Here in the budget section I will try to list out all the expenditures during the trip, organized in three different concepts: Pre-departure expenditures, International flight tickets and Daily budget for every specific country. My intention with this section is to clue in future around-the-world 'ers on how much money they should be looking into approximately for their own trip. If you'd like you have a look at the final total amount spent during the whole trip around the world, scroll down to the bottom.

My facts First of all, I ought to declare a number of facts that affected my budget that you, as a possible traveler yourself, should be aware of while calculating your own fundings. I am what you could call a mid-budgeted backpacker. This means that I do seek for cheap accommodations such as guesthouses and I do seek for cheap eateries. I also do not burn my credit card balance shopping, do not buy souvenirs from every country I visit, etc. But I do not mind paying extra money if I find an interesting event to join, like a paragliding flight, a three days de-tour to some ruins, or a three days local cuisine course, nor I ever decline a night out dinning and drinking if I meet the right people, etc. So, to make it short, while I do travel on a shoestring, I also dispose of money enough to spend a bit extra should I consider it worthy. An extremely tight budgeted backpacker could possible have done it for a bit less money, but then again you got to keep in mind that traveling is a leisure activity rather than an endurance test. Should your fundings be in the lackage, you might want to shorten down the length of the trip and the number of countries and have a blast all the ride through. As a european citizen, my budget entries have been accounted in euros. At the time of my travels in 2004, one euro equaled to US$ 1.25, and the sterling pound was 1.50 euros more less. Please mind the current exchange rates at the time of your travels and adjust my entries accordingly. I visited a number of countries during the low tourism season, which means of course that prices had been sensibly brought down. I recommend traveling during low season; not only you will save money on accommodation, transport, events, etc, but also you will avoid the package tourism crowds while still being able to meet other independent travelers smart enough to travel in off-season just as yourself. Each region consider low season different parts of the year, so do some research on the matter for every destination. Despite the fact that I could have saved some money on the flying matter by purchasing a One World or Sky Alliance pre-scheduled RTW ticket, I decided to go for one-way tickets bought as-I-go in stead. Eventually, the ultimate freedom of buying as you go proved extraordinary valuable and well worth the extra money. Please keep in mind that I had been traveling solo. If you travel with a companion or even a group of friends, you can always save up some pennies here and there. For example, a double room in a hotel is cheaper than two individual rooms. Also, you can share the cost of a taxi, get some group discounts, etc. Also, be aware that most of the countries I have traveled to were developing countries. Fully developed regions such as Europe, North America, Australia or Japan could easily pump up your daily budget over the 50 euros/day mark.

1 - Pre-departure expenditures 1.1 - EQUIPMENT All these items were purchased before setting off. Whatever other item I had purchased mid-trip had been included under the daily budget entry. Digital Camera: A 3 megapixels, 3 optical zoom digital camera, plus two 128 mb memory simm cards, plus extra rechargeable batteries: 280 euros. I bought it over the net because it's cheaper than going retail. Backpack: I got a good offer which included the backpack, the sleeping bag and the sleeping mat for 50 euros. Otherwise it would have been closer to a hundred. However, that backpack was sort of low quality. Now, I wish I had spent a bit more on a more resistant product. Clothes: Hmmm I guess more less another 150 euros in total, including a pair of trekking boots (cheap ones, not a pro ones), a couple of warm trousers and jumpers, some sandals, some light weight cotton trousers and shirts, a swimming costume, a rain coat, an other similar items. I bought most of the stuff in flea markets; don't buy expensive shit because I guarantee you'll wear it all out within few months of backpack traveling. Leave your Ralph Laurent outfits at home. Day backpack: 10 euros on the typical school backpack. Again, I wished I had spent more on a more resistant one, because I had to buy another one barely 4 months later. Medicine kit: Maybe 20 euros in antibiotics, diarrhea tablets, plasters, iodine, etc. Toiletries: Probably another 20 euros in shaving foam, razors, shampoo and shower gel (pocket size of course), aftershave, toothbrush and toothpaste, a cheap plastic hair brush, etc. So, all in all, around 530 euros in equipment, even though I am aware that should I had decided to go for a bit up-market quality stuff it would have been closer to 700 euros.   1.2 - VAXINATIONS Ok this one is a toughie. First of all you ought to do some research over the internet and with your local Health Department Office to figure out what vaccinations are you meant to take. In my case, as I was basically going all around the world and I did not have a firm itinerary, I decided to play safe and took'em all: yellow fever, Japanese encephalitis, rabies, hepatitis A and B, tetanus, malaria pills, and all the rest. Secondly, the prices of those fixes can vary enormously depending on the your country's social and health policies. Some countries like USA or UK are fairly expensive to get a whole set of vaccinations (up to US$ 300). However, in my case as a Spanish citizen, I spent around 100 euros total.   1.3 - TRAVEL INSURANCE Another hairy point that will demand some research on your side because there are some serious differences in price and coverage between different insurance companies. I myself paid 320 euros to Travel Nomads for a one-year, world-wide, beefy policy.   Bottom line: all together, the pre-departure expenditures mounted up to around 950 euros, but let's make it 1000 euros to have a round number.

