Two years ago I got to take my first international trip since college. My parents have always afforded me the ability to travel and I am grateful for that privilege. But once I got out of college, I was left on my own. At this time, I wasn’t paid immensely well (still ain’t), so I was very conscious on how much I spent on this trip.
Usually the planner and purchaser for all trips, I needed to keep track of the schedule and the expenses. So lucky for you I can tell you how much to budget for a 5-day/6-night travel for a group of 4 people.
- Flight: You‘ll have to get to Puerto Rico somehow. I bought my tickets a month in advance so around April, and they were around $450. My fellow travelers bought their tickets a couple weeks before the trip and theirs was $475. Not much of a price change if you wait.
- Car Rental: I had to get from San Juan Airport to the west coast and to come of the natural attractions like Rio Camuy and el Yunque. That cost me $44/day and I got to split that with the group, so it came out to $11/day. Gas for the 5 days was $35.
- Accomodations: I stayed at Rincon, which is on the west coast. Luckily that was free, because one of our co-workers let us stay there. I think the Airbnbs run relatively cheap though. Our second accommodation was in San Juan. It cost us $110/night and I split that with 3 other people. That place was beautiful and right in the hip neighborhood, Coronado.
- Activities: For this trip, I did a couple of pricy activities. First, I learned how to surf and the next day I took a catamaran to snorkel. That was about a total $225/person, including tip. The other attractions cost money, but they were manageable because we were just paying for admission and parking. That was another $100.
- Miscellaneous: We also ate out, got groceries and bought souvenirs. That was another $150.
I spent roughly $1100 on this trip. If you cut back on the activities, eating out and buying souvenirs, you can easily go to Puerto Rico for $700-$750. Also, I have seen flights from Chicago to Puerto Rico for as little as $250. That can drop your budget to $500. I hope this helps you plan your trip to beautiful Puerto Rico. The island is small, but I felt like there was so much to see. Let me know your travel experience and where I should go next. 
-Amy
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