Last updated: March 23, 2013

Average Daily Cost

  • (including airfare, transportation, accommodation, food, tours, courses and absolutely everything else we’ve spent money on, for 2 people): $52.99CAD

Transportation:

  • Days traveled: 627
  • Countries visited: 19(plus about 8 hours in the Bahamas, but we won’t count that)
  • Border crossings: 33
  • Number of times we were turned back at a border:  1
  • Total distance traveled: 72,606 km
    • by plane: 32,420 km on 14 flights
    • by bus/automobile: 22,661 km on 208 buses/colectivos/pick-up trucks/vans/tuk tuks/cars
    • by train: 6,332 km on 27 trains
    • by boat: 9,928 km on 42 boats
    • by foot:  1,157 km
    • by bike: 108 km

Accommodation:

  • Average accommodation cost: $12.08  (CAD)
  • Most expensive: $78 (CAD) for dorm beds in Paris (but it included breakfast and supper!)
  • Least expensive (excluding free places): $3.65 (CAD) in San Pedro La Laguna, Guatemala
  • Number of different “beds” slept in:  171

Number of nights in/on:

  • Private Rooms: 226
  • Dorms: 129
  • Apartments: 94
  • Work exchange programs: 71
  • Our Bulgarian house:  24
  • Five star cruise ships: 14
  • Friends’ Homes: 12
  • Tents: 9
  • Buses:  8
  • Couch Surfer’s Homes: 5
  • Under the Desert Stars:  3
  • Vendor Tents at Music Festivals: 3
  • Trains: 7
  • Airports: 4
  • Felucca: 2
  • Cars: 1
  • Private Islands: 1
  • A Volcano, watching the sun rise:  1

Meals:

  • Average daily food cost: $9.24 (CAD)
  • Meals cooked/eaten in: 59%
  • Meals eaten out: 27%
  • Meals included with accommodation/tours: 12%
  • Free meals: 2%

Health:

  • Weight lost:
    • Ashley: 35 pounds
    • Mike: 26 pounds
  • Most consecutive days without showering: 5
  • Days sick:
    • Ashley: 17
    • Mike: 3
  • Number of doctor’s visits:  2

Other:

  • Photos taken: 10335
  • Number of times we were robbed:  5 (once involved a monkey and some bananas)
  • Books read:  122
  • Postcards sent: 58
  • Postcards received by recipients:  53
  • Souvenirs purchased: 0
  • Hottest temperature experienced:  43°C
  • Number of times we paid to get laundry done:  2
  • Cribbage games won:
    • Ashley:  16
    • Mike: 11
  • Accumulated cribbage points:
    • Ashley: 2610
    • Mike:  2517
  • Mountains Summited:  4
    • Indian Nose (1800 m), San Pedro La Laguna, Guatemala
    • Volcan San Pedro (3020 m), San Pedro La Laguna, Guatemala
    • Volcan Santa Maria (3772 m), Quetzaltenango, Guatemala
    • Volcan Telico (1061 m), Leon, Nicaragua
  • Total Time Spent Underwater:  79 hours 50 min
  • UNESCO World Heritage sites visited: 30
    • Chichen Itza, Mexico
    • Uxmal, Mexico
    • Campeche, Mexico
    • Palenque, Mexico
    • Tikal, Guatemala
    • Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System, Caye Caulker, Belize
    • Leon Cathedral, Leon, Nicaragua
    • Copan Ruinas, Copan, Honduras
    • Antigua, Guatemala
    • Works of Antoni Gaudi, Barcelona, Spain
    • Banks of the Seine, Paris, France
    • Palace and Park of Versailles, Versailles, France
    • Route of Santiago de Compostela, Spain
    • Pyrénées – Mont Perdu Region, France/Spain
    • Burgos Cathedral, Spain
    • Santiago de Compostela (Old Town), Spain
    • Historic Centre of Vienna, Austria
    • Palace and Gardens of Schönbrunn, Vienna, Austria
    • Wachua Cultural Region, near Melk, Austria
    • Historic City Centre of Salzburg, Austria
    • Historic Areas of Istanbul, Turkey
    • Goreme National Park and the Rock Sites of Cappadocia, Turkey
    • Xanthos-Letoon, Turkey
    • Hierapolis-Pammukale, Turkey
    • Historic Cairo, Egypt
    • The Pyramid Fields from Giza to Dashur, Egypt
    • Nubian Monuments from Abu Simbel to Philae, Egypt
    • Ancient Thebes with its Necropolis, Egypt
    • Angkor, Cambodia
    • Historic City of Ayutthaya, Thailand

Holidays spent abroad:

