need for each destination.

Now you have worked out how much money you need in each destination, add everything up and you will have the total amount of money needed to complete your dream trip.

At this stage, assess whether this figure is manageable and realistic for you. Do you need to make any adjustments?

5. Set a pre-departure budget

Planning a budget for full time travel isn’t just about saving for whilst you are on your trip. You also need to factor in any expenses you may need before your trip. These could include things like travel vaccinations, visas, flights, or purchasing travel essentials such as a backpack, packing cubes, reusable water bottles, etc. You might need to buy a supply of medication or contact lenses. Make a note of everything you need to spend money on in order to prepare yourself for full time travel and add this to your Travel Budget Spreadsheet.

6. Create an Emergency travel fund

No-one wants anything bad to happen whilst you are travelling, but unexpected things can occur. You might need to book a flight to get out of a country quickly in the instance of adverse weather, or you might have an accident and need hospital treatment and your insurance company doesn’t pay out upfront. Always make sure that you have an emergency travel fund and DON’T spend it – unless it really is an emergency! (It is also wise to have a couple of credit cards to fall back on in the case of an emergency. This should be in addition to your emergency travel fund, not instead of!) Add the amount you are planning to set aside for emergencies in your Travel Budget Spreadsheet – and keep this money separate to your travel pot!

7. Budget for any ongoing expenses

Ongoing expenses include anything that you will need to continue to pay for, even whilst you are travelling. For example, we have a storage unit full of everything we own, which we pay a monthly direct debit for. I calculated how much money we would need to save in order to continually pay for our storage unit during the time we were away (plus extra months in case we extended our travels!).

Other ongoing expenses may include mortgage payments, insurance policies, an outstanding phone contract which you need to pay off, a Netflix subscription etc. No matter how small, add all ongoing expenses to your Travel Budget Spreadsheet. Make sure you calculate how much money you will need in order to continuously cover these expenses for the duration of your trip (or however long you need to keep making the payments for). The money needed for ongoing expenses should be in a completely separate bank account to your travel budget pot. This ensures that you always have money to cover these direct debits.

Task: Add all ongoing expenses to your Travel Budget Spreadsheet and account for these when saving

8. Plan for a ‘coming home’, post-travels budget

I know, you’ve not even started your travels and I’m talking about coming home! This seems super boring, but the last thing you want after your travels are over is to get home to absolutely nothing. Plan to put a little aside so that you have some money when you come home to help set yourself up again. For example, you might need to put some money aside to buy a new car, or for the first couple of month’s deposit in a rental unit.

Task: Write down things you would need to pay for upon your return and add an estimated cost for this to your Travel Budget Spreadsheet. (I would also make sure that you keep this money in a separate bank account to your travel pot, so that you aren’t tempted to dip into it)!

9. Decide on a date to start travelling

Now you know how much money you need to save for your trip, plan how long that will take you to save. Set up a direct debit into your savings account, or open up a specific ‘travel account’ and transfer money into there each week, fortnight or month.

Having a goal of how much you need to save and a date to work towards will make it easier for you to focus on saving for your travels. Be realistic with your timeline. If you want to set off sooner, make a plan for how this could be possible for you.

My husband and I chose not to work. We made a conscious decision to take some time out, away from our busy careers and simply enjoy travelling. We planned for this from the beginning and we were really strict with ourselves, sticking to our plan to save.

Of course, this may not suit everyone and if you don’t want to wait until you have saved enough, or perhaps you want to be able to travel with no end date, then that’s great! But make sure that you plan for that too. Could you save 50% of what you need initially, then work remotely to earn more as you go? There are lots of ways to earn money online whilst you’re travelling. Or, depending on the country you are in, you could also get a working visa to help top up your travel pot.

You could also consider joining a Workaway program where you work for a few hours a day in return for free accommodation. Or how about being a house sitter or dog sitter, if you don’t mind staying in one place for a few weeks? These are all great ways to get free accommodation which is a great help to your budget.

How to keep your travel budget on track (and not overspend!)

