I know it`s a difficult question to answer as it depends upon lots of factors, but can anyone give me an idea of how much it would cost to do this trip and spend a year on the road? Plus how much is it to ship/air freight across the Darien gap? It would just help to have a rough idea of how much I need to raise before next June!

Cheers

I am also planning for a June departure. Here is my cost sheet:

The Americas Trip 2010

As far as the Darian gap shipment costs. I have seen rates vary from $250 to $750. Depends on how much hassle you want to go through

__________________
AtlasRider.com
Sport Touring Blog

Rough idea. (After you've bought the bike!) 10,000 pounds minimum, 20,000 luxury.

__________________

Thanks folks! By the way Atlas Rider - that`s a very detailed cost sheet! I`m planning on scribbling a couple of things down on a sheet of paper!

Hi Motivator,

The actual vs. budgeted costs can vary widely, based on a number of factors including litres of consumed per day

I've heard the figure of $100 per day bandied about so that is probably one of the veeerrry rough estimating methods you can use to get an idea. Bike purchase and outfitting costs, flights, and shipping costs obviously comprise a large portion of the budget and these are somewhat fixed costs so your ability to manage the budget to a reasonable level depends on your traveling style and how you manage your daily spend. How you travel, your preferred style of accomodation, etc. can greatly alter the final price tag.

If you are really trying to manage your costs, one big factor is to plan your time and trip in North America well. Comparatively, you can spend a lot more there than in South and Central America. If you are really keen, it may make sense to have a North America budget and then the rest of the countries budget. Once you see how much it costs per day in NA comparatively, it'll be extra incentive to spend most of your time down south where you can get a lot more out of your pound.

In regards to Darien Gap, last summer it was about $800 USD by air. I'd hazard a guess that the majority of people use this option. Some go by boat, but even those costs have gone up to ~$500+. One guy recently did it using a combination of small boats to various islands for pretty cheap and it sounded like great fun, but IMHO only a small percentage would be willing to go through the time and effort to do that.

Have a great trip, when you get close to getting over, feel free to drop me a line regarding routes or anything.

I like the spreadsheet, but it comes in a bit scant compared to my calculations (which are more along the lines of endless scratching on the backs of envelopes and napkins). For example, I'd allow far more for visas, import fees, insurance, etc. For another thing, I spend more on souvenirs and keep far more money in reserve for emergencies.

But I think $100 per day for a year (i.e., $36k) is quite a lot unless you're going to Antarctica or Easter Island, or maybe cruising by sail to the Galapagos....or maybe calculating in Australian dollars. Perhaps I'll be proven wrong about this in the end, but I'm aiming for $50/day and allowing for somewhat more if necessary.

Note that I'm not including the cost of buying and outfitting the bike, and I'm assuming a lot of camping where hotels are expensive (USA and Canada) and budget accommodation elsewhere.

Hope that helps.

Mark