Budget trip around the world: expenses and income. How much money does it take to travel around the world? How much money do you need to travel the world?

A question that I have been analyzing for a long time, and to which, using the method of calculations and estimates, I finally received an answer - how much money is needed for an independent, modest, so-called. backpacker, world travel? I traveled a lot myself, all the time counting, recording and analyzing, and learned a lot from forums and guidebooks.

Calculations have shown that people often estimate the level of travel expenses in a particular country incorrectly, and with meticulous calculation, the average amount of currency spent per day, then per week and ultimately per month turns out to be different than they themselves expected.

Reasons for this phenomenon:

a) objective - in just 5-10 years the situation in a once cheap country may change, it ceases to be so, but in the minds of many it is still so;

b) subjective - if there is an opinion about a country that it is cheap, then trying to argue this for himself, a person remembers only the most cheap price for lunch/drink/candy, ever seen, and tries to involuntarily forget about what was more expensive. And vice versa - if a person is convinced that somewhere is incredibly expensive, then he will try to keep in memory only examples of this high cost.


So, after calculations, it turned out that the price of travel in Ukraine and in some Vietnam or Syria is almost the same, despite the fact that Ukraine for some reason is considered by many to be more expensive. This is not true. Here's another. Eastern Europe is sometimes cited as an example of a zone with average, moderate prices, but in reality they are very high there.

For the adequacy of calculations, equals should be compared with equals. For example, someone gives an example of cheap food in some country, but after clarifying the nature of the dish, it turns out that it is an ordinary vegetarian cereal with spices and gravy. So, two or three servings of a side dish as a standard dish will be inexpensive everywhere. Meals containing meat or fish should be compared with similar foods in another country.

Another example. In very hot countries, a traveler from our latitudes needs air conditioning for a minimally comfortable overnight stay. If its presence is considered a necessity (which is certainly the case in some countries), then it is worth comparing it with a hotel with hot radiators in our country. Norm? As a rule, yes. A very simple hotel, in which there is only a ceiling fan, is comparable to our very bad hotel, in which the radiators are barely full, and you have to wrap yourself in three blankets. It’s the same with hot water - its availability in hotels in the countries of Black Africa will be very expensive. So which Africa is cheap? Of course - very expensive. Or for some reason they write that trains are cheap in India. Indeed? Let's compare the cost of not a Stolypin carriage (which is completely free in the CIS), but a compartment here, and the cost of a train of similar comfort there? Is it that cheap? That's it. Well, if you really are homeless, then in Paris you can spend the night on the sidewalk and eat scraps from the trash can. Absolutely zero. And ride on freight trains in wagons with coal. Then there will be nothing to compare - everywhere there is one continuous communism.

One more point about human misconceptions. Prices in different countries very different, and accordingly, to maintain the same standard of living, they need completely different amounts of money. The thesis would seem indisputable. However, no, there are people who think differently. Those who have never traveled anywhere just wave their hands when talking about foreign countries, confident that everywhere is equally expensive, so expensive that there is no way to afford such expenses. Despite the fact that in their place of residence, prices for many things may be higher. Or the same thing, but vice versa: everything is equally cheap everywhere, in any country you will spend exactly the same as at home. These opinions are equally far from reality.

So, to the point. Calculations have shown that the cheapest countries in the world for independent travel are: Ukraine, countries of the Middle East (i.e. Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt; without Turkey), Central Asia(Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan), Southeast Asia (I haven’t been here yet, I analyzed prices based on guidebooks for the region, stories from people who recently visited Vietnam, Laos and the “Vinsky forum”). This is the first price group studied. The second is Eastern Europe (Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Croatia, Hungary, Romania, Serbia, etc.; without Bulgaria). The third group is Western Europe, where prices are not the same - closer to the south they fall, to the north they rise. Separate calculations have not been carried out for Russia, but you can estimate by eye that Russia is between groups 1 and 2. Turkey and Bulgaria are also there. Similarly, all other countries of the world can be classified as one of the groups or in an intermediate position between them.

Prices for a modest (backpacker) trip around the world:
1. The cheapest countries in the world to travel: Middle East, Middle, Southeast Asia and Ukraine - 800-1000 US dollars per month per person. That is ok. 30 dollars per day, of which 15-20 is spent on the hotel, 10-15 on food, museums, souvenirs.
2. Eastern Europe - 2000-2500 dollars per month per person.
3. Western Europe - $3500-4500 per month per person. 115-150 dollars. per day, of which 30-50% is spent on overnight stays, the rest on transport - it is very expensive, food, etc.

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* When traveling as a two-piece, you can save up to 30-40% of the above amount on hotels (they are often cheaper for two).
** The cost does not include tickets from home to the host country/countries and back, and there are no visa costs.
*** The calculation does not take into account the possibility of spending the night for free by registration, in tents and hitchhiking. If you do this, then costs are greatly reduced, significantly.

From these figures it immediately becomes clear why there are so many independent travelers in Europe, and so few here. Spending 2-4 thousand dollars on a modest trip, where you are constantly thinking about saving? Our people would rather invest this money in a dacha or a car. And the majority simply do not have such amounts. So the class of backpackers has not yet formed as such in our country and will not form soon. To do this, the country needs to become very rich.

