Pal, I'm the last person in the world who would be considered a credit card tourer -- I camped under a typhoon in Japan last september, and have spent many other nights outdoors in a variety of conditions. But if I'm going to spend $2,000 on return airfares to another country, why would I then worry about penny-pinching to save a few dollars, and miss out on trying some of the local food? And what's wrong with the occasional night in more formal accommodation? What's wrong with seeing how the locals live? Or visiting some of the local attractions?

Is the essence of touring that you have to ride with your head down from dusk to dawn, and stay in a tent *every* night? That doesn't sound like a very rewarding tour to me.

What about those of us who have seen both ends of the scale? I spent all of my teens and the early part of my adulthood living technically below the poverty line. One of the reasons I can now live without a motor vehicle so easily is because I was raised by a single mother who couldn't afford one. I had to save for 18 months just to buy a department store bike at that time. Don't try to glorify being "poor", because I can tell you from experience that virtually every poor person in the world would trade places with one of those people with money in an instant. Again, is the essence of touring that you have to pretend to be "poor"?

And perhaps, instead of generalising about everyone else here, maybe you'd like to show us your touring credentials.

This is all getting off topic. The original question was from an aspiring tourer, who wants to know how much it's going to cost him to do a tour. As can be seen from the various replies to this thread, the answer to that question is going to be a matter of individual preference. Something the OP will need to learn from experience.