I think it's quite the opposite. Processed foods and junk foods tend to cost much more as far as I can see.

They probably do cost more for the benefits you get, however, $0.99 frozen pizza vs handmade pizza, which is more expensive?

Edit: Sorry for getting off topic here

+1 Got that right!

I'm not so sure. Good combination of super cheap over-processed stuff, roll through a farmer's market(I stock up on corn and kohlrabi because they last well in heat), keep a fairly relaxed pace, and it might be possible. Depends a lot on what season and area you're in, of course. What ruins me is the sudden craving for an -entire- bag of milky way minis.

I agree 100%. It isn't that hard to spend $20 a week on fresh fruits alone.

Yeah my diets not the best, but I love bananas, and every once in awhile Ill throw in apples.

I guess what its fair to say is that $20 a week ON TOUR is a very hard thing to accomplish, you'd never be able to eat out, and with small town items being more expensive along the way, it would be hard. But at home, its easily done to eat on $20 a week. I dont eat a bunch of processed ****, the .99c pizza I buy one a week. I live on a lot of grain products, whole wheat bread, etc. Spaghetti is dirt cheap to make, and delicious. I make alot of my own food too, including bread sometimes, and the other things I included on the list.

staehpj1 I dont count the beer as money towards "food" on my list. I dont drink it for the caloric benefits, and its not something I even drink every week, but at times I can spend a bit on beer.

Sorry if I got this off topic, but I too was asking for enlightenment.

I was kidding about the beer, well sort of anyway.

Folks expenses for food vary pretty widely both at home and on tour. The best thing I can advise is to do what it takes to enjoy your tour whether that means scrimping or splurging.

One thing that keeps my food expense fairly high is recovery drinks. Between chocolate milk, fruit juices, and sports drinks I probably spend at least $20 a week before you count a bit of food. Add in jerky, candy bars, gorp, fruit, and fig newtons and I might have spent another $20 a week and that is all snacks between meals. I figure I am doing real well if I hold it to $70 a week for food and it doesn't worry me if I go well over that sometimes.

I apologize if I offended you. I was really just asking for enlightenment. Also I did respond directly to the OP"s question in my earlier response.

Do you eat out as well, or do you really live on burgers, frozen pizza and beans for dinner?

Eating nice meals out is part of the fun while being on vacation for me. On my European trip this summer, I plan to spend as much money on good food as is humanly possible!

Regarding the $20/week thing ... it is doable if you live in a city or larger town with decent grocery stores and other food places so you can shop around. When I was in university recently, living in Edmonton, I was able to live on $20/week, and before that my ex-husband and I survived on $30/week in Winnipeg.

So in certain areas you can sustain life on quite low sums of money. However, I wouldn't want to live like that for any length of time ... I like my cheese and fresh fruit too much. And really ... why not spend more!! Why not enjoy a variety of food.

In other parts of the world, however, living on $20/week is quite difficult to do. I sense an assumption in this thread that if it is possible to live on $20/week in one part of the world, it's possible everywhere ... and that's not true. I've made comments already in this thread that the cost of food goes up once you get out into small towns or touristy towns ... and if you live in small towns or touristy towns, you'll also be paying more for groceries each week.

As it happens, Rowan and I live and work in a small town near a touristy area in Australia ... and it would be very challenging for the two of us to survive on $40/week. If we lived in Melbourne, that might be possible ... but not out here.

And this relates back to touring. If you are one of the lucky ones to live in an area with inexpensive groceries ... don't assume that you will be paying the same prices for groceries everywhere you go. Prices vary widely depending on several different factors.

There is even quite a difference in prices between the grocery store in the town where we live, and the grocery store in the town on the lake (right in the middle of the touristy area) a mere 25 km away. We've cycled to the town on the lake, and choke on the prices there if we want to buy a snack before heading back. I went to buy a 600 ml bottle of coke and a banana in one of the shops, and the checkout lady rang it up at $6. Yes ... $6 for a small bottle of soft drink and a banana. I decided I wasn't that hungry or thirsty and left it behind, but if you're on a tour, and it's late, and you don't want to cycle 1-2 hours to the next town to get something less expensive, you may be stuck paying those prices.