A modest (backpacker) trip implies:
a) overnight stay in some cases in multi-bed primitive rooms, often with other people (sharing), often in rooms without toilet and shower. The rest of the time - in separate hotel rooms. Approximately once every 8 days, this budget includes an overnight stay in a regular 3-star hotel with hot water in the room, TV and breakfast. So to speak - once every 8 days, remember good comfort.

b) traveling on the cheapest local transport - local buses without air conditioning, trains of low and middle classes (for the CIS, up to a reserved seat), sometimes, four times a month, using buses or trains of a higher class if necessary. The budget does not include the use of aircraft - this must be added above the indicated amount, in addition to possible cheap flights on promotions/low-cost airlines.

c) the use of public transport is included in the budget sufficiently for a full-fledged trip, however, if you constantly purchase passes for several days or tourist cards, the budget will quickly be exceeded.

d) 3 meals a day (sometimes 4 meals a day) during the journey. Due to the use of the cheapest hotels/hostels, breakfast included in the price of your stay should be expected only occasionally and not particularly rich.

Food for money with such a budget is carried out in the cheapest establishments: for Ukraine this is from a factory canteen to a self-service cafe like “Puzatay Khata”, for Western Europe - Turkish or Chinese primitive cafes and McDonald's, for Eastern Europe - left over from the times socialism canteens or the same Asian eateries. It is possible to use discounts for lunch in mid-level cafes/restaurants in weekdays(so-called “business lunch”).

In order to stay on budget, breakfast or dinner in a cafe should often be replaced with a dry snack made from products purchased in a store/supermarket. In stores with such a budget, you need to choose cheaper products, for Europe - preferably on promotions. When buying goodies on the streets (buns, ice cream, water), you need to carefully check that the price is not higher than the national average, otherwise the budget will be exceeded. You should also refrain from shopping for food in the very center of major European cities (with some possible exceptions). A backpacker tradition is to drink a glass or two of beer or another cheap drink in a cafe in the evenings. This is included in the calculations.

e) the budget includes visiting museums, but their number is moderate - one museum for every 2-3 days of travel. Fans of museums, paid monasteries and parks should prepare for an increase in the budget.

Is the stated amount of $1000 for cheap Asia and $4000 for Western Europe strictly fixed, is it possible to spend a different amount of money? My answer is this: of course, you can spend another amount. Let's consider these cases.

Case 1, civil travel. If you want to travel between cities in new buses of good companies, and not in simple regional ones, on trains in the CIS, choose coupes and SVs, and in Europe - Intercity or sleeping cars, spend the night not in hostels, but in respectable hotels " three stars” and sometimes higher, in the evenings to return home from the bar by taxi, so as not to wait for a long time for transport at the bus stop, to attend football matches/concerts in addition to museums, in a word, to relax as most of our compatriots dream in their dreams, then for such a trip to the cheapest Asia you will need from 1500-2000 dollars, in Eastern Europe- 3000-4000 dollars, and Western Europe- at least 6000-9000 dollars.

Of course, for those who love comfort, it is much cheaper to use the services of travel agencies and buy a tour - because good conditions on an independent (!) trip cost a lot, oh, a lot.

Case 2, uncivil travel. If your finances are not enough for a backpacking trip, that is, at the level with which you travel most of people with backpacks all over the world, then there is only one way out - to start rebuilding the entire structure of the trip.

The most expensive thing when traveling is hostels/hotels, so if you start spending the night with local residents, at train stations in waiting rooms, in tents in parks or along roads, then your budget can be reduced significantly, several times over.

The second resource for saving is transport. If you minimize the use of city transport and try to walk all the time, if you ride a bicycle or hitchhike between cities, you can also reduce costs significantly.

The third way, the saddest, is saving on food. If in all canteens and cafes you specifically choose the cheapest dish from the menu, refuse meat, but get three servings of side dishes (gravy is free :), then the amount of expenses for the month will decrease. An even more radical way is to buy the cereal yourself, cook it wherever necessary, and walk around all day with a saucepan (plastic box) and slowly eat it as hunger arises.

With a combined homeless-backpacker trip (that is, finding part of the overnight accommodation for free, but from time to time staying in hotels, as well as transport and food), you will be able to save up to 50% of the budget stated at the beginning of the article without a significant loss of comfort and pace of travel. If you spend even less (and you can reduce costs to 3-5 dollars a day), you have to slow down, missing out on some countries/cities, and spend more time searching for cheap food and/or preparing it.

An alternative way to save money is to skip a busy trip and settle in one place for a month. Then the cost of renting housing will sharply decrease anywhere in the world - renting one hotel room for a month is much cheaper than paying daily, and renting an apartment will be even cheaper. Costs for intercity transport are falling significantly - you will only have to pay for radial trips from the place of your main deployment, and not for constant transfers. Costs for food are also reduced - if you stay for a long time, you can get used to the country/city and know where, what and how much. It also becomes much cheaper with permanent dislocation cellular, Internet, etc.

Based on the price list proposed above, everyone can determine for themselves the direction to which they could go, the level of comfort and the timing of the trip. Happy travels! :)

Almost every person to whom we tell that we left home a year and a half ago asks how much money we use to travel around the world and how we manage to do it. In this article, which we specially wrote for the online magazine Life-trip, we will tell you how you can live, work, spend money, save in budget trip around the world, what is its cost.

