Your not kidding!!
I would need more than his daily allowance for frog kebabs and beers before tea time.
"Live lavishly on $20 a day"
Christ I wish I could, I cant afford to do the trips I want to due to my inflated costs, even in cambodia I was spending money left, right an chelsea....
Have a good one though..

Freek,

How far is your place from Denmark (border)?

My wife (who is half Dutch) and I will be heading North (from France) in June, we were not supposed to go to Holland, but now we realised that Germany in June will be a mess (the bloody World Cup) and it's gonna be very difficult to get accommodation!

About the budget in Europe...

We're planning on € 75 p/day, not camping but staying in hostels/motels/B&B's and VERY cheap hotels, buying our food in the supermarkets...

We are aware that probably we're gonna spend a bit more in Scandinavia but we hope to save in Poland/Slovakia/Bulgaria/Romania/Turkey!!

That's why we chose the most expensive part to come first!!!

Cheers guys

Fernando

5-6 hours normal speed.


[This message has been edited by Freek (edited 07 January 2006).]

Dank u Wel Manner!

In Sweden you have a right to camp for free in the wild, and there are places with shelters and water supply for free also. In Danmark you can find many places with basic shelters or campgrounds with water supply (and nothing else) for free or for a nominal fee. However at regular camping sites you will easily be charged 15 euros to pitch a tent. In the cities hostels will be the cheapest way to go - and you are probalbly looking af 15 euro for a bed in a dorm in Denmark.

Enjoy!

[This message has been edited by AnderZen (edited 26 January 2006).]

Some of the best ice cream in the world is to be found it Italy. Gorgeous, unbelievable, orgasmic gelati. Unmissable. You can't have it.

It is a delight to pass two hours a day with the French plat du jour, with a regional wine in the deal. Fantastic. You can't have it.

Breakfast in Berlin comes with meats and eggs and cheese and yogurts and biscuits and jams. Superb. You can't have it.

The point: there's surviving, and there is enjoying. Two different things. To savour europe you need money.

A day in Europe is a week in Iran, two in south India.

Lastly, don't count on free beds to save you money. "Let's go out to a great bar down the road?" "Some friends of mine are have a chinese on Friday, want to come?" "They serve the best cakes and coffee at my favourite cafe. What do you say?"

Hell man, you're going around the world for two years, you can't really plead poverty. As far as everyone is concerned, you're rolling in it. Bang goes four days' budget.

It all depends on what you like. But it is fair to say that the advantage of motorcycle overlanding lies in the opening to the world it offers. It is a wonderful way to experience all those corners of the planet you'd never see otherwise. Maybe it is best to play to its stengths.

Simon

[This message has been edited by Simon Kennedy (edited 26 January 2006).]

Enjoying and surviving is two seperate things? I guess that is a matter of individual opinion. Some peolpe find surviving being the best kind of enjoyment.

I agree with Simon Kennedy 100%.

Who is the caveman who suggested "ride fast through Europe"?

Anybody who is not European and wishes to visit Europe should have one thing well clear, Europe is known as "The Old World" not becaus it's full of retired old people, but because wherever you go you have 3000-4000 years heritage and history and art just waiting to be seen and appreciated.

Heritage is not just about art and music, it is about food too. Of course "living" and "survival" are two different things, and a monkey will live off much more cheaply than King Louis XIV, but what's the point of living in poverty? You're touring the world in a motorcycle, you're not a factory worker commuting for the night shift, so you can't say "My budget is CD$35". That would be wrong. You should think "My budget is 10.000, ther will be expensive places and cheap places, and things to see that are unmissable"

One good piece of advice I can give you, is buy in supermarkets, and use bars and cafés like the locals, for beer and coffee. You'll notice that only tourists will eat lunch at a café, its stylish but you get ripped off. A cheap hotel with a good breakfast included will see you through until dinner, whereas a campsite may be cheaper but you'll have to buy food ...

And remember, if you ask the right people, you'll have plenty of help. Examples are: many churches run village schools where you can sleep a few days, maybe even for free, so you can enjoy the local attractions, maybe just telling a tale or giving two hour's English lessons; are you skilled in any specific kind of work? Are you member of any kind of student or professional association or fraternity? They all help.

Enjoy your trip.

------------------
Maurizio

Much has been said, so my contribution may be insignificant.

Many campgrounds close out of season even when it's not that cold.

I have fairly extensive experience with wild camping in France, Italy, Austria, Germany, Scandinavia and even Corsica and Sardegna. It may be semi-illegal but I don't imagine you'll run into a problem other than maybe sporadically having to break camp in a hurry. Needless to say, you'll want develop skills to stay out of sight, that means often in forests, which should be easy on a bike.

Be sure to camp far away from divided highways (tollways) in southern Europe, where broad daylight robberies happen.

Obviously, wild camping may not be practical near a large city. Still I do it whenever it seems safe, as I consider it a human right.


[This message has been edited by Rygel19 (edited 03 March 2006).]