2 - International flight tickets Madrid - Istanbul: 170 euros with Alitalia, one way, student card holder discount included, non-direct flight, economic class. Cairo - Bangkok: 320 euros with Egypt Air, one way, student card holder discount included, direct flight, economic class. Hanoi - Shanghai: 215 euros with Southern China Airlines, one way, minor student discount included, non direct flight, economic class. Hong Kong - Jakarta: 160 euros with China Airlines, return ticket (I will dismiss the returning leg), no student discount applied, direct flight, economic class. Bali - Sydney: 370 euros with Garuda Airlines (Indonesian), one way, no student discount applied, direct flight, economic class. Melbourne - New Zealand - Cook Islands - Los Angeles - Mexico: 885 euros with New Zealand Air and Mexicana, one way, student card holder discount included, economic, non direct flight. I had to buy this consecutive flight ticket via L.A. because the route from Australia to South America was booked out 2 months in advance and it was ridiculously expensive anyway. San Jose - Lima: 385 euros with Copa Air, one way, non-direct flight, economic class, no student discount aplied cause my student card had expired, otherwise it would have been closer to 245 euros. Buenos Aires - Madrid: 330 euros for a one-way, non-direct, student discounted, economic class flight with Pluna Airlines (Uruguayan company) Total spent on international, one-way flight tickets: 2835 euros.

3 - Daily budget Here you can see how much money I spent at every one of the countries I visited. Everything other than air tickets and visa fees are included here: accommodation, eating, transportation, nights out, tours, special events, entrance fees, occasional shopping, etc. Like I said, everything. As far as the visas go, the following visa fees were valid in 2004 for a Spanish passport holder applying for tourist visa (as opposed to working visa or residency visa which carry different price tags). Please be aware that, depending on your nationality, they might charge you a different fee or none at all. I remember when I arrived at Istanbul International Airport the immigration officer asked me 10 euros to issue my visa, while the guy behind me in the queue had to pay 100 bucks as an american passport holder! Turkey Total money spent: 605 euros Total days spent: 20 days Daily budget: 32 euros per day Extra expenditures (already included in the Daily budget figure): A paragliding flight (75 euros) and a four-days cruise in Fethiye (130 euros). Visa stamp (not included in the Daily budget figure): 10 euros for one month, single entry tourist visa.   Syria Total money spent: 166 euros Total days spent: 11 days Daily budget: 15 euros per day Extra expenditures (already included in the Daily budget figure): Nothing significant. Visa stamp (not included in the Daily budget figure): 29 euros for six months, multi entry tourist visa.   Lebanon Total money spent: 66 euros Total days spent: 2 days Daily budget: 33 euros per day Extra expenditures (already included in the Daily budget figure): Nothing significant. Visa stamp (not included in the Daily budget figure): No charge for 48 hours, single entry tourist visa. 15 days visa cost US$ 15.   Jordan Total money spent: 200 euros Total days spent: 8 days Daily budget: 25 euros per day Extra expenditures (already included in the Daily budget figure): One-day tour in the Wadi Rum desert (18 euros) and the ferry across the Red Sea to Egypt (20 euros). Visa stamp (not included in the Daily budget figure): 12 euros for one month, single entry tourist visa.   Egypt Total money spent: 333 euros Total days spent: 21 days Daily budget: 16 euros per day Extra expenditures (already included in the Daily budget figure): A one-day diving course (30 euros) and a one-day side trip to the Sinai desert (18 euros). Visa stamp (not included in the Daily budget figure): 13 euros for one month, single entry tourist visa.   Thailand Total money spent: 750 euros Total days spent: 29 days Daily budget: 26 euros per day Extra expenditures (already included in the Daily budget figure): A one-day tour to the Phang Nga National Park (16 euros), another one-day tour in Kho Phi Phi (16 euros), a skydiving flight (15 euros) and a police penalty fee for dropping a cigarette butt on the floor (20 euros). Visa stamp (not included in the Daily budget figure): No charge for one month, single entry tourist visa. Note: In Thailand I could have spent less had I not night out as often as I had. But not partying in Thailand is like going to the UK and not eating fish'n'chips!   Cambodya Total money spent: 240 euros Total days spent: 9 days Daily budget: 27 euros per day Extra expenditures (already included in the Daily budget figure): Nothing significant. Visa stamp (not included in the Daily budget figure): 19 euros for one month, single entry tourist visa.   Vietnam Total money spent: 460 euros Total days spent: 22 days Daily budget: 21 euros per day Extra expenditures (already included in the Daily budget figure): 15 euros is a tailored shirt and jeans in Hoi An, and 23 euros in a 2 days boat trip to Halong Bay. Visa stamp (not included in the Daily budget figure): 20 euros for one month, single entry tourist visa.   