You’ve spent many months saving hard and finally the time has come for you to set off on your travels! (YAY!) Whilst it’s easy to get swept up in the excitement of travelling (of course you should be excited, travel is the best!), it is important that you keep a track of your spending. It sounds boring, but trust me, you don’t want to find out that you’ve spent all your hard earned money too quickly and now have to cut your trip short.

So, to make sure that doesn’t happen, here’s my 3 top tips for keeping track of your travel budget whilst travelling:

1. Track your daily travel spend

Don’t worry, I won’t be suggesting that you fill in a spreadsheet everyday (although you can if you want to!). I use the Travel Spend app religiously, in fact I’m a little bit obsessed with it! It is without a doubt my favourite travel app. There’s a paid version where you can have multiple trips displaying at once, and add your own custom categories, but to be honest, I’ve been fine with just using the free version for the past year.

I prefer to have a new entry on the travel spend app by country, as I have different daily budgets for each country. To get started, simply add the name of the country you are starting in, add the total budget you have set yourself for that country, as well as the beginning and end dates you are there. The app will then automatically calculate what your daily spend should be based on your total budget and number of days – this should match the daily budget figure you have on your Travel Budget Spreadsheet.

Each time I buy something, I enter it onto the app, even if it’s just a single bottle of water. The app will total how much you have spent that day, as well as showing you how much of your total budget you have remaining.

Try not to get too caught up on what you have spent each day, as some days you will go over budget and some days you will go under. You need to focus on the ‘daily average spend’, and as long as this matches (or is close to) the figure you have budgeted for, you are on track.

2. Record your total spend per location

Once your time is up in a country or destination, record your total spend in your Travel Budget Spreadsheet. This is a good way to keep track of your actual spend and you can also compare it against the budget you had forecast for that destination to see if you were significantly over or under budget.

Noticing any discrepancies in this way will allow you to make any adjustments you might need to the rest of your budget. For example, if you are under budget, you know that you can afford to have a couple of treats in your next destination. But if you have gone way over budget, you need to look at where you can claw back some money, or decide to earn some extra money as you travel.

If you are travelling to several destinations, and are using the free version of the Travel Spend app, you will need to delete your current country in the app in order to record your spend in a new country. So, just make sure that you have inputted your total spend into your Travel Budget Spreadsheet before deleting that country in the app!

3. Make any adjustments needed to your ongoing expenses budget

If any of the regular payments you are making as ‘ongoing expenses’ change, you will need to adjust this in your spreadsheet and make sure that you have enough in your ‘ongoing expenses’ pot to cover any additional costs or price rises on things like storage unit hire, insurance or subscriptions.

So there you have it, my step by step guide to creating and managing your travel budget, along with top tips for keeping your spending on track!

Creating a travel budget doesn’t need to be complicated, the hardest part is saving! Even then, if you are determined to travel and you’re focused on the end goal, then the saving part won’t feel too much of a chore either. Make sure you check out my 12 simple tips to save for full time travel.

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11 Best Excel Expense Report Template Sites (2024) [FREE]

1. introduction.

Whether you are a self-employed professional, a small business owner, or a global company executive, keeping track of expenses is a critical part of effective financial management. In an era marked by the rise of digital tools and instant communication, efficiency and automation are key to achieving financial control. This is where Excel Expense Report Templates come in.

1.1 Importance of Excel Expense Report Template Site

These templates allow you to record, sort, and manage expenses with ease. More than a mere digital notebook, these templates are designed to auto-calculate totals and prevent errors, sparing you from manual computation. A well-designed Excel Expense Report Template not only saves time but also provides a clear picture of expenditure, which is crucial in budgeting.

In the online space, numerous platforms offer Excel Expense Report Templates. These sites vary in design, functionality, user-friendliness, and cost, making the selection process a daunting task for many. Therefore, it is important to understand the different offerings, in order to select a template site that best serves your needs.

1.2 Objectives of this Comparison

This document aims to provide a thorough comparison of various Excel Expense Report Template sites. The objective is to dissect the offerings, identify the pros and cons of each platform, and provide a comprehensive guide for readers to make a well-informed choice that suits their requirements. The comparison focuses on 11 popular platforms, reviewing the features, setbacks, and unique selling points of each.