What is the post about?

If your heart calls you, do not be afraid and do not resist.

This article is intended for those who are interested in the practical part of traveling around the world. For those who need to evaluate their own desire and its relationship with capabilities. We will tell you about life and money on the road using our own example and the example of our ongoing (on this moment a year and a half) trip around the world and our budget.

Of course, it's worth starting with the fact that budget travel - a thing that becomes more famous and popular here in Russia every year. Many travelers complete routes of unimaginable duration in time and space, not only with a small budget (Valery Shanin and his “Round the World Trip for $280” through 14 countries), but also practically without it (Vladimir Nesin and his travels barefoot: according to the traveler, the only the fixed amount is a pension of 7,000 rubles monthly). It is worth mentioning Anton Krotov, the creator of the Academy of Free Travel, the author and co-author of many published useful guide books on how to travel at minimal cost.

In general, the world is full of great romantics, practical travelers who share their experiences. And if the question “to go or not to go” comes down only to money, we recommend looking for information about the above and other free travelers on the Internet - their experience inspires action.

IN national park Sequoia, USA

Money at the time of start (what we had)

And now, about our approach. There was no thorough preparation for the trip around the world. It took us about two months from idea to implementation. All figures below are based on two people.

  • money for obtaining an American visa (the only one done before departure) RUB 11,880,
  • money for the first tickets: Moscow-Irkutsk train 11600 rub., Irkutsk-Harbin plane 222 EU,
  • Freelance work, based on which we were able to plan a monthly budget of 30,000 rubles (for two)
  • a small reserve for various deposits, which we planned to spend (and spent), at the end of their term, when going beyond the planned budget and in case of unforeseen expenses.

Planning a budget and tracking expenses is good because you create a kind of zero point, a bar against which you can evaluate your own strengths and possibilities of staying in a particular country so that your trip around the world lasts as long as you want. Of course, these opportunities vary in different countries, but a limited amount per month helps you be more vigilant.

Here, for example, are the statistics that we were able to compile due to this vigilance:

Expenses that include almost everything - travel, accommodation, food. Calculation per month for two (visa fees are indicated for one), validity period: end of 2013 - beginning of 2015.

  • China— 24-26 thousand rubles (including a tourist visa for 1 month — 1200 rubles);
  • Laos and Vietnam— 20 thousand rubles (both in the first and in the second country, Russians do not require a visa if the period of stay does not exceed two weeks);
  • Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia— 15-20 thousand rubles (Cambodian visa 25$ US);
  • Indonesia- 26-28 thousand rubles ($25 US - visa with a stay of up to 1 month, to stay longer, renew your tourist visa in Bali)
  • Australia— 400$ AU at the rate of 1$ AU = 33 rubles (Australian tourist visa for a stay of up to 3 months 145$ US);
  • USA- 30-35 thousand rubles, the exchange rate at that time was 35 rubles per dollar, including the cost of gasoline and a car, the visa was paid for in Moscow, and the period of stay we were given at the border was six months.
  • Mexico (Guadalajara)- 30 thousand rubles (visa-free regime for a stay of up to six months - upon entry or exit you must pay a customs fee of $28 US).
  • Mexico (Cancun)— 30 ​​thousand rubles at the beginning, and it was here that we saw the dollar exchange rate rise, and therefore, monthly expenses when converted into rubles increased greatly to 40 thousand.

Now let’s talk about what is perhaps the most pressing question: our ways of earning money. As practice shows, not many people believe in the opportunity to earn money on the road. Often, this lack of faith becomes the cause of a “requiem for a dream.” We are surprised when we pass by young homeless people who are drinking themselves to death: “Hands in place, head in place! Why doesn’t he find a job so he can live normally?” The most important thing is to remember that if there are no physical limitations, then you are unlikely to get lost, no matter where you are. And even with health limitations, the brave in spirit find their calling or are looking for it. The most difficult obstacles are in the mind, which means that only we can “remove” them.

We have long been addicted to the “freelancing” mode. It has two significant advantages - mobility and the ability to search for something that suits your spirit; and one minus - the amount of money earned directly depends on the time spent on work. We list below everything we use - from the grains something bigger is assembled.

Our ways to make money while traveling around the world

Sound drains

In a year and a half, selling sounds on stock brought in $45 US. We have an account on audiojungle.net.

Partnership programs

The main income is from travel blogs. We just started moving in this direction in March 2016. We installed an affiliate program from Airbnb. We also placed banners and links to affiliate programs found on travelpayouts: car rental, sale of tours, insurance. Let's see what the result will be in a couple of months.

Sale of printed photographs on foam board

Unsuccessful attempt. We have created a photo store on our website. Everything according to the mind: with the catalogue, with beautiful pictures, with a basket. There were several orders, unfortunately, delivery failed. We couldn’t find a good contractor - photographs printed on foam board were delivered to Russian cities broken and broken. I had to abandon the idea.

Sale of handmade jewelry

At the end of 2015, Nastya became interested in creating jewelry from metal, natural stones and macrame. She posts some of her works on on your Instagram. We tried selling them in Colombia (Medellin, Cartagena) and Ecuador (Baños). There are sales, but not many. We tried to sell on Etsy, but it requires additional financial investments in advertising and promotion of the store, it’s not easy to promote it while it was put off.

