Behind the Scenes: Everything You've Wanted to Know About Our Round-the-World Trip (But Were Afraid to Ask)

We have mustered up the energy to write a final blog about our round-the-world trip (Jake took the lead on this one). Sorry we've been so late with this update, but we are now so deeply entrenched in our suburban lifestyle (e.g. watching TV, shopping at evil Walmart and playing with hedge trimmers) that our trip seems like a distant memory!

The Best Deals (Per day spending, including lodging, food, transportation & activities)

1) Cambodia: $33/day Cambodia is home to the cheapest beach towns that we encountered on our trip. You can stay in a bungalow on the beach for next to nothing in Sihanoukville. If you overlook the piles of garbage on the beach, the touts at every corner, and the armless, legless beggars, then it's paradise.

2) Laos: $35/day Really rustic but also really cheap. The buses may breakdown and they may be full of chickens and goats, but for the price we couldn't really complain.

3) Vietnam: $40/day Another predictably cheap SE Asian country. We consistently got a clean room in a guesthouse for about $10 WITH air-conditioning and cable TV, which was unusual in neighboring countries. Our biggest expenses were probably our awful tailored suits and our pile of bootleg DVDs.

4) Thailand: $41/day The north of Thailand was probably the cheapest region on our entire trip. We stayed in guesthouses for under $10 and our average meal cost about a buck. The southern coast, however, was easily the most expensive area in SE Asia (though also the nicest). We also took a couple of flights and I had four scuba dives.

5) Argentina: $45/day Argentina was surprisingly cheap, even in Buenos Aires. We were able to stay in some of the nicest hotels of our entire trip for the same price or slightly more than a decrepit hovel in Brazil or South Africa. We also saved money by drinking cheap-ass beer on the street all night in Buenos Aires instead of going to clubs/bars etc. Food was inexpensive but high quality; the dishes were the tastiest of our South American trip.

6) Chile: $47/day Chile was quite expensive, considering we stayed for only four days and didn't partake in any paid excursions or activities. For a very basic room we had to pay up to $45 per night; in most of Argentina, we could get a state of the art room in a nice business hotel for the same price.

7) Singapore: $49/day A very expensive country where the main activity seems to be shopping in huge, air-conditioned malls. Fortunately we were only there for 4 days. Beers cost upwards of $10 a bottle, but thanks to a friend we knew there we got free drinks both times we went out drinking. If not for that, the per day expense might be double.

8) Colombia: $59/day Colombia was more expensive than expected when it came to lodging, but had some of the cheapest flights of our entire trip; flights were often cheaper than long distance buses. This per day cost includes a 5 day hiking trek to Ciudad Perdida, which was our only major paid excursion.

9) Peru: $60/day Peru had the largest variance in costs from one region to the next. Our first week in Peru was spent mostly in the rural Cabanaconde mountain range, where we were staying in $6/night hotels and spending $15/day total, which rivaled parts of Asia as the cheapest region of our entire trip. We squeaked by one day spending just $9 a person! This all came to a screeching halt once we set off for Machu Picchu, where tourists are gouged with the $96 train ride and the $45 entrance fee. The Peru average also includes an expensive flight from Lima to Bogota.

10) South Africa: $64/day Perhaps the second most overpriced country we visited (considering value for money), after Fiji. The daily expenses are magnified a bit due to a costly flat tire we got in rural S. Africa, and the bullshit overcharges from Thrifty Rental Cars. This country is even more expensive than it appears, when you factor in that our hotel and meals were paid for over the last 6 days when my family visited, and therefore don't count towards the total.

11) Fiji: $67/day Without a doubt the most overpriced country we visited. Nowhere else did we get less for our buck. Don't get me wrong, Fiji wasn't that bad, but when you are forced to pay over $120 a night for a dingy and dank bungalow with a bathroom that is straight out of Saw it's a little disappointing. We hardly went on any excursions or tours, but Fiji still ended up as the fifth most expensive country. This was also the first country that we visited, and the complete ripoffs we encountered here became much more evident as we traveled through beautiful beach areas in Thailand, Brazil, and Australia for a fraction of the price. Some advice for our fellow budget travelers: consider skipping Fiji and going to these other countries instead!

