European journey doesn’t need to be terribly costly. I proved that after earlier than, after I traveled via Europe for 9 entire months and spent a median of simply $1,250 USD monthly.
This yr I’m working to show this concept once more, as I’m again in Europe on one other multi-month bicycle touring journey. And like in 2009, I’m as soon as once more maintaining monitor of each single cent that I spend alongside the way in which and reporting again to you regularly with the prices related to European journey.
I began my bicycle touring adventures this yr within the island nation of Iceland. As soon as there, my journey companion, Brandon, and I spent twenty-five days biking across the nation, consuming the meals, assembly the folks and usually having fun with ourselves.
The next is an in depth breakdown of how a lot cash I spent alongside the way in which together with some suggestions that you should use to maintain your prices low when and in case you ever journey to Iceland for your self.
Airfare – $666.87 USD
As with nearly each journey to an island nation, the journey started with the acquisition of an airline ticket. For this specific journey to Iceland I wouldn’t be touring round-trip, however would as an alternative be flying from Los Angeles, California to the Worldwide Airport in Keflavik, Iceland… after which twenty-five days later be flying from Iceland to London, England, the place I’d proceed my bicycle travels in the remainder of Europe. Subsequently, the price of my first and longest flight from LAX to Iceland was $450.70 USD and the price of my second and far shorter flight from Iceland to England was solely $216.17 USD.
Cargo Of My Bicycle – $0 USD
I booked my ticket to Iceland with the airline often known as IcelandAir, so earlier than I even bought my ticket with the corporate I had a take a look at their coverage for flying with a bicycle. In accordance with the web site, IcelandAir fees $40 USD per path to fly with a bicycle. With many different airways at present charging $80, $100 and generally as a lot as $350 per path to fly with a bicycle, $40 USD appeared like a really cheap worth to pay in an effort to get my bicycle to and overseas.
Because it seems, nonetheless, I used to be in a position to finagle my method out of paying for the cargo of my bicycle fully. How I did that is type of an extended story, so in case you aren’t on this half, be happy to skip forward.
After I arrived on the Los Angeles Worldwide Airport early within the morning for my flight to Iceland, the lady behind the counter insisted that I’ve in my possession a return ticket to the US.
“We want proof that you will be coming again to the USA,” the lady instructed me.
However I didn’t have a return ticket to the USA with me on the time, as a result of I used to be planning to fly to London after my time in Iceland was over… and I deliberate to cycle round Europe for the remainder of the yr after that. In reality, I wasn’t even planning to return again to the USA for not less than a yr or extra, so reserving a ticket that far upfront was nearly fully unimaginable. However, the lady insisted that I’ve a return ticket to the USA in some unspecified time in the future sooner or later earlier than she would let me examine into the flight and board the aircraft to Iceland.
With this information I ran across the giant worldwide airport in the hunt for an Web connection in order that I may ebook a return ticket to the States. It took me practically a half-hour earlier than I may discover a pc and seek for a flight that may work for my return journey dwelling. However simply as I used to be about to spend a ghastly sum of money on a return ticket I may not even use, my dad (who had dropped me off on the airport and was with me when the lady defined that I wanted a return ticket in an effort to board the aircraft to Iceland) ran as much as me with sweat on his face and screamed “Don’t ebook the ticket!!!”
“What’s occurring?” I assumed to myself?
My dad shortly defined that the lady from IcelandAir had requested a supervisor and he or she was incorrect in her assumption that I wanted a return ticket to the US. As I had suspected all alongside, the coverage is just not that you just want a return ticket, however that you just must have a ticket displaying that you’ll be headed some place else (in my case: London, England) after my time in Iceland was up.
Since I did certainly have a ticket for my flight from Iceland to England, I returned to the ticket counter the place I used to be met by the identical girl from IcelandAir. Upon my return, the lady casually checked me into the flight, by no means as soon as apologized for her misinformation and the stress it had triggered me, however she did supply to fly my bicycle to Iceland without spending a dime as a method of claiming “I’m sorry.”
And so my bicycle was placed on the aircraft without spending a dime, arrived in Iceland the following day, and after assembling our bikes on the airport, Brandon and I had been on our method.
On the flight from Iceland to England, nonetheless, I used to be as soon as once more anticipating to pay the $40 charge to get my bicycle overseas. After I checked in on the airport, nonetheless, on the morning of the flight, I used one of many automated check-in machines to check-in for the flight… and when it got here to the display that requested me what number of luggage I needed to examine, I pressed the quantity “2” (one bag was my bicycle and the opposite was a field filled with my garments, tenting gear, and many others.). There was no choice for sports activities gear or over-sized baggage, so I merely pressed the quantity “2” and some seconds later the machine printed out two giant tags that I used to be to connect to my baggage.
After placing the luggage tags on my bicycle field and my different field of belongings, I merely dropped each objects off on the baggage space (the place I used to be by no means requested to pay for the over-sized bicycle field) and walked away. Later that day, my bicycle was rolled out of the over-sized baggage space in London’s Heathrow airport and it was then that I knew I had simply flown my bicycle to Europe for completely no price in any respect.
