Travel can cost as much or as little as you like. How much money you need (to budget) for your next trip largely depends on
- how much comfort do you want
- how much time youโve got; and
- where you are travelling.
You see, a two-week vacation at a luxury resort in the Caribbean can cost you as much as a few months exploring Asia with just your travel pack. Vice versa, a month of hiking in the Caribbean can cost you less than a month of taking public transport around the USA and Canada.
Expense Categories
We travel the world independently and sustainably, and we are conscious of the way we spend our money. Value for money is important to us โ not travelling the cheapest way possible.
Not surprisingly, we keep tabs on our spending, using these expense categories:
- Transport and Travel
- Accommodation and Utilities
- Groceries and Dining
- Experiences and Leisure Activities
- Health and Hygiene
- Clothing, Gifts and Donations
- Travel Insurance, Bank fees and Government charges.
This helps us understand where our money goes and make purchasing decisions accordingly. It also enables us to share with you what it costs to explore the world โ if your travel style is similar to ours.
If youโve checked out our four-step guide to making your travel dreams come true, you know that we recommend anyone whoโd like to travel to start with a travel budget.
Before we travel anywhere, we check how much we are likely to spend. Only this way, we know whether we can afford to travel to a destination and for how long, and avoid that dreaded bill-shock afterwards. To give you an example: Realising how expensive Belize is (and how cheap Mexico and Guatemala in comparison), we changed our travel plans in 2017, spending only a week in Belize and instead three and a half weeks in Mexico and four weeks in Guatemala.
Travel costs for the countries we visited
If youโre budgeting for your next trip, check out the list of countries we have visited since starting Minimalist Journeys. Click on your destination, and you will see how much you might spend exploring the country.
| Country | Month Trip Started | Number of Days in Country | Costs Per Person Per Day (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Albania | August 2019 | 10 | 33.38 |
| Barbados | April 2017 | 7 | 66.56 |
| Belize | August 2017 | 7 | 68.15 |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | July 2019 | 18 | 29.13 |
| Canada | November 2016 | 17 | 72.30 |
| Croatia | June 2019 | 25 | 54.59 |
| Cuba | June 2017 | 16 | 47.30 |
| Curaรงao | March 2017 | 10 | 61.92 |
| Dominica | May 2017 | 21 | 50.56 |
| Estonia | May 2019 | 8 | 52.85 |
| Ecuador (including Galapagos) | January 2017 | 76 | 55.11 |
| Greece | October 2019 | 13 | 81.31 |
| Grenada | April 2017 | 9 | 48.48 |
| Guatemala | August 2017 | 28 | 39.62 |
| Iceland | October 2019 | 13 | 76.68 |
| Indonesia | September 2023 | 59 | 54.19 |
| Italy | September 2019 | 15 | 76.14 |
| Jamaica | June 2017 | 11 | 52.08 |
| Japan | February 2023 | 88 | 69.00 |
| Latvia | May 2019 | 7 | 51.77 |
| Lithuania | May 2019 | 7 | 44.14 |
| Mexico | July 2017 | 24 | 50.07 |
| Montenegro | June 2019 | 19 | 40.17 |
| Morocco | January 2024 | 45 | 45.47 |
| New Zealand (45% paid accommodation) | March 2021 | 365 | 48.33 |
| New Zealand (79% paid accommodation) | March 2020 | 365 | 46.41 |
| New Zealand Van life | January 2018 | 365 | 54.86 |
| Nicaragua | September 2017 | 12 | 24.82 |
| Norway | October 2019 | 5 | 60.70 |
| Portugal | March 2019 | 13 | 55.21 |
| Serbia | August 2019 | 19 | 27.54 |
| Slovenia | May 2019 | 8 | 57.06 |
| Spain | April 2019 | 12 | 58.44 |
| St Lucia | May 2017 | 11 | 47.21 |
| St Vincent and the Grenadines | April 2017 | 14 | 65.40 |
| Trinidad and Tobago | April 2017 | 9 | 56.23 |
| United States of America | October 2016 | 41 | 103.51 |
| Yemen (Socotra Island) | October 2024 | 15 | 242.00 |
Securing your currency needs overseas can be expensive, but it doesn't have to be. We've saved a ton of money over the years simply by knowing what to do (or, more importantly, what not) and show you
- how not to get caught out by alarming FX rates and exorbitant commissions;
- how to exchange cash on your overseas trip;
- which debit/credit card is best for your overseas tripย and
- how do you avoid unnecessary fees when withdrawing cash?
