Appendix: 2011/12 trip finances

Traveling around Asia for 8 months is incredibly affordable, as it turns out. We ate out nearly every meal, stayed in comfortable (but simple) guesthouses, and did our fair share of tourist excursions and going out at night. Not counting our flights to and from the U.S., we took 9 flights around Asia for $2200 total for two people and visited 10 countries at an average of $2,725 a month (including the aforementioned flights). Our entire trip, for 8 months, cost $19,075, of which $4,000 alone was for flights to and from the U.S. This number includes everything: food, travel, lodging souvenirs, clothes – everything. In Boston we were paying that much for our apartment alone! It is so encouraging that traveling the world can actually be a good way to save money by avoiding the high cost of living in the U.S., if you don’t carry significant debts or expenses back home.

Flights (total cost for 2 people): $6,311
Average total per month to travel (lodging/travel/food/souvenirs/everything): $2,725
Trip cost total: $19,075