So How Much Did It Cost?

A few of the more daring types ask me how much my trip cost. And being the kind of person I am - I did keep a note of how much I spent. After all - I had to make sure I came in under budget :-)

My budget method took less than five minutes a day, and consisted of making a note of the money I drew out of the ATM or when I used the Credit Card. At the end of the week I'd put the total in a spreadsheet. Easy.

The total start up costs were about £3,000. That included: flights, vaccines, travel insurance, and everything I took (my bag, clothes, shoes, camera, etc.).

I then spent just under £13,000. I didn't really ever feel like I was budgeting, although I don't have a champagne lifestyle to start off with - and I usually do holiday's pretty cheaply. I wouldn't do lavish things like take helicopter flights, use luxury transport, or stay in five star hotel anyway, so it wasn't that hard to settle into being on a budget. There were very few times that I didn't do something because I couldn't afford it.

Every now and then I'd really splurge - especially if I was feeling a bit fed up. One thing that stands out was having a glass of wine at the top of the Sheraton in Ho Chi Minh - it cost me $12USD - which was more than I was spending on accommodation for the night (obviously I wasn't staying at the Sheraton :-). That was a luxury buy - but worth it. No hassle - they gave me three bowls of free nuts so I didn't need to buy dinner - and I enjoyed it. I read a great book, and watched the sun set...

I could have done the trip way cheaper if I'd have avoided certain places. Australia being the main culprit - it was expensive. Hong Kong was also expensive, as was Singapore - although I was only there for two nights and did splurge on a nice hotel.

My two day jaunt to Mongolia was another expensive excursion - as was the trip to Tibet - but I wouldn't have missed either for the world - so it was totally worth it.

If I'd have missed Oz, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Tibet, I could have done the trip for under £10,000. But to be honest - I enjoyed every minute - so the extra £3000 was easily justified in my mind.

I could have also done it for less - by really budgeting hard: staying in really basic places, only ever eating local food, and not paying to see stuff. Actually - I did find that in some places - the rougher it got the more I enjoyed it. But in the end - I was happy with how I traveled.

The absolute cheapest place was Pakistan. I spent less than £12 a day. And I never budgeted once. I could have made it cheaper by avoiding Subway and pizza in Islamabad and Lahore - and not taking the crazy Islamabad / Lahore / Islamabad / Lahore trip I made. I also spent £50 on an Indian visa - so it worked out pretty cheap on reflection.

At the end of the day - it's all about comfort levels - and deciding what's important. But the main budgeting consideration is picking countries that fit the budget. There are some great resources on the net to help with budgeting - but I found this website particularly helpful: http://www.travelindependent.info/. The Country Summaries section is especially good - although I'm trying to avoid looking at it as I start planning more trips...

If your thinking of doing a trip like this - do it - it's money well spent - and you won't regret it.

Editor's Note: All monetary amounts are in British Pounds unless otherwise noted...