THE REAL COSTS OF TRAVELLING

How expensive is travelling really? So many people live with the false thinking that travelling always costs a lot. It really doesn’t need to.

TOTAL NUMBERS FOR 6 WEEKS

Below you will find a cost breakdown of spending 6 weeks in 3 different cities in Spain at the beginning of winter.
I included every single euro I spent ranging from transport to food to accommodation. I tracked everything related to this trip and will now share the exact numbers with you.
Maybe this breakdown inspires you and shows you that travelling really does not need to be as expensive as you might think.

Accommodation	678 €
Flights 4x	136 €
Transport (public transport, rental car)	172 €
Food	470 €
Rest	270 €
	–
Total spent in 6 weeks in Spain	1726 €
Average spent per day (excluding flights and transport)	17 €

You will furthermore find an exact cost breakdown for each location at the bottom of this post.*

How do you finance that?

In my opinion there are two main ways on how to afford travelling for longer than a week. You either save money and then take some time off or you make travelling a lifestyle. Yes, you can get paid for or while travelling through different countries.

Personally I opted for trying to work while travelling. I started my trip with 50 Euros, a booked flight and an hostel for the first week. I know it is very risky and not the way many people would go about it but I had a feeling everything would turn out fine and guess what? It did!

Most people now think you have to do au pair or work on a farm but the opportunities are basically endless. For me, I worked as a writer online and financed my trip that way. In this day and age the possibilites are better than ever. I will cover this topic further in an upcoming post.

Calculate your dream trip

To show you that travelling doesn’t need to take years of saving and sacrificing, let us do a little exercise. This is mainly for fun and to maybe change your perspective a bit.

Start by choosing a destination. Where did you always want to go? What do you really want to see or experience before you die?
I chose Spain because the weather is warm there in winter and I wanted to improve my Spanish skills.

After, determine how long you would like to be away for. For me it was clear that I wanted to go for at least a month but no longer than two.
Furthermore consider what time of the year you would like to go. For example it is generally cheaper to go to Spain in winter than it is in summer.

Next you just need to calculate all the costs involved. You might need to do some research as you may look up flight costs, general food prices of the country and so on.

Don’t forget to consider what kind of steps you need to take before the journey. Do you maybe need to pay for a visa?

Last consider everything you might want to see. Is it a special attraction or a cruise on a boat on a certain river or a theater you really want to see? Calculate the entry fees or tickets into the total price.

Now look at the realistic costs of travelling you just calculated. Is it as much as you would have expected it to be? What would you need to do to make this trip happen?

Tips and conclusion

• Having small and light lugguage with you means saving flight costs and it is also better for your health as you don’t need to carry heavy weight. Most of the time people pack more things than they really need. I am guilty of this myself.
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• Save money by staying in an accommodation with a kitchen so you can cook meals for yourself. That way you can calculate less money for food.
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• Reconsider your standards. Do you really need to stay in a five star hotel or would you rather use that money to travel for a longer period of time? Look at your calculation and subsitute what is not neccessary.
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• Always have an emergency fund for a flight home and a budget for a few days. You never know if something unexpected happens. That way you don’t get stranded somewhere.
  
  
  All in all it can be said that your trip is only as expensive as your standards. Obviously you pay more if you travel further but generally you can make it work with the right mindset. Stay realistic and never forget that life is an adventure.
  
  
  
  

*Exact cost breakdown (for those interested)

MALLORCA

Flight (Vienna to Palma)	19 €
Transport (Rental car and airport transfer)	108 €
Accommodation	266 €
Food	128 €
Rest (ATM fees, washing clothes, post stamps and post cards, giving to homeless, smoking, hygiene products)	44 €
	–
Total spent in 2 weeks	564 €
Average spent per day	12 €

BARCELONA

Flight (Palma to Barcelona)	20 €
Public transport	37 €
Accommodation	198 €
Food	207 €
Rest (ATM fees, washing clothes, hygiene products, post cards and stamps, going out, new sweater, tourism tax)	117 €
	–
Total spent in 2 weeks	579 €
Average spent per day	23 €

MALAGA

Flight (Barcelona to Malaga)	25 €
Public transport	28 €
Accommodation	214 €
Food	135 €
Rest (ATM fees, hygiene products, going out, smoking, wash clothes, give to homeless)	109 €
	–
Total spent in 2 weeks	511 €
Average spent per day	15 €