We compiled this information to share with other travelers to assist with budget planning for their own RTW trip. Sure, we probably could have spent less, but we pride ourselves on the fact that we travel very comfortably and do extensive research to find great value for the dollar. Following France (where we spent month 10), we set course for northern Europe, where we visited England, Scotland, Norway, and Iceland (during our 11th month). During month 12, we flew from Iceland back to mainland Europe where we visited Poland, Belgium, the Netherlands, Croatia, Montenegro, and Serbia. Finishing in Serbia during month 15.
The chart below breaks out the total cost and average daily expenses for this period of travel. During this 4 month time frame, we traveled to 9 countries. We spent a total of $12,234. Our daily average for this initial time frame equates to $95 per day. *Click on chart to expand.
After nearly 15 months on the road, including traveling through 23 countries and 6 continents, we’ve spent a total of $55,645. At this point in our travels, our overall daily average is $128 per day. When we include credit card reward statement credits the overall daily average is $123 per day.*Click on table below to expand.
Of course we have to include everyone’s favorite, “How many?
Looks like we have a little competition going on between longnecks and bottles of wine?
Something is wrong in the table. Average daily cost for India is shown as $549… That’s a huge amount. Please check once.
I am a travel blogger and you can check my blog on https://www.shoestringtravel.in
It’s correct. Tell me, did you look at the various columns to understand where the expenses were coming from?
Wow you guys are killing it! Budget posts are so informative for planning and this is one of the best I’ve seen. Some people tell us they can’t believe we post about our finances, but we like to show that travel is much more affordable than people realize. I’m impressed with the total chart…lots of great info. Can’t wait to see where y’all are headed next!
Thanks Christine! My CPA husband is very much into charts and Excel spreadsheets. Can you tell? ???? It does help us keep track of every dime though. We’re still going to be exploring Europe…but we’re dying for sun and missing warm days!
Thanks for putting this info out there! We are planning on $200 a day, paranoid we need a little extra room for just-in-case. We are budget-friendly, but not necessarily a hostel every night kind of couple (too old for those shenanigans). India was pretty expensive! I’ll have to look back on other posts but is it bc of tours or something?
Hi guys! I think I thought that you all just returned from an RTW! How exciting! When do you leave?
Yes, I think it’s very helpful when others share the financial aspect of their travels. Unfortunately, we don’t think many others like to put that info out there publically, but it does help provide insight to how much other couples are spending and assists in budget planning.
We are not hostel people either! The only time we really stayed in them was in Patagonia when apartment rentals are not really accessible, and you are moving around quickly from city to city. It was the only sensible option at the time.
Another excellent point you make it the $200 a day budget. We have been saying for a long time now, that $100 a day for a couple to travel comfortably is not really realistic anymore. It’s time people up that daily average price, especially with transportation costs.
Last, India was expensive because we had used a trip organizer to arrange our tiger safari. Any time a safari is involved, it bumps up the price. Also, we were so fed up in India that in order to escape “real” India, we treated ourselves to two luxury dining experiences at the Agra Oberoi. Not at all budget friendly, but sadly, our fondest memories while there. We didn’t write a blog post about our experience, but do have a vlog (Episode 12) that discussed specifics.
To be honest, we are probably one of the only couples out there that really express our extreme dislike for India. We did not go cheap for India, and still didn’t enjoy our time there. We simply can’t imagine what it would be like on a tight budget!
We do not have a date yet, we are hoping to eventually make it our lifestyle instead of a one time RTW trip and are slowly working towards it. We are only working part-time now so we can see how doable it is. That’s why we love reading! We are on the fence of when to pull the trigger so it’s so exciting to us that you already have!! We reread your about us and we have so many things in common it’s strange! We bought our condo in the burbs of Chgo in ’04, hate the high taxes & it’s worth less than we paid, only still here bc of family, no kids, & Ang is a CPA … too funny! Any way safe travels!