Costs

Some travelers may be concerned about the costs of travel. Others may become obsessed about staying on a small budget. First, independent travel does not need to be expensive nor do you feel that you need to live in a penurious fashion. After the cost of the airfare the living costs should not be that different than living at home with a similar lifestyle. Europe will cost a little more, but Asia, and South America will be considerably less expensive.

I pay only for any museums and cultural events that interest me. In Europe I will go out for one meal a day. I will also go to cafes for coffee, a beer or a glass of wine. For other meals I will use local products and cook at the hostel or have a picnic in al park with local wines, cheeses and fruit.

I enjoy spending time wandering the streets, sitting in the town square or a l park bench. I break up the wanderings and museums with coffee and pastry in a local cafe or a glass of beer and tapas where the locals congregate. The small snacks provide insight into the food and social life of the country without the expense. For more substantial and healthy meals I will go to the local market and buy produce and cook a simple pasta dish or vegetarian delight and pour a glass of wine and meet the other travelers at the hostel.

This middle of the road strategy has worked for me. It combines local food, culture and yet I can maintain a healthy diet and keep my costs moderate.

I use different strategies in different countries. In Asia, the Middle East and South America food, transportation and accommodation are relatively inexpensive so I always eat at a restaurant or local market and normally stay in a pension or a guest house. In Europe I often stay in hostels.

During one year of travels from Januray 2005 until December of 2005 I spent about $15,000 dollars. This cost does not include the two months I was back at home. This included airfare to Africa and a second open jaw airline ticket to Istanbul,returning from Cairo. During the ten months I went on two African safaris which cost a total of about $2,500 and covered about 4 weeks of travel. Some parts of Africa were very inexpensive and others were more middle of the road. For example, in South Africa I stayed in hostels as accommodation and restaurant costs were similar to North America or Australia. I also cooked most of my meals in the hostel from food bought at the local markets. In Turkey and the Middle East and Egypt the prices were reasonable so I ate out and had my own room (outside of Istanbul).