Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
South America: $30 per day x 90 days = $2,700
Europe (assuming a mix of Western and Eastern Europe): $50 USD per day x 90 days =
$4,500
Southeast Asia: $25 USD per day x 90 days = $2,250 USD
Australia: $55 USD per day x 60 days = $3,300
New Zealand: $50 USD per day x 30 days = $1,500 USD
TOTAL = $14,250
Adding this number to our pre-trip expenses gives us exactly $18,250 USD or $50 USD per day. If you
replaced some of the destinations on this list with China ($30 per day) or India ($25 per day), you would be
able to lower the cost of your trip.
We all have different travel styles and budgets. Where you go and what you do greatly factor into what
your final needed amount is. As you can see above, you can spend three months in Southeast Asia for a lot
less than you can spend in two months in Australia.
The above figures assume you listened to my advice about finding cheap flights and traveling on the
cheap. But if there is one thing I've always learned from travel, it is that plans never go as expected, and your
specific circumstances might cause you to go over or even under this budget. My numbers are a guideline,
and my tips will help you reach those numbers. What you do with the information I give you is up to you,
so the actual amount of money you spend will depend on how many of my tips you use and where you go.
Note that the average daily budgets above do not factor in such measures as staying in free accommod-
ations all the time (hospitality exchanges), hitchhiking, eating only local meals, or even cooking all your
meals, and the above numbers still allow you to come within the $50-a-day budget. Once you add in these
other tricks, your costs can be lowered even more. I once went to London for 10 days and spent $700 USD
(including my flight) simply by using miles for free flights and rooms, cooking my meals, sticking to lunch
specials, and staying with a friend. Booking the “normal” way (that is through Expedia and Hotels.com),
that trip would have cost $2,000 USD!
What these numbers really illustrate is that traveling the world can be as cost-effective as living at home,
and that you shouldn't think travel is unaffordable. I was recently home in Boston, and while I was out at
night, a girl overheard what I did for work and started asking me about how to get to Ireland cheaply. She
and her boyfriend were planning a trip. I had a dream job, she said, but she could never afford to do what I
do. When I told her how much I spent on traveling my entire life per year ($18,250), her first reaction was
that it was a lot of money. But when I asked her to think about all her expenses last year and to add them
all up, after thinking for a minute, she admitted that the total cost was a lot more than I spent traveling the
world.
As I've shown throughout this topic, there are a number of ways to save money when you arrive at your
destination. It is possible to travel. The world is affordable. We don't have to be afraid that we don't have
enough money to see it. Even if you can't find $18,000, all of these destinations can be seen on their own.
If you only have a few weeks, you can find a cheap flight and visit somewhere close, using my tips to save
money. You can skip expensive Europe and Australia and spend more time visiting developing and cheaper
countries. My tips are universal.
I firmly believe that travel is not expensive. My own personal motto is “Travel cheaper, longer, and bet-
ter.” As I've traveled, I've come to realize that you can have a first-class travel experience on an economy-
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