How Much Would it Cost to Travel for a Year?
Travel
How much would it cost to travel in Asia for a year? This thought crossed my mind today as I was sitting in my office. Like being back in grade school, my teachers refused to let me sit by the window because I would just stare outside all day and they would have to say my name multiple times before my head would turn. Not much has changed since then as I am sitting in my office looking out the window. Just ask Lauren, she will tell you how many times she has to say my name before I hear or acknowledged her – partially because I didn’t hear, more because I was thinking about something else, and probably because my hearing has gotten selectively more selective over the years.
Pondering bamboo scaffolding, how suspension bridges work, and what plant I would masticate as an antidote for…oh I don’t know, being shot by a poisonous frog dart like in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom; I fixated on travel for a long time this morning. Now, all the previous thoughts being completely rational and normal for most people to have on a Tuesday morning in the office, how much would it cost to travel in Asia for a year?
This is really quite simple to answer, especially if you are already living in Asia and would not need to purchase a plane ticket. Any Lonely Planet, not that I would recommend using them, will tell you that it is quite possible to get by on $20.00 USD a day in most Asian countries. Even this is an inflated figure, as in many Southeast Asian countries you can easily get by for under $10 USD each day. Including train travel expenses and the occasional treat, I think $20 USD is very fair.
I estimate that if I were to save up about 7,500 USD, I could travel for exactly 375 days, non-stop, for a year. This was a really exciting thing to become fixated upon. Lauren and I have no departure plans set yet, but these numbers are really fun to throw around in our heads for when we plan the Exodus and will probably affect how we go about doing it. So much more to see and do!
“Do not tell me how educated you are, tell me how much you traveled.”
– Muhammad
Jennifer Kunkle-Clark
I really want to go. Seems like Southeast Asia is about the only place I could go for an extended period of time without starving to death. Shows you how truly over-inflated the cost of living is in the west. I’ve never been happier than when I’ve been traveling with as few possessions and complications as possible. Of course it is harder with a husband and kid now, but maybe I can get them hooked.