Methodology
I believe my record keeping was fairly accurate for the trip. I tried to find a balance between providing current and useful data with not being too nerdy and spending all my time calculating exchange rates and accounting for every penny. I rounded all expenses to the nearest $0.05 and after losing a little pocket exchange calculator in the beginning, I decided to use rough exchange rates to do the calculations in my head instead.
I categorized my spending into six buckets:
- Visas – solely the cost of visas, not inclusive of related administrative expenses
- Lodging – hostels, cheap hotels
- Transport – metros, trains, buses, taxis, rickshaws, ferries, boats
- Food – meals, water, alcohol, snacks
- Sightseeing – admission tickets, all-inclusive packages (rafting in Nepal, cruise in Egypt)
- Miscellaneous – internet, phone, guidebooks, clothes, souvenirs, shipping (of souvenirs) home
Some activities included meals and/or lodging for a night or more, such as my treks in Nepal and India. I did not attempt to separate those costs. I also did not factor travel between most countries into my daily costs. This would include international flights, though not the trains and buses I used between countries in Europe.
Daily Expenses
- French Polynesia – 5 days – $66 per day – $330 total
- New Zealand -26 days – $116 per day – $3,005 total
- Australia – 28 days – $98 per day – $2,743 total
- Indonesia – 21 days – $55 per day – $1,151 total
- Singapore – 4 days – $51 per day – $204 total
- Hong Kong/Macau – 11 days – $65 per day – $711 total
- China – 20 days – $55 per day – $1,095 total
- Tibet – 0 days – $N/A per day – $150 total (cost of permit I never received, and loss of money on train ticket)
- Nepal – 42 days – $54 per day – $2,275 total
- India – 43 days – $51 per day – $2,179 total
- Thailand – 68 days – $55 per day – $3,760 total
- Cambodia – 18 days – $63 per day – $1,139 total
- Laos – 18 days – $61 per day – $1,095 total
- South Africa – 55 days – $77 per day – $4,223 total
- Botswana – 7 days – $110 per day – $771 total
- Egypt – 11 days – $90 per day – $992 total
- Europe (Belgium, Holland, France, Switzerland, Spain) – 27 days – $81 per day – $2,176 total
- Colombia – 49 days – $44 per day – $2,163 total
Total for Daily Spending = $30,162
Inter-country Flights
- $2,000 – Air Tahiti flights – Washington, DC to Auckland, via French Polynesia (Tahiti). Jetstar flights – Christchurch to Brisbane, Melbourne to Bali*
- $127 – Jetstar Asia flight from Singapore to Hong Kong
- $476 – Air China flight from Chengdu to Kathmandu, via Lhasa, Tibet
- $247 – THAI Air flight from New Delhi to Bangkok
- $124 – Laos Airlines flight from Luang Prabang to Chiang Mai
- $673 – Air Qatar flight from Bangkok to Cape Town*
- $593 – Air Egypt flight from Johannesburg to Cairo
- $122 – Jetairfly.com flight from Cairo to Brussels
- $505 – Iberia flight from Madrid to Bogota
Total for Inter-country Flights = $4,867
* Flights purchased through AirTreks.com
____________________
Cost of my 15-month trip around the world = $35,029**
Fulfilling a personal dream = priceless!
____________________
** This figure does not include pre/post-trip expenses like storage, health insurance, immunizations, etc. Check out my pre-trip plan for an idea of those expenses.
For further details, you can review my online spreadsheet.
PS – Through online advertising, Dares, donations, and gifts, I was able to travel longer than I otherwise would’ve been able to on my own. Thank you to everyone who contributed, whether it was offering a donation or simply reading this blog!
Congratulations on the completion of your trip, Dave. Your attention to detail is admirable indeed. Overall, I think your budget is a fine precedent for others who wish to follow their dreams. You have proved time and again that one doesn’t need a boat-load of money to go on a trip like this; it being a comfortable one to boot.
My husband and I dream to do a similar trip (for 6 months, though) and I always refer to your website for guidance.
-V
Hi Dave, I can remember the week before you left… Hard to believe so much time has gone by. Thanks for sharing your journey with us. Questions I have now, after all is said and done, What would you do differently? what places do you feel you saw thoroughly vs. what places might you have wanted to see more of? Do you have a feeling there was stuff that you missed due to one reason or another, and might like to see again? I know this could make an entire blog post…
Regards,
-Skip
Thanks for all your public budgeting. You’ve inspired us to do the same on our site.
