Budget help!

I certainly appreciate Wayworm's estimate, but I think it might be a bit high for the average young traveler. I don't consider myself a budget traveler by any stretch - the closest I've come to a grocery store on a trip is to stop in for a drink! - but I've never spent $78 a day over a two-week stretch. At that budget, for your trip, I think you'll be able to rent a car every once in a while, get the occasional single room in a hostel, and take in a few activities.

To my mind, the three biggest things affecting cost once you've chosen your destinations is: how fast do you travel? How many activities do you want to do? How often will you be pounding back beer? Quick travel, activities and beer will add up. If not, then hostels will run you $2-$30 pretty much anywhere, you can eat for $10 almost anywhere, and it's a rare museum that will set you back more than 10 bucks.

That said, two final notes. First, wayward is totally right when he says that it's nuts for people to travel halfway around the world on a budget too tight for minor changes. If you're offered a spot in a 4WD to a desolate canyon for $70/day, do you want to turn it down because of money? You've already flown halfway around the world! Second, pre-trip costs are more than you think. It's very easy to spend 6-7k on airfare, insurance, visas, health care and equipment if you're taking in a number of continents, so don't forget that bit.

I think the $17,000 for on the ground costs, assuming a lot of couches in western Europe, is OK. But I think that for it to include flights/insurance/visa/vaccinations is not OK. I think #2's estimate is way, way too low. Flights and other transportation are through the roof now and will likely stay that way this year and next, compared to 2-3 years ago. Visa costs are going up in a lot of countries also--I'd put more of a $5000 cost for this stuff, and that's with careful shopping for flights. So, my total is $22,000. That should allow for decent participation in activities, museum fees, a beer or two here and there, a splurge meal periodically.

Sorry forgot to add: a strategy you might take, assuming this $17,000 is your budget limit, is to follow your plan and do your month in India (you should be OK through that point), then reassess what you've got left. If you're running short, then either go home after India, or limit your time in Asia to fit the remaining budget--you'll have options, not to worry.

"At that budget, for your trip, I think you'll be able to rent a car every once in a while, get the occasional single room in a hostel, and take in a few activities."

Which budget kevincure? The OP's original budget or my $78 per day average? I certainly hope you are not suggesting that a traveller should not expect to be able to rent a car, get a single hostel room or take in any activities. Your comment is just not quite clear as to what you were trying to say. Please clarify at which number you would expect to be able to do those 3 things you mention.

True, Wayworm - I meant on a $78/day budget. That's a bit higher than the budget I've used in the Mideast, Southern Africa, China, SE Asia and the US, and it's been more than sufficient. I only stay in the occasional hostel, never skip a good museum, and have had a rental car something like one day in four over this time. In many countries, traveling with a friend makes rentals and hotels very affordable, but half of these trips have been solo and the budget hasn't been a problem.

Out of interest, the dollar is very weak at the moment. Are people adjusting their estimates to reflect this?

I think that $50 a day, as an average budget, is perfectly suitable for most "young travelers" - who generally want to stay in a dorm with fellow "young travelers" and travel cheaply (with those lovely student discounts we get). But, at the same time, you should always leave a bit of lee-way in your budget to accommodate extra expenses. I mean, if you don't even come across any extra expenses or splurges that really take your fancy, you can splash out on something in the next country you're at, or your next trip, or even back home.

Also, i think that the standards of a 62 year old, compared to the standards of a 18 year old traveler will be entirely different.

Personally, I will be avoiding single rooms where ever possible and only staying in dorms if i can. Not for necessity, just because I want to meet people who are doing the same thing as me. Fellow "young travelers", even if they aren't that young. And I definitely won't be renting cars.

But that doesn't mean that another 62-year-old traveler wouldn't want a single room in a hotel with a rental car outside and half a dozen museum tickets in his hand. So both opinions are equally valid, just aimed at a different demographic. I mean when I'm 62, I won't want to be sharing a room with a bunch of 18-ish kids in a seedy hostel (then again, i personally would love that, but the average 62-year-old wouldn't) and when you're 62 you might as well enjoy the time you have left in comfort. If you can afford to have a more comfortable room and do all those activities a strict budget wouldn't allow, then why not?

What I'm trying to say to all those arguing is, even if you don't agree with someone else's opinion or travel standards, it doesn't make them wrong. Only different.