How much will I need for my year long trip?
Are the countries I want to travel to a good idea and how do I go about it?
I don\'t know where to start! I\'ve no idea how much I should save for my trip or how to go about it and I wondered if I could get a little help from those more experienced travellers.
The first part i\'m in need of help with is Africa, I plan to start in Africa from Morocco flying to Egypt and from Egypt to Kenya then overlanding to Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe and South Africa, does anyone have experience of overlanding Africa, am I going to the right countries? Is it possible and safe to travel overland between these countries?
Following Africa I plan to go to Japan the Thailand and Malaysia flying out of Singapore to Oz, staying and working in Oz for 6 months - 8 months
The time frames I plan on are roughly
Morocco - 2 weeks
Egypt - 2 weeks
Overlanding Africa - 2 months
Thailand - 1 month
Malaysia - 2 weeks
Oz - 6 - 8 months
Can anyone give me a rough idea of how much to save? I have quite a while to get the funds but i\'m not sure if its managable?
I also plan to stay in the cheapest hostels and cook for myself most of the time.
Thank you to anyone that helps!
Reply to this Sounds like a good plan - the only change to your itinerary I would suggest is more time in Egypt, in two weeks you could cover the main sights in Cairo and Luxor but just barely. You wouldn't be able to fit in the Red Sea beaches (and incredible diving) in Sinai - Dahab is a very cool place to hang out. Alexandria is also nice. If you are there a side trip into Jordan to see Petra is easy to do but you need at least a week to get there and back. I spent six weeks there two years ago and I am going back now for at least another six to see the stuff I didnt have time for, western desert oases, Aswan, deeper into Luxor... cant wait.
I spent a couple of months in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda as well. I spent about $1200 per month there including lodging (typically guesthouses, not the very cheapest places, usually had my own bathroom), food, and all transportation and sightseeing (including Masai Mara safari, you can easily arrange for about $250 on the ground in Nairobi). Egypt was cheaper, less than $800/month there. Malaysia, Thailand and the rest of SE Asia you can ballpark $1000/ month, thats about $30/day. You can get by on $20/day in these places but if you bump up your daily budget the extra $10 you can get a much better room, aircon bus rides, some diving and drinks with fellow travelers at night.
There are few places that have communal kitchens in these countries, it isnt like Europe and South/Central America. You will be hard pressed to find traditional hostels where you can cook for yourself. But its ok there is plenty of cheap delicious street food to be had (except East Africa - you will have to learn to like ugali and roasted goat!).
If you arent a diver yet I highly recommend trying a course. You will be passing through the some of the best dive sites in the world.
Hope this helps -
Dominick
Reply to this If you have the time, I would add to the detour reccommendation of Petra in Jourdan also 2-3 weeks in Israel!!!
Reply to this Hi Claire
I am always looking for clues as to how much my trip will cost. I started a thread a while back that may be of help to you.
what did you spend
Also,if anyone wants to add their info to it, i'd appreciate it, haven't had a post in a while.
Tina
Reply to this Claire, after 2 1/2 years on the road now my average is almost exactly 30 Euros per day. Some days (countries, places etc) are cheaper, some are dearer, sometimes you have extra expenses. Over time, 30 Euros is what it equals out to for me (staying in hostels, eating local food, taking public transport). If you like more comfort, the average will be higher, but I doubt that you can do it for considerably less money, and Oz will certainly be much more expensive than that.
Ben
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