Travel Calculator: Plan Your Journey with Distance, Time, and Cost Estimates

How to use the tool

• Starting point – type your departure city, e.g. “Chicago, IL” or “Madrid, Spain”.
• End point – add your destination, such as “Austin, TX” or “Seville, Spain”.
• Mode of transportation – choose Car, Train, Airplane, Bus; this decides speed, cost method, and emission factor.
• Number of travellers – enter a whole number (1-50) for cost ÷ person.
• Car-only options
  • Fuel efficiency – input 30 mpg or 12 km/L for a sedan; try 45 mpg or 18 km/L for a hybrid.
  • Fuel price – supply local rate, e.g. 3.95 USD/gal or 1.70 EUR/L.
• Preferred units – pick Metric or Imperial, then press Calculate Travel Details.

Key formulas

• Travel time: $$\text{Time} = rac{\text{Distance}}{\text{Average Speed}}$$
• Fuel cost: $$\text{Cost} = rac{\text{Distance}}{\text{Fuel Efficiency}}\times\text{Fuel Price}$$
• Carbon emissions: $$\text{Emissions} = \text{Distance}\times\text{Emission Factor}$$

Example calculation A (Car, Imperial)

• Origin: Seattle, WA → Destination: Boise, ID (403 mi)
• Average speed: 60 mph ⇒ $$rac{403}{60}=6.7\text{ h}$$
• Fuel efficiency: 28 mpg; price: 3.80 USD/gal
   Fuel used $$rac{403}{28}=14.4\text{ gal}$$ ⇒ Cost = 55 USD
• Emission factor: 0.42 kg/mi ⇒ $$403\times0.42=169\text{ kg CO₂}$$

Example calculation B (Train, Metric)

• Origin: Sydney, AU → Destination: Melbourne, AU (878 km)
• Average train speed: 115 km/h ⇒ $$rac{878}{115}=7.6\text{ h}$$
• Emission factor: 0.041 kg CO₂/km (electric rail) ⇒ 36 kg CO₂

Quick-Facts

• Average U.S. gasoline price: 3.50 USD / gal in 2024 (EIA, 2024).
• Standard passenger car emits 0.21 kg CO₂/km (EPA, 2023).
• Domestic flight emission factor: 0.255 kg CO₂/km (ICAO, 2023).
• Typical inter-city train speed: 110-160 km/h (UIC, 2022).
• European diesel price average: 1.76 EUR / L (Eurostat, 2024).

FAQ

What does the Travel Calculator do?

The tool combines mapping APIs with your inputs to output distance, travel time, fuel or ticket cost, and carbon footprint for cars, trains, flights, and buses (Google Developers, 2024).

How accurate are distance and time estimates?

Distance comes from road-network or great-circle data; average speed uses modal statistics—e.g., U.S. inter-state speed limit 65-70 mph (FHWA, 2023)—so expect ±10 % variance in real traffic.

Which emission factors are used?

Cars: 0.21 kg CO₂/km (EPA, 2023). Flights: 0.255 kg CO₂/km (ICAO, 2023). Trains: 0.041 kg CO₂/km for electric rail (UIC, 2022). “The EPA estimates that burning one gallon of gasoline releases 8.89 kg CO₂” (EPA, 2023).

How do I calculate cost per traveller?

The calculator divides total cost by traveller count, so a 110 USD road trip split four ways shows 27.50 USD each.

Why supply fuel efficiency?

Your vehicle’s real-world mpg or km/L overrides fleet averages, tightening cost estimates to within 5 % of pump receipts (DOE, 2023).

Which unit system should I pick?

Select Metric if you normally think in kilometres and litres; choose Imperial for miles and gallons. The tool converts internally using 1 mile = 1.609 km (NIST, 2020).

Can I compare transport modes?

Yes. Run the same origin-destination with different modes; the output table lets you weigh money versus time and emissions, helping you spot cheaper or greener options (McKinsey, 2023 Mobility Report).

How is my data handled securely?

Form data moves through HTTPS and WordPress’s nonces; no trip details are stored beyond the session, satisfying GDPR’s data-minimisation rule (EU GDPR Art 5, 2018).