Regarding carrying food ... I have a guideline regarding the weight of the things I bring on a tour. The bicycle + all-the-gear-I've-got-with-me should not exceed 1/2 my body weight. I've done quite a bit of experimenting on tours, and when the bicycle + all-the-gear-I've-got-with-me exceeds 1/2 my body weight I struggle ... I struggle to maintain any kind of pace on flat ground, I really struggle on climbs, I struggle if I have to haul the gear between trains or up and down stairs in hostels. However if I keep the bicycle + all-the-gear-I've-got-with-me weight at or below 1/2 my body weight, I'm reasonably comfortable on a tour.

Because I don't weigh a huge amount, I need to be rather choosy about what I bring with me ... and hauling a week's worth of oatmeal, rice, flour, etc. isn't going to happen. I'd rather carry an extra pair of warm wooly socks!

Aside from which, I am the type of cycletourist who likes to try out the food in the area where I'm travelling rather than relying on the old, traditional basics.


And this is something the OP is going to have to consider. It has been asked before, but not answered:

What is the goal of this trip? Is it a personal accomplishment to cover a certain distance in a relatively short period of time? Or is it actually to see a bit of the country you're crossing?

If it is the latter, the OP might want to factor in the cost of stopping to see certain sights along the way, trying out a variety of food, etc.


On my 90 day tour of Australia, one of the best parts was the cruise out to the Great Barrier Reef. It cost quite a bit of money, and was time off the bicycle, but it was well worth it!

If you were living in Melbourne it would probably cost a lot more. I know that up here my weekly food bill usually exceeds $100, and that's before the current flooding that we just had (bananas are currently running at $38/kg, despite the fact that they're grown in the Tweed Valley, which is only 30km away). A co-worker of mine living in similar circumstances to me has the same comments. I live alone and rarely eat out or order Pizza. I could probably live on McDonalds and get by a lot cheaper, but I'd rather eat decent food and have my fruit and vegetables fresh. Interestingly, I tend to eat out a lot more often on tour, without any real noticeable change in my food bill. Go figure.

Personally, I'm not a fan of living on lentils or dried fruit exclusively. I'm also of the opinion that sampling the local produce/delicacy is part of what makes a tour worthwhile. I ate out almost every day in Japan because the food was just so awesome, and I found it added to the experience of the tour. Really, the OP needs to work this out for himself. Sure, there are ways he can save money, but is he going to enjoy eating the same food day after day?

Really, all this arguing about how much people spend on tour is just a waste of everyone's time (apart from those who want the ego boost that comes with saying "I only spend $1.50 for a year on the road, so I can't understand why all those Africans are starving"). What the OP really needs to do is go on a shorter tour of a few days (or maybe a week), and learn from experience what his food bill is likely to be when on tour. Of course, he'll also learn a few other things that way that will benefit him on the big tour, too.

Obviously I eat out sometimes, I'll take my girlfriend to dinner now and again, and once in awhile with friends, but maybe only once every few weeks, not enough to count.

That list wasnt every single thing Ive ever cooked or made. There's other things like eggs and potatoes and similar cheap foods. And somethings on the list can be made into a million different things like noodles. I was just giving a sample of how easy it is to only spend $20 on food when at home

Not all of these foods can be taken on tours, but you'd be suprised how many of them can. dry milk and granola is delicious and dense with calories, I usually eat that and some protein powder for breakfast. Granola bars and nutri grains for snacks. Dried fruit is really good too. Some sort of sandwhich for lunch, and when on tours I usually eat fast food or go to a restraunt for dinners.

I don't understand where people get the idea that you can't have any variety, nutrition or even fruit cheaply.
I love fresh fruit, can enjoy wonderful variety of dishes with simple ingredients, and NEVER resort to fast food or junk food in any circumstances.
And it never feels like any kind of hardship...

Is it just the prevailing mindset of the credit card tourist to think that staying in hotels and eating at expensive restaurants gets them closer to the reality of the culture and environment of the place they're cycling in?

