Finance

is a very personal subject, but one that many people ask us about. "Do you work along the way?" is the usual question that we get asked, and the answer is "No, we just saved up" That was the answer on the last trip and it is the same on this one.

We have been lucky to have had our children in our younger years, and they are now off our hands and raising families of their own. We have also been lucky enough to have: had good jobs; a good financial planner; become debt free; and not tied ourselves down with a mortgage.

This way of living has allowed us complete control over every dollar we earn. We live very simply; we sit on old furniture; rarely eat take way food; don't use the mobile phone all the time; don't have to have the latest car, boat, or whatever friends of "next door" have; don't watch much TV (no temptations); don't use shopping as a form of entertainment, and the emphasis is on saving not spending. Now if you think that is boring - think of us on the road enjoying ourselves when you are next stuck in traffic or on the freeway to work. We are not saying we are right, but having done that, we know what we prefer and it is definitely a case of " horses for courses".

On our trip around Australia we spent (on average) about $67 per day, and that was for everything, including the storage unit for our stuff and health insurance. On our North American trip we budgeted slightly less ($60 per day). Click Here for the final breakdown and for other thought provoking tips and tricks.

On the road we try and camp in the bush as often as possible because tent sites in most caravan parks can cost anywhere from $15-30, and a night in a motel can be veryexpensive, so a night in the bush is not only more peaceful and enjoyable, but the savings are substantial.

Buying a shower and using the local laundromat are a necessity every now and then, but on the whole we reduce our costs by not spending if we don't have to - every $50-60 saved is another day on the road or goes towards special treats. In addition, having to virtually carry anything we buy sure gives good motivation to leave it on the shelf.

North America Costs (AUD$)

In posting our expenses for this trip we have made a general listing as shown below. The figures and items are real, but for personal reasons we have left some items out. For those who are planning an overseas trip we would suggest that you factor in the following items:

1. monetary exchange rate. despite viewing everything in the local currency, the exchange rate will certainly have an effect on your overall budget, so don't forget to factor this in. Also worth thinking about is the various taxes imposed on you as you travel. We were hit with varying amounts of local, state and federal taxes as we traveled, and, like many countries these days, there is no way of getting them back like you used to be able to do. We recommend using XE as a reliable online source for this

2. financial institution costs related to foreign exchange. We were slugged up to USD$4 by the various institutions in North America for the use of their ATM's. In addition our own financial institution charged us AUD$4.10 for their costs due to the foreign exchange. That is around AUD$12 every time we drew money out of our account. This is something all financial institutions do but some shopping around before you go might alleviate some of this issue for you. Buying items on a credit card puts a halt to the problem, but you have to remember to pay the bill before it is due, to ensure you are not paying interest on your spending. In general we always paid cash for anything (campsites etc) under $20.

3. anticipated, non bike related transport costs. We hired a few vehicles for non bike travel related occasions, so a check of your possible needs in this area is worthwhile.

3. health/travel insurance. We obtained travel insurance through World Nomads where we were able to buy insurance for insurance that fitted our needs. They specialise in insurance for nomads and sell it by multiples of a day, week, month or year, and allow you to extend your policy as you need it. A much more flexible method.

4. maintaining various items back in your home country. mobile phones, rent, mortgage, storage, vehicle registrations/insurance, filing your tax return and voting in elections (if you live in a country like Australia where voting is compulsory) etc, etc, etc.

5. a slush fund. We used a high interest account (ING Savings Maximiser) as a slush fund for emergency money that was not connected to our main source of cash, and we also made sure we had a credit card with an amount of money attached that we could purchase large items or that was large enough to assist us in a dire emergency.

6. non camping accommodation. This can be rather expensive no matter the level of accommodation you choose, so be prepared for it. If you have Internet access as you travel, use it to find the cheap prices, and if you are a member of an automobile club in your own country, try asking if they give a local club discount and if so if they will honour yours. We found this worked quite well in North America.

7. postage. Foreign postal services can be fickle and not what you are used to, so it is worthwhile looking into them and their international charges, especially if you are planning on sending that must have souvenir or trinket home. In addition, if you get or send things ahead, be sure to give itplenty of time to get there, and also investigate paying that little bit more for insurance, and always get a tracking label or number for it. Speaking from experience, don't always assume that their system will be good and will perform as you expect by not losing the item.

8. post return expenses. If you are like us and get rid of things before you go, to save storage, spoiling, or an excuse to get newwhen you return, dont forget that it always costs more to buy the items again later, and that other associated costs with your return will have also gone up.

Costs

Item	Cost
Food	$7,635.80
Misc Items	$4,257.33
Clothes	$2,652.62
Camping Equipment (New)	$2,128.51
Camping Fees	$942.94
Camping Repairs	$8.38
Bike Equipment (New)	$2,018.61
Bike Maintenance	$862.62
Phone	$378.45
Solar Equipment	$301.99
Postage	$127.68
Laundry	$98.37
Internet Access	$89.36
Stove Fuel	68.65
Showers	$11.50
Water	$7.92
Airfares	$7,006.48
Vaccinations	$378.45
Personal Expenditure	$5132.38
Tourism	$3,100
TOTAL	$34,108.04