Touring - How much money?

Ok, here's my situation. I've never done an extremely long tour like the one I'm planning (cross country, detroit to pacific ocean, and back), and I don't know how much money to take along. I've done shorter ones, a week or so, but in that case I'd just take cash, or charge it...but I don't want to take a huge wad of cash lest I get robbed, and don't want to charge everything because I hate hate hate paying interest, and I'll be gone for a few months so I wouldn't be able to pay the card off each month as I usually do. So, I'm taking travelers checks, but...well, how much should I take?

Obviously I don't expect y'all to know how much total, but what is your experience with how much money per day?

Keep in mind, I'm camping the whole way, and live pretty simple: don't smoke, rarely drink, eat simple and not at resteraunts, etc (ok ok, i'm cheap...thrifty, I say ;) ). I don't mind stealth camping but won't likely do it every night, want to hit a few national parks on the way.

and don't want to charge everything because I hate hate hate paying interest, and I'll be gone for a few months so I wouldn't be able to pay the card off each month as I usually do.

You can make advance payments to your credit card and thus avoid any interest penalty. For example, I recently paid my Discover card $600 in advance of a few purchases I planned. I have about $150 in extra cash there for the last couple of months waiting until I decide which items I will buy. Credit card companies will hold money toward purchases for several months before attempting to balance the card.

You should be able to estimate daily costs. If you plan to camp most nights figure maybe $18 on average (some campgrounds charge little $8 to $12 while others charge $25), then food costs, if you are thirfty like you say, should be maybe $15 a day, so that totals to about $30 to $40 a day.

I tried to keep my food/drink spending to $20 a day which was possible but for me it was the bottom line limit. I didnt cook at all or do anything too harsh like buy boxes of saltines to save $$$. I had a breakfast at a diner or dunkin donuts, lunch somewhere snack or two drank water maybe a gatorade along the way, and then dinner..

As for what to bring, Id say bring a couple of $20 bills, and an ATM card.. bring the credit card to charge hotels every now and then, or use the ATM card... Travelers checks seem like a hassle maybe? (ive never used them before)

Youll be fine, youre going to be passing stores and banks, getting cash shouldn't be a problem.

enjoy!
~Steve

Travelling simply (camping/hostels rather than hotels) you can live on about $30/day. Therefore I try to have somewhere between $100 and $200 in cash, as well as my debit card and my credit card. I use my debit card to withdraw more money once or twice a week as needed, and my credit card to pay for things like hostels, who will accept credit cards.


I wouldn't carry travellers cheques at all. I don't know about the US, but they aren't often accepted here in Canada anymore. I haven't seen them since sometime in the mid-1980s. We use debit cards up here instead.

My god. What do you people do? $20/day for a tour with stealth camping?

I have found, that with stealth camping, I spend about $5 a day. No drinking, smoking, or restaurants.

My god. What do you people do? $20/day for a tour with stealth camping?

I have found, that with stealth camping, I spend about $5 a day. No drinking, smoking, or restaurants.

Who said anything about stealth camping the whole way? If you take a room in a hostel, that's about $20 right there. The next night you might camp in an official campground - that's about $10. And the next night you might stealth camp - $0. Average over the three nights ... $10/night.


Plus food. I'm not a big fan of eating in restaurants all the time, grocery stores are usually fine. But if you're in a National Park, even grocery stores can be expensive. And it is nice to stop in at a restaurant, or donut shop, or wherever, now and then for some variety.

Plus entertainment. You can spend your whole tour cycling ... or you can sprinkle your tour with other activities. When I was in Australia, I did cruises - out to the Great Barrier Reef, up the Gordon River, etc. I also visited museums and historic places. And if you're going to go into a National Park, you've got to pay the park fees.

Sure ... you can do a $5/day tour, which might suit you ...... or you can tour inexpensively, yet with touches of luxury now and then. :)

It's all about food.

If you get in the habit of buying a candy bar here, a cappachino there, here a hogie, there a slurpee, a slice of apple pie.. then ya.. you are gonna spend $30/p.d. without even blinking.

I live on PBJ's, fruit, cheese and gorp during the day, and mac/cheese and a can of mystery meat at night.

I averaged $10 a day stealth camping every single day. I could have done it on $6 a day had I not been a sucker for those 20oz cold sodas at $1 a shot & fast food joints every other day. Gas stores will suck cash from you very quick. Get Little Debbie's from the supermarket instead of buying candy bars.

I agree with the others, carry some cash, use an ATM card or a prepaid VISA/Mastercard and carry an emergency $20 somewhere hidden. Also a good idea to have someone keep your ATM/VISA/MC number in case you lose the card and need a replacement.