If you need to transfer money to pay for your travels upfront, we can recommend Wise and XE Money Transfer (we use them interchangeably, depending on who offers the better FX rates/lower commissions).
How to save money on transportation
Being flexible pays off when it comes to transportation, particularly air travel. If possible, travel outside of peak season. If you can't, fares might still be cheaper at certain times of the week or even during specific hours of the day, so check websites like Skyscanner or Google Flights. These websites allow you to compare monthly prices and options on any given date.
If several airports are near your home or destination, compare the prices of the different options. For example, flying to Mykonosย and taking theย ferry to Santoriniย might be cheaper thanย flying from your home airport straight to Santorini. If we don't know how to get from A to B, we check Rome2Rio - an aggregator website that shows connections across multiple modes of transport (with price estimates).
Air Travel
Ideally, research with your browser in incognito mode, as cookies will show booking sites how interested you are in making a particular trip, which may affect the price quoted. That applies to all online travel agents (OTAS), not just airlines. If you find a good deal, book it there and then, as prices change constantly:
- The best fares usually go first, so planning is essential for air transportation.
- The same applies to air points or miles, as only a few seats are available on each flight.
If you plan to travel across multiple continents, you may want to compare passes that offer multiple destinations as a package, such as round-the-world (RTW) fares provided by OneWorld or Star Alliance members. If you travel during peak season, these multi-destination packages may be a better deal than booking each leg individually. You can do overland sections on RTW tickets, too, which means you could supplement your RTW ticket with bus and train rides or cheap flights between destinations.
You don't need to resort to hitchhiking to save money on transportation | Photo by Dmitry Shulga on Unsplash
Vehicle Rental (including Relocations)
Unless your trip takes you across oceans, another way to save onย transportation is to look forย vehicle or motorhome relocations. Websites in many countries offer massively discounted one-way rates (often including fuel and/or insurance) to those driving a vehicle or motorhome from A to B within a specific period. These deals are relatively last-minute, and A and B are usually more significant transport hubs. But if that's an option, search forย vehicle or motorhome relocation at your destination.
Speaking of vehicles, if you plan to hire a car at your destination, it also pays to shop around. We often use aggregator websites that allow us to search across multiple car rental companies at the same time.
Hitchhiking
A final option to save on transport costs isโฆ to hitch a ride. While Paul and I did it safely in Dominica on a public holiday (when there was no other option) and have taken plenty of people along in our campervan in New Zealand, there are many countries where we wouldn't feel safe hitchhiking. Judge for yourself where and when you can and can't do it.
How to save money on accommodation
As with any other travel expense, it's worth shopping around. We look across several booking platforms to find the best value-for-money option. Nightly rates are generally cheaper outside of peak season. If you can only travel during peak season, look for accommodation options a little further away from the main tourist attractions but with good public transport connections.
Wherever you book, read the fine print to compare apples with apples. For example, your stay may incur extra charges (like local tourist taxes or cleaning fees). Some booking platforms include them, while in other cases, you may have to pay your host for them upon arrival.
How to save money on experiences
Look for free and low-cost experiences
Many activities (and some of our most treasured experiences) have been free or cost little. On our journeys, we have
- Visited many museums free of charge (including the Colosseum and Forum in Rome, which are free on the first Sunday of the month);
- Attended free guided walking tours around the world (you tip at the end based on your budget and how much you liked the tour);
- Did countless self-guided walks and used public transport to get to know a city;
- Hiked in the Andes in Ecuador and climbed volcanoes in the Caribbean;
- Swam and snorkelled at countless beaches, using tree shade rather than paying for parasols and
- Attended free street performances and danced with locals in Argentina, Cuba and the Dominican Republic.
Search for free activities at your destination; chances are someone has already made a nice list.
Be selective about paid experiences
Paying for activities and attractions can add up quickly. Therefore, look out for special offers and discount coupons. If you travel in a group, you may also pay to book a private tour and share the cost. And finally, shop around - here are some of the OTAs we use and can recommend:
Do you track your expenses when you travel?
Do you keep track of your spending when you travel? How much did it cost you to visit the countries on our list? What sites do you check out when planning your trip?
Before you go, if you liked our article and found it helpful, we would appreciate it if you could share it with your friends and family via the Share buttons below. Even better: Leave a short review on Trustpilot or Google, which would help us further build our online reputation as a (trustworthy and helpful) travel and lifestyle blog.
