Treat each country as its own trip, with its own currency and budget, then combine them at the end. Convert and record every expense in the currency you paid, track cash and card, and compare each leg with its own daily budget. Here & Home notices when you cross a border, gives each country its own trip, numbers two trips in the same country for you, and lets you export all trips together as PDF, spreadsheet, map file or one zip.
Why multi-country trips get messy
One country is simple: one currency, one rate, one daily budget. Add two more and you have three currencies in one wallet, leftover coins you cannot use, a budget that makes sense in one place and not in another, and a last-day question that is hard to answer: what did the whole journey actually cost?
A method that scales
- One leg per country. Give each country its own record, with its own currency and budget.
- Record in the currency you paid. Do not convert in your head and write down the result, because that is where mistakes start. Save the local amount and let the rate do the work.
- Set a daily budget for each leg. A day in a cheap country and a day in an expensive one should not share one number. See setting a daily budget.
- Spend down local cash before the border. Leftover coins are often impossible to exchange.
- Combine at the end in your home currency so the legs can be compared.
How Here & Home follows you
- It notices the new country when you cross a border, if you allow approximate location.
- Each country gets its own trip, with its own currency and budget, and your expenses land in the right one.
- Two trips in the same country? It numbers them for you.
- Between borders it keeps two clocks and the weather on your home screen, and an offline guide for the countries it knows.
If you travel with friends, each leg can be a shared trip too.
After the trip: what did it cost?
Open a trip in History and every saved expense is there, day by day. A summary shows where the money went by category and how it was paid, cash or card, so you can see whether stays, transport or shopping took the biggest share.
If you saved locations, the trip can also be seen on a map, pin by pin. A trip you can read, and not only remember.
Exporting every trip together
At the end, export all trips together. The formats are a PDF statement, a spreadsheet, a map file, or one zip with everything. A PDF is good for sharing and for a business expense report, and a spreadsheet is better if you want to sort and total by category yourself.
Tips for the border days
- Check that the right country is selected as soon as you cross, so your first expenses go to the right trip.
- Keep a little of the next country's currency before you cross, for the first taxi or snack.
- Watch for card fees on each leg. See card fees and DCC explained.
- Save expenses at the end of each day, even if you used the converter earlier in the day.
- Use the time-zone clocks to plan calls home. See the time difference guide.
Questions people ask
How do I track expenses across several countries?
Keep one record per country, with its own currency and budget, record each expense in the currency you paid, and combine the legs in your home currency at the end.
Does Here & Home switch countries automatically?
It notices when you cross a border, if you allow approximate location, and gives each country its own trip.
What if I visit the same country twice?
Here & Home numbers the trips for you, so they stay separate.
Can I get all trips in one file?
Yes. Export all trips together as a PDF, a spreadsheet, a map file or one zip.
Should I set one budget or one per country?
One per country. Daily costs differ widely between countries, so one number does not suit them all.
What should I do with leftover coins?
Spend them before you leave, because coins can often not be exchanged.
Keep reading
One app, every border
Here & Home is free on Google Play. A trip for each country and one export at the end.
For reference. Steps and screens described here are as they appear in Here & Home, and menu names can differ between versions of Android and the app. Exchange rates and prices in examples are illustrative, and rates in Here & Home are indicative, updated periodically and not financial quotes. Emergency numbers, phrases, country facts and survival tips are general information given on a best-effort basis: check them before you travel, and do not rely on any app alone in a life-threatening emergency. Here & Home is a field companion, not a financial or emergency service. Trademarks are those of their owners and are used only to describe what the app works with.