Project website

Our project is non-profit, but there are some proposals around it for our readers that may be pleasant for them, and at the same time support our idea. In practice, this is more moral help, but it is no less important. For example, custom postcards brought in a total of about 3 thousand rubles in two and a half years.

Voluntary donations - support coming from our friends and relatives, about 30 thousand rubles over two and a half years.

Where does the money go when traveling?

Of course, in our case, the average mode is most convenient. Constant movement does not contribute to excess income, so we try to avoid excesses in expenses. Of course, sometimes we indulge in certain joys, but we won’t talk about them now. The next step would be to highlight the main expenses on our trip around the world.

Based on the established monthly budget, we, guided by our mood, balanced our spending. For example, if hitchhiking freed up funds allocated for movement, we could spend them on food; if we slept in a tent, we could travel part of the way public transport and so on.

Food

The most constant major expense. More than half of our budget, since proper and timely nutrition is the key to good mood and health.

There are countries that are completely cheap and abundant in this regard. There are terribly expensive ones. The smallest recorded amount per person (one meal) is Laos, the city of Luang Prabang - in terms of kip at the 2013 exchange rate - 20 rubles. The most expensive food was discovered by us in Australia. For example, a gallon of (frozen, therefore expired by an average week) milk in the bush (Australian desert) costs from $5 AU. I don’t even want to talk about the cost of cafes and eateries.

Transport

Our 1993 Honda Civic, USA

Internationally, we try to use all types of transport, choosing the most optimal price. There are only six flights on our route so far, the cheapest of which is $40 US for two from Malaysia to Indonesia, and the most expensive from Melbourne (Australia) to Honolulu (USA, Hawaii) is $800 US (also for two).

In those countries where intercity transport (over long distances) is expensive, they did not use it. These are: Australia, America and still Mexico. In Asia - from China to Indonesia - they used trains, buses, and even planes. Interestingly, a bus on the island of Java from Jakarta to Bali turned out to be the same in cost as a flight, while a direct trip by land takes several days (if without stops) - a test not for the weak!

Hitch-hiking

The very fact that you can get from point A to point B absolutely free is wonderful. Well, and all sorts of bonuses in the form of acquaintances and complete immersion in the life of the country in which you are staying. It works, it helps.

Burner

Our alcohol burner

In practice, cooking yourself turns out to be more economical. Food is always cheaper if it is not prepared. Sometimes, you don’t have to suffer - in Asia it’s difficult to go hungry even with a minimal budget. In the same place where street food no, but cafes and restaurants are frankly expensive - .

Tent

Without a tent, we would not have ended up at wild hot springs in the mountains of the USA

When you know that your home is with you, you become less dependent on circumstances. It's not scary to stay in the mountains or jungle overnight. And even if you don’t want to sleep in a tent, its mere presence adds confidence when bidding for a room.

Second-hand, recycle and local production

Where there are good second-hand stores, use them. In other places, try on what the locals wear - in countries Latin America, and in Asia it’s also a pleasure.

Detours to attractions

Archaeological zone of Uxmal, Mexico

No, we are happy to support the country’s economy or the fortune of a private owner... when it’s within our means and doesn’t force us to make a choice like “eat or look at...”. In other cases, we try to take everything available to the maximum, no matter what blocks the way: a fence with security, the jungle or mountains - sometimes you have to exert yourself physically - but it’s worth it. This is our way - we do not encourage anyone to break the law :)

Healthy lifestyle

We are not ardent opponents of anything, no. The fact remains that alcohol and cigarettes are almost always expensive, but they are completely unnecessary (sometimes they even increase all sorts of risks). It is even more economical to be vegetarians, but we have mastered this Level only partially and at times :) This also includes giving up any “snacks” such as chips - this is absolutely beneficial in all respects.

Summarizing the above

Our life on a long-term trip is materially very similar to our usual life in one place. All the same thoughts: where and how to earn money in order to travel and live as you like, according to your heart. Traveling around the world is the same life.

Now we are preparing for the next part of our journey: traveling around South America by motorcycle. During the six-month stay in Mexico, we managed to learn a lot of new things, complete old projects, and come up with and implement new ones. I managed to earn a little money, so far not enough to buy a motorcycle, but at least it’s something. It is possible that among the readers, after some time, there will be a person who knows companies that need advertising. Perhaps this way we will find friends-partners who are ready to provide some of the equipment (helmets, protection, etc.) for the South American route in exchange for advertising the product or brand.

We love to dream:) And no less than this, we love to realize our dreams. This is the only way to live! We believe that long-term travel is one of the keys to experiencing an interesting and rich life.

Let your travels last exactly as long as you want and only run into surmountable obstacles!

Sequoia National Park, USA

We will be glad if we inspire you with our example!

Do you want to travel on your own, but don't know where to start? Are you wondering how to start traveling? The answer is here!

How to start traveling on your own?

There are 2 points in this question: psychological and practical. There are clearly more sites covering the practical issue; there is nothing complicated here, you just need to take it and do everything step by step, as experts advise. But a logical question always arises, if everything is so simple, why are there always more people dreaming of traveling than those who actually decide?