And I've haven't heard of anyone getting robbed while touring. The biggest mishap that happens is people forgetting stuff like wallets at the library, gear at the campsite, etc.

http://biketour.ne1.net

And I've haven't heard of anyone getting robbed while touring. The biggest mishap that happens is people forgetting stuff like wallets at the library, gear at the campsite, etc.



That's one of the reasons I keep my money in a variety of places when I travel.

thanks people. Like I said, I will probably be stealth camping at least some of the time. And entertainment for me is hiking, reading, writing, and watching a campfire. And of course riding. Simple pleasures are the best :)

Use a credit card when necessary, get cash from ATMs as you need it and pay off your credit card online or put a bunch on money on your credit card in advance.

No need to haul several months worth of cash when your travels will be in the US the whole time.

I think most credit cards allow you to setup automatic payments that are deducted from your checking account each month on a specified date. I always pay my credit card off in full and when I left, it was all automatic - no interest or late payments to worry about. The same thing with my cell phone. Automatic every month on the same day.

[QUOTE=TrippinBTM]Ok, here's my situation. I've never done an extremely long tour like the one I'm planning (cross country, detroit to pacific ocean, and back), and I don't know how much money to take along. I've done shorter ones, a week or so, but in that case I'd just take cash, or charge it...but I don't want to take a huge wad of cash lest I get robbed, and don't want to charge everything because I hate hate hate paying interest, and I'll be gone for a few months so I wouldn't be able to pay the card off each month as I usually do. So, I'm taking travelers checks, but...well, how much should I take?

The answer to your question is to use a debit card - no interest, no cash on you to get stolen or lost and no hassle of traveler's checks.

travelor checks you will have trouble..sometimes using. you may try a prepaid visa card..they are like $5 bucks to buy..and you can load the amount you want to stay within budget, and accepted everywhere.
Mind you I say this and have never toured..it sounds fun..how do you guys do it..take off from work..or are you rich!?!

Call me old fashioned, but I still use traveller's cheques. I don't carry them on every trip, but when I do, I have had no trouble exchanging them at any bank in any country I have visited, including "non-Western" lands like Turkey, India, and Sri Lanka. They are very safe because the companies do replace them if they are somehow lost. (But you need to carefully record information about the cheques you do cash so you can make a case, and you have to follow their rules to the letter.) Some banks (including my credit union) issue traveller's cheques for free. Unlike credit cards, there are never interest payments or late fees. Finally, I have stayed at B+Bs that do not accept credit cards, but happily accept traveller's cheques.

Don't you have an ATM card?

for local tours i take a little cash for day to day use, an ATM card and a credit card for those unexpected necessities ...

on my aussie tours, i took a little more cash than i was comfortable with, but spread between panniers, handlebar bag, money belt and wallet ... the pocket in your pannier where the support backboard goes is perfect for hiding away flat things, such as some large money bills, copies of passport and credit cards etc ...
my ATM card has a 'plus' or 'cirrus' sign on the back, which means it can be used at compatible ATM machines worldwide ...

i have used two credit cards in the past ... one loaded with money in advance that i can draw on for cash, and the other as straigt credit card for those unexpected big purchases that would otherwise chew through your advance funds ...

most i have ever taken with me? about $1100 aussie dollars ... it is surpising how creative you can be when trying to hide it!
in my experience generally if you look scruffy and unkempt and don't flash large wads of money around, then no-one is going to take a second look at you ... only take bills out of your stash in the safety of your tent or away from prying eyes ...

Call me old fashioned, but I still use traveller's cheques. I don't carry them on every trip, but when I do, I have had no trouble exchanging them at any bank in any country I have visited, including "non-Western" lands like Turkey, India, and Sri Lanka. They are very safe because the companies do replace them if they are somehow lost. (But you need to carefully record information about the cheques you do cash so you can make a case, and you have to follow their rules to the letter.) Some banks (including my credit union) issue traveller's cheques for free. Unlike credit cards, there are never interest payments or late fees. Finally, I have stayed at B+Bs that do not accept credit cards, but happily accept traveller's cheques.
When I cycled in Europe three years ago, the banks charged a huge service fee to cash my traveller's cheques. So I got dinged twice on them. I just use ATMs now.

When I cycled in Europe three years ago, the banks charged a huge service fee to cash my traveller's cheques. So I got dinged twice on them. I just use ATMs now.

Ah yes, service fees. For travellers, there is no escape. It matters not a bit whether you are carrying cash, credit cards, debit cards, traveller's cheques, or drawing money from ATMs. I have been charged usurious fees for using ATMs in Europe to withdraw money from my US or Canadian accounts. Bank charges are almost inevitable.

