What is the Cost Of A Trip Around The World?

To help others get an idea for the cost of a trip around the world, I realized there was no better way than to track my actual expenses.

I tried to find a balance between providing current and useful data with not being too nerdy and spending all my time calculating exchange rates and accounting for every penny.

I rounded all expenses to the nearest $0.05, and after losing a little pocket exchange calculator in the beginning, I decided to use rough exchange rates to do the calculations in my head instead.

Methodology

To determine the cost of a trip around the world, I categorized my spending into six buckets:

• Visas - solely the cost of visas, not inclusive of related administrative expenses
• Lodging - hostels, cheap hotels
• Transport - metros, trains, buses, taxis, rickshaws, ferries, boats
• Food - meals, water, alcohol, snacks
• Sightseeing - admission tickets, all-inclusive packages (rafting in Nepal, cruise in Egypt)
• Miscellaneous - internet, phone, guidebooks, clothes, souvenirs, shipping (of souvenirs) home

Some activities included meals and lodging for a night or more, such as my treks in Nepal and India.  I did not attempt to separate those costs.

I also did not factor travel between most countries into my daily costs. 

This would include international flights, though not the buses and trains I used between countries in Europe.

Cost of a Trip Around the World

Daily Expenses

• French Polynesia - 5 days - $66 per day - $330 total
• New Zealand -26 days - $116 per day - $3,005 total
• Australia - 28 days - $98 per day - $2,743 total
• Indonesia - 21 days - $55 per day - $1,151  total
• Singapore - 4 days - $51 per day - $204  total
• Hong Kong/Macau - 11 days - $65 per day - $711  total
• China - 20 days - $55 per day - $1,095  total
• Tibet - 0 days - $N/A per day - $150 total (cost of permit I never received, and loss of money on train ticket)
• Nepal - 42 days - $54 per day - $2,275  total
• India - 43 days - $51 per day - $2,179  total
• Thailand - 68 days - $55 per day - $3,760  total
• Cambodia - 18 days - $63 per day - $1,139  total
• Laos - 18 days - $61 per day - $1,095  total
• South Africa - 55 days - $77 per day - $4,223  total
• Botswana - 7 days - $110 per day - $771  total
• Egypt - 11 days - $90 per day - $992  total
• Europe (Belgium, Holland, France, Switzerland, Spain) - 27 days - $81 per day - $2,176  total
• Colombia - 49 days - $44 per day - $2,163  total

Total for Daily Spending = $30,162

Inter-country Flights

• $2,000 - Air Tahiti flights - Washington, DC to Auckland, via French Polynesia (Tahiti).  Jetstar flights - Christchurch to Brisbane, Melbourne to Bali*
• $127 - Jetstar Asia flight from Singapore to Hong Kong
• $476 - Air China flight from Chengdu to Kathmandu, via Lhasa, Tibet
• $247 - THAI Air flight from New Delhi to Bangkok
• $124 - Laos Airlines flight from Luang Prabang to Chiang Mai
• $673 - Air Qatar flight from Bangkok to Cape Town*
• $593 - Air Egypt flight from Johannesburg to Cairo
• $122 - Jetairfly.com flight from Cairo to Brussels
• $505 - Iberia flight from Madrid to Bogota

Total for Inter-country Flights = $4,867

* Flights purchased through AirTreks.com. Cost of my 15-month trip around the world = $35,029**

Fulfilling a personal dream = priceless!

For further details about the cost of a trip around the world, you can review my online spreadsheet.

** This figure does not include pre/post-trip expenses like storage, health insurance, immunizations, etc. 

PS - Through online advertising, dares, donations, and gifts, I was able to travel longer than I otherwise would've been able to on my own. 

Thank you to everyone who contributed, whether it was offering a donation or just reading this blog!

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