Originally Posted by
Aerohip
I ran into a guy this Summer who said that he Toured the US for a year on $600/mth. He was 56 and retired and that was his Pension each Month. I dunno....I find it pretty hard to believe you can survive on $20/day, even if you stealth Camp and use Warmshowers.
It's conceivable.
What we shove in our mouths each day can account for a substantial amount when bicycle touring. As I said in one of my previous posts, if you can cook, you will save a substantial amount. A friend of mine was stranded in NZ several decades ago with no access to money, but he survived by eating oatmeal for most meals and with friends helping out with accommodation for something like a month or longer.
Older hands at touring solo can become very adept at identifying free camping sites that offend no-one and are reasonably safe, even in urban areas. It becomes easier outside cities.
The only wrench in the works would be if there was a catastrophic failure of the bike requiring total replacement.
And frankly, if you had the option of touring by bicycle, or seeing much of your pension disappear into rent in fixed accommodation, I would take the bicycle touring option every time. It's also possible to pick up work here and there to supplement the income.