LuckySailor

If you're looking for something more detailed or in particular, send me a PM.

staehpj1 

While I found a couple posts puzzling, this thread is a pretty good sampling of the various approaches that folks take to touring spending/expenses. Read the responses and try to guess which one fits your style. Then budget plenty of extra. It is more pleasant to tour without having to worry much about expenditures.

Bottom line... You can get by on very little, but a set budget (or a set timetable) can be a joy killer, so allowing more of both and finishing ahead of schedule and under budget is a good way to go. At least that has been my experience.

indyfabz

Heh. Same thing during my group cross the U.S. tour. I still have a hard time eating a PB&J sandwich today.

andrewclaus

Same here. Can't stand it at home. But funny thing is, it's ambrosia when I'm back out on a strenuous tour!

jefnvk

Try touring Belgium and the Netherlands. I didn't touch fries for a good month and a half when I returned!

They were a great, cheap source of energy, though.

thepetester

is so I can learn from those lists,come on guy's I know that we as men are dense by nature but this is getting ridiculous.

thepetester

that's exactly what I was looking for.

You really do splurge but hey as long as you are enjoying yourself.

I plan on pretty much roughing it stealth camping with cold creek baths and cold food(pb&j,jerky,granola,water etc.) With occasional hot meals probably fast food.

My goal is to see a part of the country by bicycle which I've wanted to do since I was a kid before it is gone.

Thanks again for all of the idea's.

staehpj1 

Given those choices $20-25 a day is probably plenty.

As far as stealth camping... If you want to you can probably camp for cheap or free most of the time without resorting to stealth.

BigAura

$20 will do it.

tarwheel 

Weeklong, 400-mile tour from Pittsburgh to Washington DC along the GAP and C&O Canal trails cost me about $500 total for lodging, food, beer and Amtrak rail. Rode with several friends and we shared rooms at inns along the way, which helped defray costs. We stayed at nice places, which often included breakfasts, and didn't camp out. Not a budget tour by any means but costs were reasonable considering the food and accommodations.

thepetester

That sounds really nice,I'm thinking about doing the same it's just that I really don't like hotels/motels also I'm kinda trying to test myself with roughing it.

tarwheel 

There are plenty of nice places to camp along the GAP-C&O trails, as well as hostels and low-cost lodgings in some towns.

BigAura

GAP-C&O trails have plenty of free primitive sites.

tarwheel 

If you haven't visited this website yet, check it out. It has detailed maps of the GAP-C&O route along with information about camping, lodging, food, bike shops, etc. along the way.

Great Allegheny Passage & C&O Canal Trail Trail Maps, Businesses, Events, Mileage, and more

alan s 

I am budgeting $2k for a 10 day trip in Oregon this summer. Includes flights, hotels, camping, food and rental car. So $200 a day averaged out. The problem with asking such an open ended question is that there are too many variables.

alan s 

Oh yeah, and don't forget to budget in the cost of MJ.

indyfabz

+1. Unfortunately, it happens all the time around here.


I am heading to MT in June for 14 days of riding with two travel days. I am not even going to try to come up with a budget because there are so many variables that could affect that, such as where I end up camping, how many times I end up eating out and whether I end up in motels due to weather. Bike packing, shipping and re-assembly are other yet unknown costs. I do know that the flight alone was a hair over $800 and the campground on the day of my arrival is somewhere around $33 with tax. I also booked a motel room near the airport the day before my flight because last year getting a cab from the same campground proved impossible and I had to walk 3 miles at 4 a.m. Forget how much the room is exactly, but I think it is over $100.


In the end, the trip will cost what it ends up costing, and I am prepared to shell out that amount. It's not that I go out of my way to spend as much as possible, but it is my vacation and I don't want to have to be concerned with how much I am shelling out.

alan s 

Exactly. I wouldn't say I have a budget, but rather an estimated cost. It's my vacation, and I'll spend whatever it costs within reason.

tmac100

I tour in Australia. For $1000 AUD I tour for anywhere between 4 to 6 weeks. The longest trip was 2747 km on the paved road between Perth and Peterborough, SA. I did that in 30 days at a cost of $1K (July-Aug 2015). A more remote tour was July-Aug 2006 when I also spent $1K and rode 2100 km mostly on dirt roads between Cairns and Darwin.

It appears costs are greater in Canada/USA but I had low costs because I usually wild camped and cooked many meals on my SIGG Tourist stove.

Thanks for providing more details about your trip. If I were touring on Canada/USA I would camp as much as possible and take $100/day hoping to spend only for food etc. Camping would be ad-hockery but I would pay if I had to - still cheaper than a hotel/motel.

BUT if I could stay in a motel on a rest day, I would certainly consider that as the physical and psychological benefits of occasional comforts have many benefits. Travelling in the rain would add to the expenses and slow me down, methinks - but I don't have much experience with that in my Australian travels.

gracehowler

I think "luckysailor" and "snuts' have it right, Budget hundred a day, if you spend less, ride longer or save for next year. I personally think this number is quite variable depending on your age and "luck" of weather, eateries, hosts, motels, campgrounds, etc, just turn around when half your $ is spent!
R&J

thepetester

So not part of the trip budget,like insulin for a diabetic.

thepetester

Even the low ballers are saying $20-25 a day so I'm assuming that $20 a day in food is necessary,I guess that sounds right,I work a 12 hr job where I'm constantly moving and lifting except for half an hour which costs about $10 a day,I just tried $5 a day and got horribly sick.

It's a good thing that I checked here first because I would have tried $10 a day for food and gotten horribly sick again.

Brian25

I rode from San Francisco to Atlanta in 42 days on $4oo dollars. Staying at hotels and eating at restaurants are financial landmines.

thepetester

but much less miles,the economy may have adjusted for the difference though,thanks for the insight.

Turkey222

I spent $7000 on my trip from Fairbanks, Ak to Whittier and Bellingham, WA to Lynchburg, Virginia. I probably used hotels 40% of the time. Did Olympic Pennisula Loop and Yellowstone Loop so that added a good chunk of spending and time.

My short one-way trip from Lynchburg to Key West cost me $3,000, but I splurged a lot on bars, hotels, and tourist items. I don't even consider that bad considering the amount of money people spend going on vacation for just a week.