8-Months Travel Sabbatical, Within Budget at $50,000

No, we didn't win the lottery or have a trust fund.  We were an average middle-class DINK (dual income, no kids) household, living below our means, saving money the old-fashioned way to be spent on an event such as a travel sabbatical.

At first, we didn't know how to budget for an 8-month trip, but we took a stab in the dark by figuring out what our average daily cost might be, plus any outstanding bills to maintain our house, private health insurance, and our dog while we were away.

After 8-months and a few unexpected home repairs and veterinary bills, we are astounded by the accuracy of our $50,000 budget!  Of course, human nature dictates that expenses almost always expand up to a set budget.  Isn't that correct?  So, if we had set our daily goal at $100 instead of $150, we would've probably been able to achieve that, albeit a little less comfortably.  We're glad we set a realistic goal that fit our lifestyle and stuck to it.  We also had help from friends and friends of friends, who graciously provided us free lodging at some points of our journey.  We can't thank them enough. 

We can't remember the last time we heard these 2 words together, "Balanced Budget", yet here it is in USD:

Cost: A Luxurious Experience in Vietnam on a Backpacker Budget

We know that everyone spends differently, and a budget can be extremely variable; however, after leaving an area, we want to provide some perspective on the cost associated with staying there for anyone interested in doing a similar trip.  Our budget of $150/day (our initial lower target range was $100 but we are obviously nowhere close to that!) is for 2 people and does not include the $10,000 round-the-world flights (plus trip insurance) already paid for.  The budget also does not account for the bills we are continuing to pay at home.  The bulk of our budget allows for low-to-mid-range lodging in hostels, budget hotels, or guesthouses for a target of $60/double; meals/drinks; use of public transportation; and cost to do some sightseeing and/or activities.  At $150/day, we have found we are not depriving ourselves from any experiences; except that, as foodies, we aren't as liberal with our budget on finding the best and trendiest restaurants (which we haven't missed at all).  An article titled, "Set Your Daily Number" by the veteran travel bloggers from Married With Luggage confirms that a daily average is a simple strategy for setting and meeting a budget.  We've got in the habit of taking a few minutes to record our daily expenditure so we can make small adjustments along the way.

29-DAYS IN VIETNAM

Total $4190 or $145/day!  We just finished traveling through our 3rd Southeast Asian country, Vietnam.  Normally, we would've expected the cost to be similar to Thailand and Cambodia where we spent ~$130/day, but we weren't sure after we splurged on a few travel details on our final leg of our round-the-world trip.

Incredibly, after a 3-day luxury cruise in Halong Bay, several overnight train rides, coughing up airfare to get back down to Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) in 2 hours instead of 3 days, and staying in mostly real hotels, we have managed to make it (barely) under our $150/day budget in Vietnam!  

Here's our cost breakdown.

Cost in Cambodia: "Same Same, But Different" as Thailand

We know that everyone spends differently, and a budget can be extremely variable; however, after leaving an area, we want to provide some perspective on the cost associated with staying there for anyone interested in doing a similar trip.  Our budget of $150/day (we started with a lower target range of $100 but we are obviously nowhere close to that!) is for 2 people and does not include the $10,000 round-the-world flights (plus trip insurance) already paid for.  The budget also does not account for the bills we are continuing to pay at home.  The bulk of our budget allows for low-to-mid-range lodging in hostels, budget hotels, or guesthouses for a target of $60/double; meals/drinks; use of public transportation; and cost to do some sightseeing and/or activities.  At $150/day, we have found we are not depriving ourselves from any experiences; except that, as foodies, we aren't as liberal with our budget on finding the best and trendiest restaurants (which we haven't missed at all).  An article titled, "Set Your Daily Number" by the veteran travel bloggers from Married With Luggage confirms that a daily average is a simple strategy for setting and meeting a budget.  We've got in the habit of taking a few minutes to record our daily expenditure so we can make small adjustments along the way.

Bayon Temple at Angkor Thom
in background, Cambodia.

