BootsnAll Travel Community

I'm a college student planning a backpacking trip through Central America. I would go from late May to late August, flying into Cancun and flying home from Panama City. My itenerary might be something like:

Belize - 1 Week
Guatemala - 5 Wks
Honduras - 2 Wks
Nicaragua - 1 Wk
Costa Rica - 2 Wks
Panama - 1 Wk

The backpacking budgets I've heard have varied quite a bit. Passplanet.com (which seems like a great guide) claims that if I "avoid any luxuries" than I can go for about $10/day in Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua, and about $20/day in Belize, Costa Rica, and Panama. Other guides, however, suggest that I would need as much as $30+ per day.

I'm not expecting much "luxury." I'm planning on staying in relatively cheap hostels (basically, a bed to sleep on with a fan and cold shower), eating at the cheapest reastaurants I can find, and travelling on chicken buses. The only thing I would really splurge on is stuff to do--park entrance fees, snorkeling, kayak and bike rentals, possibly language school for a week, etc. But, then again, I'm sure I would spend quite a bit of time just enjoying the people and places for free.

So, how much of a budget should I plan on?

yeah, i say you could stick to the $10/day budget and $20/day budget in all those respective countries if you "avoid all luxeries". all the stuff you mentioned is what bumps up the costs and i wouldn't reccomend avoiding those costs cause you may miss out on a really cool experience. i'm not talking about big excursions but little things like bike rentals, park fees, surfboard rental, guided tours, etc. and if you're wanting to check out the nightlife scene on occasion plan on spending more money. you can drop money fast when you're salsa dancing with a beautiful chica all night. i'd budget at least $25 - $30/day for the entire trip just to be on the safe side. that way you don't get disappointed in how much money you're spending and being way over budget. though you can find good deals on language courses that'll really eat into the budget, but it may be worth it to you. enjoy central america, i can't wait till i get back there for a few weeks towards the end of 07'.

suerte,

listen. I like saving money. Really.

But if you take a trip and you hard budget yourself to ten a day, you are not living, you're just surviving. Five of your ten is going towards the room. the other five. A bottle of pop, some burritos somewhere. It's just not that fun. You're not on a trip, you're on an endurance race.

I say twenty is far more comfortable a range to live in. Which doesn't mean I advocate making sure you spend twenty a day. There are plenty of things to do without the dough. I just want you to be prepared to spend that much per day.

In Belize, you won't get many places under ten bucks, if you are hostelling. And they tie their money to the American Dollar. So prices are a little steeper. Costa Rica. Well, it's tourist mecca. That's gonna be hard too.

The two best places to save your dough are Nicaragua and Honduras. Yep. Good places to be a miser. And relatively untouched by the tourist bug which makes them gouge a little.

Entonces Buena Suerte y Buen Viaje.

D

So, would $20/day in Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua, and $30/day in CR, Belize, and Panama be a good budget?

Also, when we talk about daily budget, is that assumed to include everything except the plane ticket there? Is local transportation included in the budget?

Brother, it's your budget...as long as you know what your budget includes, you can put whatever you want on the list.

I think that 20 and 30 is a fair window for spending. Again, I say that you don't have to spend it. But it's good to over budget this stuff so you have some breathing room.

As for the local transportation....just be aware that on those "Jump" days, your outlay is going to swell a bit.

OK, thanks a lot for your help!

Transportation wont be the budget breaker....I travelled overland from Cancun to Guatemala City and spent maybe 50$ Canadian - TOTAL..and I think that is a high estimate...but i'm living in Asia now and my Central America travel stuff is at my parents in Canada...

I would agree with Piecar - dont budget yourself too tightly b/c you'll miss out on some great opportunities..and remember that if you blow your budget one day, there will always be another day where you sit on a beach and do nothing, or sit at a cafe and read a book....spending next to nothing!

I think $25 for Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua would be incredible if you could do it. Honestly you probably won't spend that much at all but if your going North to South your gonna be stoked to maybe have a little extra leftover for the expensive countries Costa Rica and Panama when the time comes. Plus that would allow you to maybe occasionally splurge on something REALLY worth doing like shipping back some cool Mayan stuff or snorkeling in the Bay Islands. Also one thing I've discovered is coming home utterly penyless can be kind of a bitch.

I spent about $20-$25/day in Guatemala, Nicaragua and Honduras. That was with two weeks in language schools, and taking Ticabuses between countries. I stayed in dorms whenever I could, ate mostly the comida tipica or food from markets, usually with one big meal a day and bought lots of crafts.

If your interested in pinching every penny I'd recommend packing a tent with you. There are a lot of places to camp throughout Central America, and it is usually cheaper than a hostel. Another thing you could do to save money is keep non-perishable food like canned tuna or peanut butter in your pack. That way, you won't be forced into eating out in towns that may be more expensive than average.

bring a tent or even better, a packable hammock. a couple of friends and i took a two-day adventure south from puerto viejo in costa rica on rented bikes. it didn't seem to be the norm for people to take bikes overnight, but the rental place was fine with it and even let us stash some of our stuff in their office (obviously, be cautious doing this). we slept in our hammocks and just ate food purchased in little stores (ie, avacado tomato sandwiches one night for dinner, chips, avacado and a can of beans another night. and maaaaaangoes all the time). we had a blast and were on the decidedly cheap side. if you're down with human-powered transportation and especially if you can find somebody to do this with for a couple of days, you'll have an amazing time and save some serious money for at least that period of time. have a fun trip!

Here's my absolutely bare-bones per diem budget in CA. No alcohol or comfort involved ... I've done this for a day or two at a time, but I don't typically go on vacation for deprivation.

Mexico: $20
Belize: $25
Guatemala: $12
Honduras: $14
Nicaragua: $10
Costa Rica: $22
Panama: $18