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TRAVEL Hints and Tips Post your TIPS to travellers - all the interesting little tidbits you learned on the road about packing, where to get stuff, and how to cope with problems. Please make sure the subject describes the tip clearly!
Photo by Ulrike Hahnel, Rock Formations on the Lagune Route, Bolivia

I haven't been everywhere...
but it's on my list!


Photo by Ulrike Hahnel,
Rock Formations on the
Lagune Route, Bolivia



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  #1  
Old 1 Mar 2018
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Location: Marl, NRW, Germany
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Budget a big Trip, any thoughts?

Hey,

for a trip from germany to mongolia within 5-6 months, then sell the bike and live for another 5-6 months in china, how much money would i need?

Sorry, I know this is super hard to answer but since my last workplace denied my big break for 2019 (after saying they would support me with that....dicks!) and my current work is somewhat annoying (very interesting area but the worst kind of horrible coworkers), I kinda wanna dream AND plan a bit right now. Sorry!

So I planned to go from Germany to Mongolia within 5-6 Months on my Transalp (already bought it). I would like to stay mostly in hostels/hotels, camping is possible but I would rather not. I need money for food, maintenance and gas. Some s on a nice nightout aswell. Visas and insurance. Tires and equipment (I don't have a tent, everything else I already have [i think]).

After that I would like to stay for as long as possible in china and taiwan. I guess I will just stay as long as my visa let me and my money doesn't run out.

Since my current workplace is in a big city i just sold my car. So I have ~6000€ on my bank right now. I would like to go on vacations twice a year (1 Backpacking Trip with Plane Tickets in Southamerica and 1 Motorcycle Trip within Europe) so I kinda need some money of those 6000€. How much would you guys think should I have before go on such a trip?

Is 10.000€ enough?
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  #2  
Old 6 Mar 2018
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Join Date: May 2014
Location: Karlsruhe/Germany
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Dosen´t sound very realistic. Bike travel around Europe, backpacking in SA, bike travel to Mongolia and staying in China for 6 months on a budget of 10000€.
And then after your return, what? Living on welfare? In the countries you want to travel, there´s no such thing, if you run out of money, or fall ill (even if you have a travel health insurance, you´ll have to pay on the spot and get the refund later from the insurance company)...

Better do one thing at a time, then plan the next thing, and see how much money is left.
Rule #1: the slower you travel, the cheaper it gets, but nontheless it´s quite a bit of miles to travel, and you´ll need some money.
Did you consider the fares for flights, ferries, helath insurance, petrol and visas?
A year of travel from Europe to Vlad, then to Canada and down to SA by bike cost around 25000 GBP. (depending on your standards).
Rule #2: you´ll always spend more than you planned, and it´s easy to spend money but it´s hard to save money (and evenb harder to earn money).

If you consider earning while on the road, you´ll have to do it in rich countries, where it´s easier to earn money but more expensive to live. Most of the times it dosen´t even pay for your stay, because your standards will rise in those countries.
I don´t say that you couldn´t do it, but my advice would be, that you´d pick one travel at a time, do what you like most first. Your plans will change on that trip anyway. Good luck and happy travels.
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  #3  
Old 7 Mar 2018
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Skyy223 View Post
Is 10.000€ enough?
For me this would be more then enouth for a year riding to Mongolia, China without bike and Taiwan by public transport but i allways do wilcamping while traveling. If you want to stay in a hotel you can calculate + $50 per night so a tent peys off after the first night. Food is also way more expensive in Hotels then on the street. It all depends on your luxury needs.

One year in South America including buying a bike cost me 2500 € + Flights. Europa with wild camping would be double the price because petrol is double as expensive. Only had to pay a fine for wildcamping to the police in Germany: http://motorradtouren-suedamerika.de...ka&design=dark

Quote:
Originally Posted by Kurvenfieber View Post
Rule #2: you´ll always spend more than you planned, and it´s easy to spend money but it´s hard to save money (and evenb harder to earn money).
No I just spend a fraction from what people told me i would need: http://afrikamotorrad.de/?report=en_transafrika
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  #4  
Old 7 Mar 2018
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Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: Tartu, Estonia
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Skyy223 View Post
So I planned to go from Germany to Mongolia within 5-6 Months on my Transalp (already bought it). I would like to stay mostly in hostels/hotels, camping is possible but I would rather not.
In my experience, and I've heard it corroborated in similar threads on other forums, it ultimately works out to ~100 euros per day. You'll save money one day by camping and not going out, then the next day you will be at a border, or something will break on the bike, etc.

Also, remember that China and Taiwan are not cheap places. Taiwan is very much a First World nation, expect costs to be on par with Japan or Korea. Even more, because the bottom end of the tourist infrastructure is less developed - you won't find many party hostels with cheap dorm beds. In China it can also be quite expensive to be a Westerner, even when you're backpacking; crossing China in your own vehicle automatically means thousands of euros in fixed costs.

Put it this way: there's a Swiss guy on here who went from Europe to Australia in ~6 months and says he has spent ~20k, not counting the cost of the bike.
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  #5  
Old 7 Mar 2018
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I think your budget is realistic. I spent £7000 in one year travelling from UK to Nepal, through many expensive border crossings (Iran), China guide from Kyrgz to Pakistan, and living in Nepal for 8 months (I did do a little work there that paid my accommodation).

Camp as much as possible in Europe to save money, and once you are out of europe, guesthouses and hostels are $5 to $15 per night.
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  #6  
Old 7 Mar 2018
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Fern View Post
hostels are $5 to $15 per night.
Also this adds up to a BIG amount through a year...you could travel for a second year insted...
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  #7  
Old 7 Mar 2018
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Originally Posted by ta-rider View Post
Also this adds up to a BIG amount through a year...you could travel for a second year insted...
yep, I like to mix it up and camp, and use guesthouse when I need a shower. Some places like Pakistan, the armed convoy only allowed me to stop at night at government guesthouses which were very expensive (one was $40 per night!). Other times I stayed with hubb members, on farms, in yurts.

I did stay in guesthouses more so because I was a lone female. If I was travelling with my partner, we do a lot more camping.
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