Here psychology comes onto the scene, and it turns out that someone is afraid to leave their comfort zone, someone is held tightly by their parents or loved ones, someone is simply afraid because they are not aware enough, but from time to time they still present it to the world. mine - I want to go on a trip. In this article I will tell you about both the psychological and practical aspects of this issue.

I want to travel a lot - where to start? Psychology

    1 - Desire

It’s as simple as that, you critically need desire. “Yes, yes, that’s understandable,” you might say. But wait. Desires are different. You can lie on the sofa, dream how nice it would be now on the beach under the palm trees, show the world your “ I want to go on a trip" and do nothing. But understand, in order to start traveling not on tour packages-twice-a-year-for-a-week-to-Thailand, you need to radically change your life. And to decide to make changes you need a very strong desire. So that it’s clear to you, no further without traveling - well, no way at all. All! It's propped up!

I often heard from people that traveling is too expensive, saying that I want to travel, but I don’t have the money. But there are so many responsibilities that keep you in one place. And while some are held back by circumstances and lack of money, others travel. If you really want something, you will have it. If you really want to start traveling on your own, then you won’t make hundreds of excuses, but simply find a way. "Circumstances" are just convenient way ignore your own fears.

People travel for the same reason they buy cars or a new iPhone. If you need something, you do everything to get it. That's the whole secret.

  • 2 - Focus

To begin your independent journey around the world, you need to be “sick” of travel, and your life revolves around this desire. I'm serious. Everything that is important to you happens to you. Critically important. Therefore, maybe stop visiting cafes so often or wherever you go there? Yes, you will have to give up some things, save on some things, and it will be worth it!

This paragraph closes the question " Where can I get money?"You need to save money. Before going on my first trip, I saved for a year. I stopped going to cafes and learned to cook decently, I watched movies online, I practically didn’t buy clothes, I was probably lucky that at that time I didn’t have girls Although who knows where the root cause is, but that’s not what we’re talking about now.

To save money for travel, you need to control your cash flows - write down all expenses and income. Yes, it's boring, but I said that I would have to change. You quickly get used to this, and don’t entertain the illusion that when traveling you won’t need to count money, this skill is more important there than at home, so it’s better to get used to it in advance. For such purposes, I use the Family Accounting program. It is convenient, easy and free. There are analogues for smartphones, depending on which one is more convenient.

Another little piece of advice, it’s better to save a certain amount for travel immediately after receiving your salary. This important point, it will be much more comfortable. Believe me, it’s easier to plan for a smaller amount in advance than to try to pull out extra money in the middle of the month.

  • 3 - Moral preparation

On long journeys, many things will happen to you that cannot be predicted, and you will not be prepared for them. But this does not mean that if you have never traveled around the world or have not dedicated your life to wandering, traveling is not for you.

Travel is wonderful. Life is short and I don't think you want to live it in one place without ever seeing the rest of the world. You will be able to discover all the beauty of this world - from the chaotic markets of Asia and the beautiful cities of Europe, to impenetrable jungle and exotic wildlife in Central America. Wherever you go, something new awaits you every day - new places, people, experiences.

Many people are accustomed to thinking that traveling is necessarily expensive and you simply cannot afford it. I sincerely hope that as you read this blog you will understand that this is not the case. I don't earn a lot, but I know how to count money and find inexpensive ways to travel. I work hard to make my dreams come true. Frankly speaking, it is possible to start traveling the world without money, and I will definitely write an article on this topic.

At least start with something simple. Take it and go on a weekend trip to a neighboring city or go on a trip around your city. Because you need to be prepared for travel, first of all, mentally.

  • 4 - Determining direction

The importance of this stage cannot be overestimated. Here we are slowly moving from theory to practice. It’s not for nothing that they say: those who are informed are armed. You need information to decide where to go, how to get there, where to live, what to eat, how to protect yourself, where to go if something happens, and many other important questions.

To understand which countries to start traveling from, read the article “My TOP 5 inexpensive countries for vacation.” It’s better to start with something inexpensive and well-trodden by many tourists, very good option for the first independent trip there will be Southeast Asia. Write your list of countries you would like to visit and let’s move on to practice.

How to start traveling on your own with minimal costs? Practice

By the way, I want to say that traveling with tour packages is not always more expensive. Maybe you shouldn't bother independent travel, but it’s better to contact specialists. I'm not dissuading you in any way, people are just different. How to determine which clan of travelers you belong to? Here's a little test:

  • Are you willing to take the time to create your own journey?
  • Are you a free spirit and don't like following a schedule created by someone else?
  • 5 - Visa

Find out if your chosen country requires a visa. For this task I use the Timatic service.

  • 6- Flights
  • 7 - Accommodation

For the first couple of days, book a hotel, hostel or guesthouse, depending on your financial capabilities. It will be possible to find something better and cheaper on the spot. Perhaps you will decide to stay longer and rent an apartment, or perhaps move on. Finding suitable accommodation clearly requires a separate article, and I will definitely write it (and here is the article How to find a good and inexpensive hotel), plus my favorite service for finding inexpensive accommodation.

  • 8 - Route

In general, I rarely recommend using guidebooks, but if you are planning to travel on your own for the first time, it is better to purchase one. I used to always use advice from Lonely Planet; their guides are rightfully considered the best, they will help you create the optimal route. This is one of the most exciting activities, be sure to try it!

