Budget Wise :: Laos

Our visit in Laos was relatively limited due to the frustratingly long and bumpy bus rides that are necessary to getting around as a budget traveler in this beautiful country. We ended up visiting only four cities and missed out some very exciting and picturesque parts of Laos because we just couldn’t bring ourselves to sit through a rough ten hour bus  ride every few days. An extra visa or enough money to upgrade to flying would have allowed us a much more comprehensive visit, but hey, now we have something to look forward to going back for. Though we didn’t get to see it all, we did get a pretty good idea of what it costs to travel in Laos on a budget.

Budget Wise :: South Vietnam

Our Vietnam adventure took us from Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) in the south to about half way up the very long country, finishing in the city of Hue. When I compare our budget to traveling in Thailand and Cambodia, Vietnam seemed surprisingly predictable. There weren’t many thing that were shockingly cheap, and at the same time there wasn’t much that was frighteningly expensive either. In the end, if you manage to avoid the major tourist traps and scams, Vietnam can be traveled on a rather tight budget – and the best part is that you’ll typically feel like you got your money’s worth.

Our 29 day daily average :: $35.58 USD (for two people: one couple) :: 1 USD = 17,000 VND (Dong)

Budget Wise :: Brussels (mini-version)

Since we didn’t stay at any hostels, didn’t eat at any actual restaurants, and didn’t even stay the night in any other cities, I’d say that our Belgium budget was a little too… uh, well, maybe focused on the necessities of Belgian life – chocolate, waffles, beer and the occasional sandwich. Therefore, due to our admitted obsession, this city’s budget wise will be a mini-version.

Chocolate and Waffles and Beer, Oh My!

Brussels, Belgium

At one point during our long stay with Monika, we had the chance to chat with her older sister, Magda. Magda lives in Brussels with her American husband, Dave. At the time that we were chatting on the phone Dave was making pulled pork with homemade BBQ sauce. Magda said, “Well if you ever feel like having some homemade BBQ, you’re welcome to come stay with us.” As I said to Magda, that was the best invitation I had ever received.

Uprising in Warsaw

Warsaw, Poland

Our last few days in Poland were just further proof of how much we love this country. Although we were extremely sad to leave Monika and our home in Torun, our anxiety was quickly allayed by the presence of our friend Will, who greeted our arrival at the lovely Oki Doki Hostel. We met Will in Sighisoara, Romania and became fast friends. When he wrote and said that he was going to be in Poland we arranged to meet up in Warsaw. Now some people told me that Warsaw is ugly, pretty boring, and that generally everyone who lives there hates it. Well, perhaps it was just the presence of friends like Will, Tomek, and Anya, but Warsaw was pretty amazing as far as we can tell.

Will and Jen in Warsaw

Budget Wise :: Budapest

I wouldn’t say we have an accurate idea of how expensive Hungary in general is, but we do know roughly how much it cost us to spend ten days in Budapest. And, just like in any other large city, you can do it on the cheap or you can spend a fortune. You can stay in swanky accommodations and eat at the trendy restaurants if you’re looking to put your wallet on a diet or, you can stay at cost-saving hostels and eat at the local Gyro stand if your bank account is already looking a wee bit underweight. So, Budapest is a city for all budgets, but here’s how we made out.

Budget Wise :: Romania

* Caution :: The following will not contain new and exciting stories about our travels but, if you’re a traveler yourself or plan to take a similar trip sometime soon, this post will still be of interest to you.

Since we don’t have a return deadline, the more money we save, the longer we travel. Unfortunately, while researching, we couldn’t find up-to-date resources explaining the costs of traveling in different areas of the world. When we did find some information it wasn’t clear whether that was for one person or two, and what expenses could be shared if traveling as a couple. Therefore, we decided to keep track of our budget while we travel so that we can have a better frame of reference. The following is an explanation of our budget while traveling in Romania.

Ere-saint-lou-cago

Chicago, IL

Sorry to all of our fans, but it appears that our current hotel does not offer us free internet access, and being the cheap little travelers that we are, we are now using the free internet service offered by the lovely Caribou Coffee. Unfortunately this also means that I only have an hour, so I’m going to give the short and sweet version. Ready, set….

Walking in Memphis

Memphis, TN

Garrett, you were wrong. Memphis was amazing. Of course I have to give major credit to my friend Wesley and his two mustached cohorts, Corey and Mike. We met them for dinner at Interstate Barbecue for a delicious meal. Gage got the traditional ribs and I had the more experimental BBQ Spaghetti Plate. One rule of the road: always order the item on the menu that you can’t get anywhere else. The only thing that disappointed me was that we didn’t go back for breakfast the next day.