One of the reasons I like traveller's cheques is that there are ways to avoid paying service. For example, there is no charge to cash American Express TCs at American Express Offices; but these offices are not necessarily there when you need them. Most are located in the heart of heavily touristic zones. On a bike tour, I would not choose to spend two hours navigating through a strange city to save a $3 service fee. However, if I am changing trains in a big city, it's usually not a big deal to find a nearby Amex Office. In the end, I prefer to wring every minute from my limited holiday time than to spent my days trying to avoid every service fee.

Service fees vary from bank to bank and from country to country. I am familiar with two fee models for traveller's cheques: (1) you are charged a fixed fee per transaction. (2) you are charged a percentage of the total transaction. For fee-per-transaction situations, I cash a wad of TCs. For percentage transactions, I cash just enough to get by for a couple of days.

The banks are in business to hoover filthy lucre from your wallet. Any time you are dealing with a bank that is not your own, or you are changing from one currency to another, make your peace with service charges, and prepare to pay, pay, pay!!

Ah yes, service fees. For travellers, there is no escape. It matters not a bit whether you are carrying cash, credit cards, debit cards, traveller's cheques, or drawing money from ATMs. I have been charged usurious fees for using ATMs in Europe to withdraw money from my US or Canadian accounts. Bank charges are almost inevitable.
In the past, I'd had to pay to buy traveller's cheque's, but never to cash them. So I was shocked to find in Europe that not only was there a fee to cash the cheque's, but it was something like 7%. The ATM fee was less than that, so I stick to that now.

Also get some local knowledge about what different banks levy in service charges. I found that in England, Lloyd's TSB had the most reasonable service rates and they never charged me for cashing Visa travellers' cheques that I had purchased at a Canadian bank.

One thing you can do if you want to continue using your credit card without incurring interest, TrippinBTM, is set up an internet login for your credit card account. Then access your account on the web and make an electronic payment from the web (either via your checking account's website or the credit card's website). Lots of public libraries across North America provide free internet access. You could also do what #12 and #13 suggested. There are several possible solutions to your dilemma.

Don't you have an ATM card?

During my trips to the US last summer I made the startling discovery that a surprising number of retail establishments don't have interac capabilities ...... so it is entirely possible that the US members here may not have ATM (aka debit) cards, and even if they had them, they may not be able to use them as frequently as those of us in other countries can.

During my trips to the US last summer I made the startling discovery that a surprising number of retail establishments don't have interac capabilities ...... so it is entirely possible that the US members here may not have ATM (aka debit) cards, and even if they had them, they may not be able to use them as frequently as those of us in other countries can.

Wow, bummer! :(

Call me old fashioned, but I still use traveller's cheques. I don't carry them on every trip, but when I do, I have had no trouble exchanging them at any bank in any country I have visited, including "non-Western" lands like Turkey, India, and Sri Lanka. They are very safe because the companies do replace them if they are somehow lost. (But you need to carefully record information about the cheques you do cash so you can make a case, and you have to follow their rules to the letter.) Some banks (including my credit union) issue traveller's cheques for free. Unlike credit cards, there are never interest payments or late fees. Finally, I have stayed at B+Bs that do not accept credit cards, but happily accept traveller's cheques.


Here in Canada, you can probably cash traveller's cheques in the bank, but good luck using them anywhere else these days! I used to use traveller's cheques when I travelled around Canada. And then all of a sudden one year in about the late 1980s I tried to use them to pay for fuel or something ... and the kid behind the counter wouldn't accept them because he had never seen them before, and it looked like I was trying to pass off some sort of fake cheque or form of money.

If you go with traveller's cheques, be sure you've got some other form of payment along too.

Wow, bummer! :(

I know ... one of my US friends got his first ATM card just before he went to France in 2003 for the PBP. He hadn't needed one where he lived in the US, and still didn't, but knew that it would come in handy in Europe.

My jaw dropped when he told me that because I've had an ATM card forever! I can't remember exactly when I got my first one .... probably since the late 1980s.

And there are only a small handful of places around here in Canada that don't accept them.

Oh come now, everyone I know in the US uses debit cards and barely carries cash any more.

Trick to avoid service fees: Get cash back when you use your debit card at the grocery store. This feature is becoming more common, though I don't know how far it extends into the land of small towns.

There are many places in the USA that won't take traveler's checks. For example, my wife and I were at the Philadelphia Zoo two years ago and they flat-out refused to take them. Makes them next-to-worthless in my book. Check cards (ATM cards with a VISA/MC logo) are the way to go for us now.