Costs per day?

[davidbonn]

I'm curious what people budget for per-day costs on journey.

There are a crazy number of variables that can throw this number all over the place.  Travel in expensive places or more expensive countries is much more expensive.  If you are credit card touring lodging costs are going to make your daily costs much higher than if you were camping.  And if you are eating hearty restaurant meals every day that will cost much more than just buying food at a grocery store and preparing it yourself.

Also camping costs can vary between nothing at all to over $50 per night in some locations.

Solo travel is obviously going to be more expensive as well because those campsite costs and motel stays will be borne by just one beating heart.

For me, eating mostly grocery store food and camping out two nights out of three or three nights out of four I usually end up between $75-$100 per day.  Which seems expensive but in the PNW most decent motels push $150+ per night so that is a big portion of the expenses.

[John Nelson]

My tours have averaged from $15 to $70 a day. It’s easy to see how those numbers could be much higher.

[John Nettles]

As you say, it can vary by magnitudes depending on how and where you tour.

For solo tours, mine are anywhere between $15 (ambient temp food from grocery store, CS snacks, and free camping) to $225 (cheaper hotels/pensions in Europe while eating out and seeing the touristy sites).  Generally, though I spend around $125/day in North America since I eat out mostly and stay in hotels maybe 1/3 to 1/2 the time.  Does not included transportation to/from. 

For reference, on my first major tour (TransAm) back in 82, I (or my Dad more accurately) spent ~$1,900 for a 78-day crossing which included a motel every 10 days or so, eating out mostly, and a postcard sent home every day to Mom.  Actually, went through an entire roll of 500 stamps (don't make that size anymore!). Does not include the every 3 day collect calls home either. So maybe about $6,200 or so in today's dollars so it probably hasn't changed that much if camping mostly except it is getting harder to find campgrounds.

Tailwinds, John

[Westinghouse]

In eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, $5.00 a day was more than adequate, but the services and food were equally low-grade--As in will I survive the next meal? A three-course meal, dessert and two Pilsner beers (sparkling dishwater) for 50 or 75 cents. What can you expect? Dysentery, diarrhea, possibly much much worse. In the US it is possible to squeak by on $25.00--$30.00 a day free-camping most of the time. In that case, food is your main cost. More expensive using restaurants, less so using food stores. Cheap motels are out there and not often, from what I have seen, to be found advertising on Google. I think some are dodging the tax man. Some might be a bit dumpy but clean, and, after all, you will not live there, so a night here and there in a low-rent is hardly a problem. I try to bike tour as economically as possible. It takes a long time to cross the continent by bicycle. What seem like relatively low costs for extras add-up over two months to be expensive. A $20.00 a month black-card membership with Planet Fitness gets you entry in any and all PFs in the country, with a guest if you have one to invite. That takes care of personal hygiene when you opt for camping most nights. The one thing that bugs me about bike stealth camping is being unwashed for days on end. I am a spoiled westerner used to personal cleanliness.

[davidbonn]

... Cheap motels are out there and not often, from what I have seen, to be found advertising on Google. I think some are dodging the tax man. ...

Funny you should mention that.  I've noticed quite often at the less expensive motels that the credit card machine is "broken" and they only are accepting cash that day.

[zzzz]

I’m at the far end of things on this. I credit card tour and have only camped 4 or 5 nights out of 200+ nights on tour. And when I have a choice I will opt to stay at fairly nice places and eat in whatever restaurant looks best.

It’s been a few years since I did a long tour in the states but at least before 2020, hotels/motels in rural America were not crazy expensive. I was averaging around $200/day for my 30 day trips.

I recognize that not everyone can afford to or even wants to drop that much on their vacation but for me  I consider it money well spent. I can travel really light and ride all day without spending time making and breaking camp. The food is better from a restaurant than I can make for myself and the hot shower, laundry, and sleeping in a bed is great.

This last August I rode the ring road in Iceland which is thought of as a notoriously expensive place and it was $300/day which still isn’t bad if you’ve reached a point in life where it’s reasonable to treat yourself a bit.