1.3 Recover Excel Files

You also need a professional tool to recover Excel files if they are damaged. DataNumen Excel Repair has the best recovery rate in the market:

2. Smartsheet Excel Expense Report Templates

Smartsheet is an efficient platform offering an array of free Excel expense report templates. Primarily designed for businesses, it provides options that range from basic expense reporting to industry-specific reporting. Smartsheet’s templates are created to help users automate expense tracking and streamline reporting processes.

• User-friendly: Smartsheet’s Excel expense report templates are designed with the user in mind. They are straightforward and easy to navigate, making them suitable for users at all skill levels.
• Variety: Offering a wide array of templates, Smartsheet ensures there is a solution for all kinds of businesses, regardless of their size or industry. This flexibility meets the unique needs of different users.
• Free of charge: All Smartsheet’s Excel expense report templates are available for free, making it an accessible solution for businesses operating on a tight budget.
• Limitations on customization: Although Smartsheet’s templates are highly utilitarian, they offer limited options for customization. This could pose a challenge for businesses with unique reporting requirements.
• Learning curve: While they are relatively easy to use, mastering the range of capabilities offered by Smartsheet’s tools and templates can take some time, which users should be prepared for.
• Lack of dedicated support: As the templates are free, dedicated help or support from Smartsheet in case of issues or queries is not guaranteed.

3. Vertex42 Excel Expense Report Template

Vertex42 specializes in providing an optimally-designed Excel Expense Report Template that aims to simplify the expense tracking process. The template is designed with a focus on ease of use and functional features to cater for professional needs. It’s a single comprehensive template adaptable to different situations and individuals.

• Simple and clear layout: Vertex42’s template features a clean layout that’s easy to understand, reducing the time needed to learn how to use it.
• Customizable fields: Vertex42 allows for some customization within fields. This flexibility allows businesses to tweak the template to match their specific needs.
• Comprehensive form: The expense report template not only records expenditure but also allows users to detail the nature and purpose of each expense, providing a holistic view of spending.
• Limited Template Options: Unlike platforms that offer a variety of templates, Vertex42 provides primarily one basic expense report template. This may limit its suitability for businesses with unique and extensive requirements.
• Limited automation: Despite its simplicity, the Vertex42 template lacks advanced automation features, meaning users will need to manually input and calculate some data.
• No direct support: Should users encounter problems or have queries about the template, there is no dedicated support team to assist promptly.

4. Microsoft Expense Report

Microsoft offers an official expense report template for its Excel users. Typically, the templates are easy to navigate and are renowned for their fluid compatibility with all versions of Microsoft Excel. The fact that it originates from the creators of Excel adds an additional layer of reliability and efficiency.

• Compatible: The Microsoft Excel Expense Report Template is designed by the manufacturer, ensuring maximum compatibility with all versions, whether on PC or Mac.
• Reliable: Being the product of Excel’s creators, expect zero compatibility issues or unexpected crashes during usage, making it a very reliable choice.
• Free of Charge: The templates provided by Microsoft are available for free, saving costs for users.
• Limited Functionality: Microsoft’s template may have basic features compared to some competitors. It may lack some functionality or advanced customization that other platforms offer.
• Limited Variety: There’s a restricted choice of templates available, potentially hindering users who may need a variety of templates to suit different reporting requirements.
• Absence of dedicated support: Just like most free tools, Microsoft does not guarantee direct support or immediate problem-solving assistance for its free templates.

5. Clockify Expense Report Templates

Clockify is a renowned time tracking software that also provides a functional and efficient Excel expense report template. It aims to make expense management as simple and speedy as possible. The template is best suited for professionals who prefer straightforward and practical expense report forms.

• User-Friendly: Clockify’s template comes with an intuitive and simple design, making it accessible even to novices in expense management.
• Time Tracking Integration: As a time tracking tool, Clockify provides seamless integration with its other tools, making it a great choice for users already using or intending to use Clockify’s time tracking software.
• Free of Charge: Like other offerings from Clockify, this Excel expense report template is available without any cost.
• Limited Functionality: While the simplicity of Clockify’s template is a plus, advanced users might find it lacking in additional features and sophisticated customizations.
• Single Template: Unlike sites that house a variety of templates, Clockify has only one standard template which might not fulfill diverse needs.
• No direct support: In case users encounter any difficulty with the template, there’s no dedicated support team to assist with resolving issues.

