Explain the Real Cost of a Weekend Break

You set a budget for a weekend away and somehow come home having spent half as much again. This breaks the trip into every cost category, including the ones people quietly forget, with low, mid and high figures for each. Useful before you commit to anything non-refundable.

I'm budgeting for a weekend trip to {DESTINATION} from {DEPARTURE_CITY} for {NUMBER_OF_PEOPLE} people. My headline budget is {STATED_BUDGET}, but I always seem to spend more than I plan.

Explain the true all-in cost structure of a trip like this. Break down every cost category I should account for, including the ones people routinely underestimate or forget entirely. For each category, give a realistic low, mid, and high estimate based on {DESTINATION} prices. Flag the two or three categories with the highest variance and explain why. Then tell me what a realistic total looks like for my group, and what the most effective single cut is if I need to trim {TRIM_AMOUNT} from the budget.