  • Mike’s 29th Birthday (July 31, 2011) – banana bread and a carton of wine in San Pedro La Laguna, Guatemala
  • Guatemalan Independence Day (September 15, 2011) – checking out the Independence fair in Xela, Guatemala
  • Ashley’s 27th (Champagne) Birthday (September 27, 2011) – ice cream cake, banana bread, and champagne in Coban/Semuc Champey, Guatemala
  • Thanksgiving (Canadian) & Celebrations for Belize’s Colombus/Pan American Day (October 10, 2011) – stewed chicken, rice & beans, and coconut pie in Caye Caulker, Belize
  • Halloween (October 31, 2011) – checking out the local kids’ costumes at Jewel Cay, Honduras
  • Remembrance Day (November 11, 2011) – underwater moment of silence at 11 am while scuba diving in Utila, Honduras
  • Christmas Eve (December 24, 2011) – shared a dinner of raost chicken, stuffing, homemade perogies, and eggnog with friends on Jewel Cay, Honduras
  • Christmas (December 25, 2011) – diving & turkey dinner with our landlord on Jewel Cay, Honduras
  • New Year’s Eve (December 31, 2011) – quiet night in our apartment (Ashley had the flu) listening to music and fire crackers at midnight on Jewel Cay, Honduras
  • Valentine’s Day (February 14, 2012) – a little Valentine’s rice and some bull-riding (spectators only) at a local Valentine’s festival near Hacienda Merida, Isla Ometepe, Nicaragua
  • St. Patrick’s Day (March 17, 2012) – planting and harvesting fruits and veggies at an organic farm in El Salvador, then chatting with new friends and drinking some homemade chicha (organic, non-alcoholic fruit beer) near San Andres Ruinas, El Salvador
  • Good Friday/Easter (April 6 and 8, 2012) – watching Semana Santa processions, getting pickpocketed, and wandering the streets looking at the beautiful carpets in Antigua, Guatemala
  • Our 5th Wedding Anniversary (June 30, 2012) -biking along the Donau/Danube River in Austria, checking out castles along the way.  Then, sharing a bottle of cider and homemade wholewheat pizza.
  • Canada Day (July 1, 2012) – drinking Austrian beer and relaxing at our apartment in Loosdorf, Austria
  • Mike’s 30th Birthday (July 31, 2012) – Relaxing at the lake in Belgrade, Serbia; then getting lost on the buses on the way back, followed by Serbian beer and oodles of pastries
  • Ashley’s 28th Birthday (September 27, 2012) – Pizza party with new friends in Vishovgrad, Bulgaria.  After a gorgeous day of sunshine and 32 degree temperatures, we had homemade pizzas, homemade chocolate cake, beer, wine, and rakia.  We rounded out the evening with a soak in the jacuzzi.
  • Canadian Thanksgiving (October 8, 2012) – Had an early celebration on Friday at Curry Night at the local cafe in the Bulgarian village we can now call home.  Instead of pumpkin pie?  Walnut tart!
  • Halloween (October 31, 2012) – Exploring the Basilica Cistern in Istanbul, Turkey
  • 10 Years Together (November 30, 2012)– Visiting the eternal chimera flames near Olympos, Turkey
  • Christmas (December 25, 2012)– Chocolate Santas and pitas in Alexandria, Egypt
  • New Year’s Eve (December 31, 2012) – Sleeping on a Felucca, floating on the Nile between Aswan and Luxor, Egypt
  • Valentine’s Day (February 14, 2013) – Exploring the temples of Angkor Wat, Cambodia
  • St. Patrick’s Day (March 17, 2013) – Learning how to cook Thai food and sharing some beers with our new friends

17 Responses to “Travel Statistics”

  1. Skott says:

    I am being very sincere when I say I am terribly jealous of your nerdiness….these stats are killer!!!!

  2. Mike Lenzen says:

    Thanks Skott.

  3. Nothing nerdy about it! We got to know this stuff. Thanks for the info. I would say so far you are doing well considering how early in your travels you are. The first few weeks always cost the most.

    • Mike Lenzen says:

      We’ve discovered Guatemala is a lot cheaper than Mexico. We’re paying less here, and two thirds of our expenses are our Spanish Classes.

  4. Susan Lenzen says:

    That toally sucks that someone stole your camera! Good thing you guys have two. Are there a ton of people in Xela for the festival?

    • Mike Lenzen says:

      I’m too scared to bring out my good camera,there are a tonne of people. Not sure if we’re going back to the fair grounds or not.

  5. Mica says:

    Damn, this Thailand trip has seen me put 20 pounds on. I miss living in South America, I have gotten so chubby these last 3 months. Crazy. When you have a motorbike you get soooo lazy. Can’t wait to sell it and get walking again. Even the gym doesn’t help us here!

    • Mike Lenzen says:

      We’ve been getting a bit lazy lately too. We’ve just spent that last 3 weeks or so in Belize and Honduras soaking up the sun on islands and diving. It’s a lot of fun, but a man needs the odd mountain to climb to help keep the pounds off.

  6. Shelley says:

    Love the stats and other journey tickers! I’m headed to Xela tomorrow, will look through your posts for some suggestions.

  7. Tiffany says:

    These stats are great! I must admit though that I wish our current daily average was around $50… Right now it’s up at about $75, mostly because we’re traveling more/faster 🙁

    How are you guys managing to live cheaply in Europe?

    • Ashley Lenzen says:

      Thanks Tiffany!

      Europe has been a challenge for our budget, but we’re getting by. So far, we spent a week in Barcelona (which cost about $55/day), a week in Paris (at a hefty $107/day), and we’ve been walking the Camino de Santiago in Spain for the past few weeks (I think we’re spending somewhere in the neighbourhood of $40/day while we walk).

      To keep costs down, we look for hostels with kitchens, cook as much of our own food as we can, and explore the local cuisines through regional wines, cheeses, breads, and pastries rather than eating out all the time. We also skip a lot of the entrance fees for tourist destinations – we spend money on those we really want to see, and pass on the others. You can get a lot of entertainment from just walking around a new city and admiring the parks and architecture.

      And you’re absolutely right… the faster you travel, the higher your costs will be.

  8. […] get connected and learn from thousands of savvy travelers around the world.  We have always been thrifty travelers, but now we're experts on thrifty travel.  We know how to get free hotel stays, how to get […]

  9. Robyn says:

    omg, how were you robbed 5 times?

    • Mike Lenzen says:

      Well, we were pick pocketed twice in large crowds in Guatemala. We had a bag stolen while on a chicken bus. Our hotel room was broken into in Thailand. And finally, Ashley’s parents had their beach bag pilfered in Costa Rica. At least we were never held up at knife/gun point. All in all, it was a few hundred dollars to replace everything we needed to replace.

  10. Silvia says:

    Amazing stats! And Mike I was born the same day, but I’m one year younger 🙂

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