I’m curious though, did you find it difficult to balance your budget against doing the things you really wanted to do?
Glad to see you achieve a dream :) Way to go Dave.
Thanks! While some backpackers might find my budget outrageous, I found it fit my travel style at the age of 31-32 just right. :)
Hey Skip, thanks for the support all this time! Good questions. I’m sure I’ll be writing a lot more about this stuff in future posts. For now, a few quick thoughts.
I would probably spend a little less time on the islands of Thailand so I could better afford to take a 1-2 month overland trip in eastern Africa. I really wanted to do that there, but if I did, I wouldn’t have been able to make it to South America, and clearly I am loving Colombia! No regrets.
I visited 20 countries, though in reality, I spent a lot of time in a select few, which gave me a good feel for them. New Zealand, eastern Australia, Nepal, eastern/northern India, Thailand, South Africa, and Colombia. I felt 18 days was enough for both Cambodia and Laos. I would’ve liked to have seen more of India, but it is so big, hot, loud, and stressful, I could only manage 7 weeks. Of course there is a ton of stuff I feel I missed…the world is BIG and even in countries where I spent 2 months, I feel I only scratched the surface.
Paying it forward…..perfect! That is what I tried to do by posting my spending online during the trip, as that was the information I most wanted while I was saving up beforehand.
I tracked my spending, but didn’t really stick to a budget. I basically had a certain style of travel, which was somewhere in the middle of the backpacker/flashpacker spectrum. I didn’t always stay in the cheapest rooms, and I was really bad about cooking for myself. I had to replace my camera twice, and buying a laptop in Hong Kong was certainly a luxury!
Well Dave, I have enjoyed following you, even as a fellow long term traveler.
Everyone travels differently according to their own person uniqueness. I know one guy that has spent 60,000 dollars in two years, traveling over 50 countries.
I travel slow, and only have spent about 15,000 dollars, and I am in my seventh month. At my two year mark this November I will have spent just a little over $20,000 with 3 to 5 years to go. Although within the last 17 months I have only traveled 7 countries and had to fly only once, which was into Israel.
Feel free to visit my blog, add my link if you wish.
Thanks for all the entertaining posts Dave, good look with the next phase in the adventure!
Hi Dave,
You are so inspiring! I have been looking at my own trip, and just have a question about your air schedules…..I am only able to book itineraries on AirTreks that begin and end in the same location, but it looks like you didn’t have to do that (i.e., Air Qatar flight from Bangkok to Cape Town)?
I have found planning the air transportation component to be the most confusting — any tips?
Much thanks and congrats on a job well done!
Great insight into some real costs for traveling. Many people over- or underestimate that a lot, so it’s good so see some real life examples. I also agree that you probably spend much less, the longer you stay in a country and learn about the local customs and prices. You will also save plenty on transportation costs if you can negotiate your housing for a little longer term than on a daily basis.
Another good benchmark for evaluating prices beforehand can be the Purchase Power Parity Index, which compares purchasing power per country. There is a nice article on Wikipedia about it.
Anyway – great transparent price listings!
Hi Shawn, I added a link to your blog from my new Links page. Appreciate your support all this time!
Thank you! :) AirTreks worked well for me on some big flights, and the rest I booked myself online. My biggest tip would be to try not to plan too far in advance with flights so you stay flexible. It really was easier than I expected to do it yourself online, and with the exception of Cape Town airport officials requiring I buy an onward ticket before they´d let me in the country!!
DAVE you R a crazy one!!!!
All that budgeting and I am pretty sure you did not miss a think! I really admire your detailed insights. You were always so prepared and well organized. Me and Kristina we “just” spent half a year in one country and we had no clue about the Hotspots in the first month. But we met you and I remember speaking about the Ostrich u really inspired us seeing every piece of that beautiful South Africa! All the best!
Hi Kathi, great to hear from you. I appreciate the feedback – I tried not to be too caught up with the details!
Congrats on finishing your trip! I have been following your blog closely the last months as my own planning for the trip was reaching an end and the adventure was starting. Thanks a lot for the tips and economic insights as they have helped us plan our trip. Im going to post a similar thing on my own blog when I’ve had the time to sum up a bit of our budget so far, hard to do while on the road! Too much interesting stuff to see :)
Hey Christian, I agree it is not the easiest thing to do on the road, but if you can make it a habit or routine, then soon you won’t think about it too much.
