Horizons Unlimited - The HUBB - RTW Forever on £500 a month

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- - RTW Forever on £500 a month (https://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hubb/travellers-questions-dont-fit-anywhere/rtw-forever-on-500-month-61216)

The short answer = YES you can.

If you stick to the third world - Africa, Asia then you're £500 will enable you to live almost like a king.

In the first world, your £500 budget is a little on the low side.

Remember even some parts of Eastern Europe have an average wage of less than £200.

In Africa most live on about 2 Dollars a day!

£500 will be easy in those places providing you stay well away from Western style 4/5 star hotels.

Keep to mid-range guest houses and the hotels the locals use (take a cotton sleeping bag inner with you).

If I were in your shoes, I'd be looking at touring somewhere like INDIA - Probably the most interesting place you will find in way of cultures etc. It's big enough to spend years touring on 2 wheels and above all it's probably THE most cheapest country in the world to live in. I have heard Thailand is also dirt cheap?

My advice - go to Goa to start with and get used to the way of life etc. Then start to tour the rest of India. It will take years to take in all the sights worth seeing. The country is HUGE! Most importantly, it's a pretty safe place to travel (stay well away from Pakistan and it's border with India) and in general, the people are very friendly towards Brits & Westerners. £500 there is like £5,000 here!

£500 flight to Goa (return). Buy a Indian copy Baja Honda (100cc) and off you go......

I hope your dream comes true.

While the desire is admirable, I agree the RTW traveler should have a goal/gimmick in mind. Think of being a pilgrim during the Crusades. Do you want to see the world or experience it? After the trek, will having driven through be enough? From past travelling, what evoked your most pleasant memories?
Think about being questioned in ..... by a policeman who inspects your camp set up. Do you say that I going around the world or do you pull out your camera and show proof of your quest having visited every soccer stadium on the planet?
How much money to bring is a lot like asking, "How much money do you need to get married? It all depends. Do you have any other sources of income or possible emergency stash?
If you are a survivor, you can always get by. Use your language skills to act as a tutor. That might get you a meal or two. Any other skills or what about that watch that granny gave you? Could you pawn it in an emergency?
Just an additional though or two.

Dave

Welcome to the HUBB forum Dave. :welcome:

First post eh?

Now get posting in earnest........:thumbup1:

Quote:

Originally Posted by markharf (Post 362581)

I'd pay close attention to Grizzly10 above. It's obvious that what you're describing is theoretically possible.....but it's a rare individual who could actually pull it off, whether possible or not. Rarer still: the individual who could sustain it over time. Maybe you're that person, but the overwhelming majority of us are not.

I'm not, for example. I've spent more than that on every extended trip I've ever taken, even those without a vehicle. With a bike there are lots of added expenses; with a Mog, more so. How will you get the Mog from India onwards? Not via China, and not shipping it to SE Asia or Australia either on that sort of budget. You're really talking about a trip through Europe and the Stans into India then?

I'd pay less attention to those who say that's their dream too, therefore you should do it (even though they can't). That's not the voice of experience in any sense; it's the voice of people who want you to live out their dreams. You've got enough on your plate figuring out how to live out your own dreams.

On the other hand if you've got a backup plan--also known as an escape hatch--then why not try? Throwing off a secure job and situation in order to travel for a while is not as big a deal as it sometimes seems--I've done it several times. But you might want to find a way to dip your toe in the water without risking a whole lot before you fully commit.

I'd think carefully about cutting things too close with your rental income: as indicated, things sometimes go off the rails in a hurry if you're not there to keep tabs on it. I've traveled all over the world relying on rental income, with and without motorcycles; when it works, it's great. The idea is to have a plan for what to do when it all falls apart.

Hope that's helpful. Good luck!

