Travel and Recreation sources and dates
Where the starting numbers for the calculators in this group come from, and the date we checked each one. They are examples, not quotes.
Sources by Calculator
Back to all sources and dates. Each table lists a calculator's starting numbers, source links and check dates.
Cheaper airport vs local airport
| Assumption / Input | Starting value | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regional vs major hub round-trip airfare | $380 local vs $260 far | Bureau of Transportation Statistics Domestic Airline Consumer Airfare Report | 2026-04-15 |
| Checked bag & seat fee differential | $0 local vs $35 far | U.S. Department of Transportation Airline Customer Service Dashboard | 2026-03-15 |
| Vehicle operating cost per mile | $0.76/mile | Internal Revenue Service Standard Mileage Rates; IRS Announcement 2026-11, Internal Revenue Bulletin 2026-29 | 2026-10-16 |
| Daily airport parking rates | $14/day local vs $22/day far | Federal Highway Administration & Airport Parking Rate Benchmarks | 2026-03-01 |
| Value of personal travel time | $25/hour per vehicle | U.S. Department of Transportation Valuation of Travel Time Guidance | 2025-09-01 |
Season pass break-even
| Assumption / Input | Starting value | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Multi-resort ski pass and window lift ticket pricing | $749 base pass vs $145 day ticket | National Ski Areas Association Kottke End of Season Survey | 2026-04-15 |
| Theme park annual pass, parking, and food discount tiers | $30 daily parking; 15% food discount | International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions | 2026-03-15 |
| America the Beautiful National Park Annual Pass | $80 annual pass for U.S. residents ($250 for nonresidents) vs $35 day vehicle fee | National Park Service Entrance Passes | 2026-10-16 |
Seasonal campsite vs weekend booking
| Assumption / Input | Starting value | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full-hookup RV nightly rate and seasonal site lease fee | $3,400 seasonal lease vs $78/night | Kampgrounds of America North American Camping and Outdoor Hospitality Report | 2026-04-01 |
| Metered seasonal electricity, winter on-site storage, and booking fees | $240 electric; $400 winter storage | RV Industry Association Campground and Storage Benchmarks | 2026-02-15 |
| Tow vehicle vs solo car fuel economy | 10 MPG towing vs 22 MPG car | U.S. Department of Energy FuelEconomy.gov | 2026-01-15 |
| Off-site year-round RV storage | $1,080/year ($90/month) | National Self-Storage and RV Storage Rate Benchmark | 2026-03-01 |
| Fuel price per gallon | $4.35/gallon | U.S. Energy Information Administration Gasoline and Diesel Fuel Update | 2026-10-16 |
Vacation rental vs hotel cost
| Assumption / Input | Starting value | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| US average hotel daily rate, mandatory resort fees, and overnight parking | $155/night ADR, $30/night resort fee, $25/night parking | American Hotel & Lodging Association State of the Industry | 2026-04-01 |
| Short-term vacation rental cleaning fee and guest platform service fee | $165 cleaning fee, 14.2% guest service fee | NerdWallet and AirDNA Short-Term Rental Fee Benchmark | 2026-04-01 |
| Municipal lodging and occupancy tax rates for hotels and rentals | 14% hotel tax, 12% rental tax | National Conference of State Legislatures State Lodging Taxes | 2026-04-01 |
| Daily family meal savings from cooking in a rental kitchen | $65/day for 4 guests; $10/guest/day free hotel breakfast | USDA Official Food Plans: Cost of Food at Home | 2026-04-01 |
Home party vs event venue cost
| Assumption / Input | Starting value | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tent, table, chair, linen, tableware, and delivery rental costs | $1,800 tent/lighting, $28/guest rentals, 18% delivery/setup fee | American Rental Association Party and Event Rental Guide | 2026-04-01 |