ONLY 10 DAYS IN CAMBODIA, BUT FELT LONGER
For some reason, we felt like we were in Cambodia for a lot longer than 10 days (in a good way).  Maybe because we did so much and enjoyed so much in such a short period of time, it felt like we were there forever.  Good news is, one could practically live in Cambodia "forever" without hurting your finances. 

Again, traveling like "royalty", we ended up having the same daily cost of $130/day ($1300 total) as we did in Thailand.  However, our cost distribution wasn't exactly the same as it was in Thailand.  Lodging was equivalent.  Sticking to street food was just as affordable, although we actually spent more on food in Cambodia to satisfy some of our non-asian food cravings.  Fortunately, beer was dirt cheap in Cambodia while it can be quite expensive in Thailand, so our bar cost was cut in half.  In Cambodia, we forked over a lot more money on admission fees to Angkor Wat, museums, and memorial sites - a cost that we barely had in Thailand.  Massage, laundry, and transportation were just as cheap as it was in Thailand.  So, all-in-all, "same, same, but different". 

Cost - Thailand: Traveling in Comfort For Less Than $130/Day

We know that everyone spends differently, and a budget can be extremely variable; however, after leaving an area, we want to provide some perspective on the cost associated with staying there for anyone interested in doing a similar trip.  Our budget of $150/day (we started with a lower target range of $100 but we are obviously nowhere close to that!) is for 2 people and does not include the $10,000 round-the-world flights (plus trip insurance) already paid for.  The budget also does not account for the bills we are continuing to pay at home.  The bulk of our budget allows for low-to-mid-range lodging in hostels, budget hotels, or guesthouses for a target of $60/double; meals/drinks; use of public transportation; and cost to do some sightseeing and/or activities.  At $150/day, we have found we are not depriving ourselves from any experiences; except that, as foodies, we aren't as liberal with our budget on finding the best and trendiest restaurants (which we haven't missed at all).  An article titled, "Set Your Daily Number" by the veteran travel bloggers from Married With Luggage confirms that a daily average is a simple strategy for setting and meeting a budget.  We've got in the habit of taking a few minutes to record our daily expenditure so we can make small adjustments along the way.

ONE MONTH IN THAILAND

Man, oh man!  We have been traveling like royalty in Thailand with our $150/day budget.  Okay, royalty may be a far stretch, but a dollar definitely goes a long way in Thailand.  More so than South America.

Originally, we had hopes of keeping our cost to less than $100/day in Thailand, which is completely do-able.  However, electing to go with air-conditioning over a fan, first class cabins over second class, 3-star hotels over hostels, and signing up for day trips and activities have added to our cost.  What makes Thailand amazing for travelers is that despite all our upgrades, we are still way within our intended budget of $150/day.  

Cost: 7 Days in Jerusalem

We know that everyone spends differently, and a budget can be extremely variable; however, after leaving an area, we want to provide some perspective on the cost associated with staying there for anyone interested in doing a similar trip.  Our budget of $150/day (we started with a lower target range of $100 but we are obviously nowhere close to that!) is for 2 people and does not include the $10,000 round-the-world flights (plus trip insurance) already paid for.  The budget also does not account for the bills we are continuing to pay at home.  The bulk of our budget allows for low-to-mid-range lodging in hostels, budget hotels, or guesthouses for a target of $60/double; meals/drinks; use of public transportation; and cost to do some sightseeing and/or activities.  At $150/day, we have found we are not depriving ourselves from any experiences; except that, as foodies, we aren't as liberal with our budget on finding the best and trendiest restaurants (which we haven't missed at all).  An article titled, "Set Your Daily Number" by the veteran travel bloggers from Married With Luggage confirms that a daily average is a simple strategy for setting and meeting a budget.  We've got in the habit of taking a few minutes to record our daily expenditure so we can make small adjustments along the way.

Israel has the prettiest money!

7 DAYS IN JERUSALEM

Long ago when we decided to add Jerusalem to our RTW trip, we knew it would be a temporary budget-breaker, but we didn't care.  We wanted to experience the Holy City no matter.  

