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Establish your budget
To establish your budget you can :
1. First of all trace the ideal journey you would like to
have and calculate the necessary budget
OR
2. Stick to the budget you can afford yourself and then
trace your journey.
Method 1 : The ideal journey
First of all ask yourself these questions and write down your
answers : which destination interests me the most? What will be
the duration of the trip? What kind of activities will I do
(underwater diving, hiking, visiting museums, language courses,
humanitarian work, etc.)?
Search in travel guides, such as Lonely Planet, and on Internet
for places that correspond to you needs. On a map, trace the
places you would like to visit and trace the itinerary. Evaluate
the time and costs necessary for the realization of your
circuit. Then, calculate the costs of housing, transportation
between the destinations, meals and activities
(see
the budget grid).
Add the costs of the plane ticket and the essential documents
such as visa and passport. Establish a detailed list of the
equipments you will need. Mark the material you already have and
write the approximate cost of the material you will need.
Now is your turn to find the money necessary to accomplish the
journey of your dreams. If you need to, eliminate destinations
or activities if the cost is too high. Be careful to not make
your future destination annoying by eliminating too many
activities. Know that the most ambitious projects are usually
those who give us the most motivation.
Method 2 : A trip you can afford
Maybe you already know your budget, the time you have and an
idea of where you would like to go. Then subtract your expenses
prior to your departure (see
the budget grid) from your actual budget and divide
the rest by the number of days you will be gone.
Check in the travel guides the costs of housing, transportation,
meals and activities to evaluate if your budget is reasonable or
not. Keep a 10% margin in case something happens.
Did you here about the Big Mac index? Know that the price of a
Big Mac is one of the most reliable clue to know the cost of
living in many countries of the world.
Visit
http://www.economist.com/markets/Bigmac/Index.cfm.
Be disciplined
Be careful, because when you’re traveling there are many
occasions to spend your fortune and many offers are tempting.
Know how to control yourself or else you will have spent all
your money and will find yourself in a precarious situation.
See other tricks
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