A trip around the world is not a cheap endeavor, but if one spends modestly, it does not have to be extremely expensive either. The most expensive item on our budget were the flight tickets. The equipment we bought for the trip also was not inexpensive (durable clothes, shoes and boots, quality sleeping bags, digital camera, light laptop, etc.). Once one is on the road, however, it is possible to keep spending very low. We always used public transportation (instead of more expensive taxis), except for a few cases we never used travel agencies and arranged everything ourselves, we ate in cheap restaurants or at street stalls and slept in inexpensive hotels or guesthouses. At the same time, we tried to maintain an acceptable living standard, so we almost always stayed in a private room with attached bathroom.

Expenses vary considerably from country to country and depend on whether one stays in cities, in touristy places or far from the beaten track, somewhere in the countryside. Asia is relatively very inexpensive, in Australia one needs to count on spending more money. It was impossible to find cheap accommodation in Singapore, but excellent and very inexpensive food was available at every corner. Africa is the poorest continent, but visiting national parks in Eastern Africa is several times more expensive than visiting National Parks in the United States. The table below shows our daily expenses in all the countries we have visited. (Please, note that even though we kept approximately the same living standard everywhere, our expenses were affected by various factors. When we joined organized expeditions, our average expenses ended up being considerably higher. The amount of travels we did in every country also significantly influenced our final budget.) 

 Daily expenses during the trip for both of us
(except visas and airline tickets)

 Southern India $30.-  Nepal $27.-  Australia $124.-
 Thailand $26.-  India $22.-  New Zealand $109.-
 Laos $24.-  Kenya $52.-  Chile $36.-
 Cambodia $42.-  Tanzania $97.-  Brazil $84.-
 Vietnam $33.-  U.A. Emirates $86.-  Argentina $66.-
 China $41.-  Singapore $91.-     
 Tibet $61.-  Malaysia $45.-     

 

TOTAL (expenses for both of us) $28,810.-
Expenses during the trip $11,640.-
Food $1,980.-
Drinks (bottled water and soda) $180.-
Transportation (except airline tickets) $3,360.-
Accommodation $2,640.-
Internet/telephone $130.-
Equipment purchased during the trip $270.-
Expeditions (purchased through travel agencies)  $1,790.-
Entrance fees $880.-
Other $410.-
Airline tickets $10,240.-
Minneapolis-Prague (using miles) $210.-
Round the world ticket (One world alliance) $6,280.-
Mumbai - Coimbatore (India) $330.-
Delhi - Prague $910.-
Prague - Nairobi $1,280.-
Nairobi - Singapore $1,230.-
Medical expenses $1,060.-
Malaria pills $370.-
Other medicine and immunization $130.-
Health insurance $560.-
Technical equipment $2,800.-
Computer $1,950.-
Camera Nikon Coolpix 3100 $300.-
Other (batteries, memory, etc.) $550.-
Other equipment $2,140.-
Cloth, shoes, travel guide books, etc. $2,140.-
Visa $930.-
Arranged before the trip $430.-
Purchased during the trip $500.-