So, despite the up charge in our lodging due to Yom Kippur and Sukkot holidays, we came out only slightly scathed at $190/day ($1327 total).  

Currency: USD$1 = 3.86 Shekels

Cost: Istanbul for One Week

This is going to be the shortest write-up on our budget thus far.  The app where I keep track of our spending crashed and I lost everything.  I thought I had the data synced to DropBox, but it is unrecoverable, at least by way of just the iPhone or iPad.  

So, this is just a guesstimate but in the 8 days spent in Istanbul, we spent big...waaaay over our allotted $150/day budget.  Even though we found a budget apartment for $68/night, we probably spent an extra $20-30/day on admission fees to attractions that weren't budgeted for.  Food and drink costs, although normal for someone just coming to Istanbul on vacation, felt outrageously high for those of us who have gotten used to cheap food and beers.  We spent double the amount we normally would have on food/drink.  The other major cost was the $350 private market and food tasting tour by a well-known food writer.  It was a worthwhile splurge for us foodies, but a definitely budget buster.  Aside from the overnight train from Sofia to Istanbul, we barely took public transportation in Istanbul so our transportation cost was minimal.

If we sat in our apartment and didn't do any sightseeing, we would've stayed on budget...which would've been ridiculous.  Overall, we think we spent a total of approximately $1760 or $220/day.  Not bad for one of the most touristed (therefore, non-budget) destinations along our round-the-world trip.  

Our next stop, Jerusalem, will be even more costly, but after that, we should make up financial ground when we get to Thailand = cheap.

Cost: Is the Balkans a Budget Traveler's Dream?

We know that everyone spends differently, and a budget can be extremely variable; however, after leaving an area, we want to provide some perspective on the cost associated with staying there for anyone interested in doing a similar trip.  Our budget of $150/day (we started with a lower target range of $100 but we are obviously nowhere close to that!) is for 2 people and does not include the $10,000 round-the-world flights (plus trip insurance) already paid for.  The budget also does not account for the bills we are continuing to pay at home.  The bulk of our budget allows for low-to-mid-range lodging in hostels, budget hotels, or guesthouses for a target of $60/double; meals/drinks; use of public transportation; and cost to do some sightseeing and/or activities.  At $150/day, we have found we are not depriving ourselves from any experiences; except that, as foodies, we aren't as liberal with our budget on finding the best and trendiest restaurants (which we haven't missed at all).  An article titled, "Set Your Daily Number" by the veteran travel bloggers from Married With Luggage confirms that a daily average is a simple strategy for setting and meeting a budget.  We've got in the habit of taking a few minutes to record our daily expenditure so we can make small adjustments along the way.

23-DAYS IN THE BALKANS
The least researched part of our itinerary was the Balkans region.  We planned on just "winging it", once we got there.  Therefore, we had no idea what the cost would be to travel through this region.  With a strong Western European influence, we anticipated higher prices; but also hoped for lower costs since these are still emerging countries with less developed tourism. 

The reality?  Reasonable lodging costs, cheap food, bargain wines, and even cheaper beers.  So, we were shocked to discover that we were actually OVER-budget in the Balkans!!  How could that be?  We were so proud of having so many days where we spent less than $150, but apparently the few budget-busting days in Croatia put us over.  Regardless, at an average of $160/day, we fully experienced the Balkans without feeling like we skimped on anything, so it was worthwhile.  

We spent 7 days in Croatia; 4 days in Bosnia and Hercegovina; 3 days in Serbia; 7 days in Macedonia; and 2 days in Bulgaria.  If we were on a stricter budget, we would've limited our time in Croatia to just a couple of days since it was the most expensive place in the Balkans.  Instead, Macedonia was a cheap place to hang out, where we stayed in nice accommodations, ate good meals, and indulged in bottles of wine for hardly anything.  Even the most touristed Lake Ohrid was a steal.  

Overall, the Balkans can be done on a budget even less than ours, and is a great budget destination for an authentic experience in a less traveled region.  

