Below is our updated budget ‘spread sheet’. We are three weeks away from making a year on the road. In Bulgaria we were guests and even though I am including our time there I decided not to include our expenses towards the travel budget, as it won’t give you any idea of the cost of living there (from observation prices in Bulgaria are pretty similar to the ones in Turkey).
| Country | Days Traveled | Money Spent | Average per Day |
| Japan | 20 | $3,545 | $177 |
| Thailand | 30 | $3,090 | $103 |
| Laos | 26 | $1,823 | $70 |
| Vietnam | 30 | $1,730 | $57 |
| Cambodia | 24 | $1,238 | $51 |
| Indonesia | 28 | $2,332 | $83 |
| Nepal | 36 | $2,137 | $59 |
| India | 85 | $6,279 | $73 |
| Sri Lanka | 26 | $1,828 | $70 |
| Istanbul | 9 | $865 | $96 |
| Bulgaria | 24 | $0 | $0 |
| Total | 339 | $24,867 | $79 |
Additional Expenses: $8,484 on airplane tickets: (Asheville – San Francisco; San Francisco – Tokyo, Osaka – Phuket, Thailand; Phnom Penh, Cambodia – Yogyakarta, Indonesia; Denpasar, Bali – Kathmandu, Nepal; Madurai, India – Colombo, Sri Lanka; Colombo, Sri Lanka – Istanbul, Turkey; Sofia – Windhoek, Namibia). $1,291 on travel insurance for a year.
Sri Lanka was a beautiful country to explore. In our experience it is a little bit more expensive than India but our daily average is lower in comparison. I think the reason for that is that we got somewhat careful right off the bat once we landed in Colombo and couldn’t find accommodations for less than $42/night. I have to say that this came as shock as this was double what we usually payed in India for our most comfortable stays. We soon discovered that the high price for rooms is only in the capital. Everywhere else we could stay for the usual $20 max, but we didn’t visit in season. I am sure prices go up during peak times. We also didn’t bargain about accommodations here as much as we did in India.
This is the first country we tried to couch surf and we loved it! I don’t know why we didn’t start couch surfing earlier on our trip. It was great to stay with local families. Sri Lankans are naturally kind and hospitable and we felt welcomed and taken care of wherever we stayed. We will try to do more couch surfing in Africa and South America.
In Sri Lanka our daily average was $70 that comes to $17.50/ person. This number includes the $60 we spent on 1 month visa costs.
Public transport was cheap. Buses are not fancy, there is no air-conditioning, but we felt safer on the roads here than in India. Usually a bus ride is few bucks for a long ride. We would always have a seat and often people would offer us their seats because we were foreigners. The trains is also very affordable and great fun. We love it! I know that many travelers choose to rent a car and a driver but I we stayed away from this option.
Food. The food was amazing! We got addicted to a few items – ginger beer (nothing I have tasted back home), mango chutney and papaya to name a few. We stayed away from the fancy places and stuck to cheaper eateries and roti (pancake) shops. Fitting in our $10/meal budget for the four of us was never a challenge.
Cultural Sites. This is where Sri Lanka can really hurt your budget. Seeing all the cultural sites would have made a huge dent in our budget. Sadly, we had to be selective as to which UNESCO World Heritage sites to visit. Admission fees for foreigners are 50-80 times higher than the ones for locals, so we had to pick and choose. We chose to see Polonnaruwa instead of Anuradhapura, as it was more compact and we could easily explore by ourselves on a bike. We skipped Sigiriya Rock (still sad about it), but saw Dambulla Caves. We saw the Botanical Garden in Kandy, but skipped the Tooth Temple.
It is a pity to travel to Sri Lanka and not experience its rich culture and history. If you are planning a visit one day just be prepared that activities and cultural sites cost a lot and budget for them.
Activities. This was another place we had to budget. We opted out of seeing whales in Mirrissa. It wasn’t just the expense but we were also tired of doing things and wanted to just enjoy the beach. We did a day of safari in Uda Walawe National Park. I loved it, but I can’t say I am blown away. I have bigger expectations from Africa. We also swam with sharks in Pigeon Island, Trincomalee and that was worth the money.
As you can see Sri Lanka can be done on a budget. It is an amazing travel destination that I can’t recommend enough!
Istanbul. This is the closest you will get to India and the West at the same time:) Turkey’s biggest city is both in Europe and in Asia and the juxtaposition of the two adds a dynamic vibrancy to the ancient city that won our hearts immediately! Istanbul is built upon endless layers of history, its urban fabric is sprinkled with mosques, exotic bazaars, churches and palaces but at the same time the city is super modern, flashy and surprisingly up to date. I have to say that the mix of old and new, modern and traditional, subdued and colorful is creating one of the most alluring travel destinations out there. We loved what was ‘Turkish’ about Istanbul – the food, the prayer calls, the head scarfs- but were quickly seduced by the face of Istanbul that was fresh, innovative and current – the modern art scene, the fashion, the fancy shopping districts. I was not prepared for the stunning waterfront displaying constant movement of ferries and ships, the amazing variety of cultural monuments, the streets paved with small granite pavers and lined with glorious building, the modern metro and the politeness of everyone we met. I would say that this is one of my favorite cities I have ever visited.
I was also surprised to find out that Istanbul was affordable for us. Our daily average was $96 that comes to $24/person. This number includes the $120 we spent on 1 month visa costs and $100 bus tickets for the four of us to Plovdiv, Bulgaria (this drove our daily average with $24/day or $6/day/person) .
Compared to Sri Lanka we didn’t find the costs to visit the cultural sites of the city too high and all of the mosques were free of charge! We loved visiting as many mosques as we stumbled upon on our walks as they were all beautiful places of contemplation and a quiet respite from the busy city life.
Accomodations. We rented a lovely apartment through AirBnB for $35/night. It had a great location and we loved sharing it with a Swedish and two Turkish girls. It was nice to come home in the evenings and be able to talk to someone else than the family. We also had a kitchen and a washing machine for the first time in ages. We were beyond comfortable. Our room was flooded in sunlight and felt like home.
Food. We arrived in Istanbul not suspecting that the city will seduce us into an eating frenzy. The way the food is exhibited in the city made us gluttonous! We stumbled upon the shop below on our first day and we entered with gaping mouths. I had to pinch myself that a world of such variety and glamour can exist. Reminder: we were eating rice and curry out of street stalls for months.
As far as cost for food – I would say that we would spent a little more than $30/ day total just because we couldn’t resist all the temptations. Example: We had 5 kg of grapes/day?!
Transport. We walked on foot everywhere. Took the metro a few times. One ride is $1/person. Kids sometimes passed for free or 2 for 1.
Dolmabahce Palace below – a beautiful place we loved exploring.
I know that many of my Bulgarian friends have been to Istanbul. Would you agree that in general prices in Turkey are very similar to prices in Bulgaria?
~M
