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Yet another budget question

Wanting to get some budget advice for Asia and South America- any other advice is welcome too!

15 years ago, August 20th 2008 No: 1 Msg: #46112 Delete Edit

deleted_87446
deleted_87446

D Posts: 15

Hello all, I'm brand new to travelblog and was hoping for some advice from the experts (that's you!).

Next year, around July, I'm heading off for a 6-8 month journey to asia and south america and now that I've reached the less than one year mark, I'd better start saving! I originally intended to go away with about $20,000 (AUD) but it's looking unlikely that I'll actually be able to save that much. I've worked out that $16,000 is a more likely figure, although I'll aim for higher. I've also had a look on the LP website and checked out the amount of money they advise for each country I'm planning to visit, but nothing beats advice from those who've actually done it.

I'm planning to spend about 3 months travelling from Beijing, down through Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, finishing up in Thailand. From there, it's off to Ecuador and Peru for roughly 2 months (wanting to do a month of volunteer work in Peru if I have the money- those programs are expensive !). I don't want to do Galgapagos, but the Inca Trail trek is a must, and I wouldn't mind an excursion to the amazon (from Ecuador?) just to give you an idea of what I'll be spending my money on. Then I'm meeting up with a couple of friends and we're going to do Argentina and Chile. That will take an additional 6 weeks (ish).

So, to summarise, about 3 months SEA and 3-4 months SA. How's my budget looking? I'm happy to do things on the cheap, but wouldn't mind the odd night out or restaurant meal. The other factor is flights, of course. I don't think I can travel on a RTW ticket if I'm just going to those two continents and am starting from Australia, can I? Any thoughts on the best way to do the flights would be appreciated too.

Oh, and feel free to comment on any aspect of my itinerary- weather considerations, must-do's, any other tips.

Thanks so much for taking the time to reply, I really appreciate it!

(Also, while I'm here, just wanted to say how awesome this forum is- WAY friendlier than the forum on the lonely planet website 😊 )
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15 years ago, August 20th 2008 No: 2 Msg: #46204 Delete Edit

deleted_49612
deleted_49612

D Posts: 24.6K

Hello Terysa 😊

Your budget: For SE Asia an average of 20 Euros per day would be enough. I havent been in China for a while so am not sure. My guess would be 30 to 40 Euros per day. I would guess 20 to 40 Euros per day for Ecuador and Peru.
Rememer to keep extra money for visa charges, airport taxes and emergencies. I would say 100 Euros per month for them. You might not need it all but best to have it.

Are you planning to travel overland from China to SE Asia? Then just fly into China and fly out of whichever SE Asian country offers the cheapest flights to Peru or Ecuador. Then travel over land in Ecuafor and Peru. That is what I would do.

The more in advance you buy your tickets the better chance of getting bargains. Try to hit the countries during their off seasons. I have been in Thailand and C. America during their rainy seasons. The weather is not as terrrible as one would expect and it makes the flights and sometimes accomodation cheaper.

You could use the following search engine to hunt for cheap flights. It is the one I usually use for longhaul travel. Be sure to check the prices for different days. They can vary quite a lot from day to day. Click on the US flag to change it to English.
billigfluege

Mel

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15 years ago, August 20th 2008 No: 3 Msg: #46205 Delete Edit

deleted_49612
deleted_49612

D Posts: 24.6K

Here is a related thread

Help with my budget Reply to this

15 years ago, August 23rd 2008 No: 4 Msg: #46457 Delete Edit

deleted_87446
deleted_87446

D Posts: 15

Thanks for the reply Mel- especially the link. I think the hardest thing to know is how much all the extras are going to cost- like, transport from city to city, hikes, tours, activities, etc.
Well, all I can do is save as much as I can and hope it's enough!
Thanks again
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15 years ago, August 24th 2008 No: 5 Msg: #46573 Delete Edit

deleted_49612
deleted_49612

D Posts: 24.6K

The Lonely Planet books generally give good information about costs in general. You could look in those to give you a clue about what each country costs to travel in on average. You dont necessarily need to buy the books. When I am considering going to a country I just go into the bookshop and look at the costs and the safety pages of the Lonely Planet book for that country so I can make up my mind. The books will say what accomodation, transport... costs. Reply to this