frankie said:
From Kramer's detailed budget:
For $3K more per year I could take a 1-2 month overseas international vacation each year.
Kramer, how do you enjoy 1-2 months overseas for *only* $3k? That seems to good to be true. I have been flummoxed about the disparity between my travel wants and my (Europe) travel budget. Any tips Kramer?
Thanks,
Frankie
Hi Frankie, I am single and travel mostly in the developing world. That means lodging is around $5-$18 per night usually, depending on the location. I try to take ground transport when traveling within a region, and only at daytime to maximize my view of the scenery!
This September I plan to leave for about a 4 to 6 month trip to SouthEast Asia. I am giving notice soon for my apartment here in San Jose, California ($1000/month). My expenses in SE Asia while traveling will be less than doing nothing here in San Jose! I am figuring about $1200/month since I will be moving around so much (this does not include round trip airfare to Asia). If I was staying put in a place like Thailand (or traveling slower), it would probably be closer to $800/month.
Flights within SE Asia are dirt cheap. I will probably do most of my trip on the ground and make one flight from Saigon to Singapore (to meet some family members who want to join me for a couple of weeks), and I priced it at about $35. My total back home USA overhead will be around $120/month for health insurance ($85/mo), car storage($20/mo), and a little miscellaneous. So, if I stay in Asia for six months, I am figuring my total travel plus back home expenses will probably be around $9000, let's say $10K to be safe.
If I were to travel to Europe or any first world country, I would definitely "hostel" it. My best friend is visiting Rome in a couple of weeks. He will be paying about $24/night for a hostel bed downtown for four days. Usually, when I am traveling on my own, I will get a private room but if the costs are higher, I will share. It just depends. Also, it is cheaper for 2 (per person) to travel than 1. When I traveled with a friend through colonial towns in Mexico this past summer, the most we paid per person per night was about $14 for some great places in perfect downtown locations in popular tourist cities (Guadalajara, Guanajuato, Zacatecas, etc.).
I carry everything in a bag a little larger than a carry on. Technically, I should probably add something like $60 per month of travel for gear depreciation.
On this coming trip, I intend to track every expense (including immigration visa fees, exchange rate hits on debits and ATM fees, etc.). Feel free to remind me to report back later!
I also plan to experiment with those sites where folks in a given foreign city offer to host travelers for a day or two, mostly as an opportunity to learn English.
Kramer