Cost: Surprisingly Close to Budget in Spain, Morocco, Italy

We know that everyone spends differently, and a budget can be extremely variable; however, after leaving an area, we want to provide some perspective on the cost associated with staying there for anyone interested in doing a similar trip.  Our budget of $100 - $150/day is for 2 people and does not include the $10,000 round-the-world flights (plus trip insurance) already paid for.  The budget also does not account for the bills we are continuing to pay at home.  Our budget allows for a comfortable, low-to-mid-range lodging in hostels or budget hotels with private bath, meals/drinks, use of public transportation, and cost to do some sightseeing and/or activities.  As foodies, we are not depriving ourselves from eating and drinking whatever and whenever we want to, although we are usually focused on finding budget, local cuisine.  Most of the time, breakfast seems to be included in the cost of lodging, so we are paying for 1-2 meals/day. An article titled, "Set Your Daily Number" by the veteran travel bloggers from Married With Luggage confirms that a daily average is a simple strategy for setting and meeting a budget.  We've got in the habit of taking a few minutes to record our daily expenditure so we can make small adjustments along the way.

18-DAYS IN SPAIN, MOROCCO, ITALY

To get around these countries, we incurred quite a bit of transportation cost by way of buses, ferries (not as cheap as we hoped), and airfare (fastest, but expensive).  We also expected to pay more in lodging due to high season, and we assumed food would not be as cheap as South America.  So, all-in-all, Western Europe was not budget-friendly.  As we were recording our expenses, we cringed at the budget-blowing figures; however, we were pleasantly surprised to find that we ended up very close to meeting our $150/day budget, all thanks to our friends who let us stay at their condo in Spain and home in Morocco, giving us a 10-day reprieve on lodging expenses.  With the huge savings on lodging, we came out to $155/day instead of ~$200/day!

TOTAL

Overall, we traveled all 3 countries for a total of $2800 over an 18-day period, or $155/day - only $5/day above our budget limit.  Not bad.  

CURRENCY

Spain & Italy: Euro (€1 = USD$1.25)

Morocco: Dirham (1 MAD = USD$0.11)

TRANSPORTATION

Bus is always the cheapest way to travel. The downside is, it takes forever to get anywhere so if you're in a hurry or traveling long distances, it's not the best choice.  Trains cost more than buses, and it should get you to your destination faster, but not necessarily.  It's usually more comfortable and a direct route.  We were surprised at the expense of ferries.  We were expecting costs similar to say, the Washington State ferry system, but no.  Ferries still beat airfare, and what other option is there for crossing the water anyway?  Exactly.  But ultimately, even we caved a couple of times and went with the more costly air travel, just to shave off a few days of travel.  We took the bus and ferry from Spain to Morocco, but we ended up flying back to Madrid on RyanAir.  We also flew EasyJet from Madrid to Venice, Italy to save us from traveling several days through France.  

We heard through the grapevine that these European budget airlines are notorious for charging extra for everything: having to print boarding passes at the airport, baggage check-in (and they are very strict with the size/weight of the one carry-on...and they mean only one...) food/drinks on board, etc.  The trick is, when booking the flights, they will charge you for everything by default, unless you unclick all the options...tricky.  

The 2 flights were a total of $542 for the 2 of us; the ferry from Tarifa, Spain to Tangier, Morocco cost $134 for 2 people. All other costs were related to bus or taxi for a total of $960, which was 35% of our total expenses for this part of our trip.  

LODGING

Total $480 for 8 days of lodging that we paid for ($60/night).  We were able to find a hostel in Madrid for less than $60/night in a great location, but with shared bathrooms/showers and no air-conditioning.  In Venice, the best we could find was $90/night in Mestre, which was about a 10-minute bus ride across the water from Venice.  Staying in Venice would've cost over $200/night.  

MEALS

Total $900 or $50/day.  This is about average.  We sometimes cooked in at the condo and apartment, and sometimes splurged on a nice 3-course dinner with a bottle of wine.  

DRINKS (bottled water, beer, wine, soda, etc.)

