Okay, okay, I know that you all know this is gonna be yet another 'budget' question that no-one can give me a definitive answer on, but after reading all the posts on Common Questions thread 3 TIMES, I'm still not sure if I'll be okay or not... please put my mind at ease/slap me round the face. Here's my yadayada...

I have a job, but my contract is up soon (i.e. probably before Christmas), I will have £5,000 saved by Xmas. I was originally gonna work till June '06, saving an possible extra £1,500 & then go, but I really hate the thought of having to work an extra 6 months/have to find new job, then quit it. I would like to do the following route:

Manchester, England - Bangkok, overland to Singapore - Sydney, Oz, overland to Cairns - New Zealand - Fiji - Cook Islands - LA, possibly overland to NY - Manchester

SE Asia - 3 months
Oz - 1 month
NZ - 1 month
Fiji & Cook Islds - 1/2 months
USA - 1/2 months


Ticket= £1,200
Insurance= £300
Gear, etc= £500

That leaves me with approx. £3,000 for travel, and I'd like to be gone about 8 months.

I plan on backpacking lazing like a bum for most of my time, no hugely expensive tours, but partying and occasional once-in-a-lifetime activities included.

1.) Will I make it
2.) Will I have enough money to make it 8 months
3.) Will I have to scrape the bottom of the barrel to survive on this much
4.) Should I just shut up and go, or stick around and save for longer?


Help me...I'm hyperventilating...mods - don't just go and stick it under 'COmmon Questions, etc' where no-one might reply please!!!...Aaaaarrgh!

I beginning to plan myself round the bend and not round the world. Someone throw me a lifeline! Quick!

Hi,

I'm in the exact same position as you, i want to go travelling but need to save the money first

If you go for about 8 months with £3000 you'll have about £12-13 per day, with £4,500 you'll have £19 per day.

In SE Asia you'll be able to survive on the lower amount ok, but in New Zealand, the islands and US, you'll struggle even if you save up the extra money, unless you have a lot of kind relatives to stay with. I'ld say stay and save up the extra money, it'll definately be worth it in the long run.

I averaged £25 a day in Australia, New Zealand and the USA - and I'm pretty thrifty (I have Yorkshire roots), so half that much? Not very likely I'm afraid! Have you considered not going RTW, but just getting a return to Bangkok and spending the time in Asia? You could have a pretty good crack at the whole of the SE, as well as a foray into China (very cheap) in your available time.

I have considered just going round Asia, but I'd really love to do the whole RTW thing - I would consider spending the majority of my time in Thailand/SE Asia, and shorten the length of time I spend in the other destinations, as I know I'd be paying 1st World prices for most things.

The thing is, every time I'm on this and the BootsnAll blogs sites, the pre-trip interviews/blogs, etc. give me the impression that it can be done for the budget I'm aiming for. Out of interest, of those who've taken a similar route, how much did you take & how long did it last you?

Hi there,
sounds ace what you're doing. I'm also doing a rather amibitious RTW starting in about 3 months...my flight route is this...London - Nairobi - Vic Falls, Cape Town - Mumbai, Delhi - Beijing, Hong Kong - Bangkok, Singapore - Perth, Sydney - Auckland, Christchurch - Lima, Lima - LA, New York - London.
You'll notice that I seem to just appear in places (this is because I'm doing bit inbetween as overland journeys). My RTW ticket has cost me £3,000, although I think this is the most you will pay...and due to my crazy route it's added a bit on top.
Your flights estimate will probably be about right i reckon...you should go in to a travel agent and ask about RTW tickets.....I used The Flight Centre and they were excellent.
As far as Insurance goes mine is costing £400 for the year so you're not far off there I guess.
Gear may probably be cheaper than £500 cos I doubt you'll need much other than the clothing you already own.
You should think about Visa's as some places you visit may require them...I think these range between £30 & £60.
Another thing to think of is injections & malaria tablets...these can cost quite a bit depending how nice your doctor is and what you need.

Now I managed to sell my house and am spending a year away without doing a days work at all so am pretty much blowing a lot of money on my trip....i am however staying in youth hostels for much of my trip (apart from a load of organised trips i'm doing with Intrepid Travel). The hostels in Asia seem to be about £5 a night, Oz & NZ £10-£15 a night, USA £15-£20 a night.

