So…how much does it cost to travel long term? This is by far the most common question people have about long term travel. I would first like you to consider what your current monthly expenses are and what you would not be responsible for if you were not on the road full time: think rent/mortgage, utilities, car payment, gas, clothes, monthly subscriptions, not to mention food and entertainment. Keep in mind you are paying for all of these in U.S. dollars in the United States, which according this article has the 21st highest cost of living in the world. Here will take a look at important factors to consider when contemplating long term travel and later take a detailed look into our South American budget.

Factors to Consider When Traveling Long Term

Destination:

Your destination is the number one factor to consider when contemplating extended travel. Cheaper destinations include much of Latin America and Southeast Asia whereas more expensive destinations include Europe, Iceland, Australia and New Zealand. Much of South America falls on the cheaper side, which is part of the reason why this trip was possible for us. Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia are considered to be the cheapest while Chile, Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay are considered the most expensive.

Transportation: 

Transportation costs (i.e. flight) to get your destination is often as important as the destination itself.

International flights

When price shopping for the cheapest way to arrive to South America, I used Google Flights, which is my preferred online booking platform. Orbitz, Kayak and Priceline are also popular, easy to use platforms that provide fair rates.

When searching for the cheapest fares to South America, flying from Southern Florida to the northern most areas of South America were by far the cheapest options. For example, from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida to Cartagena, Colombia, each one way ticket costs $162 USD/person. Alternative ticket options based on our location were: Charlotte to Cartagena for ~$380 USD with two layovers, Cleveland to Cartagena for ~$340 USD, and Atlanta to Cartagena for ~$200 USD with one layover but inconvenient available dates and times. One way flights to Quito, Ecuador were approximately $200 USD more expensive from each of the previously mentioned locations. So we elected to fly from Ft. Lauderale to Cartagena given that we would be in Florida at the time anyway.

Helpful apps when booking flights

Two highly recommended discounted flights apps are Hopper and Skiplagged. Hopper is an app that notifies you when your preferred flight itineraries have fallen in price to recommended buy points. Skiplagged is an app that publishes flight itineraries that most booking sites do not by providing “hidden city flights”, which is where the traveller has a connecting flight but exits the trip at the connecting location as opposed to the final destination.

Bus

The cheapest way to travel within South America is without a doubt by bus. A reputable Colombian company that we have used and have positive experiences with thus far is Bolivariano. A nine hour bus trip from Bogota to Armenia cost ~$25 USD/person. The bus had decent legroom and AC but although advertised to have wifi, this did not turn out to be the case. A very straightforward reliable third party site through which to book bus tickets throughout most of South America is Busbud. Like many third party providers, Busbud charges a nominal fee but removing the guesswork from the process has been well worth the fee.

Domestic flights within Colombia

Domestic flights within Colombia are reasonable as well using Avianca. A one hour flight from Cartagena to Bogota cost ~$68 USD/person. Both reasonable options but if you willing to sacrifice the time, bus transport is the way to go.

Travel within cities or towns is location dependent and generally by foot or by bus. Walking from place to place is obviously the cheapest (and our preferred local mode of transportation) but local buses are generally inexpensive and are capable of getting you to where you need to go.

Length of stay:

Another important factor to consider is length of stay. Obviously, the longer your stay the more you should plan to spend. However, staying in a certain location for a longer period of time can sometimes be beneficial. For example, many Airbnbs offer a 10-15% discount for staying one or more weeks at a time. Thus far, two of the three Airbnbs we have stayed in have offered a 10% discount for a one week stay.

Accommodation:

We have used Airbnb exclusively thus far and plan to do so for the remainder of our trip. Ideally we stay in a private apartment with a kitchen, meaning the space is not shared, so that we can cook our own food to cut down on expenses. We have booked entire apartments in two of our three locations thus far and been able to stay under budget with each, which is less than $45/night. This will be more difficult to accomplish in more expensive countries and in areas where Airbnbs are not as plentiful. At that point, we may explore other options.

Hostels are typically the cheapest accommodation option but only when booking one bed in a shared space. Private room prices are often as expensive as Airbnb. Hostel booking options include: Hostelbookers, which typically has the cheapest rates while Booking.com is generally the smoothest to use. Another recommended site is Hostelworld, which is said to have a larger number of hostel listings. Check out this helpful TripSavvy article for more detail.

Food and Drink:

This is an area that can make or break a budget. The most reliable international resource for food and drink recommendations is Trip Advisor. Grocery shopping and cooking at home is one important way to save money but grocery prices can vary based on location and in some areas, such as in Salento, Colombia, the cost of eating out can be comparable. A habit that we have started is as soon as we arrive to a city, walk into a grocery store and down a busy restaurant filled street to gauge prices. This makes dining decisions the remainder of your trip much easier.

Not paying for alcohol at bars or restaurants is one important way to minimize expenses. Coming from Chicago where people love their bars, this has been an adjustment. A six pack of Club Colombia, Colombia’s generic international lager, at most grocery stores costs ~$5 USD. Purchasing a single Club Colombia at a restaurant or bar costs on average ~$2 USD. As is the case in most places, purchasing alcohol in bulk at a supermarket is far more economical than buying while out. And for those that consume no alcohol, staying under budget should come easier for you.

Coming up with creative, economical ways to have a meal or a drink can also be fun. Packing a lunch and eating on the town square is one option. Purchasing beer from a store and drinking in the town square or nearby a notable landmark is another option as many South American countries do not have open container laws.

Activities/Entertainment:

You can not expect to travel and not enjoy the areas to which you are traveling. Taking part in free activities is an easy way to save money in this department. For example in Bogota, we attended the Botero Museum, participated in Ciclovia, and hung out in Simon Bolivar Park. These were all free and turned out to be some of the most fun experiences we had there! However many of the events or activities you wish to experience often cost money, so being selective about which activities you pay for is vital to your budget. Also keeping a realistic mindset on not being able to see or do everything in a given place is also important, which can help you prioritize your activities appropriately.

In Summary:

The financial aspect to extended travel is an important one and quite possibly the most important. Here we have discussed items of highest priority to ensure you maintain and hopefully stay below budget. In the next post we will take a detailed look at our South American budget and how we’re doing so far, so stay tuned!