| Portable restroom trailer and backyard event utilities | $1,100 restroom trailer, generator, trash, and ice | United Site Services and Event Restroom Rental Benchmarks | 2026-04-01 |
| Turnkey event venue site fee, per-guest package, and service charge | $2,500 site fee, $95/guest food and bar, 28% service charge and tax | The Knot Real Weddings and Event Venue Cost Study | 2026-04-01 |
| Independent event staffing, bartender, and yard prep | $1,200 staffing, cleaning, and event rider | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Food and Beverage Serving Wages | 2026-04-01 |
Destination wedding vs local wedding cost
| Assumption / Input | Starting value | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local vs. destination wedding guest count, fixed package, and per-guest catering | 120 local guests ($16,000 fixed + $145/guest) vs 45 destination guests ($11,000 fixed + $130/guest) | The Knot Real Weddings and Destination Weddings Study | 2026-04-01 |
| Venue and resort mandatory service charges and taxes | 24% local service and tax, 22% destination resort tax and service | American Hotel and Lodging Association Group Event Benchmarks | 2026-04-01 |
| Guest domestic and resort airfare and travel spend | $450/guest local out-of-town travel, $1,350/guest destination airfare and 3-night resort stay | U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics Average Itinerary Fares | 2026-04-01 |
| Couple scouting trip, baggage, and vendor travel buyouts | $4,200 couple flights/stay/scouting, $2,500 vendor and VIP travel subsidies | U.S. Travel Association Leisure Travel Benchmarks | 2026-04-01 |
Boat club vs owning a boat or renting
| Assumption / Input | Starting value | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boat club initiation fee and monthly membership dues | $5,500 initiation fee, $425/month dues | Discover Boating Boat Club Membership vs Ownership Guide | 2026-04-01 |
| New/late-model 21-to-24-foot runabout or center console price, depreciation, and brokerage resale fee | $55,000 boat price, 60% 5-year resale retention, 8% broker/selling cost | National Marine Manufacturers Association U.S. Recreational Boating Statistical Abstract | 2026-04-01 |
| Marina wet slip or dry-stack storage, winterization, maintenance, and marine insurance | $3,600/yr slip and winter storage, $2,100/yr maintenance and insurance | BoatUS Marine Insurance and Ownership Cost Guide | 2026-04-01 |
| Marine loan interest rate and daily marina boat rental benchmark | 7.5% marine loan APR (10-year term, 20% down), $475/day marina rental | National Marine Lenders Association Financing Benchmarks | 2026-04-01 |
Airline card bag perks
| Assumption / Input | Starting value | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| First bag fee, each way | $45 | Delta baggage fees, domestic standard bag under 50 lb | 2026-10-17 |
| First bag fee, American Airlines | $45 prepaid, $50 at the airport (preset note only) | American Airlines news release, bag fee update dated 2026-04-09 | 2026-10-17 |
| Second bag fee, each way | $55 | Delta baggage fees, domestic | 2026-10-17 |
| Annual fee | $150 | Delta SkyMiles American Express personal cards page (Gold $150 after a $0 first year; Blue $0, Platinum $350, Reserve $650) | 2026-10-17 |
| Annual fee, United Explorer card | $150, $0 the first year (preset note only) | United Explorer Card terms from the issuer, reported by NerdWallet and The Points Guy | 2026-10-17 |
| Annual fee, American Platinum Select style | $99 (preset note only) | Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select listing seen in search results, July 2026 | 2026-10-17 |
| Annual fee, Southwest style | Left empty on purpose | Southwest Rapid Rewards cards, sources disagree (Priority about $149, Plus $69 or $99) | 2026-10-17 |
| Bag fee, United domestic | $50 first bag, $45 prepaid (preset note only) | United checked bag page | 2026-10-17 |
| Bag fee, Southwest | $35 first bag, $45 second (preset note only) | Southwest checked baggage policy | 2026-10-17 |