6. ClickTime Expense Report Template

ClickTime provides an Excel Expense Report Template that is geared towards simplifying expense management. As a provider of online timesheet and productivity tools, ClickTime extends its functionality to expense reporting with a focus on usability and efficiency.

• Wide functionality: The ClickTime’s template incorporates extensive expense categories accommodating a broad range of business requirements.
• Integration with ClickTime Services: If you’re already using ClickTime’s timesheet or workflow services, this Expense Report Template integrates smoothly with these services.
• Ease of Use: The template has a user-friendly, intuitive design that simplifies the task of expense reporting.
• Basic Design: Some users might find ClickTime’s Excel expense report template too simplistic or basic with lack of advanced customization.
• Limited Templates: ClickTime offers a single broad-based template, limiting options for businesses with specific reporting needs.
• Might require subscription: For enhanced functionality or dedicated support, users might need to subscribe to ClickTime’s services which could incur costs.

7. FreshBooks Expense Report Template

FreshBooks, well-known for its accounting software, also offers a dependable, well-structured Excel expense report template. The template brings together FreshBooks’ understanding of business finance-related needs, resulting in a superior expense management solution.

• Professional Design: FreshBooks’ Excel Expense Report Template features a professional, neat design with clear fields, making it suitable for formal business reporting.
• Integration: The template offers easy integration with FreshBooks’ own accounting software, creating a streamlined experience for users already on the platform.
• Free to use: The template is available without any cost, a perk for users on a budget.
• Limited Functionality: While it covers basic expense reporting needs effectively, the FreshBooks template might not offer more advanced features that some businesses might require.
• One Template Option: FreshBooks provides a single template, offering limited options for those looking for varied templates.
• No Direct Support: As a free tool, it doesn’t come with dedicated support or immediate assistance from FreshBooks, which users might need in case of problems.

8. Template.Net Expense Report Templates

Template.Net is a comprehensive platform offering a wide range of expense report templates compatible with Excel. The variety caters to different business sectors, personal needs, and professional scenarios, with options for customization to meet unique demands.

• Variety of Templates: Template.Net offers a vast choice of templates to suit a diverse range of reporting needs, making it a versatile platform.
• Customizable: The templates can be tweaked to match specific demands, extending their usability to cater for unique requirements.
• Targeted Templates: The site provides targeted templates streamlined for various industries and professions, allowing users to select a template that matches their exact needs.
• Varied Quality: With the sheer volume of templates, there might be inconsistencies in quality across different templates.
• Can be overwhelming: The multitude of templates available might be overwhelming for users looking for a quick, easy selection.
• Costs for Premium Templates: While many templates are free, some premium or highly specialized templates come at a cost.

9. EXCELDATAPRO Expense Report Excel Template

EXCELDATAPRO offers a handy Excel expense report template that delivers compact and easy-to-navigate expense management solutions. It is designed to simplify the expense tracking process by providing users a detailed yet straightforward approach to recording and analyzing expenses.

• Detailed and Comprehensive: The EXCELDATAPRO template focuses on delivering detailed reports, allowing for precise tracking and reporting of expenses.
• User-friendly: Despite the high level of detail, the template is easy to understand and use, even for those new to expense management.
• Free to Use: The template is available at no charge, making it a cost-effective option.
• Limited versatility: The EXCELDATAPRO template doesn’t offer a wide range of preferences and choices. Its singular nature might not suit companies looking for diverse templates.
• Basic Design: While practical, the design of the template is very basic, which may not appeal to all users.
• No Direct Support: In case of any queries or issues, there’s no direct assistance provided by EXCELDATAPRO.

10. Simple Sheets Expense Report Excel and Google Sheets Template

Simple Sheets offers a dual-use expense report template, compatible with both Excel and Google Sheets, providing flexibility and accessibility. The template is designed with a minimalistic approach, focusing on essential functionalities while maintaining user-friendly operations.