  • 9 -Luggage

The next step is to collect your luggage and first aid kit. It would be useful to read the article about the required minimum of things. There is nothing complicated about it, the main thing is to leave everything unnecessary at home and not forget what is necessary.

  • 10 - Insurance
  • 11 - Vaccinations

To protect yourself, especially when traveling to African countries or South America, you need to get vaccinated. Are vaccinations required when entering the country of your choice - ask Google. I usually don’t vaccinate, this world is not that dangerous. In Goa, for example, people are more likely to die from coconuts falling on their heads than from a malaria mosquito bite. But if for your own peace of mind you need to play it safe - please.

  • 12 - Stop reading articles about how to start traveling - start!

Let's imagine and calculate how much it will cost to travel around the world.

I will briefly talk about the components of such a trip and calculate an approximate budget, based on the fact that we will visit 5 continents. I warn you that the budget is designed for the most economical economy. No one canceled a spare credit card in your pocket! :)

The budget for our round the world trip will consist of two main components:
a) flight costs
b) visas and insurance
c) all other expenses - accommodation, food, small shopping, etc.

So let's start with transport, which should be taken care of immediately so that nothing distracts us from relaxing and exploring the countries we have chosen. Of course, the train is not an option here - we fly and just fly! True within countries if you want to visit additional cities, located not so far from megacities, then a train or bus can be taken into account. Here we will build a route between countries and continents.

Today, in the 21st century, this is not difficult to do, because global airline alliances provide a round-the-world booking service and make it possible to choose flights from partner airlines, get the cost of the final air ticket and redeem it without visiting the websites of several airlines.

There are three airline alliances in the world today, bringing together more than 60 of the world's largest airlines from every continent, so like relatives in different cities, they will take the best possible care of you, making booking your trip as easy as possible.

Here are these airline alliances and their main members:

Each of the alliances offers the Round service on its website The World, with which you can plan your trip, select specific flights for any convenient date and time and book them.

Same as when booking regular ticket, you have the opportunity to choose economy class, business class and, if you prefer everything only the most luxurious, first class.

There is a limit on the number of segments on your trip - as a rule, there should be no more than 16. You also need to complete the round-the-world trip - you must arrive in the same city from which you originally departed.
There are also other restrictions - the number of connections, for example - but airlines offer a wide variety of direct and connecting flights, so there is something for everyone.

My calculations are based solely on traveling in economy class.

Here's an example interactive map in Oneworld - you can see the cities and countries I selected:


The blue dots, as you understand, are all the possible cities that airlines in this alliance fly to. There are hundreds of such cities, so there is plenty to choose from!

My plan has 12 segments:
Moscow - London - Sao Paulo - Buenos Aires - Santiago - Lima - Dallas/Ft. Worth - San Francisco - Los Angeles - Sydney - Tokyo - Hong Kong - Dubai - Doha - Moscow

The cost of such a trip with departure from Moscow to Oneworld will be: 4,575.33 EUR
Divide this amount by 14 planned flights and you get 326 EUR for each! Not bad.

Let's see what other alliances offer for similar trips (the destinations may differ slightly - this is due to the peculiarities route networks alliance member airlines):

The cost of 13 flights around the world departing from Almaty with StarAlliance will be: 4,775 EUR

The cost of such a trip with departure from Moscow to Skyteam will be: 5,003.64 EUR

As you can see, the cost of flights is approximately the same in all alliances, and therefore the decision on which one to choose depends on the countries you want to see or your loyalty to an airline (for example, you have unused miles).

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We remember about visas, which also cost money, although not for everyone. For example, for citizens of Kazakhstan, a visa is not required for some Asian countries (Malaysia, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea) and Latin America (Argentina, Ecuador), for Russian citizens there is a visa-free regime throughout almost all of Latin America.
Let's plan 1,000 EUR for all visas - albeit with a reserve.

Insurance! A very important point. Of course, there may be nuances in each country, but judging by the conditions of insurance companies in Kazakhstan, such insurance will cost 250 EUR for 90 days - I was not lazy and came up with this amount for each country using an online calculator on the website of one of the Kazakh insurance companies. There are details on insurance coverage - the higher the coverage, the more expensive the insurance, but the differences are not particularly noticeable.

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Other expenses (accommodation, food, shopping, etc.)

Since we are not traveling around the world tomorrow and there is no need to draw up a detailed budget for each country (and after all, each has its own characteristics and can result in a decent amount), we will take an approximate daily limit.

From our list, the most expensive are probably the USA, Australia and Japan.

Based on my travel experience (I think everyone strives to minimize costs, so as not to save too much, but not to be luxurious), I will accept a daily level of expenses of 100 EUR, including accommodation, food and a little money for excursions and souvenirs. Serious shopping is not taken into account here.
100 EUR is not enough? If you find rented accommodation, say for two weeks, then they will charge much less for such accommodation than in a hotel. And if you remember about couchsurfing (https://www.couchsurfing.org/ - social network for travelers), you can also find free options. There is a database at your service: more than 7 million people in dozens of countries around the world who will help with housing or place you in their home.