12) Brazil: $76/day Brazil was surprisingly expensive, since we figured all of South America would be dirt cheap. The hotel in Rio during Carnival was a gigantic expense at $150/night, but was actually a good deal during Carnival, when prices for hostel rooms cost about the same as our 4 star luxury apartment (which we booked 10 months in advance). The five flights we had to take to get around the country were also costly. We underestimated just how large a country Brazil was, and in several instances chose a more expensive 2 hour flight over a cheaper 26 hour bus ride.

13) New Zealand: $85/day New Zealand was similar in expense to Australia, minus some of the pricey extreme sports. However, our campervan got a horrifying 8 miles per gallon so the 1,200 miles we drove were particularly painful. Also, Leslie got off to a discouraging start to our trip with not one but two bizarre medical mishaps that led to costly doctor visits (not reimbursed by the travel insurance).

14) Australia: $88/day Australia is an expensive country to begin with, and combine this with the fact that when we went last fall the Australian dollar was about equal to the US dollar and our money went flying out the window. Nine scuba dives, one skydive, and one whitewater rafting trip added a lot to the expense. We did camp a lot to save money, but first had to spend a few hundred bucks at K-Mart for the bottom-of-the-line tent and gear. Oh and gas was $2.30 a liter at the time ($8.50 a gallon!!), so the 7,000 miles we drove were, as the Aussies say, very dear.

15) Canada: $115/day Not surprising that this was the most expensive country, since it is in North America and prices are pretty much in line with the US. That, and the fact that we stayed at the Hotel Intercontinental and Leslie went on a bit of a clothing shopping spree. After a year without H&M and Aldo's she was in a frenzy.

* Africa for $0

Hockey monument in Toronto

a day?! [Some special exceptions]

Botswana: $5/day Don't get too excited, you cannot get by in Botswana for five bucks a day. We were fortunate enough to get our Botswana safari paid for by my family. I imagine if we had to pay for this ourselves, it would have blown our budget out of the water.

Zambia: $0/day Same as Botswana. Zambia is not free.

The Jake & Leslie Travel Awards Go To...

Hottest Women Thailand - not much of a surprise here. Honorable mentions to Colombia, Vietnam, Peru and, surprisingly, Toronto, Canada. The most disappointing women were definitely in Brazil. After all of the hype, it sadly looks like American obesity problems have hit the Brazilian coast with a vengeance.

Hottest Men The hotness of a country's male and female populations seem to be inversely related; Leslie puts Brazil as the clear winner in the "hottest men" category. This is mainly due to the beach communities that prohibit cars, forcing local guys to haul around everything from construction supplies to tourists' luggage in push carts. That must be an amazing workout, given the high incidence of chiseled, dreaded surfers with 12 pack abs walking around the coast from Ilha Grande to Morro de Sao Paulo. A distant second goes to Australia, where toned, blond and tan beach bums dot the Queensland coast line. The least hot? Definitely Zambia-- mainly because of the over-powering BO. Someone introduce AXE to that market, please!!! ;

Coolest Fashion Sense This would have to be Thailand (specifically Bangkok), hands down. They've perfected the emo hipster look; the slim, striped button cardigan is ubiquitous among the men, and the women are the best dressed outside of Tokyo. Leslie personally loved the matching couples T-shirts (e.g. each has a half-heart, or teddy bear, or something equally cute), but Jake vetoed the look. Unfortunately, what's cute in Thailand stays in Thailand... we bought several adorable $1 T-shirts that we never wore outside of the country. Guess shirts with pictures of Mickey Mouse and sayings like "The Bearer of this Shirt Will Die" aren't universally appreciated.

Best Food We ate good food in many different countries, but we have to honor a couple of places that stood out: The Laos Elephant Trek, where out guides prepared an extravagant meal without access to running water or soap, which somehow did not make us sick; Thailand, for its cheap and tasty street food that cost under $1; Brazil for its huge pay-per-kilo salad bars and the pizza rodizio concept (basically, all you can eat pizza); Argentina for its affordable and generally excellent steak and empanadas, and vegetarian friendly pastas and pizzas; Vietnam for its delicious Pho soup and the restaurants in Hanoi, which typically included vegetable & tofu dishes. Truth be told, Jake ate very well throughout South America, where lunch platters typically cost around $1-2 and included huge hunks of meat.

