Round up, round up: it's 'new blog series' o'clock, and this one's all about money and travelling. Countless people have sent me polite and tentative "don't answer this if you don't want to, but how much did you save for travelling?" DMs on Instagram, so I thought I'd take the awkwardness out of it for you and start sharing how much I'm spending.
Whatever your backpacking budget, I hope this helps anyone who's in the same boat that I was, e.g. 'I'm leaving home soon and have no clue how much things will actually cost in various parts of the world'. We're kicking things off in the very affordable town of Pai in Northern Thailand!
$1 = 31.45 Thai baht (฿)
£1 = 40.73 Thai baht (฿)
Monday = 1,000฿
Food:
Brunch at Fat Cat (90 - avocado toast & salad, 50 - iced coconut latte). Dinner on Walking Street (100 - falafel & salad pitta at Queen Falafel, 50 - ginger tea & reusable bamboo cup)
Socialising:
140 - 2x rum & coke
Transport:
150 - daily scooter hire
40 - litre of petrol
Accommodation:
450 - private bungalow at Paradise (between 2 people)
Miscellaneous:
150 - 2x homemade soap from Re-Wild
100 - 1x supplements from Earth Tone
Tuesday = 610฿
Food:
Brunch at One Fine Day (140 - avocado salad, 60 - iced coconut latte). Dinner at Pen's Kitchen (50 - veg & tofu noodle soup, 60 - beer)
Transport:
150 - daily scooter hire
Accommodation:
450 - private bungalow at Paradise (between 2 people)
Transport:
150 - daily scooter hire
Accommodation:
450 - private bungalow at Paradise (between 2 people)
Wednesday = 850฿
Food:
Brunch at Cafecito (170 - burrito, 40 - mint tea). Dinner at Maya Burger Queen (100 - vegan burger, 60 - large fries, 60 - beer)
Socialising:
120 - G&T at Sundown Playground
Transport:
150 - daily scooter hire
Accommodation:
450 - private bungalow at Paradise (between 2 people)
Thursday = 1,450฿
Food:
Brunch at Art In Chai (120 - avocado salad, 60 - chai latte). Dinner at Na's Kitchen (100 - red curry, 60 - tom yum soup, 80 - beer).
Socialising:
Socialising:
130 - 'I'm drunk and hungry' veggie avocado burger
Transport:
150 - daily scooter hire
Accommodation:
450 - private bungalow at Paradise (between 2 people)
Miscellaneous:
200 - reusable water bottle
Friday = 450฿
Food:
Lunch at Paradise (free - kindly cooked by our friends!). Dinner at Food Truck (70 - veggie green curry, 60 - beer). Snacks on Walking Street (20 - pancakes)
Transport:
150 - daily scooter hire
Accommodation:
450 - private bungalow at Paradise (between 2 people)
Transport:
150 - daily scooter hire
Accommodation:
450 - private bungalow at Paradise (between 2 people)
Lunch at Paradise (free - kindly cooked by our friends!). Dinner at Food Truck (70 - veggie green curry, 60 - beer). Snacks on Walking Street (20 - pancakes)
Transport:
150 - daily scooter hire
Accommodation:
450 - private bungalow at Paradise (between 2 people)
Saturday = 955฿
Food:
Lunch at Pen's Kitchen (70 - veggie stir fry, 30 - honey & lime iced tea). Dinner at Kome Maun (75 - rice noodle soup, 30 - ginger tea)
Socialising:
100 - wine
Transport:
150 - daily scooter hire
Accommodation:
450 - private bungalow at Paradise (between 2 people)
Miscellaneous:
Socialising:
100 - wine
Transport:
150 - daily scooter hire
Accommodation:
450 - private bungalow at Paradise (between 2 people)
Miscellaneous:
350 - gel pedicure
Sunday = 1,180฿
Food:
Breakfast at market (100 - baguette, fruit and avocados). Lunch at Paradise (80 - fried rice, 40 - iced coconut latte). Dinner at Bebe Spice (320 - curry, 340 - rum & cokes)
Transport:
150 - daily scooter hire
Accommodation:
450 - private bungalow at Paradise (between 2 people)
Monday = 2,370฿
Food:
Fruit from market (20 - pineapple, 40 - bananas, 10 - passionfruit). Breakfast at Cafecito (740 - 4x Mexican dishes, also paid for friends). Dinner at Le Reve De Pai (180 - mushroom pasta, 60 - gin & tonic)
Transport:
150 - daily scooter hire
40 - litre of petrol
200 - bus from Pai to Chiang Mai
800 - sleeper train from Chiang Mai to Bangkok
Accommodation:
450 - private bungalow at Paradise (between 2 people)
Seven days of spending, done! This reflects an average week in Thailand for me. Some days I'm clearly feeling more frivolous than others, socialising tends to mean more pennies leave my purse and paying for a bus or train to another part of Thailand can be pricey, but on average I spent between £25 and £30 in total per day.
In Pai I paid around £5 a night for a lovely bungalow, ate mostly local food like curries for £2.50 a portion and shared the cost of transport with my boyfriend. As a result, I haven't set myself a daily limit for Asia as pretty much everything is low-cost - Australia will be a very different story! - and I'm earning along the way through blogging, however if you're on a shoestring budget there are plenty of ways to save.
Let me know if you'd like a post sharing money-saving tips whilst travelling (I quite like the idea of setting myself spending challenges) and I'd love to hear your thoughts on this new series also? I thought it'd be a helpful idea for anyone embarking on a backpacking journey or a cost-effective holiday of their own - if you have any suggestions on what I should add or where I can improve, please feel free to leave a comment. Thanks, pals!
Photos by Will Burchill Photography
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