Hi

I'm planning on leaving Sydney at the start of November for a trip back to the UK. The plan is to spend around 7 months doing this. Second time lucky....I was going to do this the same time last year, but didnt manage to scrape together enough money in the end :-(

I've got a good idea now of the costs involved prior to departure and all the various extras I'll need on the road. What I could really do with some help with is daily spending whilst on the road - its been about 3-4 years since I've been traveling, so am a bit hazy on costs. Additionally, with the exchange rates varying so much over the last year, its confused me even more!!

I know everyone has a different way of doing things, but to give you a gauge, this is how I tend to travel:

I'll stay in cheap places, but not the cheapest - if the cheapest are $7, I'll probably stay somewhere thats $12 for example. I won't be camping or staying in dorms if I can avoid it and won't be cooking for myself, although will eat from road side stalls etc during the day.

In the eve would tend to go to somewhere other than a road side stall, but will still be a cheap place to eat. I do a like my ...so need to account for this! But will drink cheap local stuff and wont be going to bars/clubs or anything like that.

Below is what I've estimated, but would welcome any comments. All figures are in Australian Dollars. It excludes anything like visas, spares, servicing, shipping etc, but would include the odd touristy thing, night in a slightly nicer place or decent meal once in a while.

Travelling on my own
Australia - $130 per day + $15 per day average for fuel
Malaysia & Thailand - $50 per day + $10 fuel

Traveling two-up with girlfriend (meeting me in Bangkok at Xmas)
Thailand - $40 per day each + $10 per day total fuel
Laos/Cambodia/Bangladesh/India/Nepal/Pakistan - $30 each + $10 fuel
Iran & Turkey - $40 each + $20 fuel
Europe - $130 each + $40 fuel

Would really appreciate any thoughts on this - I should have enough if these are on the mark....but if I dont need as much then I can leave sooner!! Dont want the budget to be too tight though...

Thanks in advance

J