• Dual Compatibility: The template is usable with both Excel and Google Sheets, ensuring a seamless experience for users of both platforms.
• Minimalistic Design: It has a clean, intuitive design which makes it easy for users to navigate and enter information.
• Free of Charge: The Simple Sheets expense report template is freely available, making it an attractive choice for users looking to manage expenses effectively without incurring additional costs.
• Limited Features: While its simplicity is one of its strengths, this may translate to lack of advanced features that seasoned professionals may find beneficial.
• Single Template: It offers only one expense report template, which could limit its appeal for businesses that may require a range of templates to meet different needs.
• No Direct Support: Like many free tools, the Simple Sheets template does not include dedicated support. Users may have to rely on searching for solutions online if any issues arise.

11. MSOfficeGeek Expense Report Template

MSOfficeGeek provides an expense report template focusing on Microsoft Office tools and applications. Its template shares a detailed and customizable design for an efficient experience in tracking and reporting financial expenses.

• Customizable: The MSOfficeGeek template allows modifications to fields and carries a design that can be tweaked according to user preferences and business needs.
• Detailed Reporting: The template supports in-depth reporting, which can help provide a more detailed insight into financial expenses.
• Free of Charge: This well-structured template is available without any cost.
• Basic Design: While its functionality is appreciable, the design of the MSOfficeGeek template could be considered basic and might lack the visual appeal available from some other providers.
• Single Template: It offers only one template, limiting the choice for users who require a variety to suit different expense reporting scenarios.
• Limited support: Similar to other free offerings, MSOfficeGeek does not guarantee immediate or dedicated support for users having trouble with the template functionality.

12. Fyle Expense Report Templates

Fyle, primarily an expense management software, also offers several expense report templates compatible with Excel. These templates are designed to be comprehensive and intuitive, reducing the time needed for manual entries and calculations.

• Integration: The templates can be easily integrated with Fyle’s own expense management software, streamlining your workflow if you are already a Fyle user.
• Multiple Templates: Fyle offers a collection of templates to cater to different needs, providing a good range of options for users.
• Ease of Use: The design of Fyle’s templates is intuitive, which enhances the user experience by making data input and analysis easier.
• Limited Customization: While the templates offer key functionalities, customization options might be somewhat limited for users with specific needs.
• Cost: Unlike other entrants in our list, some templates might come with a charge, as Fyle also markets a paid software for Expense Management.
• Support: Quick customer support or direct assistance might only be available for Fyle’s paying customers.

13. Summary

13.1 overall comparison table, 13.2 recommended template site based on various needs.

Choosing a template site depends on your specific needs. If you are looking for variety and customizability, Template.Net or Smartsheet would be a good choice. If you’re after a simple, easy-to-use template then Clockify or Simple Sheets would be recommended. If you require a template that comes with integrated time tracking, Clockify would be the best option. However, if you’re looking for a template from a reliable source with high compatibility, the Microsoft Expense Report should be your pick. Note that support is generally not extensive across platforms, especially for free templates.

14. Conclusion

14.1 final thoughts and takeaways for choosing an excel expense report template site.

Selecting an Excel Expense Report Template requires an understanding of your specific business needs, as no one-size-fits-all solution exists. Among the array of options, certain platforms stand out in terms of offering varied templates, such as Template.Net and Smartsheet, while others emphasize simplicity and usability, such as Clockify and Simple Sheets.

If compatibility and reliability are your major concerns, then opting for the Microsoft Expense Report could be a good decision. Meanwhile, if you’re interested in additional functionality such as time tracking integration, Clockify meets this specification.

It’s crucial to note that while most of these templates are freely available, customer support is generally limited, and advanced functionality may come at a cost in some cases. Therefore, identifying your core requirements and matching them against the pros and cons of these platforms is essential to make an informed decision that ensures the chosen template effectively meets your expense reporting needs.

Author Introduction:

Vera Chen is a data recovery expert in DataNumen, which provides a wide range of products, including a wonderful PDF repair tool .

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