What Have We Done?!

Ok.. this isn’t the best way to title this post, but we got your attention didn’t we?

You have probably already realised that we are already back in Singapore although our blog is still stuck somewhere in Bolivia, about ¼ of our journey. Vik is a slow writer, and he has many ideas, but when he gets down to the writing, all the good ones vanish. So the truth is that we have been struggling with the smartest way to conclude this chapter, without sounding too long-winded and irrelevant. We also wanted to mix it up a little so that you don’t get bored with Vik’s journaling style of blog writing. There are just too many ways to sum up our 200 day adventure across the world!

So we guess the best way is to just go with the flow and list them all out! Here are some of the key facts summarized into categories for easy consumption! (Infographic credits: Leann)

COUNTRIES AND CITIES

We planned for 25 which would have brought us across the Silk Road to China, but due to some difficulties in visa applications, and the depletion of our bank accounts, we adapted and changed our plans accordingly and only completed 20 countries (more like 18 actually). Majority of our time was spent in Latin America and Europe/Western Asia, so it's not exactly a round-the-world trip. Also, we agree that you can never really complete a country (not even Singapore); you can only capture the essence of each country as best as you can, in your own way. So although we stated that we did that country, it doesn't mean that we really traveled through it (i.e. France, England).

BTW, those who say that travelling should not be ticking off a bucket checklist are kidding themselves. We all count the places we go to, although it makes no sense comparing how many countries we have been to, since everybody’s experience is different. I may travel more countries than you, but that doesn’t mean I’m better than you in any way, vice versa. Why I love or hate a country may also be totally different from you. This is because we all travel differently. Thy shalt not question once again the purpose of each traveler, but we strongly advocate going beyond the superficial, and reserve judgment till you see it for yourself. That said, here are some of the key statistics of our trip in terms of cities and countries (We will leave our list of favourite countries to a future post):

TIME

The well-rounded plan of 200 days to complete 25 countries was way too ambitious. Not that it wasn’t doable, but much had to be sacrificed. Money and some destinations were given up to meet the deadlines we set for ourselves. It wasn’t as flexible as how many others would have probably done it. But some things had to be booked way in advance, and well... we don’t like to wait around doing nothing too much.

That said, these aren’t easy countries. The lack of info, coupled with the language barrier, meant that plans had to constantly change, despite the level of planning that went into it. Plus, many of these countries lack system and organisation, which makes it hard to plan ahead anyway. In travel (and everything else), it is always difficult to find that balance of planning deep and maintaining flexibility, especially where costs are concerned. Making a commitment early could mean higher costs and squeezing our already limited time, but not doing so may mean a wasted opportunity! That said, we don’t regret any of our decisions, but we know that we will definitely be heading back to some countries for more!

DISTANCE AND TRANSPORT TYPES

Cliche, but we traveled far and wide =). Transport took a huge chunk of our expenses, which is very much expected considering the places we aimed for and the distance covered. Understandably, much of our distance was covered via flights despite our desire to take overland transport. We blame the packed schedule and the sheer size of the Americas.

Note that the numbers here are only for inter-city travel and non-tour types (getting from point A to point B and not daytrips or public transport within the city). We also had quite a few self-drive trips, which were scary as much as it was exciting!

EXPENSES

The budget was set at 40k SGD (~28k USD), but we burst it within 140 days. Good thing we had reserve funds! Thanks also to our friends who gave us emergency funds! South America was definitely more expensive than expected. Unlike our previous travels in Europe, we also found it hard to find friends and couchsurfers who could host us in these rather exotic countries. However, we still managed to save quite a bit thanks to the generosity of our wonderful hosts!

Anyway, there were a couple of outlier figures that prevent a perfect comparison between the countries that we traveled to. However, work experience has allowed Vik to clean and validate the expense data to allow a more accurate analysis of our expenditure. For detailed expenses and country comparisons, feel free to contact us. So let's start with the category breakdown:

and we also broke it down by countries:

Among the expense categories, transport (especially intercity flights) easily formed the biggest bulk of our expenses. We also saved a lot on accommodation by taking overnight transport.

Among all our destinations, Galapagos was definitely the most expensive, which took up almost 1/5 of our entire expenditure.

ACCOMMODATION

People always misconceive that being backpackers meant that we lived in our tent. There was no real need to. That only happened when we hiked in Torres Del Paine (Patagonia) and while trekking the Salkantay trail to Machu Picchu. The rest of the time was spent.. well..duh.. in hostels, friend's places, and overnight transport. It still wasn't exactly the most comfortable, mind you, to literally be moving house everyday. Yes, our backpack was our house, it had everything we needed.

Accommodation, very much like food (of which detailed data could not be recorded), can make or break your experience in travel. We had several hits and misses when it came to the hostels and even the couches we surfed, but anything stationary beats anything that is moving while you sleep. Then again, if you are not surprised yet (even we were), we still managed to spend very little on accommodation.

SO, IN THE END... WHAT HAVE WE LEARNT?

1. Don't rush

2. Don't be too ambitious (like we did), otherwise aim high and adapt along the way.

3. Take it slow and take in everything. This is a once in a lifetime experience which deserves your fullest attention

4. Set up a daily budget and stick to it

5. But still eat a steak and drink some wine when you're in Argentina

6. Don't spend ALL your money, always have emergency funds

7. Be open and make friends wherever you are, you will be surprised

8. No amount of research is enough

#Summary #Statistics #Infographics #WorldTrip #Planning #Conclusion #Numbers #Countries #Backpacking