As far as food goes it's dirt cheap in Asia and will cost you no more than a few quid a night, Oz is a bit cheaper than UK and USA is about same as UK.

You're budget seem OK to me, and you may be able to get some work in Oz if you start to run dry by then. If you can though I'd say try and save a bit more cos you never know what might happen when you're away.....or maybe get yourself a credit card for emergencies.

Hope you have a good time and be sure to check my website http://www.bavsworldtour.webeden.co.uk, which will show my route...i will be posting on that site regularly once I'm away.

Hey thanks Ian -

I'm looking at moving back to my home town & living with my parents in January, until I leave, which I've decided it would be if it was June 2006. Hopefully this will help me stockpile a bit more money in the meantime, not having to worry about rent, bills, etc. Plus it means I'll have a little extra time should I need it to look for another job. I have also considered stopping & working in Oz to spread the trip out a little, ad hopefully save some cash in the process.

Your trip sounds like a marathon of a journey! What have you budgeted for daily living costs then? (i.e. food/accomadation,etc).

How do mate
That's what I did....I sold my house in Feb 05 and have been living with my parents since...it's a nightmare but you'll get thru it easy cos you just think of what you've got in store.
My trip started with me & a mate but he dropped out, that's why it got so ambitious cos we both had placed we really wanted to go...he dropped out & i just kept the ininerary the same anyway.
The organized tours I'm doing range from £500 to £1000 depending on what you want...I'm doing 2 in Africa, one thru China, 1 round SE Asia & 1 down through Malaysia to Singapore....that is what is putting the bulk of the cost on my trip....If you ignore these I've been told the following costs

Food:
Africa £5 a day
Asia £5 a day tops
OZ & NZ £7-£10 a day
USA £10 a day

Accomodation is about the same as well if you hostel it. Probably £10-15 OZ & £20 USA Go to http://www.yha.co.uk & get a membership...this gives you access to Hostelling International hostels which are cheap & meet certain standards.

You could probably get cheaper than the above costs too if you don't ming really roughing it.

Something else you might want to look at if you're overlanding a lot is http://www.seat61.com....its a website that details rail travel all over the world.

Just ask if you've any questions as I'm pretty much in the same boat as yuo at the mo' researching stuff and what have you. I'll try keep you posted on anything I find out.

You'll have to let me know when you plan to be in certain places too....we may bump in to each other in some far flung destination!

Jesus wept...
I'ev just had a butchers at your blog...and apart from the bit about you coming from Manchester (booooo...see my location below) it could have been bleedin' written about me!!!!!
I see you quit your job....nice move...I got lucky & they said they'd keep me until I go so I've managed to land on my feet there.
I had all the same worries as you and I decided that 'to fuck with it all' was probably the best thing to do...and it was.
98 days to go 'til I leave and, i tell you what, the days are flying by.

If I've done my sums correctly (and that'd be a bloody miracle bearing in mind I'm shit at maths), that means you leave on Feb 8th Ian Bavill? That's the day before my birthday! Ah the crazy world of being a human. Anyways, I was gonna say, I've definitely decided to move in with the 'rents now, knowing that it'll only be a short-term arrangement. Now I've just gotta find something to tide me over and supply me with Christmas-present-buying money.

Hey, deffo mate - let me know where you're at in the world and we'll meet up for a pint or ten. - Just managed to get on your website - that is a level of itinery planning I ain't never goin' to acheive!! Looks fantastic, sure you'll have a corker of a time.

Thanks for the info!
J.

Spot on with your estimate...8th Feb it is.

I thought it best to at least have a detailed itinerary for me to not stick to....well some of it needs sticking to cos I've already booked some trips...the last 7 months i'm just going to wing it i think.

Got a few ideas up my sleeve...Route 66 being the main one i'm toying with at the moment....wanted to get a convertible and do it like that...but then realised it'll be fookin' freezin' at that time of year so hey hum....may get a hummer or something stupid!!!!

well ten pints seems like a right idea if our paths ever cross.

laters