Toward the end of my first post I displayed my guesstimate for this trip's expenses. After making almost all of my necessary pre-trip purchases I would like to reevaluate the budget and discuss the decisions I made.
Basic Estimates:
Ticket: $1,200
Eurorail Pass: $1,100
Food: $500 ($150 per month, rounded up)
Incidentals: $500
Total: $3,300
Current Expenses:
- Flight: $1,514
- Rail Pass: $1,360
- Items from Amazon: $440.60 (sum)
- Underwear: $15.90
- Books: $33.43
- Slaughterhouse-Five: $11.08
- The Maltese Falcom: $10.45
- Catch-22: $11.90
- Travel Sheet: $24.78
- Quick-Dry Towel: $22.95
- Duct Tape: $8.61
- Wool, Quick-Dry Socks: $9.99
- Sink Stopper: $4.06
- Alarm Clock: $9.30
- Water Bottle: $10.50
- Outlet : $8.00
- Hat: $10.99
- 16GB USB: $10.98
- 16GB SD Card: $11.45
- Camera: $214.95
- Clothes from REI: $160
- Pants, Shorts, Jacket, Shirt
- Glasses:
- Costco (1 pair): $150
- Zenni (2 pairs): $66.25
- Backpack: $116
- Shoes: $106.60
- WWOOFing Membership: $26
- REI Membership: $20
- Couchsurfing Membership: $?
- Button Shirt off Group-On: $18.19
- Shower Sandals: $2.73
So, where does that place me? Compared to my initial estimate, I am $680.87 off. However, this doesn't account for the $500 I have set aside for food. Adding that in, I am down $1180.87. Why I am so far over-budget? What can you do to cut this budget down for your own trip?
Cutting the Costs:
1) Flight.
This is the entire cost of my plane ticket. I will be flying into Madrid, Spain and flying out from London, England. I purchased my ticket on March 7th, 2013 and will be flying out on May 25th, 2013. Checking the today's flights using Kayak, it looks like the current price is $1,570 (+$56). There is a cheaper flight but it has an incredibly long layover and will be disregarded. While I was checking flights in February, I remember seeing several in the $1,200-$1,300 range.
Could save: $200
2) Rail Pass.
I am choosing to buy the Global Eurail Pass for a 3 month time period. It is the most expensive option, but offers a huge amount of freedom. I will be able to travel whenever I need to and it will let me explore the country and keep my plans flexible. However, if flexibility wasn't so desirable to me, it would behoove me to specifically plan out my trip and purchase a much cheaper travel option.
Could save: $300
---Currently researching specific routes to see if I can lower my own costs. I have yet to purchase the Eurail pass and will only do so if I see that it is the best option. I will update this once I have made my choice (4/30/13).
3) Items from Amazon.
First, I want to point out the purchases for underwear, socks, books, and the alarm clock. I could have completely removed the underwear and socks from my purchase. I selected these because I wished to have one high quality pair (underwear, socks) for the duration of the trip. The books, which I could have picked up cheaply if they were used, will be donated during my travels. I wanted to have new books for this process as I believe they will suit the donation purpose more effectively. The alarm clock is slightly unnecessary. Yet, because I will lack my phone (which I use as a current alarm clock) and know that my watch is very quiet, I needed to have a secure backup. If you are on a budget, you can easily remove this from your cost. As for the other items under the Amazon banner, I chose to pick those which had high ratings and quality. While this ended up costing a little more than I would have liked, the reliability of each product is important to me and worth the additional cost.
Could save: $68.62
4) Clothes from REI
Initially, I anticipated that I would use all of my own clothes. However, after looking over my wardrobe, I realized that many of my shirts and pants are several years old and have been wearing and tearing for a good while. Because of this, I made the decision to purchase a quality set of clothes. I wanted durability and breathability. After selecting the clothes, I am very happy with what I picked out. However, if you are looking to cut your costs, don't buy a new set unless you need to. I also purchased the REI membership so I could get an extra discount on my clothes.
Could save: $180
5) Glasses
Ever since the 8th grade, I have worn contacts on a daily basis. Glasses gave me headaches because I have such a high prescription. Besides, I always thought I looked a little better without the metal rims. Yet, I knew I would need glasses for this trip- thus, I picked up a nice pair from Costco. I was foolish, though, and didn't know how to treat a nice pair of glasses. After wearing them for little more than a week's time, I decided to clean them up by placing them in boiling water. This created a series of micro-fractures in the lenses, making it so my vision (while still decent with glasses on) is blurry at certain angles. Wary of my own stupidity, I purchased two additional sets from a cheaper vender as backups.
Could save: $216.25
6) Shoes
I was so excited that I wouldn't have to buy a new pair of shoes for the trip. Then, I noticed that the soles of my right shoe were peeling off and the bracing plastic near the heel section was cracked. Seeing as I will be walking for a vast amount of the trip, I figured it would be best to purchase a solid set of sneakers.
Could save: $106.60
Total Possible Savings: $1,071.41
What do I think?
I'm excited. I did what I could to save money, but in the end I opted to get nicer equipment that I knew would be reliable. This is my first backpacking trip and real adventure outside of the country. I want to do it right. I want to comfortable as I walk around from city to city.
I'll post some pictures of my gear and place them under the "Pictures" tab as soon as I can. Expect another post relatively soon- I have some plans for next week!
Cheers,
Sam
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