Expenses when traveling – 6 months 2015, 8 countries, 14 flights, 2.828 euros

There’s three things I keep hearing from people that really annoy me:

1. that I must be super rich to travel around the world

2. that I must have sex so often

3. that being a travel blogger is the ideal job because I do nothing but relax

Sorry to wake you up from your dream, but NONE of the above three is true.

Travel blogging is NOT easy.

The truth about sex when traveling is completely different to what you think.

And I have the same amount of money as half of you, if not less. I just spend it only on things I love.

And to be honest the last 6 months of traveling really surprised me as I spent way less money than usual.

I am not keeping track exactly of the different categories I spent my money on, as I used to during my first years on the road.

Instead of making it more complicated for me writing down how much I’ve spent on accommodation, flights, food, cosmetics and shopping and other miscellaneous things, now I just take notes of the total amount of money I spend every month in every country I visit.

Just for your information:

2011

I took 21 flights and visited 14 countries for 9,601.56 euros which makes it 800.13 euro per month (26.30 euros per day.)

2012

26 flights took me around 15 countries for 11,926.83 euro which was 993.90 euro per month (32.59 euros per day.)

2013

During my first 19 weeks of traveling around 12 countries I spent 5,661 euro (42.56 euros per day.)

2014

I did not track my expenses in 2014 so no post written about that.

In the first 6 months of 2015 I went from Slovakia a few times to Ukraine and Hungary by car, then Czech republic by train; from Austria to London to India. Then from India to Paris, France and to Bucharest in Romania and from there through Italy to Slovakia. Afterwards, I flew to Spain and back to Slovakia. Then from Prague through Kiev to Russia and back to Prague and Slovakia, and another trip to Hungary.

To sum it up:

• 1 month in India
• 1 week in Romania
• 3 weeks in Spain
• 2 weeks in Russia
• 1 week in Czech republic
• the rest in Slovakia and day trips to Ukraine and Hungary

14 flights + 8 countries in total where I spent some time + 3 more connecting airports where I did not see anything but the airport so I don’t count them (Austria, France and UK.)

My expenses when traveling to all these places were 2.828,32 euros.

It makes it 471.395 euros per month.

Which is 15.62 euros per day.

Comparing to the previous years, I’ve spent 300 to 500 euros less per month which makes me super happy.

How is that even possible if prices are going up?

How I managed to spend less:

• I might have had more sponsors than before. I am especially grateful for Acer CZ who provided me with an Acer S Liquid phone and Acer Aspire R13 notebook which saved me around 1.300 euros.

• I also tried not to move too much and slowing down not only saves me money for transportation but also gives me more time to write and focus on my personal life, too.

• I spent a lot of time in Slovakia where I don’t have to pay for rent, only for food and trips. I get invited to eat out or I can get loads of fruit and veggies from my grandparents’ garden or my friends’ gardens which saves me some money, too.

• I also spent alost 2 weeks at Amritapuri ashram in India where 1 day of accommodation and food cost me around 4 euros which is less than 1 meal in many other countries.

• Many blog trips where most of my expenses were paid for: the other 2 weeks in India, Romania, most of Russia, most of Spain, something in Czech republic.

• I did not buy almost anything except a few souvenirs and the most important cosmetics and less than 10 pieces of clothes (2 bikinis included.)

Spending less than 500 euros per month is pretty much how much money an average person in Slovakia spends when not traveling outside of the country, or at least those living in Bratislava do.

Even when spending around 16 euros per day only, I don not consider myself a budget traveler.

Why?

Because I mostly stay at good 4 or 5 star hotels, and all inclusive hotels with spa, in-room jacuzzi and food included. But they sponsor my stay. Most of my daily trips are sponsored (except those in Slovakia or when we go shopping to Ukraine or to a spa in Hungary with my family.)

I am not a budget traveler because those do not get spa treatments worth 50 to 300 euros per session. As part of my Adventure and Spa project, I do.

I am not a budget traveler also because those do not get private chauffers to get them around the cities, or to/from airports. Yet, I do.

And tracking my expenses this year just proved me that all the hard work I put into travel blogging, all the time I dedicate to my blog, hundreds of emails and uncountable Facebook messages is so worth it.

It might be super difficult at times not to go crazy with so much work to do, but just due to blogging I can fulfil my dreams of traveling the world.

Grateful!

PS1: Remember, I don’t drink coffee nor alcohol, don’t go party and do not smoke which saves me incredible amount of money. Drinking just one coffee per day at a cafeteria could save you 30 – 50 euros per month in Europe.

PS2: If you want to travel around the world, you don’t need to be wealthy, you don’t need to stay at luxurious hotels, nor get expensive spa treatments. There’s many different ways of traveling. We all started somewhere :)

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Posted in achievement, budget travel, personal, tips, travel Tags: budget, expenses