This is the intersection where dreams and reality collide. So many have been led to believe that in order to take a year off and travel the world you have to sacrifice everything you've worked for, take out a large loan from the bank, and basically put your life on hold.
And that's if they've even dared to dream of world travel.
In order to help you understand the hurdles (both real and imaginary) involved in traveling, let's take a look at my own world travel statistics.
First, a brief background on the trip. My wife and I recently took a year off and traveled through Southeast Asia, India and Nepal. We purchased a one way ticket to Bangkok, traveled by rail (and occasionally bus or boat) and ate mostly street food (which tends to be healthier as its cooked in front of you). We lived modestly, but not uncomfortably. It is possible, though not recommended, to do what we did for 30% less.
These are out world travel statistics:
Living expenses: $1300. This included private rooms for two, sometime with air conditioning, and a whole lot of street food. Perhaps once a week we would take in a show, or have a nice dinner. Alcohol was limited, as the relative value is ridiculous in third world countries (a beer costs more than a bungalow in southeast Asia). If you plan on drinking, you should budget one to two dollars for each drink in this part of the world.
Visa fees: $80 each month. Several places such as Thailand and SIngapore don't require a visa for Americans, though several (including Nepal and Vietnam) are quite expensive and include additional fees for entry into certain areas.
Flights: $2700. We purchased a one way ticket into Bangkok, and a one way return from Moscow, which drove the price up considerably. For this same amount, we could have received a round the world ticket with eight to ten destinations. The problem was that $5,400 was too much money to pay upfront (we worked along the way).
Trains: $2000. I admit this is an estimate, as we did not keep receipts for all our travel. If you were to stay in Southeast Asia, rather than take the train from Beijing to Moscow as we did, you could easily spend half this amount.
Total amount spent for two: $21,260. Not too bad. For less than $1,000 a month per person, we were able to do what most people only dream of. I hope these world travel statistics help you realize that seeing the world is not as expensive as you might think. Sure, you could go to Europe and spend twice this amount, or visit Africa or South America for slightly more, but the lesson learned is this: you won't know until do the numbers. Try to eliminate all monthly expenses back home, and hit the road!
In conclusion, you can learn more about world travel statistics at www.travel-smarts.com
Adam Costa began his travel adventures at the age of 19 with a round the world trip across thirteen countries. He has worked as a North American tour guide, running tours in Canada, Mexico and all over the United States, from San Francisco to Boston to Key West, Florida. Currently, he works as a travel agent, and continues to dream of hitting the road.
No comments:
Post a Comment