Amazing trip. I won’t forget that ever.
I would like to something like that. I have to save cos the will I already have.
Congrats
Hugo from Lisbon, Portugal
not gonna lie your crazy, but i like it. i thought i was mad with planning savings before i went and checking out the temperature each region will be when im there. wow. you love excel as much as me i guess.
i will definitely have a more indepth look into your savings when i get the chance to see where its likely i will spend alot of money as i have not budgeted to spend as much as you did. thanks for the great advice tho.
Yea, I felt a bit crazy once I got into the spreadsheets, but I got so use to working with them at my last job, it wasn’t hard.
Hi Dave, I’m a Capetonian and are only now starting to think about and planning a trip. Really scary, but all the blogs I read they make it sound so easy. To save all that money before my trip, I guess I will never get anywhere, so I was wondering will it be easy to find jobs as you travel or is it too risky, especially not having a working permit for every country you go to?
Greetings – I loved Cape Town. Beautiful city and I hung out with some friendly locals during my time there.
Since I didn’t look for a job while traveling, it’s tough for me to comment on this. Try going to http://www.bootsnall.com travel forum and post on the board about working abroad. It can vary in difficulty depending on your nationality. For example, it is super easy for Australians to work in Canada and the UK, and the Brits to work in Australia (picking fruit on the farms is popular), though it is harder for Americans to work in the UK. Colombians have difficulty everywhere, unfortunately, but I still met many who had studied and worked abroad in Europe.
I think the majority of travelers will work under the table whenever possible, avoiding things like work permits. Helping at hostels, tutoring English, and working on farms are all popular. For me, I went route of trying to build my online income from this blog, which worked out great since it allowed me to be mobile, and earn money in US dollars versus the local currency.
Hi all, just wanted to chime in because Dave was so kind as to publish this post. And he’s right, while it is possible, booking your own round the world tickets can be a mind-boggling endeavor. There’s a lot to know before booking a lot of international flights, (like knowing you need an onward ticket when flying to South Africa for example).
AirTreks can be a great resource helping with your perfect custom round the world trip. And yes, our tickets are fully customizable, meaning you can go from anywhere to anywhere, with any stops in between. Overland legs are fine, so if you wanted to skip all the little legs (around SE Asia for example) you can do be flexible to get those when you’re there, but have the comfort of knowing your more expensive long-haul flights are already set up.
Thanks Dave for the fantastic info here. I’m sure it’ll be super helpful for other people planning trips like this. Great post!
Nico from AirTreks
Such a good move to share these #’s ! It really shows other that it CAN be done and take a lot of mystery and fear out!
I found your post extremely informative. I am doing a bit of research about the costs of long-time travel, and it’s great to find a post so detailed and organized.
While I agree that maybe it can be done cheaper, following the mantra of “take half the clothes and twice the money” I prefer to use a more relaxed daily budget as guideline.
Although you have finished your trip I will read your blog, as I am very interested in some of the destinations you went :)
Thank you!
How dare you not including Brazil in your journey plan? 49 days in Colombia and not even a weeknd in Brazil?
I’m sure you enjoyed the trip but I’m also sure that you’ve lost the opportunity of knowing the best part of this planet!
Yes, these numbers were exactly the kind of information I had a hard time finding before my trip. That’s why I ended up spending twice what I budgeted just about everywhere I went! Actually, since everyone’s travel style is different, this info is a guideline at best, but I bet that for some of the older backpackers (ahem early 30′s), this is a good representation. Or for flashpackers.
Hey Andrei – thanks for the feedback and delving deeper in to the blog.
Before I left home, I would read travel blogs to get ideas for places to go. River tubing in Vang Vieng, Laos is a direct result of that reading. Even though I would’ve learned about it once in Thailand, it was still cool to have the activity in mind from the beginning, and then realize how far I’d come while floating down the river in the middle of SE Asia.
I know – ridiculous to skip Brazil right!!
I initially planned to do the whole South America circuit – Brazil, Argentina, Peru, Bolivia, Colombia – but I spent more time in Asia then planned, and definitely more money in South Africa than expected. By the time I made it to South America, I really only had time for Colombia.
Brazil is #1 on my new list. I’d like to make it there in the next 1-2 years.
Insanely jealous! I'm surprised how much Australia was, everybody says it's cheap. I suppose compared to UK it probably is.
