Each year it seems that Stag Dos, Hen Dos, Baby Showers, Gender Reveals and Weddings get more extravagant and more expensive. There is no such a thing as a Stag Do at the local pub anymore, it’s at least two nights abroad and that’s before the destination wedding! We spoke to Mo who broke down the cost of a recent Stag he attended for one of his closest mates so you can see what it really costs in the current climate.

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The Plan:

‍A long weekend in Budapest, that’s three nights of accommodation (Friday to Monday in early May) planned through a company who handles Package Stag holidays.

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The Weekend:

Activities included: Shooting range, guided bar crawl, beer river cruise, beer bike, pubs, restaurants (lots of drinking and eating as you can imagine)

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The Cost Breakdown:

Initial Package Cost - £348. This included accommodation, all activities and transfers to/from them as well as drinks on the beer bike and a first drink at most bars on the crawl.

Flights - £189. These were from London - Budapest and included hand luggage and a 10kg cabin bag both ways.

Hotel Room Deposit - £50. A cash only deposit that thankfully, the group got refunded at the end of the trip.

Spending Money - £350. This included all food and drinks, additional activities including an upgrade at the shooting range and a lot of trips on e-scooters to get around the city. The average price of a pint was around £3 (more like £5 in tourist trap bars) and a meal was around £20 without drinks.

Total: £937

Pros of the Package Deal:

- You have the option to pay as a lump sum close to the date, or in monthly instalments so people can choose what’s best for them.

- There are no added unexpected payments, as activities came with free transfers (apartment pickup) and entry to bars was paid for.

- Everyone has the responsibility to pay their own share rather than one person paying and everyone owing them.

Cons of the Package Deal:

- The apartment included wasn’t in the best area and quite far out from the centre (30 minute walk)

- The schedule leaves little time to do spontaneous activities

- Transfers to and from airport were not included

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Mo’s Tips:

- Use a live currency converter app to stay on track - this helped keep an eye on the price of things and made sure they weren’t overpaying.

- Use a card like Starling/Monzo where there are no fees to use your card abroad.

- Splitwise - An app that allows you to split the bill easily. This made paying so much easier as costs were split between rooms - similar people were grouped together so no one overpaid for drinks.

- Pay for the package upfront then create a sinking fund to cover everything else - Mo had around 6 months between the initial payment and the actual trip, so he was able to put a bit of money aside each month to cover the costs more easily.

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