I get this question all the time: “how much does it cost to travel?” and my answer has always been the same.
It’s affordable.
To back up that statement, I tracked my expenses for the month of June 2022 while I was in Thailand and grouped them into buckets that I think is most reflective of what you can expect when you go on your own travelling journey.
Now you can judge for yourself.
Travel style affects expenses
I should note that the travelling style that I go for is “to be comfortable.”
That means the expenses below reflect these personal decisions:
- Hotels were the only accommodation I stayed in.
- Ate 3-4 meals a day + snacking on street food as they come.
- I don’t scrimp on the cost of the meals.
- I choose to travel slow and integrate with local life, rather than going out on excursions.
- Groceries are the cost of food that are brought back to the hotel for later consumption.
This leaves a lot of room for cost reduction in accomodation if you’re planning to go on a “solo backpacking” journey where staying in hostels will likely be the norm.
June 2022 expenses
| Accommodations | $512 |
| Groceries | $96 |
| Transportation | $25 |
| Dining out | $177 |
| Sim Card Expenses | $19 |
| Shopping | $7 |
| Misc* | $104 |
| Total expenses | $940 |
*Miscellaneous expenses – I wouldn’t include this expense as a ongoing monthly expense, it includes monies I spent on documentation fees and buying my personal blog website. ethansdaily.blog if you want to check it out.
Cost per day
Deducting the miscellaneous expense of $104 from the monthly total, it works out to about $38 a day.
If you plan on doing a cheap backpacking trip, I would say around $20-25 a day is the cost you’d be looking at.
Affordability is relative
The affordability of travel depends on your own personal situation.
For some, it’s relatively cheap compared to the lifestyle they are financing now.
Monthly expenses in North America for most adults are higher than $940 a month and even more so if you’re living in cities like Toronto or Vancouver. Rent expense alone can cost more than travelling one month in Thailand.
With the information you have now, you’ll have to judge for yourself if it’s a journey you’re willing to go on.
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