Great post, retweeted :)
Rhys – thanks for stopping by and retweeting.
Yea, I was in Australia when it was 1.1 Aussie dollar to 1 US dollar. Months later, Americans were almost getting 2 for 1 because of the economic crisis. I would've been living it up if my timing were different.
And yes, I was jealous of the British spending power over there!
Hi Dave, it's my first time here and I'm glad this is the first article I got to read. I have always wanted to travel around the world but due to work commitments, was always limited to 1 or 2 cities at a time. Your post inspires me! To think I stumble upon it right after quitting my job! Is this fate or coincidence?
For anyone else that wants to see his per day data sorted from cheapest location to most expensive, I just saved you 2 minutes :)
$44 Colombia
$51 Singapore
$51 India
$54 Nepal
$55 Indonesia
$55 China
$55 Thailand
$61 Laos
$63 Cambodia
$65 Hong Kong/Macau
$66 French Polynesia
$77 South Africa
$81 Europe (Belgium, Holland, France, Switzerland, Spain)
$90 Egypt
$98 Australia
$110 Botswana
$116 New Zealand
Hi Veron –
Thanks for checking out my site. If you're interested, I started blogging about my RTW in early 2007, so everything I did in the run up to it is documented for posterity (and to help others of course).
The Planning section at the top of my “best” page is a good place to start:
http://www.gobackpacking.com/Blog/best/
By the way, I loved the food available in Singapore. I couchsurfed for 4 nights there, and had a great time in your country. :)
Thanks Shawn – cool idea.
I should note that Colombia is the cheapest because I stopped traveling at that point and got into routines – renting an apartment vs hostel, eating at the apartment vs restaurants. Also, that was a point at which the dollar to Colombian peso exchange was very much in my favor. A few months later, the US dollar had lost about 20% of its value against the peso, so things became more expensive.
Hey Dave just came across this, very handy and I just wrote a similar breakdown for my costs in Australia so far on my blog (scheduled to publish this upcoming Monday) I got the costs right down with sharing a house (and food), Australia is extremely expensive I'm finding so far.
I'm surprised you clocked up such a cost in Thailand though, I found it a lot cheaper then $55 a day.
Stumbled this post for reference in the future :)
Dave – As I am sitting in my cubicle only beginning to ponder my RTW adventure with a planned departure of April 2010 your spreadsheet gave me such peace of mind. I have many of the same items on my list and these are such great starting points for how to get them on THE LIST.
Yep, I was in Australia when it was 1.1 Aussie Dollars to the US. If my timing were later, I'd hit with a much more favorable exchange due to the recession.
Yes, when I went to cheaper countries, my spending was still high because I compensated – private rooms, nice meals (I rarely cooked for myself), plenty of sights and drinking. I had a great time. Oh, and a ton of money spent on internet access since my netbook was a glorified word processor.
Thanks for the stumble!
Thanks so much for the feedback! It is funny to hear that it is reassuring people because I still feel a bit self-conscious about the amount of money I spent. :)
My wife and I are backpackers and we'd like to travel a lot and we found LastMinuteTravel.com wich gave us a wide range of options on travelling. I find it the best when it comes to travel guide.
My wife and I are backpackers and we love to travel a lot . the best site we found on how to have the best time was LastMinuteTravel.com. I Highly recommend this site. It knows where the best clubs are on every country we went to.
Hi Dave
Interesting comparisons there.I am rather disappointed that my own country New Zealand was the most expensive…tho' not too surprised.Interesting that Botswana came in 2nd worst. I would have expected it to be cheaper.
No doubt in the last little while the volatile exchange rather had an effect. If you came to NZ now you would probably have had considerably cheaper holiday.
You have had an amazing experience.
I was surprised Hong Kong was not much different to Cambodia….my experience would have had Hong Kong – last month…. quite a bit more expensive than Cambodia…. 3 years ago.
When people look at this list they do need to take into consideration the exchange rates with their own currency! I suspect from New Zealand the same experience might have had very different results for this reason.
Having just got back from a trip around the world by bicycle, this strikes me as so expensive! My husband and I spend about $50,000 for a 3 Year trip, including all the extras like flights, vaccinations, replacement gear etc. Okay, it's a different style of travel but far more economical and very interesting if you want to meet the local people. More people should try it! You can always combine it with a little backpacking.
