How Much Money Will You Spend for a Trip Around the World?
A trip around the world sounds like a fantasy, but actually it could be surprisingly affordable. If you have the means, you can book the trip to take luxury forms of transportation, stay in posh hotels and eat at fancy restaurants, spending tens of thousands. Or, for less than $5,000 to $10,000 you can take cheap flights, stay at hostels or budget hotels and still see the world: a dream come true.
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Transportation
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The biggest cost will probably be transportation. For example, a visit to the Round The World Ticket website shows you can get round the world for about $2,000. But a different route, that takes you to Casablanca, Paris, Delhi, Beijing and Sydney, costs closer to $4,000 as of February 2011. Booking flights individually may or may not save money. Or you might be able to take the train where you're covering large land mass areas. A Eurail global pass that covers 22 countries starts at $479.
Lodging
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Again, the cost for lodging depends on where you are going and how long you're staying. On the lowest end, you could register with the Couch Surfing website and find homes to crash in. Or you can find a hostel room, even in an expensive city such as Paris, for under $25 or you can spend as much above that as you like. Assuming your trip will take three months and you average hotel room costs to $50 a night, you will spend $4,500 on lodging. You can do it for less, much less if you don't mind sharing a bathroom, a hostel room or you aren't particular about the neighborhood. Though many hostels do not allow travelers over the age of 30 to share rooms with young people.
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Food
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Again, this is a variable cost. You can eat on very little -- say $20 a day or $1,800 on a three-month trip by buying food from little stores and less-expensive food stands. Or you can spend considerably more. It would be much less expensive to hit an Indian food place in Delhi or a noodle stand in China than a Parisian Bistro or even Florentine pizza shop.
Extras
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Beside the basics there are other costs. The price of a passport book, for example, as of 2010 was $135 for people over the age of 16. There are museum entrance fees and taxi cabs. There's travel insurance which, if you buy very comprehensive coverage at all, usually costs at least 5 percent of price of the trip and more if you make it comprehensive or add extreme sports to your plans. There are toothbrushes or shoes that may need replaced, visits to the Internet cafe or the odd elephant ride. You should probably plan at least a couple thousand dollars for incidentals.
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