Budgeting for a Family Ski Trip

Are you planning – or hoping to plan – a family skip trip?

We recently did our first international ski trip with the kids to Queenstown, New Zealand. I kept track of all the expenses along the way to help others plan their trip. We’d like to go back either this year or next, so I’m going through the steps with you!

how much does a family ski trip cost?

How much a ski trip costs will depend on so many factors, including where you’re going to, how many people you’re taking, where you stay and the types of activities you do. For example, will everyone in the family need ski lessons? Will you hire a car? Will you be travelling around the globe or just across the country? The good news is, I’ve included a free template you can use to estimate your family’s travel costs.

Download Free Budget Template

(Download the free template - otherwise, put these expenses into your own budget!)

Here’s a list of all the things that cost us money on our international snow trip:

Ski lessons (per person)
Ski lift pass (per person – these were included with lesson prices in the package we selected, but my husband had to purchase his own because he didn’t want lessons)
Ski gear (helmet, poles, skis, glasses/goggles – again, some of these are included in lesson packages. Many of them can be hired on the mountain)
Transport to the slopes (bus or vehicle hire)
Transport around the country (shuttle buses, local buses, taxi, rideshare, or hire vehicle)
Accommodation (hotel, campsite, private house hire, etc)
Transport fees to the airport (e.g. bus, train, car parking)
Meals (groceries, takeaway, eating out)
Drinks (alcohol, groceries)
Locker hire on the mountain
Snow clothing (thermals, gloves, beanies, replacing gloves and beanies that kids lose, snow pants, snow jacket, thick socks, waterproof boots)
Food and snacks on the mountain (will you pack sandwiches and muesli bars, or are you going to have a beer/mulled wine and pizza from the restaurant)
Transport to the destination (e.g. are you catching a plane, train, bus or driving)
Passport or visa fees
Travel insurance
Tourist attraction fees (what other activities will you plan to do?)
Suitcase/bags for travel

Our lesson cost included our ski lift pass for the magic carpet

Local playgrounds are an easy free attraction for kids

We planned a few fun days with the kids that required entry fees. The Snow Farm was a cheap family day trip.

Having waterproof snow gear is so important

A mix of second hand and new snow gear which will be passed down to siblings on the next trip to save costs

We included celebratory drinks on the mountain in our budget - mulled wine time!

Some local attractions are more expensive than others!

Exploring the town and feeding local seagulls with our leftover bread: a free and easy family activity in between skiing days

There's room in our budget for gelato!

Going for a walk through the local park is always a fun free family activity

Here’s my list of the exact winter clothes we needed on our family ski trip (for both us adults and the 2 kids).

These are the types of things we had to plan for in our expenses. You might have more expenses, depending on where you’re travelling to and where you’re staying. Also, costs for children and adults varies, so you’ll need to include all prices. In the template, I’ve given an example of how to do this.

Add the end, once you’ve added up the cost in the total cost column, I want you to add 10 per cent to the overall price. The template will do this automatically for you. People always underestimate what things will cost. And if you have a buffer, you’ll feel better.