I would like to present our 2018 – 2019 winter travel budget. This is something I’m doing for the first time. Hoping that information can be presented in a fashion that makes sense and is useful to the reader.
Duration of Travel Abroad
Our travel plans were to leave Canada on November 1st and return to Canada on April 12th, a total of 163 days in all. Both Cindy and I started looking into this trip in June of 2018. Choosing Guatemala and Mexico as these two locations are close enough to Canada. We had anticipated having some family come to visit us, but that never did happen as life does get in the way.
Guatemala Location
Picking Guatemala as one of our travel destination countries as we wanted to learn Spanish. Finding San Pedro through our use of the internet and other bloggers it looked like a very promising spot. Through our searches on Airbnb, finding a nice one-bedroom unit that we could rent for our six weeks stay. One thing about Airbnb you can generally get a discount if you book a longer stay.
We wanted to do a couple of excursions while in Guatemala this led us to Tikal (2 days). As we thought that an Ancient Mayan settlement would be very interesting and educational. Knowing Tikal is not a location that many other people might choose so it might be less crowded.
Location number two turned out to be El Paredon (8 days) on the west coast a beach location. It was either the east or west coast, we were very happy with El Paredon. We regretted staying in Flores (4 days), as this is a one-day jump-off point at best.
Mexico Locations
Mexico City (7 days) was an easy choice. As we were arriving from Guatemala, so we decided to spend some time and experience this city, I have no regrets with this decision. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves selfs in Mexico City and will be back to further explore. Our form of travel while in Mexico was the ADO bus line, very comfortable and affordable. Traveling onto Veracruz (9 days) along the Gulf of Mexico after leaving Mexico City. Continuing on with our travels we traveled onto Ciudad del Carmen (9 days). Next we moved onto Campeche (9 days). Next was off to Merida for three weeks and lastly Progreso for 6 weeks.
Flight Itineraries
Using Air Canada and it’s Aeroplan points partner, we flew from Edmonton to Vancouver and then down to Los Angles and our return was from Cancun to Toronto and onward back to Edmonton. Los Angles to Guatemala City and then from Guatemala City to Mexico City using Avianca airlines. We used Avianca to fly to Flores from Guatemala City return rather than a 10 hr shuttle ride. I do not like the shuttle system at all.
| Aeroplan | $313 |
| LAX – GUA – MEX | $1420 |
| GUA – FRS | $596 |
| Seat Upgrades | $291 |
The costs of flights $2620
Travel Insurance
Travel insurance is something we had to purchase, we ended up purchasing travel insurance through Manulife offered by our bank. The cost of travel insurance $1560. Our insurance package included something that they call bounce back. Which is if you must return home for an emergency it allows you to return to your vacation location. We Didn’t use it so it’s hard to say what all the limitations are.
Travel Cost Budget Breakdown
I tracked our spending on a monthly basis rather than by the location. I think is better because things can change so much in a month. Location captures all costs to that specific location as well as any oddities.
As we were gone for 5 ½ months (163 days) I’ll give you the total cost of our trip $17,372. This breaks down into the following
Health insurance $1560
Flights and upgrades $2620
Accommodation $5792
The daily living expense which I’ll break down below $7400
Daily Budget Breakdown
We had budgeted $45 a day for daily living expenses, so I’m happy to say that we came in at $45.39. Amazed we came in so close to the budget but let’s be honest just luck, but we did try to keep the cost around the $45 range.
Groceries Budget $1382
When staying at an Airbnb we generally cooked our own meals. As the cost of eating out can drive up your daily expenses. We enjoy cooking, you still get to experience all the fresh produce, meats and seafood that the markets have to offer. Have no issues purchasing from the markets as everything is fresh and people are friendly.
Eating Out Budget $2082
When we stayed in hotels, we had no choice but to go out, this is not all bad as there are a lot of dishes out there that the wife and I do not make or have heard of for that matter. We do not go to high-end restaurants as they are just too expensive. Local flavors from off the streets or hidden places are truer to the tastes of what the locals enjoy and after all that why we are there.
Liquor Budget $638
Moreover, we enjoy our beer. Most times we would enjoy our drinks at home, again costs do play a factor, but we did on occasion find a local establishment that we enjoyed and would frequent it most afternoons as a nice break to relax. One in particular in San Pedro was a favorite, we could get a plate of French fries and a couple of drinks for under $5.
Local Transportation Budget $1040
This category taxis, shuttles, ADO bus, and bike rental
Misc. cost captured Budget $1042
As you can see this category captures all other items that do not fall into the other categories, souvenirs, misc. clothing as well as any personal products.
Local trips & Attractions Budget $1216
As it says attractions, entrance fees to Mayan ruins, museums, hikes and anything else that we felt would fall into this.
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Recommended Travel Essential
Cindy and I call ourselves nomadic so with this lifestyle, we use certain essentials to make this way of life easier and more comfortable. With this in mind, we have composed a list of what we feel are essentials and some tips you might use to plan or take your next travel adventure.
- Travel Packing Essentials to help organize and make this task less stressful
- Travel Safety Essentials to make your life on the road a little safer, giving you peace of mind
- Living Essentials to make life a little more comfortable, be this resting, working, or playing.
Accommodation Options While Traveling The World
- Booking.com is one of our go to’s when we are looking for a place to stay for a couple of days or longer
- Agoda.com we find is best best to use when in Southeast Asia, but hey you never now what you might find
- Airbnb.com usded to be our go to but some of their cancelation policies are resonable, give them a try as well
Travel Insurance
We always travel with some sort of travel Insurance be it just medical or complete trip coverage. We use Heymondo as we find their costs reasonable. Remember don’t travel and without coverage, the savings are not worth the possible costs.
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