Confused over travel costs....

(London, UK)

Hi, I'm 31, and have decided to take redundancy from my job and go travelling later this year. I'm struggling to work out how much money I would need for 6 months to a year of travelling around North America and South America, then Africa - ideally without working, but I would be happy to supplement it with teaching etc as I have an ESL qualification. People tell me South America is expensive in terms of backpacking. I've been told £6,000 (not including flights) is enough for 8 months, but I'm not convinced!

Do you have any rough figures, or advice on costs you can share?

Great site by the way - really helped me whilst travelling around Greece last summer.

Answer: I would budget about $50 (about £30) a day. It's more than what you will need for travel in many countries in South America, but not enough for North America so things should even out. At $50 a day you should easily be able to travel about 6 to 7 months. If you wanted to travel for eight months you have to be extra careful and cut back on all but the most essential expenses. Or, you could stick to the cheapest countries in South America like Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru, or Argentina. In some countries you'll get by on $25 or $30 a day.

Remember too that attractions like the Inca Trail or the Pantanal in Brazil cost quite a bit. In some countries buses will be expensive, and you don't mention whether that will be part of the budget or not.

And then there is Africa. It all depends on where you go. Some countries can be extremely cheap—you could probably get by on $20 or $25 a day. In South Africa, you'll be paying a lot more. In West Africa, some countries are exceedingly expensive, while others are dirt cheap. The big difference in Africa is rural areas versus the city. You should be able to live very cheaply in the countryside and cities can and will be quite expensive.

Final verdict? It sounds as if £6,000 will be enough for eight months of travel, if you're careful with your money. But you can do it. And if you decide to work along the way, it'll be a breeze.

Make sure you keep your costs low and avoid unpleasant surprises by getting some cheap worldwide travel insurance. There is little worse than the prospect of spending thousands of dollars if you're not properly covered. And if you're looking for great little e-book to help you plan your trip check out The Art of Solo Travel by Stephanie Lee. She traveled for six months on $13,000 and details how she did it.

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