China Total money spent: 1965 euros Total days spent: 46 days Daily budget: 43 euros per day Extra expenditures (already included in the Daily budget figure): few internal one-way flights between different Chinese cities (average 150 euros each). Also renting the 4x4 truck in Tibet (110 euros). A computer memory pen and few CDs in Hong Kong, but not really pricey enough to be significant. Visa stamp (not included in the Daily budget figure): 26 euros for a one month, single entry tourist visa plus another 16 euros for a one month tourist visa extension (total 2 months)   Indonesia Total money spent: 690 euros Total days spent: 29 days Daily budget: 24 euros per day Extra expenditures (already included in the Daily budget figure): 38 euros in some batik paintings, 50 euros in a domestic flight between islands, 55 euros on the four days cruise and 20 euros in some clothes shopping at a flee market Visa stamp (not included in the Daily budget figure): 50 euros for a one month, single entry tourist visa, express-issued within the day. Otherwise, it would have been 30 euros.   Australia Total money spent: 1885 euros Total days spent: 39 days Daily budget: 48 euros per day Extra expenditures (already included in the Daily budget figure): the Fraser Island and Whitsunday Islands tours (200 euros), two scuba dives at the Great Reef Barrier (80 euros), tour around the Red Center (175 euros) and an internal flight Alice Springs - Melbourne (150 euros) Visa stamp (not included in the Daily budget figure): free for a three month, single entry tourist visa   New Zealand Total money spent: 1115 euros Total days spent: 22 days Daily budget: 51 euros per day Extra expenditures (already included in the Daily budget figure): renting a car for three weeks (200 euros each the two of us) and the ferry ticket to ship the car between the two islands (50 euros each). Visa stamp (not included in the Daily budget figure): free for a three month, single entry tourist visa   Cook Islands Total money spent: 550 euros Total days spent: 12 days Daily budget: 46 euros/day Extra expenditures (already included in the Daily budget figure): 143 euros on the return flight ticket to Aitutaki. 37 euros for a speedboat one-day tour around the lagoon. Visa stamp (not included in the Daily budget figure): free for a one-month, single entry tourist visa   Mexico Total money spent: 429 euros Total days spent: 13 days Daily budget: 33 euros/day Extra expenditures (already included in the Daily budget figure): non really, maybe a 18 euros tour to Canon de los Sumideros and a 27 euros tour to Chichen Itza. Visa stamp (not included in the Daily budget figure): free for a one-month, single entry tourist visa Note: Mexico is a cheaper country than what those 33 euros/day imply. Food, accommodation and entrance fees are cheap, but the long distance bus price tags is what bumps the daily budget up big time.   Guatemala Total money spent: 290 euros Total days spent: 12 days Daily budget: 24 euros/day Extra expenditures (already included in the Daily budget figure): some minor clothes-shopping, but nothing really significant Visa stamp (not included in the Daily budget figure): free for a one-month, single entry tourist visa   Honduras (and Nicaragua) Total money spent: 302 euros Total days spent: 11 days Daily budget: 27 euros/day Extra expenditures (already included in the Daily budget figure): 18 euros in a scuba dive Visa stamp (not included in the Daily budget figure): US$3 for one-month, tourist visa   Costa Rica Total money spent: 473 euros Total days spent: 14 days Daily budget: 34 euros/day Extra expenditures (already included in the Daily budget figure): nothing really Visa stamp (not included in the Daily budget figure): US$8 for three-month, tourist visa   Peru Total money spent: 375 euros Total days spent: 15 days Daily budget: 25 euros/day Extra expenditures (already included in the Daily budget figure): 40 euros per seat in the Nazca lines flight and let's say around 50 euros souvenir-shopping in Cuzco Visa stamp (not included in the Daily budget figure): free for a one-month, tourist visa Note: Since it was two of us traveling together and sharing costs, I have divided the total cost between two. We spent a total of 750 euros between the two of us those 15 days.   Bolivia Total money spent: 260 euros Total days spent: 12 days Daily budget: 22 euros per day Extra expenditures (already included in the Daily budget figure): 30 euros in the mountain bike descent to Coroico, 55 euros in the four-day tour around Uyuni and 15 euros for a new International Student Card Visa stamp (not included in the Daily budget figure): free for a one-month, tourist visa   Argentina Total money spent: 982 euros Total days spent: 24 days Daily budget: 41 euros per day Extra expenditures (already included in the Daily budget figure): 222 euros for three internal flights, 10 euros for renting a car, 20 euros Boca Juniors match Visa stamp (not included in the Daily budget figure): free for a three-month, tourist visa       Total amount for the whole trip Summing up absolutely every single cost related in any way to this journey around the world, the total amount spent after one full year worth of traveling and 20 countries visited was: In euros: 15828 euros In American dollars: 19785 dollars In sterling pounds: 10605 pounds Important: Please be aware that since I am a EU citizen, this total amount has been accounted in euros and, as an afterthought, converted into the other currencies at the ongoing exchange rate in 2004, which was approximately 1 euro = 1.25 dollars, and 1 euro = 0.67 pounds. Do recalculate those figures if the exchange rate has varied by the time of your own trip.