| Bag fee, JetBlue | Not preset | JetBlue baggage fees | 2026-10-17 |
| Companions covered, besides the cardholder | 8 | Delta and Southwest card terms, reported in blogs and card reviews | 2026-10-17 |
| Round trips a year | 4 (typical, edit this) | Typical, edit this. Context only, not the origin of the number: U.S. Department of Transportation air consumer page (returned HTTP 403 on 2026-10-17 and was not read) | 2026-10-17 |
| Share of trips on the card's airline | 100% (typical, edit this) | Typical, edit this. Context only, not the origin of the number and not a claim by the Department of Transportation: (HTTP 403, not read) | 2026-10-17 |
| People on one reservation | 2 (typical, edit this) | Typical, edit this. Context only, not the origin of the number: (HTTP 403, not read) | 2026-10-17 |
| Bags each person checks, each way | 1 (typical, edit this) | Typical, edit this. Context only, not the origin of the number: (HTTP 403, not read) | 2026-10-17 |
| Boarding value and other yearly value | $0 and $0 (not valued by default, typical, edit this) | Not valued by default. The visitor counts them only if they would really use them. Context only, not the origin of the number: (HTTP 403, not read) | 2026-10-17 |
| Airline bag fee revenue (context only, not used in any result) | About $7.4 billion in 2025 | Bureau of Transportation Statistics, baggage fees by airline | 2026-10-17 |
PreCheck, Global Entry or CLEAR payback
| Assumption / Input | Starting value | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| TSA PreCheck, 5 years | $79.75 (IDEMIA; Telos $85.00, CLEAR $84.95) (summary read, re-read) | TSA PreCheck; provider pages not opened | 2026-10-18 |
| TSA PreCheck renewal | $58.75 (IDEMIA online; summary read, re-read) | TSA PreCheck | 2026-10-18 |
| TSA PreCheck lanes and the guarantee | Not a default; "no individual is guaranteed expedited screening" (summary read) | TSA PreCheck, TSA PreCheck FAQ | 2026-10-18 |
| Children in the PreCheck lane | Not a default; 12 and under with you, 13 to 17 need their own mark (summary read) | TSA children rule | 2026-10-18 |
| Global Entry, 5 years | $120, includes PreCheck (summary read, re-read) | CBP Global Entry, CBP fee page | 2026-10-18 |
| Global Entry renewal | $120 (typical, edit this; CBP lists no separate renewal fee) | CBP Global Entry; CBP renew and how-to-apply pages not opened | 2026-10-18 |
| CLEAR+, first adult | $219 a year, $125 each added adult, children 17 and under free; the seller's own page (read directly, re-read) | CLEAR+, family accounts; CLEAR airport list not opened | 2026-10-18 |
| Minutes saved at each check, PreCheck and Global Entry | 5 (typical, edit this; sources disagree: sensors 2.9 across the US, one FlightQueue article 15 to 22) | FlightQueue, State of TSA Spring 2026 (not official) | 2026-10-18 |
| Wait gaps (the buttons) | US 2.9, LaGuardia 5.3, JFK 11.9 minutes, one week in April 2026 (not official) | FlightQueue, State of TSA Spring 2026 | 2026-10-18 |
| Minutes saved at each check, CLEAR+ | 5 (typical, edit this; no source separates CLEAR+ from PreCheck) | CLEAR+ (the seller's own page) | 2026-10-18 |
| Minutes saved at passport control | 10 (typical, edit this; no source) | CBP gives no minutes; awt.cbp.gov not opened | 2026-10-18 |
| Value of an hour | $24.51, median hourly wage, May 2025 (read directly, re-read); mean $33.54 | BLS Occupational Employment and Wages | 2026-10-18 |
| Yearly fee rise | 3 percent (typical, edit this) | BLS Consumer Price Index | 2026-10-18 |
| Card credit | $0; typical credits run about $85 to $120 every 4 to 4.5 years (second-hand, unverified) | No card named; issuer pages not opened | 2026-10-18 |
| Global Entry interview sites in New York | Not a default; six centers on CBP's list (summary read, re-read) | CBP New York list, Enrollment on Arrival | 2026-10-18 |
| PreCheck enrollment sites in New York | Not a default; TSA's locator (not opened: it loads by script) | TSA enrollment locator | 2026-10-18 |