Total $180 or $10/day.  We continue to be surprised at how inexpensive wine is. A glass of house wine is only a couple of dollars. Why is wine-by-the-glass so expensive in the States?!  

ATTRACTIONS/ADMISSIONS

We actually spent more on admissions fees and attractions than we had in the past.  They were all worthwhile.  We had $58 for museum entrance fees in Madrid, $34 to get into The Alhambra in Granada, and $45 for camel rides in Tangier for 3 peeps plus a hefty tip!

CLOTHING/LAUNDRY

Only a total of $25 this time, thanks to a washer at the condo and apartment; and   hand washing our clothes the other days. The $25 was for a new shirt.

MEDICAL EXPENSES

None!  Hoping to keep it this way.  Although our dog, Ogi, is making up for it by needing a tooth extraction by the doggie oral surgeon.  That will be anyone's budget breaker.

SOUVENIRS

Total $84.  It was much more economical to send postcards from these countries in comparison to South America.  Akiko also bought a few original artwork in Tangier and a Murano glass heart pendant to replace the one she broke in Venice.

WIFI/COMPUTER/ATM FEES

Total $31.  So far, none of the ATMs have been charging a ATM usage fee, which is great.  The $31 is the standard 1% foreign withdrawal fee we are getting charged by the bank, but that's it.  

As we head across Central Europe and the Balkan States, we don't really know what to expect with lodging, transportation, etc., but we think we will hover above our daily budget until we get to Thailand...then, everything will be very cheap!  So, moving forward, we're not going to worry too much about our expenses over the next month and just enjoy exploring these parts of the world rarely seen.  

Cost: Over Budget in Buenos Aires for 26-Days

We know that everyone spends differently, and a budget can be extremely variable; however, after leaving an area, we want to provide some perspective on the cost associated with staying there for anyone interested in doing a similar trip.  Our budget of $100 - $150/day is for 2 people and does not include the $10,000 round-the-world flights (plus trip insurance) already paid for.  The budget also does not account for the bills we are continuing to pay at home.  Our budget allows for a comfortable, low-to-mid-range lodging in hostels or budget hotels with private bath, meals/drinks, use of public transportation, and cost to do some sightseeing and/or activities.  As foodies, we are not depriving ourselves from eating and drinking whatever and whenever we want to, although we are usually focused on finding budget, local cuisine.  Most of the time, breakfast seems to be included in the cost of lodging, so we are paying for 1-2 meals/day. An article titled, "Set Your Daily Number" by the veteran travel bloggers from Married With Luggage confirms that a daily average is a simple strategy for setting and meeting a budget.  We've got in the habit of taking a few minutes to record our daily expenditure so we can make small adjustments along the way.

BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA

To end our South America adventures, we decided to spend about 3-weeks in Buenos Aires, Argentina.  Argentina was a really good deal for tourists about 5 to 7 years ago when the country began recovering from their 2002 debt crisis and currency collapse.  We discovered Buenos Aires is no longer the most economical place to hang out in South America, so we had to get creative with our finances.  Our initial sticker shock was at the airport before we even got out of immigration when they charged $160 "reciprocal fee" to US passport holders. Then, the $50 cab ride into the city, then ~$110+ for basic lodging with a shared bathroom.  Because we were staying put for 3-weeks, getting an apartment really helped us lower the cost of lodging and food expenses.

Warning About Trying to Exchange Argentine Pesos to US Dollars

Read carefully if you, or someone you know is planning on traveling to Argentina in the near future, because we just lost an equivalent of ~USD$200 dollars.  How?  

When we were leaving Buenos Aires, we still had about AR$1200 pesos leftover; however, due to recent Argentine monetary policies (more on that in a moment), no legitimate currency exchange house will trade AR$ pesos into US dollars or Euros or any other currency for that matter.  Basically, we are sitting on a pile of cash that is only good in Argentina.  Unless we go back to Argentina, we might as well use it as toilet tissue because it's just paper to the rest of the world.

