So here are some very important budget related matters which
you absolutely cannot forget when planning a trip like this:
1) Monthly expenses at home
When you are travelling, there are some monthly expenses at home you are obliged to pay. Think about rent/mortgage, health insurance, other insurances, certain taxes, certain car related expenses etc. Those costs can increase your backpacking budget tremendously, especially when you have no income during those 5,5 months.
When you are travelling, there are some monthly expenses at home you are obliged to pay. Think about rent/mortgage, health insurance, other insurances, certain taxes, certain car related expenses etc. Those costs can increase your backpacking budget tremendously, especially when you have no income during those 5,5 months.
2) Create a back-up plan or back-up route
What if your car breaks down and you absolutely need it to get to work, which means it will cost you a lot of money to repair it or you even might need to buy a new (second hand) car. You might not meet your saving goal in time, which means your backpacking budget will be lower than expected and you will have to re-evaluate your route. This can be very distressing, especially when you need to do this shortly before departure, so create a back-up plan beforehand. It will save you a lot of stress.
What if your car breaks down and you absolutely need it to get to work, which means it will cost you a lot of money to repair it or you even might need to buy a new (second hand) car. You might not meet your saving goal in time, which means your backpacking budget will be lower than expected and you will have to re-evaluate your route. This can be very distressing, especially when you need to do this shortly before departure, so create a back-up plan beforehand. It will save you a lot of stress.
When setting a budget for your backpacking trip, make it at the outside calculation. What if something happens to your relatives when you are travelling and you need to take a flight home immediately. What if you end up in a hospital and you have to pay for your meds/treatment in cash (been there, done that)? What if you get robbed and loose all your belongings? Those are not the most common situations, but there is a possibility that you might have to deal with it at some point during your trip. Ask yourself a lot of 'what if' questions, it's part of a good preparation.
4) Items you need to buy before departure
Also think about items you might have to purchase before going on the trip, for example a backpack, some clothing and maybe a pair of (hiking) shoes. Since I am travelling alone for over half the trip, I will probably take a kindle/e-reader with me since books are way too heavy to take in a backpack. Purchasing such items also add up to the backpacking budget.
Also think about items you might have to purchase before going on the trip, for example a backpack, some clothing and maybe a pair of (hiking) shoes. Since I am travelling alone for over half the trip, I will probably take a kindle/e-reader with me since books are way too heavy to take in a backpack. Purchasing such items also add up to the backpacking budget.
5) Visa & departure taxes
You'll need a visa in every country you visit. The prices are on the internet, so make sure to take it into account. Furthermore you have to pay departure taxes when leaving a country. It's not much (probably somewhere around $10-$15), but when you visit 10 countries it comes down to approximately $150,-. Since these costs are unavoidable, you can better put them in the backpack budget right away.
You'll need a visa in every country you visit. The prices are on the internet, so make sure to take it into account. Furthermore you have to pay departure taxes when leaving a country. It's not much (probably somewhere around $10-$15), but when you visit 10 countries it comes down to approximately $150,-. Since these costs are unavoidable, you can better put them in the backpack budget right away.
As you can see, there are a lot of things to think about when setting the right budget for your trip. I already have a preliminary budget so I can already start saving money, but the exact budget is still under construction. When I have set the exact (as far as it's possible) budget, I will ofcourse update you guys about it.
If you have any additional tips, feel free to put it in the comments :)
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