Worst Food So many options to chose from... Leslie would vote for rural areas in Laos, where it was very difficult to order vegetarian food since few people understood English and the whole vegetarian concept was incomprehensible to the locals. Laos also had the grossest sandwiches we've had to date, with sneaky vendors substituting mayonnaise for cheese in order to add 25 cents to their profit margins. Colombia was a hard country for a vegetarian, since outside of the flashy touristy areas most restaurants served the same traditional Colombian dishes (rice, beans, steak or chicken) and Leslie had few veggie options. Just the fact of eating the same dish every day gets a bit tiring. We spent a night in Santa Marta desperately searching for any sort of different, "foreign" cuisine and only came across food carts serving gross-looking pizza.

Friendliest Locals Laos - no contest here. The people in Laos were incredibly friendly and laid back, and would often seek us out to talk, with no ulterior motives. It took some adjustment after a month of being on guard in Bangkok, but we eventually opened up and met some really nice people, particularly by the couple who gave us a free ride across the country in their pickup truck, feeding us local foods along the way, and asking nothing in return.

Sketchiest Vibe Cambodia. We visited plenty of sketchy places during our travels, but Cambodia takes the prize. The constant harassment from touts was on a level that was unrivaled even by Bangkok, the Victoria Falls tourist market, and Cuzco. Combine that with the mountains of disfigured, suffering beggars and the complete lack of a caring police force and you have the perfect recipe for an awkward tourist experience.

Best Buses Argentina. While most of South America has extremely nice long distance buses, Argentina was in a class by itself. We had been dreading our 19 hour bus ride from Iguazu Falls to Buenos Aires, but when it was time to get off the next morning we didn't want to leave. From the completely reclining full-bed seats to the 3 good meals, we were spoiled the entire way. But what really set it apart was the unlimited beer and alcohol, and the glass of champagne before bed.

Worst Buses Laos. There were plenty of horrible buses during our travels, but none compared to Laos. The buses themselves were your standard third-world beaten down wrecks, but what set them apart was the fact that they were often packed with chickens, goats, sacks of rice, motorbikes, and anything else they could cram on board. Combine this with the fact that there was absolutely no chance of them departing or arriving even remotely on time. Laotians are a very laid back people, and while this made them more of a pleasure to talk to, it made traveling very, very frustrating.

Most Beautiful Beaches Fernando de Noronha, Brazil. This small island chain far off the coast of Brazil ain't cheap, but it is far and away the most beautiful place we visited on our trip. There were zero crowds, crystal clear waters teeming with sea turtles and dolphins, and gorgeous white sand beaches that went on for miles. Honorable mentions - Koh Lanta, Thailand and Cape Tribulation, Australia.

Disappointing Beaches Colombia. We arrived at the northern coast of Colombia, along the Caribbean, after two months of being away from beaches, and were very anxious to hit the water. We found the beaches to be surprisingly dirty, with mountains of trash almost everywhere (particularly Taganga). The water was generally murky and smelly, and all around uninviting.

Strangest National Problem Argentina's coin shortage. When we arrived in Buenos Aires, one of the first things Leslie's friend Cesar told her was to hoard coins whenever possible. Generally in a country we try to avoid accumulating too many coins, but we trusted his advice. Turns out there is a massive coin shortage there, and since the entire Buenos Aires bus system only takes coins, huge lines would form at ticket kiosks at all hours of the day. Oftentimes an entire subway stop would simply close their booths and let everyone on for free, since they had run out of coins and could not offer anyone change. Some entrepreneurs were taking advantage of this phenomenon, actually charging people a premium for change. Most businesses throughout town posted "exact change only" signs in their windows, and many would give change in candy without even asking, simply giving us two candies instead of the 20 centavos we were expecting.

Best Excursion We didn't go on many excursions, but generally enjoyed the ones we did. The 5-day jungle trek in Colombia was amazing, and was interesting for the peek into rural Colombian culture as well as the sense that we were in an Indiana Jones movie exploring lost ruins. The day-hike in the Drakensbergs (South Africa) was fun and challenging, particularly the scary chain-link ladder we had to take on the way down.

Best Self-Guided Hiking King's Canyon, Australia. This hike was awesome, since we followed a faint trail across sheer cliffs and giant boulders. Before this, Leslie was queasy at high altitudes, but this experience desensitized her to standing on precarious ledges. Also cool because we were often the only people in sight.