Now it’s worth understanding HOW LONG all this around-the-world charm will last. Of course, we will not spend one day in each country, but we are not going to live there for two months either, although you set the restrictions yourself. It all depends on what interesting things the country and the countries neighboring it offer - after all, no one is stopping us from going there too.

Here's what I get in terms of duration:

Using the example of traveling with Oneworld:

flight Moscow — London
18 days
There is a lot to see in the UK besides London. Take Wales and Scotland for example, so a couple of weeks in the UK isn't that much.

London - Sao Paulo
21 day
Where there is Sao Paulo, there is Rio, Brasilia, and the Amazon, in general there is something to do for 3 weeks.

Sao Paulo - Buenos Aires
14 days
Two weeks in Argentina can be spent on the capital itself; you can go to see the Iguazu Falls on the border with Brazil and Paraguay. By the way, you can also go to the Paraguayan capital Asuncion - getting a visa is not a problem. You can rush to the south of Argentina and get closer to Antarctica.

Buenos Aires - Santiago
12 days
In Chile, besides Santiago, you can see Valparaiso, Viña del Mar, or go east and see the Andes.

Santiago - Lima
18 days
Peru! Machu Picchu! To the north of Peru we have Ecuador - no visa required. So there will be no time to be bored for two and a half weeks.

Lima — Dallas
11 days
Dallas, Houston, sit and look at the Gulf of Mexico, go to a rodeo, fly to neighboring Louisiana to see New Orleans. And if there’s Mardi Gras there at that time, then that’s great!

Dallas - San Francisco
20 days
The SF itself will require at least a week. Options to brighten up the remaining days: take a ticket to Seattle, or to Vancouver (if you have a Canadian visa) or to Bozeman and watch Yellowstone national park or Yosemite Park (in the same California). Well, finally to Disneyland near Los Angeles.

San Francisco - Sydney
30 days
After a 19-hour non-stop (!) flight, you need three to four days to recover. When we've had enough of Sydney, we can go to Melbourne and Perth or north. What if we want to New Zealand? She's pretty close. All this will definitely take a month.

Sydney - Tokyo
20 days
3 weeks minimum. There is no need to rush here - you need to contemplate, sit for five days in Japanese gardens and taste this unique culture.

Tokyo - Dubai
15 days
Climb the Burj Khalifa, go to Abu Dhabi, bask in the sun (only moderately) and exhale after months of travel.

Dubai — Moscow
End of the journey.

Total: 179 days or 6 months.

So the final calculation of the trip:

Minimum cost of flights around the world: 4,575 EUR

Approximate visa cost: 1,000 EUR

Approximate cost of health insurance: 250 EUR

Minimum living expenses and incidentals: 179 days * 100 EUR = 17,900 EUR

I would add another 10% of this money for unforeseen expenses: 1,790 EUR

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TOTAL: 25,515 EUR

Expensive? It depends on what you compare it to. But one way or another, this can be a goal if you really want to see the world for yourself and show it to your family. In any case, visiting each of these countries separately will be much more expensive.

Of course, the final figure may change downwards if you manage to save on accommodation or live with friends in some countries by becoming a couchsurfer. Although the figure, of course, can increase if you go to great lengths and start spending on purchases and then on paying for excess baggage at airports or sending hundreds of clothes by mail home.

And yet, it’s good that some people can afford it, and they are not hyper-rich. I'm not talking about myself (yet)! And by the way, this blog post does not mean that I am going on a similar trip any time soon - this is just reflection and an attempt (successful, I must say!) to set a goal!

Fantasies tend to turn into reality.

Every dream is given to you along with the strength necessary to make it come true.
Richard Bach

Who didn’t dream of traveling around the world as a child? Boys were eager to board pirate schooners with desperate captains, girls dreamed of big and beautiful liners, like in Titanic (but without the consequences). With age, such dreams have moved into the category of impossible, but in vain. Gazeta.Ru talked with people who have been on a trip around the world, with those who are just planning to take them, and with the organizers of such trips. I also found out how much the most modest and most comfortable trips will cost and who can afford it all.

Option #1: hitchhiking with friends

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Budget:$1.5 thousand (71 thousand rubles at the current rate)
Transport: any rides (from cars and buses to horses and trains)
Travel time: 198 days (originally planned 1 thousand days)

Vladimir Peresedin is 35 years old and a professional traveler. He is fond of mountaineering, and decided to go around the world because of his thirst for adventure: he planned to travel around the world with friends in 1 thousand days and spend only $10 thousand on it. The days turned out to be five times less, but Vladimir is not discouraged: he says that it was only first try.

“We planned the travel route much in advance,” says the traveler. - First, we made a list of places that simply needed to be visited, then we drew a “thread” of the route and selected reference points on it - places to spend the night. Through the CouchSurfing website (a service that allows you to stay with foreigners for free in exchange for your own hospitality), we found guys who were ready to accommodate us and give us a tour of the city. Plus, the plan included overnight stays in hostels - in case it was not possible to stay comfortably due to the “couch”.

The level of comfort on such a trip is far from five, four or even three stars. You have to spend the night with a variety of people with different incomes: sometimes guests are given a separate room with a bed, and sometimes you are content with a sleeping bag in the common room.

