go to colombia as fast as possible?

thanks to everyone for all the advice! im starting to think from the apparent high cost of things, maybe it's better just to head very quickly to colombia. the bigger picture is that my boyfriend and i will be traveling in venezuela, colombia, ecuador, peru, and probably bolivia for 9 months. maybe chile/argentina time permitting. thus budget is a very serious issue. we are well-travelled resourceful low-key ppl and are happy to walk, camp, and scrimp in comfort and to move slowly and skip most tours and luxury extras. we are definitely looking for the absolute cheapest things possible, MAXIMUM $20/day if not far less. which doesnt seem crazy considering the prices quoted in the guidebook for the countries we intend to travel to and the fact that we're not looking for a party.

venezuela was kind of a last-minute add-on on account of it being a cheap air connection to north america. but it was never really our intended destination or somewhere we had our hearts set on exploring. the beaches on the northwest coast seemed like good stop-offs considering they were on the route to colombia. knowing my situation, does it make more sense to spend as little time in VZ as possible? better beaches and much cheaper prices elsewhere? are the northwestern beaches so expensive? the guidebook makes it seem reasonable to camp....

k

If that "US$20 dollars or less a day" is for both of you, it is not possible for some of the countries you mention. Can't speak for the ones I don't know. Check prices somewhere other than a guidebook as they go out of date very quickly.

MAXIMUM $20/day

It's not my sort of budget that I'm used to, but I'd say that it's very little. I assume it's per person.
You can easily survive paying your food and accommodation for USD20/day, but you'll be wary of all other expenses, like bus tickets, tours that you can't do on your own. In a long run it can be stressful.

Hmm.. 20US$ per person/day seems a little bit too low for Venezuela or Colombia.. especially if you intend to do some tours, like Salto Angel or Los Llanos, in Venezuela or even the Teleferico in Merida..

And if you decide to skip the tours, I would not see the point of going to Venezuela, as these are some of the best things the country has to offer...

Colombia does not have so much expensive tours.. but the cost of travelling in the country is not that low, comparing to other south american countries..

In Peru or Bolivia, on the other hand, I think you can live up to that budget without major problems...

colombia is possible on that budget, ecuador and bolivia too, but you'll have to sleep in dorms and try to cook some meals yourself. But you'll miss some sights where you'll have to pay entrance fees and try travelling throughout non-touristic areas especially in peru, chili and argentina if you have not more than 20 a day (but i've never been to chili or argentina ... because it was more expensive)

I've not been to VZ, but from what other travellers have told me, it can be pretty expensive, and often a bit more dangerous than many of the other countries in SA. I'm in Columbia at te moment and the beaches are lovely, and it' not too expensive. Not too sure about $20/day, although it might be possible if you stuck mostly to relaxing on beaches rather than tours eetc.

Have a good trip!

US $ 20 a day in Vzla is definitely pushing it a bit, especially if you want to see the sights!

All the best,

Thomas
Caracas
berry_venezuela@hotmail.com