Hi there,
I'm planning to take off next fall/winter for 9-12 mos, travelling from Mexico - Argentina/Brazil (skipping majority of Central America due to time/money constraints).
Just looking for some general feedback on whether my timing & budget seem realistic & on target.
I am a 26 yr old solo female planning to travel frugally but not kill myself doing so (i.e. will stay in hostels, cook own food, take busses, etc, but also have enough money to go out and do tours here and there...). I also wish to travel at a somewhat leisurely pace...don't want to feel like I'm racing from destination to destination....
ROUGH PLAN:
Fly NYC-Cancun, Mexico
Travel down western side of Yucatan Penninsula
Travel through & around Belize & Guatemala
Re-enter Mexico
Travel up Western side to Mexico City
Fly Mexico City - Lima, Peru
Spend 6-9 mos travelling Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina, southern Brazil
Fly out of Buenos Aires or Rio de Janeiro
Total travel time: 9-12 mos
Total budget: $15,000-18,000 U.S. (for EVERYTHING, flights, etc included)
***Side note, $3000-4000 from above budget will be set aside for flights, travel insurance & misc costs. Remaining money will be used for daily living & travelling. Based on my flight research I should be able to do all my air travel for under $2000.
I know this is very rough but I just want to get a general idea if I am on track for time & budget.
Thanks to all in advance,
Samara
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In general Latin America does not have a lot of hotels where you can cook your own food. Basic hotels tend to cost just a few dollars more (if that) than dormitory-style hostels (where available).
For the sake of long-term budgeting, you would do better to consider how long you want to spend in each country, then consider the expected costs for each location separately. It's difficult to make a generalization across the continent(s). Mexico is much more expensive than Bolivia, for example (~US$35/day minimum for Mexico, and just US$15 for Bolivia). Peru is closer in cost to Bolivia, while Chile and urban Brazil are closer to Mexico.
Though I love Mexico and would encourage you not to miss it, if you are skipping Central America because of budget constraints you could reconsider. Most of CA is quite cheap - certainly less so than Mexico. Mexico, compared to CA as a region, has far better cities and pre-Columbian ruins. I think CA is better for nature parks and for less "sophisticated" small-town life. Long distance transportation costs eat up your budget in Mexico.
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