Meals – $364.40 USD
After the price of air journey, meals was by far the most important expense I had in Iceland. Whereas I used to be for probably the most half positively stunned on the affordability of the Icelandic meals, the price of meals in Iceland was a bit greater than I’m used to paying at dwelling.
A 12-inch pizza at a restaurant, for instance, price about $9 – $22 USD. The smooth serve ice cream that’s so fashionable on the fuel stations and vacationer traps in Iceland price wherever from $2.50 – $6 USD for a small to medium sized portion.
I used to be in a position to preserve my meals prices beneath management, nonetheless, by purchasing at supermarkets every time potential, cooking my very own meals most nights (I ate a variety of soup and bread) and solely consuming out a dozen or extra instances throughout your complete journey. Ultimately, I paid slightly below $15 USD per day for my meals in Iceland.
Lodging – $18.73 USD
If I had been a traditional one who cared about smooth beds, heat showers, and maintaining myself continuously clear and refreshed, I might need shelled out a large sum of money to remain in motels every night time whereas I used to be in Iceland. As a substitute, I camped in a tent each single night time… and this was the primary method that I used to be in a position to preserve my bills low whereas touring on this chilly and remoted island nation
The benefit of tenting in Iceland isn’t just the truth that the tenting places are plentiful and scenic, however that they are often had without spending a dime nearly wherever across the nation (with just a little effort).
We saved some huge cash by wild tenting at night time. We saved just a little cash by tenting in closed campgrounds on different nights (As a result of they had been closed, we didn’t need to pay something to be there). And ultimately, I paid for simply two nights of tenting in Reykjavik. The full price for 23 nights of lodging in Iceland was lower than twenty US {Dollars}.
Transportation (By way of Bus) – $101.45 USD
If it hadn’t been for a street closure that prevented us from returning to Reykjavik on one in all Iceland’s extra distant inland roads, we wouldn’t have needed to spend this cash in any respect. However the street closure did occur and as an alternative of biking again the way in which we got here for days on finish, Brandon and I made a decision to load our bicycles right into a bus and return to town of Selfoss the place we may proceed our journey by bike.
This brief 6-hour bus journey from Jökulsárlón to Selfoss price simply over one-hundred US {Dollars}, but it surely saved us days of effort and enabled us to go to just a few extra locations in Iceland that we wouldn’t have been in a position to see if we had merely been backtracking that complete time on our bikes.
Leisure – $19.26 USD
Whereas in Reykjavik, Brandon and I had been barraged by posters everywhere in the metropolis saying that the Reykjavik Arts Competition was at present happening. After seeing so lots of the posters, I jumped on the Web and did some analysis to seek out out what the occasion was all about. After just a little digging, I assumed it is likely to be enjoyable to attend one of many reveals that had been listed as a part of the pageant… and ultimately, Brandon and I did attend a brief and really unusual Icelandic dance and music efficiency (the strangest efficiency I’ve ever seen in my complete life). Whereas the present was past weird (and in a language I couldn’t perceive) I had a variety of enjoyable on the present and it set me again solely $19.26.
Showers – $19.56 USD
As a result of we had been tenting your complete time in Iceland, we didn’t have entry to a each day bathe like these staying in motels might need. This meant that we needed to pay for showers alongside the way in which. Fortunately, there are a selection of sport facilities scattered round Iceland that supply group bathe services at inexpensive costs for vacationers like Brandon and I. Whereas I really feel very uncomfortable showering (nude – is the way in which they do it in Iceland) in entrance of different folks, that is the way in which that it’s finished in Iceland. Or you may shell out $19.56 USD like I did and pay to make use of a personal bathe at a resort. Both method will get you washed up and out the door in a rush.
Fuel (Petrol) – $1.96 USD
My remaining small expense in Iceland was for the fuel I put into my camp range. I stuffed the small 1 liter fuel can twice whereas I used to be within the nation and it price me lower than two USD to take action.
Different Bills – ???
It ought to be famous that this breakdown of journey prices doesn’t embrace the objects I dropped at Iceland with me from the US (similar to my clothes, bicycle, tenting gear, or something like that). As a substitute, that is merely a breakdown of the cash I spent attending to the nation, whereas within the nation, and leaving the nation earlier than persevering with on to my subsequent vacation spot. Had been I to think about the price of the objects I dropped at Iceland with me, this listing of bills can be a lot, a lot increased.
In the end, nonetheless, my travels in Iceland price me a complete of simply…
Complete Prices: $1,192.23 US {Dollars}
For a memorable and probably even once-in-a-lifetime 25-day bicycle touring journey in Iceland, $1,192 USD is just not a complete lot of cash. In case you break that all the way down to the price per day, I used to be averaging a complete price of about $47.69 USD.
If in case you have any questions on my journey bills in Iceland or concerning the bills you suppose you would possibly incur whereas touring on this nation, be happy to go away a query or remark within the field beneath.
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