What is the Cost Of A Trip Around The World?

Atop Franz Joseph Glacier, New Zealand

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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Dave Lee

Dave is the Founder and Editor in Chief of Go Backpacking and Feastio. He's been to 66 countries and lived in Colombia and Peru. Read the full story of how he became a travel blogger.