“As for food, no more money is spent on it than at home. And if you’re used to getting by on $5-10 a day, then you won’t spend any more on the road,” says Vladimir. — The duration of the trip directly depends on its cost: the more time you have, the less you will spend on your adventure, and vice versa. My journey was planned for a thousand days, but in the end I was on the road for only 198 days.

During this time, I visited 15 countries and drove a leisurely 31 thousand km. On my list I have Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, Sudan, Georgia.”

The travelers didn’t have any special idea: they wanted to see the world, observe people. Even beautiful pictures turned out by themselves. True, it was not possible to end the journey in this story beautifully: “There were no dangerous situations on the road, but there were critical ones. My partner lost his passport in Afghanistan and was in prison for two months - there were problems with his release. Another disadvantage was the periodic lack of overnight accommodation, but here the tent saved the day. Well, in the end we did not complete the round the world trip because we got sick in Sudan. There was a strong suspicion of malaria, so we urgently returned home. We plan to finish our route in the future.”

Option number 2: the whole family in a private car

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Budget: 4.5 million rubles.
Transport: Ford Transit van
Travel time: 2.5 years

Sergei and Ekaterina set off on their first trip around the world in the summer of 2015 together with their nine-year-old son Alexei. Their trip around the world is also a kind of experiment lasting 2.5 years: during the trip, Lesha will receive distance education according to the school curriculum.

“We really love traveling by car and want to show our son how beautiful and diverse our planet is,” says Sergei. — We don’t have a clear route for the entire trip: the road, of course, will be planned and worked out, but not for the entire circumnavigation at once, but in parts. First we will travel through Russia (here the route is almost ready), then Mongolia, Kazakhstan. Next, most likely, China.”

Another feature of this trip will be interactivity. The route will change depending on the wishes of readers who follow the family’s movements on social networks.

“According to our preliminary calculations, the total cost of a trip around the world is about 4.5 million rubles,” explains Ekaterina. — We have a two-room apartment in Moscow: we plan to rent it out and travel with this money.

And there is a certain amount that we collected as starting capital for the trip. Insurance will be set aside from it: money for an emergency return home from anywhere in the world.”

In addition to passive income, the family has regular income. Sergey is a programmer who creates websites. The main advantage of such work is that you can do it anywhere in the world, provided there is Internet. The family is also counting on sponsorship: their website already has bank details for voluntary donations to the trip fund.

“We want to travel in a spacious Ford Transit van,” travelers say. “We calculated that it would be possible to install a third seat, make two folding beds, build in a tile, a refrigerator and a dry closet. Now we are even thinking about how to make a shower. But along the way, of course, we will sometimes stay in hostels and inexpensive hotels. Now we are completely euphoric in anticipation of adventure, but there is also some fear. Still this long journey, and what difficulties await us ahead, we do not know. But we firmly believe in success."

Option number 3: romantic sea cruise

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Budget: from $20 thousand (about 900 thousand rubles at the current rate)
Transport: cruise ship(liner)
Travel time: minimum 90 days

Of course, it’s impossible to call such an adventure affordable or budget-friendly. But theoretically, you can save up for such a trip once in your life. In addition, there are so-called round-the-world travel segments, when you buy a ticket only for a certain part of the journey.

“A full-fledged trip around the world is considered to be a voyage in which the ship crossed all meridians and twice the equator. But there are cruises that are not inferior in scale to a trip around the world. For example, when a ship leaves Europe, goes around Africa, goes to South America and back, this is called a grand voyage, but not a trip around the world,” explains PR director of the Via Maris company Elena Karmanova. Cruise companies really break the round-the-world route into segments: most tourists who choose to relax go on such “partial” trips a cruise ship. Such voyages last from two to four weeks.

“As for trips around the world specifically, only a few people book such tours. Even if you collect all the Russian companies that deal with cruises, you can count the number of such orders on your fingers.

For example, our company doesn’t even sell a trip around the world every year,” explains Elena. According to her, in the West there are not so many people who want to travel around the Earth. As a rule, these are wealthy people in the 55+ category, well-off, in high positions and with a decent salary. “In Russia, the age of such travelers is 40 and above. These are, as a rule, top managers, less often businessmen. There are, of course, those who somehow saved up for a cruise, but very rarely,” concludes a representative of the cruise company.

Option #4: elite travel along the meridian

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Budget: up to $1.5 million (about 71 million rubles at the current exchange rate)
Transport: private business jet
Travel time: 27 days and 26 nights

For obvious reasons, this option is not suitable for everyone. However, you can still dream about it. In Russia, similar tours are organized by a special company - “Exotic Travel Club”. “A person plans such trips once in his life. Organizing it is very difficult: you have to charter a private plane - this is already a significant amount, about $1 million,” says Igor Logunov, general director of the Club. — Usually such a business plane has 8-9 seats, but such trips are still more often taken by couples who want to be alone. Less often - companies.

These round-the-world cruises are ordered approximately once a year. Then in the reviews they write in one line: “I liked everything.”

According to the expert, such trips are truly memorable: those who order a tour are served at the highest level at every stage of the journey. Not only the employees of the organizing company work hard for them, but also local residents and even power. For example, in Chukotka, which is one of the last points on the route, the state Chukotka-Eskimo ensemble “Ergyron” performs for vacationers. It is interesting that, despite the gigantic cost of such a voyage, food and drinks in restaurants visited by the traveler are paid separately.