Hi Friedel,
Thanks for stopping by Go Backpacking, and congrats on your RTW bike trip. I have a lot of respect for those who are willing to travel long distances on a bike (I met a few in China on there way to Nepal). I'm just starting to get into short bike trips when I travel (not multi day….yet).
A lot of people have found my expenses high, however I didn't hold back much. This was my dream trip, and that meant if I felt like taking a helicopter up Franz Joseph Glacier, I did so. Foie gras ravioli in a Laos restaurant? Yes please. Heck, a week in Switzerland alone was a splurge, but I'd been wanting to go for years. I spent more time then planned in South Africa, and the exchange rate in NZ and Australia when I was there was akin to spending US dollars.
If anything, I'm only going to spend more as I get older, and appreciate a comfy bed and privacy more. I'd still be taking my backpack though!
Hi Dave! Your trip looks incredible. My husband and I just finished a year long trip. We decided to set up a website to help other people figure out travel costs by country. I was wondering if we could use some of your data since you've done such a great, detailed job of keeping track of costs. The website is http://www.budgetyourtrip.com. We could enter the data if you don't have time.
Thanks!
Hi Laurie,
That's a great idea for a website, and I hope you can make it work. You're welcome to enter my cost data (I have my hands full with online activities at the moment).
I'll add a link to your site at http://gobackpacking.com/links
Hey Dave,
Interesting budget. I tried to calculate my expenses but ended up too caught up traveling. I just know how much total I've spent so far. It seems like you've spent quite a bit in some countries. What are up to these days now?
Thanks for the recent comments on Go Backpacking.
Since returning to the States in July '09, I've been working hard to build this travel blog, and a new one I'm going to announce next week. In between, I'm applying for online editorial positions with travel sites in NYC.
Ah thats awesome. Good to hear that you're keeping yourself going :)
Hey guys, I'm freaking a little bit about my trips travel expenses as I'm not going for a package ticket, I'm booking my flights as I go. I'm not a seasoned traveller but I'm not paying four grand for a ticket when I think I can do better than that.
I'm going to SE Asia, Europe and South America at the end, one year all up but I don't want to get stuck somewhere…. am I crazy to do it this way? i don't think I am but it's good to hear from travellers who know the deal.
There's no need to worry. Did you see all the flights I listed out? They were almost all bought by me, individually, over the internet while traveling in a foreign country. Super easy. Whether you can beat the cost of RTW tickets is a good question. I think I beat it because I lasted longer than 12 months, and hit South America, Africa, and Nepal – all out of the way places which can really increase those RTW ticket fares.
A site I used often to check routes flown by discount airlines is http://www.airninja.com
VERY HELPFUL! I am starting to plan my travels, i hope to be gone for about a year. this is going to be very helpful to make sure i dont forget anything!
thanks!
Alicia – I'm glad you found the cost info useful. Let me know if you have any questions as you continue planning. :)
I have a general question, did you all go on your Around the world trip with somebody else / a few friends etc… or simply alone…?
I want to do a trip, but it would be only myself, so I am curious if that's “common” or not…..I know everybody should do what he wants but I still would like to know…
Also, would you consider a trip like that dangerous? That maybe sounds like a weird question, since I know that of course a trip like that is an adventure and isn't easy all the time etc..and I know there are bad people everywhere, but in many countries you will surely draw attention to your site, simply because people can tell you are from somewhere else, know you unfamiliar with the area, think you have sooo much money etc…
Hi Rene, thanks for stopping by.
I went solo on my trip around the world, and yes, it's quite common. Probably a little more so for men then women. I noticed women are more likely to travel with a friend or group then guys.
But once you hit the road, everyone – women, men, couples, and friends will usually connect with other travelers along the way, and share in little 1…2…3… or more week adventures together. This often happens if your itineraries in the same region are the same, and you're getting along well.
There are potential dangers with any form of travel, whether on a group tour or traveling alone, in Westernized countries, or the poorest on our planet. Practicing common sense precautions such as you would while visiting or living in any large city is often the best approach. Fear of dangers shouldn't stop you from making your grand adventure a reality.
Figure out your personal concerns, then post questions like these on message boards, such as the ones on Bootsnall.com or on blogs by solo female travelers to get feedback on their experiences. Women do have it a bit tougher, especially in places like India where the men can be very gropey, but again, there are thousands of travelers making their way through most popular countries at any given time. :)
Awesome post. Great information. Thank you so much.
Congrats Dave for your great trip and its very interesting reading your journey and details about expenses and all…..