Cost: Peru for 3-Weeks

We know that everyone spends differently, and a budget can be extremely variable; however, after leaving an area, we want to provide some perspective on the cost associated with staying there for anyone interested in doing a similar trip.  Our budget of $100 - $150/day is for 2 people and does not include the $10,000 round-the-world flights (plus trip insurance) already paid for.  The budget also does not account for the bills we are continuing to pay at home.  Our budget allows for a comfortable, low-to-mid-range lodging in hostels or budget hotels with private bath, meals/drinks, use of public transportation, and cost to do some sightseeing and/or activities.  As foodies, we are not depriving ourselves from eating and drinking whatever and whenever we want to, although we are usually focused on finding budget, local cuisine.  Most of the time, breakfast seems to be included in the cost of lodging, so we are paying for 1-2 meals/day. An article titled, "Set Your Daily Number" by the veteran travel bloggers from Married With Luggage confirms that a daily average is a simple strategy for setting and meeting a budget.  We've got in the habit of taking a few minutes to record our daily expenditure so we can make small adjustments along the way.

PERU
We spent 22 days total in Peru, where on average, $30-50 gets you decent lodging with a not-very-interesting breakfast. Prices were comparable to Ecuador, although we stayed in more metropolitan and tourist locations than in Ecuador, which drove the prices up a little more. Lodging was about the same, but the food and drinks cost more in tourist centers. Still, we could find a full meal for around $8; 25-50 cents for bottled water; a large bottle of beer for $2; laundry service costs $2-3/kg.  We ended up spending 7 nights in Los Organos beach, 8 nights in Lima, 5 nights in Cuzco, and 2 nights in Machu Picchu. Peru currency is the Nuevo Soles, although the prices listed have been converted into US dollars. Here is our breakdown:

LODGING
$43/day.  Not bad! We 'splurged' on a the perfect beach side bungalow in Los Organos for $60/night, but made up for it in Cuzco at the best hostel we've ever stayed in for $28/night. All cost is for double occupancy.

MEALS/GROCERIES
$42/day for 1-2 meals per day, including a few more expensive places due to being in the city or the kind of restaurant. We opted for quality in Machu Picchu, and spent more than expected at Inkaterra Lodge. Also, we treated ourselves to a nice meal at celebrity chef Gaston Acurio's La Mar Cebichería on our last day in Peru. Again, we continued to eat every meal out because we haven't had a kitchen to cook in. The portion sizes are usually very generous in South America so we generally end up sharing one plate of something. Good thing we are agreeable (most of the time) on what we want to eat! Consider doubling the budget if you eat a lot.

DRINKS (bottled water, beer, wine, soda)
$18/day, almost double what we spent in Ecuador. Tourist-centric locations in Lima, Cuzco, and Machu Picchu charge more for drinks at bars and restaurants. Although the cost of buying bottles of beer and water from a regular tienda are still very cheap.

TRANSPORTATION
In our calculations, we included the $640 already paid over 7 months ago for the domestic StarPeru flight and PeruRail train ride to Machu Picchu. Plus, we splurged on a first-class bus for our 18-hour travel from the northern beaches of Peru to Lima for $110. So, our transportation cost ended up being quite out-of-budget at $40/day. Peru is a much bigger country than Ecuador so doing strictly bus travel would've taken forever. Also, transportation to Machu Picchu is just plain costly, and difficult to keep withi a budget. Hopefully, we can make up for this in another country.

PERSONAL CARE ITEMS/SERVICES
$57 total on haircut/shave, soap, toothpaste, etc.  The most expensive item was money spent on mosquito repellant in northern Peru, and it wasn't even a good product. Our suggestion is to bring your own repellant that contains enough DEET. ($2.50/day)

SOUVENIRS/POSTCARDS (including postage)
Just like Ecuador, international postage to send postcards is expensive. $122 total or $6/day. 

CLOTHING/LAUNDRY
When we arrived at the beach, we had to buy some cheap beach towels and hats, and invested in some alpaca accessories (scarf, hat) while in Cuzco, for a total of $119 or $5/day in clothing and laundry services. Obviously, per our expenditure, we didn't buy the super expensive alpaca goods! Plus, whatever we buy, we have to transport for the remaining 6-months, so that fact usually discourages us from spending too much.

