Wright

I know the feeling exactly. We headed off on our first trip in 1987 from Vancouver to Central America expecting we had enough money saved to go around the world. We ran out of money in Panama! Actually, we had enough to get to South America, but then we'd be broke in South America, which didn't appeal to my conservative accountant persona. It was a real shocker to discover how much things cost. I must admit we travel very slowly, which adds a lot to the cost, but we've now learned we either have to expect to spend more money and save accordingly, or reduce the length of the trips. On the other hand, we're also not the most thrifty travellers on the block, as Greg Frazier will attest to.

One possible suggestion is to spend as little time as possible in Europe. It will consume lots more per day than Africa will. For Africa, you also don't need bike insurance, and medical insurance might be cheaper too.

Not sure you'll get any deals on round-trip shipping of the bike. Think you're better off shipping it back by sea, but to get it over there, unfortunately flying is the safest option. Even when sea shipping into developed countries, you can get nasty surprises, like the dock strike we encountered in New Zealand which delayed us over a week getting the bike out.

Don't give up, though! It is worth it.


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Susan Johnson
Share the Dream at <A HREF="http://www.HorizonsUnlimited.com
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Susan Johnson

Inspiring, Informing and Connecting travellers since 1997
www.HorizonsUnlimited.com