Flight Tickets
hey how did u go to every place i mean wat travels did u select for ur pakage??
I worked for 5 years at home in the USA, saving money so that I could travel wherever I wanted. I organized all the travel myself.
Hey congrats i could really understand how you are feeling at this point of time om achieving your dream..traveling all around the world is an experience in itself, and it is true that here price doesn't matter..im sure that your $35,029 is nothing in front of your achievement
I saved up for 5 years to be able to afford to travel on my own. I didn't use package tours except for a few safaris and a Nile cruise in Egypt.
Hey Dave, I'm planning a big trip like this also. $35,000 in 15 months is a great effort!! Maybe I'm a bit self-indulgent but I can't believe you're self-conscious about that amount, or that people think you can do it cheaper – that was around what I had worked out for my trip, going to similar sorts of places, and splurging when I want to, really good to see somebody who's already done it and survived! Thanks :)
Hey Dave, I'm planning a big trip like this also. $35,000 in 15 months is a great effort!! Maybe I'm a bit self-indulgent but I can't believe you're self-conscious about that amount, or that people think you can do it cheaper – that was around what I had worked out for my trip, going to similar sorts of places, and splurging when I want to, really good to see somebody who's already done it and survived! Thanks :)
Dave,
Your trip is amazing and, of course, inspiring. I would like to do a much smaller rtw trip (3-6 months) but am very much so a people person. I think i would really love to have a wingman with me when I make my trip. I see the benefits of going it alone and meeting hundreds of different people along the way, but what would you recommend? Do I search for a travel partner or is it more qualitative to go solo and experience different places with new faces.
Also, I don't believe I have any friends who are spontaneous enough or financially secure enough to partake in a rtw trip, so can you recommend a website where I can connect with potential travelers that would be interested in planning a trip together? Possibly recent college grads like myself..
Thanks Dave, and congrats again.
Nick
Hey Nick, thanks for checking out Go Backpacking. Great to hear you're planning a long term backpacking trip!
It is incredibly easy to meet people while traveling, and it's almost the norm, even for the shyest among us, to travel for a week, a month or more when we run into people we like along the way. I found that a mix of traveling with others, and then on my own, was the perfect solution. Traveling with other people can be incredibly intense because you're together 24/7 a lot of the time. I learned the hard way that traveling with best friends from college wasn't as great as I expected. Everyone had different priorities, and that they didn't want to do what I did started to get on my nerves. After two weeks, all 5 of us had split up and gone our own directions.
I'd recommend http://travbuddy.com where you can post where you plan to travel and connect with others. I did this for my Nepal trek and it worked great. Also, check out the forums at http://bootsnall.com and Lonely Planet which usually have a subforum just for people trying to find travel partners.
Congrats on your trip, and fulfilling a lifetime dream.
I can say though, that the budget was just huge.
I have been travelling for 13 years, and what you spent on that trip would keep me going for 6 years more !
Finding travel advice on the Web can feel a little like buying a car. First, you settle on the make and brand. Then you decide on the details and fittings you want. Last, you go hell-for-leather for the best deal. A search for “get travel advice” on Google throws back 80 million results; the market is packed with brands to get you what you need. So to help winnow down the choices, following are a few of the better sites that I've used to eke out pre-trip advice, including suggestions for a trip to Québec next month where I'll literally only have a half day to explore. Note that I don't really go into too much detail about social-networking sites like Facebook, Bebo, and Twitter, where the efficacy of your search for advice can depend on the breadth of your network, plus your own engagement and activity within those networks. If you have lots of well-traveled friends, tap into their font of travel wisdom. If not—or in addition—the below resources might help you get the info you need without too much extra legwork.
I too agree that it is necessary to get travel advice from a trustworthy source. This will definitely be of great help to anyone who wants a joyful journey.
Dave, is this your pre-trip budget plan? Because I just don't see how you're spending so much in some of those countries.
Ken – no, that was my actual spending. All I can say is that “to each their own” when traveling. I ate in restaurants (2-3x/day) almost 100% of the time, rarely cooking for myself or self-catering as they say. I think I also averaged in the cost of the 2 new cameras I bought when others broke, and all the time spent in internet cafes uploading photos/writing for the blog. I spent a lot on souvenirs — about $300 on a single thangka (Tibetan painting) in Nepal, for example.
i am from indonesia and looking for traveling with backpacking way to singapore…
can you give me the detail… ??
thanks