25 travel tools, grouped by journey stage
Travel decisions divide neatly into three questions: what will it cost, how long will it take, and will everything fit or tow safely. The sections below follow that order, from the daily drive through to a fortnight abroad.
Every calculator in this section now carries a full explanation: what it works out, the method, a worked example, the mistakes people make, and where the honest comparison differs from the advertised one. Pages covering towing weights, driver fatigue and charging zones set out the legal position rather than leaving it implied.
Start here
If you are not sure where to begin, these tools answer the questions readers ask most often in this section.
Driving costs and fuel 5 tools
Fuel, charging and toll costs for a single journey or a full year of driving.
Journey planning and timing 6 tools
Realistic durations including the breaks that most route planners leave out.
Caravans, campervans and towing 3 tools
Weight limits, noseweight and payload, where getting it wrong is both unsafe and an offence.
Holiday budgeting 5 tools
Total holiday cost, spending money, accommodation comparison and whether insurance is worth it.
Flights, ferries and parking 4 tools
The costs and constraints that sit either side of the journey itself.
Common questions
How accurate are the fuel cost estimates?
As accurate as the economy figure you give them. Official consumption figures are measured under standardised test conditions and real-world economy is usually lower, particularly in cold weather, on short journeys, with a full load or when towing. The most reliable approach is to work out your own miles per gallon over a few tanks and enter that.
Do the EV figures account for charging losses?
Yes. Energy drawn from the socket is always more than the energy that reaches the battery, and the tool applies a charging efficiency you can adjust. Rapid charging is less efficient than slow home charging, and cold weather reduces both efficiency and range.
Are the towing weight tools legally authoritative?
No. They implement the standard relationships between kerbweight, maximum authorised mass, noseweight and the 85% guidance figure, which makes them useful for checking a match before you commit. The binding figures are on your vehicle's VIN plate, the caravan or trailer plate, and your driving licence categories. Check those before towing.
Why do journey times come out longer than a route planner suggests?
Because these tools include breaks. Guidance suggests a rest of at least fifteen minutes every two hours of driving, and a long journey with a family realistically involves more stops than that. A route planner gives you the driving time; the planner here gives you the time you will actually be away.
Which currency do the budgeting tools use?
Sterling by default, with an exchange rate you enter yourself. Rates are not fetched automatically — an automatically supplied rate that quietly goes stale is worse than one you checked on the day.
Is any of my travel information stored?
No. Destinations, dates, budgets and vehicle details are processed entirely in your browser and are never transmitted or kept as calculator records.
Related subjects
Questions rarely sit inside a single subject. These sections cover the calculations most often needed alongside travel and transport.