How to Budget for Research Travel as a Writer | Early & Away

Research travel isn't a luxury. It's an investment in the work—one that pays dividends in authenticity, texture, and the kind of knowing that only comes from being somewhere.

But writers work within constraints. Advances are modest or nonexistent. Teaching schedules are rigid. The gap between wanting to go and being able to go can feel insurmountable.

It doesn't have to be.

With intentional planning, research travel becomes manageable—even on a writer's budget. Here's how to think about the costs, where to find flexibility, and how to make the most of what you spend.

Start With What You Actually Need

Before you price flights, ask yourself what your project requires.

Some books demand extended immersion—weeks or months living in a place, absorbing its rhythms. Others need something more focused: a week walking specific streets, visiting particular archives, confirming details you've already imagined.

The scope of your research shapes your budget. A ten-day trip to Yorkshire costs differently than three months in Rome. Neither is wrong. But knowing what you need prevents both overspending and underpreparing.

Questions to ask:

• What can only be learned by being there?
• How much time do I need to feel oriented, not just arrived?
• What's the minimum viable trip—and what would the ideal version look like?

Break Down the Real Costs

Research travel has five major cost categories. Understanding each helps you see where flexibility exists.

1. Transportation Getting there is often the largest single expense. Flights vary dramatically by season, booking window, and flexibility. Shoulder seasons (spring and fall) typically offer better fares and fewer crowds—both advantages for research travel.

2. Accommodation This is where choices matter most. A city-center hotel costs three times what a well-located flat in a residential neighborhood might. For longer stays, apartment rentals, university housing during breaks, or house-sitting arrangements can reduce costs significantly while providing space to work.

3. Daily Expenses Food, local transportation, museum entries, printing costs at archives. These add up quietly. Budget a realistic daily amount and track it—not obsessively, but honestly.

4. Research-Specific Costs Archive fees, photography permissions, translation services, hiring local guides, purchasing maps or historical documents. These vary by project but shouldn't be afterthoughts.

5. Buffer Something will cost more than expected. Something will emerge that you didn't anticipate. Build in 10-15% beyond your calculated needs.

Find the Flexibility

Every budget has pressure points and release valves. Here's where most writers find room:

Timing Shoulder season travel can cut costs by 30-40% compared to peak summer months. January and February are often the least expensive times to fly to Europe—and archives are quieter.

Duration vs. Frequency One longer trip is usually more cost-effective than multiple short ones. You pay for flights once, and the per-day cost of accommodation often decreases with longer stays.

Accommodation Trade-offs Staying slightly outside city centers, choosing flats over hotels, or traveling during academic breaks when university housing opens to visitors—these choices free up budget for what matters: the research itself.

Strategic Splurges Not everything should be minimized. A well-located base saves transportation time and energy. A comfortable place to work in the evenings protects your productivity. Spend where it supports the work; economize where it doesn't.

Build Your Research Travel Fund

Most writers can't fund a research trip from a single paycheck. The solution is the same as for any significant expense: plan ahead and accumulate gradually.

Dedicated savings Even $50-100 per month accumulates. In a year, that's $600-1,200—enough for flights to many destinations or a week's accommodation.

Grant funding Many writers overlook grants specifically for research travel. Organizations supporting historical research, regional arts councils, and genre-specific foundations often fund exactly this kind of work. The applications take time, but the payoff can cover an entire trip.

Tax considerations Research travel for a writing project you intend to publish may be tax-deductible. Keep meticulous records and consult a tax professional familiar with creative work.

Phased research Some projects can be researched in stages. A shorter initial trip for orientation, followed by a longer trip once you know exactly what you need. This spreads costs and increases efficiency.

What Research Travel Actually Costs: Some Examples

To make this concrete, here are rough estimates for different types of research trips (costs are approximate and vary by season, booking timing, and choices):

One week in rural England (Yorkshire, Cotswolds)

• Flights from US East Coast: $600-900
• Cottage rental: $500-800
• Car rental: $250-350
• Daily expenses: $50-75/day
• Total: $1,700-2,500

Ten days in a European city (Paris, Rome, Dublin)

• Flights: $500-800
• Apartment rental: $800-1,200
• Local transport: $100-150
• Daily expenses: $60-80/day
• Archive/museum fees: $50-100
• Total: $2,100-3,000

Two weeks in Scotland (Edinburgh + Highlands)

• Flights: $600-900
• Mixed accommodation: $1,000-1,500
• Car rental (for Highlands): $400-500
• Daily expenses: $50-70/day
• Total: $2,700-3,700

These numbers aren't small. But spread over months of saving, supported by a grant, or offset by tax deductions, they become achievable.

The Cost of Not Going

There's another calculation worth making: what does it cost to write about a place you've never experienced?

The answer isn't always financial. It's the scene that never quite works because you're guessing at distances. The dialogue that rings false because you've never heard how people actually speak there. The revision after revision trying to fix something that research would have prevented.

Some writers manage brilliantly without travel. But for those whose work demands place—demands the particular quality of light in a particular location, the smell of the air, the weight of history in a specific landscape—there's no substitute.

Research travel is an investment. Like all investments, it requires planning, discipline, and sometimes sacrifice. But the return isn't just a better book. It's the experience of knowing your material from the inside out.

Start Planning

If research travel is part of your writing life—or needs to be—Early & Away can help you think through the logistics, timing, and budget. We specialize in designing research trips for writers, which means we understand both the creative requirements and the practical constraints.

Book a consultation to talk through your project and explore what's possible.