In three hours, we say goodbye to Europe.
Our first four months have been great, but we are ready to move on to the “real” trip. Europe isn’t all that different from home, and we are looking forward to more challenging destinations.
We are leaving in the nick of time too. With the State Department’s recent travel advisory, we are glad to be leaving Europe for the safe and sound Middle East.
We were planning on traveling overland from Sarajevo to Istanbul via Belgrade and Sofia. Rather than face a gruesome rail journey (22+ hours), we opted to fly to Istanbul to buy us more time in Turkey. We almost always prefer overland travel, but I think this was the better decision in this instance.
Even with a few mishaps (read: MacBook), we are still basically on track. We log every expense in our Moleskine notebook, and I have a series of graphs and PivotTables to keep our finances in order. I’ll keep this blog short and let the numbers speak for themselves.
The Tab
Transportation:30 buses | Average Per Diem:$45.73 Lodging |
Total Transport Cost: $5,491
Average Per Diem (excl. transport): $102.01
Average Per Diem (incl. transport): $147.23
Grand Total: $17,962
Overall, we came out about where we planned on time and money. I’m sure we could have done it cheaper, but we struck a balance between comfort and roughing it. The spikes are days were we had an expensive train ride. Besides my round-trip flight to Zagreb to fix the MacBook, we haven’t flown since mid-July when we arrived in Frankfurt.
After talking budgets with many European travelers, I am convinced we have done pretty well. Most seem to average around $100 per day, and we are getting by at $150/day for two including transportation. Take out buses, flights, etc. and we’re down to $100 per day.
I’m very excited about the second half of our trip. Our daily expenses should fall to practically nothing. I met a couple last week that spent only $6,000 over 6 months in Northern India. Maybe we will make it home under budget even!
Our European Favorites
We are often asked what place, food, sight, etc. we have liked the best. Kim and I have slightly different points of view, but we tried to come up with our top five to summarize our time in Europe.
Top 5 Countries1. Croatia | Top 5 Touristy Sights1. Castle of the Moors – Sintra, Portugal |
Top 5 Cheapest Countries1. Bosnia | Top 5 Hostels1. Hostel Adria – Split, Croatia |
Top 5 Cities | Top 5 Food Cities1. Berlin |
Top 5 Beers1. Augustiner Edelstoff |
Our cab is coming in 15 minutes. Wish us luck in the Middle East.
We will be hitting up Turkey, flying to Egypt, and crossing overland to Jordan. I’m sure we will have a post on our Top 5 camels or falafel next time. Dovidjenja!
Posted from: Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Kim & Clark Kays quit their jobs for an uncertain trip around the world. Originally from St. Louis, they relocated to Chicago after getting married in 2005. After working for five years in middle school and the Fortune 500, they realized there was more to life than the 9-to-5, so made the crazy decision to exchange money for time rather than the other way around.
Their hobbies include fighting over writing styles and searching for gelato. They think food, beer, architecture, and photography are some of the best things about travel—especially when combined. Their travel blog, To Uncertainty and Beyond, includes long-term travel tips as well as humorous anecdotes from their journey through Europe and Asia. They invite you to experience their journey and learn from their adventures and mistakes.