ATTRACTIONS/ADMISSION
The main cost here was the ~$100 entrance fee to Machu Picchu. $5/day.

WIFI/COMPUTER/ATM FEES
$49 on ATM transaction fees and re-charging our Skype account. We spent $1 on wifi at the airport in Cuzco. Until now, we've handled almost every transaction in cash because there are added fees for using a credit card. Every penny counts when unemployed. :) Again, our bank reimburses the typical $5 ATM fee initially charged, so the only expense has been the 1% of the withdrawal surcharge. $2.20/day.

TOTAL
[Drumroll]...We came to $162/day, $12/day OVER budget due to transportation costs. Without Machu Picchu, we would've been doing great at $130/day (similar to Ecuador), but Machu Picchu was totally worth the extra cost, and we tried our best to keep it within budget...we swear. Since we are staying in an apartment with a kitchen in Buenos Aires, we should be able to contain our costs again, and in anticipation of higher expenses going into Spain and the rest of Europe, starting August 7th.

Cost: Ecuador for 2-Weeks

We know that everyone spends differently, and a budget can be extremely variable; however, after leaving an area, we want to provide some perspective on the cost associated with staying there for anyone interested in doing a similar trip.  Our budget of $100 - $150/day is for 2 people and does not include the $10,000 round-the-world flights (plus trip insurance) already paid for.  The budget also does not account for the bills we are continuing to pay at home.  Our budget allows for a comfortable, low-to-mid-range lodging in hostels or budget hotels with private bath, meals/drinks, use of public transportation, and cost to do some sightseeing and/or activities.  As foodies, we are not depriving ourselves from eating and drinking whatever and whenever we want to, although we are usually focused on finding local cuisine.  Most of the time, breakfast seems to be included in the cost of lodging, so we are paying for 1-2 meals/day. An article titled, "Set Your Daily Number" by the veteran travel bloggers from Married With Luggage confirms that a daily average is a simple strategy for setting and meeting a budget.  We've got in the habit of taking a few minutes to record our daily expenditure so we can make small adjustments along the way.  

ECUADOR
We spent 15 days total in Ecuador, where on average, $30-50 gets you great lodging with breakfast; a full meal costs less than $5; 25-50 cents for bottled water; a large bottle of beer for $2; laundry service costs $1/kg; and a bus ride is approximately $1/hour.  Expect the cities such as Quito, Guayaquil, and Cuenca to cost a little more.  We spent 4 nights in Quito, 7 nights in Baños de Agua Santa, and 4 nights in Cuenca.  Here is our breakdown:

LODGING
$35/day.  The average rate in Quito and Cuenca was $60/night, but Baños was only $16/night.

MEALS/GROCERIES
$40/day for 2 full meals per day, including a few more expensive places due to the view or location. We've eaten every meal out because we haven't had a kitchen to cook in.

DRINKS (bottled water, beer, wine, soda)
$11/day...quite inexpensive for us!

TRANSPORTATION
$233 total for taxis and long-haul bus rides.  The 3-hour and $130 private tour to Mindo in a cab killed our budget.  Without this luxury, it would've been more like $8/day.  ($15/day)

PERSONAL CARE ITEMS/SERVICES
$17 on haircut/shave, soap, toothpaste, antibiotic cream, etc.  ($1/day)

SOUVENIRS/POSTCARDS (including postage)
We spent $71 on mostly postage to send the 20 or so, postcards.  ($5/day)  

CLOTHING/LAUNDRY
$54 on buying some clothing items such as a hat and swimwear and laundry service every third day or so. ($3/day)

ATTRACTIONS/ADMISSION
$36 total or $2/day

WIFI/COMPUTER/ATM FEES
$18 on ATM transaction fees - usually an ATM usage surcharge ($5) plus 1% of the withdrawal.  We didn't have to pay for any wifi anywhere.  ($1/day)

TOTAL
Approximately $120/day puts us under budget,  so you can see that Ecuador is perfect for the budget traveler!