I'm not trying to insult anybody. I guess people who have always had money can't imagine how to live without it, and people who have always lived without it can't see any need for it.

You might not be trying, but you are succeeding.

Back off with your generalisations. I think very few people on this Touring forum are credit card tourists. with the mindset you portray. I may not have met some of the posters here, but I have a really good feel for what they have done and how they go about it. Maybe you should read and consider before trying to make your comments.

I also should ask: What touring experience have you got?

What do you mean? Read and consider what?

Other threads ... people's websites and blogs (see signature lines). Get to know the people here a little bit before you generalise incorrectly about us. You're making all sorts of assumptions here ................... and many of those assumptions are insulting.



And tell us about your touring experience ... maybe start an intro thread ("Hi, I'm Harutz and last summer I .... ") so that this thread can return to being about the OP's question.

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.

Thanks for the reply.

And I don't understand the black and white thinking that says one either eats healthy or one eats junk food and at fast food restaurants. Most people fall somewhere in between.
Oh, please. That's just nonsense. If you camp on tour, you'll meet different people in the campground areas than the people you would meet in hotels and restaurants. Neither of them are more or less valid experiences of the culture. In both places you'll meet fellow travelers. Moreover, a credit card tourist can safely secure the bike in the hotel, get cleaned up, and then go out as a "normal" person among the population. I'm NOT saying this is a superior way to travel, only that it means there are tradeoffs to all these choices and this is one for the credit card tourer.
Well, you are being insulting. You don't have to be rich to be a credit card tourer, and even if someone is rich and decides to do a credit card tour, so what? The only difference is that they have more money than others, and you are trying to say that their use of money is inhibiting their experiences because they aren't doing it the "right" way. Also, it's a very poor generalization that people who have the means to stay in hotels have never had it rough financially. Geez.

Undisputed, I think if you make it to about $1,500 you can do it. And that is at the high end of your time estimates at 60 days...it gives you a luxurious $25 a day. Riding East to West, make sure you capitalize on the free lodging opportunities. As I mentioned in one of my replies here, I have planned 48 overnight stays that are virtually free. Bear in mind that it is good manners to leave a small donation at churches, and maybe bring something to the dinner table of Warmshowers hosts. Of those 48 overnight stops, most of them are on the first half of the E-W route. After that overnight costs go up because of a lack of free overnight opportunities, of course stealth camping is the exception.

I think you can do it...if; you include cooking a majority of your meals, capitalize on free overnight opportunities, make motel stays an absolute rare occurrence, and shorten most of your days by at least 20 miles.

As some have mentioned, your mileage is way optimistic. When you get into the Appalachian Mountains, those miles are going to be somewhat painful. Some of the distances required are long and necessary due to a lack of overnight opportunities. Many riders have classified a couple of those days as some of the most challenging of the whole trip. I know from experience that they are tough as chewing on shoe leather. There is some pain associated with climbing all day long. What goes with that is a critical mindset...many riders have given up their dream trip when they got into those mountains. If you're considering hundred mile days while crossing them, you may be setting yourself up for failure. Maybe not, but you will be worn out by the end of each day; the attraction of a motel stay might be hard to pass up, resulting in motel stays that might throw you off your budget.

No. I like, for example, striped bass baked with with Herbs de Provence and olve oil. The fish generally runs about $14/lb. here in the big city. So, if I stick with an 8 oz. portion, that's more than 1/3 of a $20/week budget right there, not including the spinach salad and artisan bread to go with it. Hell. My at-home morning coffee probably costs about $2/week.

I don't eat like that because I love spending money. I eat like that because it tastes good.

Judgemental indeed.

All this talk about food is already making me hungry....

I can attest to the increased appetite that comes with weeks of extended physical effort- I'm a little guy, but I've amazed people at how much I need to chow down when the calories haven't been coming in enough. I'll start eating meals every 2 to 3 hours and all i can think about is FOOD! I figure I'll eat at least twice as much on tour as I do at home.

A bike tour costs $319.54.
That's my final answer.