We Must Return Thailand, because it was beautiful, cheap, easy to get around and there is still so much we have not seen. Next time we would explore more of the southern beach areas, and sign up for mahout training at an elephant conservation center. Runners-up: Australia (the country is so large that even with two months there we did not have a chance to visit the entire western half), New Zealand (it would be cool to experience it in the summer), Argentina (to visit friends), and Brazil (for Fernando de Noronha and the northern beaches, and possibly the Amazon).

No Need to Go Back Johannesburg, South Africa. This city struck as one of the most unhappy, tension-filled cities in the world. There is extreme poverty, high crime, and a strong feeling of racial strife. White people seemingly never left their cars when they were outside of the 10 foot electrified fences that surrounded their homes, and seemed to live their whole lives in fear, whether real or imagined; many black people are still living in deplorable conditions in humongous ghettos. Honorable mentions - Fiji and Bogota, Colombia.

Stupidest Stray Dogs San Pedro de Atacama, Chile. One morning we decided to make the 30 minute bike ride out to the dunes to sandboard, and 3 friendly stray dogs decided to follow us the entire way. The problem was, a portion of the ride was along the shoulder of the highway, and these stupid dogs would chase and bark every car that passed at 65 miles per hour. Along the way we noticed a rotting dog carcass that the dogs took an interest in, that looked suspiciously like a fallen brother of these three. And when we arrived back in town on the return trip, we sadly noticed that only two of the three had made it back with us. We didn't see him get hit, but deep down we know what happened. Sorry little buddy...

Meanest Stray Dogs Nadi, Fiji. The place we stayed at was down a dirt road, and three stray dogs would bark, growl, and menace us whenever we walked by. And we learned that you had to face them in order to keep them at bay, because as soon as we turned our back they would charge. Sneaky Fijian mongrels...

Friendliest Stray Dogs Everywhere else except Fiji. Stray dogs are generally cute, friendly and lazy creatures (maybe it's the all-rice diet in SE Asia that keeps the dogs so lethargic and tame?)

Best Scuba and Snorkeling Great Barrier Reef, Australia. The Great Barrier Reef offered clear waters, calm currents, and loads of sea turtles, small sharks, and other colorful fish. The best single scuba dive of the trip, however, was near Ko Phi Phi, Thailand, where I saw a huge 20 foot manta-ray. Fernando de Noronha, Brazil, also offered tremendous snorkeling right off of the shore, with probably the best visibility of the trip and loads of giant sea turtles surrounding the island.

Best Lodging Park Plaza - Bangkok, Thailand. At $70 per night, The Park Plaza was the most expensive place we stayed at in Asia by a mile, but still a bargain by western standards. It had all of the amenities we had been missing, and included a beautiful rooftop pool that was completely empty every evening. Runner up: Hostal del Valle - Cafayate, Argentina. A perfect little bed and breakfast in wine country, with a great price of about $30 per night, which included a full breakfast overlooking the vineyards.

Worst Lodging Definitely the $3 room in rural Laos right by the bus station. We were DESPERATE for a room, night had fallen, Leslie was in tears, and this was literally the only room in town. Extreme mustiness permeated all of our clothing and sleep sacks after one night here, and the bathroom was decrepit. But for $3, guess we can't complain too much! Runner up was our hostal in the old city of Cartagena, Colombia, where the street noise was deafening (our balcony faces Bananas night club) and an underage hooker tried to get us to trade her some American dollars (a common scam). Just plain sleazy!

Best Value Overall Tie: Thailand and Argentina. Thailand was fast-paced, cheap and exciting; it was so different from the US that every day was an adventure. It has something for everyone-- the big city, hill tribe culture, fabulous beaches, and amazingly cheap food and shopping. Argentina because you get the comforts of Europe-- Italian-inspired food, Western-style luxuries-- for a fraction of the cost. Plus, the prices plummet when you get out of Buenos Aires and you can experience the wineries and beautiful countryside of Salta and Jujuy at a very affordable cost.

That's All Folks!

Sadly, we've reached the end of our Round-the-World journey, and this is the last blog update for this trip. But stay tuned... our international trip has inspired us to see more of our own country, and we plan to travel more extensively throughout the United States. We're currently contemplating whether to shell out for a beat-up minivan with a mattress in the back, or luxurious Suburu Outback... a tough choice. Regardless, we'll be sure to post updates on our domestic adventures.

Thanks for all your support... and happy travels :)

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Part of trip: Round-the-world Trip

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