Mark

yo estoy de acuerdo plenamente con mark.. hay que pensar bien eso antes de tirarse a la pileta por decirlo de alguna manera..creo que seria mejor hacerlo con un rspaldo mas grande economicamente hablando..es facil que las cosas salgan mal y todo lo que sale mal de una u otra manera cuesta dineros...suerte
ivan

My cousin sold a house he had been doing up at the beginning of this year. he bought a camper van and him and his missus are travelling around Europe following the sun. They have been on the road 6 months now. They live on 450E a month and at that rate they can keep going for as long as they want. He has worked out the Spanish writing on drain covers so he knows what drains he can empty his waste into. He has made an attachment to fit onto the shower heads on the beach for fresh water (although they say not drinking water, it comes out of the same pipe as the drinking water fountain next to it!!). They have solar panels so are completely self contained.

you just have to be a bit creative.

Their camper is of course a lot more economical than a unimog, and costs depend on how many miles you cover in a month and how long you stay in one place, but they are in Europe. Get into Eastern Europe, Africa or India and fuel is dirt cheap.

Go further afield where the cost of living is less and yes, you could easily live on 500E a month

You would need to keep a contingency though for unexpected expenses and mechanical problems.

Personally I wouldn't take a mog, I would convert an old Mercedes truck. When it's your home and your life depends on it you won't be doing the sort of offroading a mog can do and a truck can take huge fuel tanks so you can fill up where it's cheap. A good sized truck tank will easily give you a range of over 1000miles.

Something like this maybe
http://suchen.mobile.de/wohnwagen-in...eatures=EXPORT

or
http://suchen.mobile.de/wohnwagen-in...eatures=EXPORT

Quote:

Originally Posted by letsdo1 (Post 366597)

I am not sure if this is strictly allowed or not but i took 250 liters or red diesel in the back of my landy last trip away. I didnt use any of it until i got out or the UK as i know that isnt allowed but once i wasnt on UK roads i couldnt see the problem. It saved me a few hundred on fuel costs to get out of Europe too.

I dont know what other people think about that? Try and find a co pilot though it will half your costs.

Alternatively could you mix with Cooking OIl if its an older disel engine then it should cope no worries

Hi there,
don't ask if you should do it - find out if YOU WANT to do it! Everyone has a different outlook on what is possible and/or important so if you ask 10 people you get 20 opinions.
Me and my husband have taken on the trip even though we have two mouths to feed and in a lot of places we have no option but to find accomodation on the way as there is no camping (only wet rice paddys) - a problem you do not have. Our funds are neither as big nor as secure as yours but what the hell - we will find ways. We are 47 and 60 and decided it's now or never. Who says you have to go all the way - you'll find out along the road if it works or not. You will either enjoy it immensely and then you will probably find ways to make things work out or not - then you might turn back and have the pleasure and security of the knowledge that you tried it but it was not for you.

In our case (we are on the road for 6 months now) we can safely say this is the best time of our lives and every possible alley we can take to make it all the way - we will. But we are also sure that there are limits to this attitute and when these are reached we have to give up - but hey until then we are having our personal big adventure and don't want to miss a single minute of it.

Greetings
K+K Holford

K+K Chaostours Startseite - holfordsaufweltreise Webseite!

I'm not sure I would be able to do it, certainly with a camper, that is sure to eat up a huge part of your budget. Traveling the world is one thing, doing it on 4 wheels (or more) is quite another.
I would suggest to make a list of why specifically you want to do it on 4 wheels, and even more so with a camper, while balancing the advantages and disadvantages. Saving on accommodation will only work in the western world, not in the developing world.
Perhaps look also at alternative 4-wheel transport, like a small van with 4WD (like Subaro) or a jeep-annex-tent. Even with a motorbike, shipping and admin costs (carnet) can be steep, so with a 4-wheeled vehicle it could be prohibitive.
If you have all the time in the world, the easiest form of transport would certainly be a simple bicycle. No border restrictions, no driver's license restrictions, easy repair/replacement, etc. While in the beginning you might crawl along at 40-50 km per day, you'll gradually build strength for larger distances.
Actually, the slower you go, the more you get connected with the worlds you are traveling in. What you loose on speed/range, you win on experience. And if you ever get stuck, or just want to skip a certain part or country, it's never a big deal taking a bicycle on a flight, or bus or train trip.
If you set your priorities right, and manage to choose the right mode of transport for your budget, the dream could become a lot more achievable.