All about the money.....

Today I sat down and went through our online bank account in detail. I did so not out of want, but more so out of boredom seeing as we have to spend the majority of the day hiding inside from the tropical heat!

It made for hilarious reading!!!! I won't go through every detail but I'll break it down country by country...

Thailand (5 weeks) €3,265

Malaysia (2 weeks) €776

Nepal (4 weeks) €1321

India so far.. (2weeks) €409

Thankfully our expenditure has been steadily declining and we are learning how to be more backpacker savvy. Thailand was the real killer, in the first week alone we spent €1000! I don't know what we were doing, that would get us about six weeks travel in India!!

I thought about what has changed in our spending habits and complied a list of the main culprits. Future wanderers take note..this could help you add an extra few months onto your trip!!

Cleaning clothes the good old fashion way ourselves, rather than handing them in to a laundrette. Dancing on a pile of rags in the shower isn't all that bad and you get a strange satisfaction as you watch your underwear dangle proudly from the window latch.

 

 

Replacing rum with water. Sometimes, if the water is cold enough it can be just as thrilling a drink!

 

 

Curb chocoholisim with miniature 10cent bars. I still remember how Eddie McKenna watched in horror as I spent €3 on a small packet of M&M's in Thailand.

 

 

Replacing starbucks coffee (€2.50) with local teas and coffees (20cent).

 

 

Staying in budget accommodation. Our first hotel cost €50 per night, our current guest house costs just €5, and it's not even in squalor!

 

 

Eating two simple meals a day.

 

 

Replacing loo roll with acquired napkins.

 

 

NO travel agent day trips/tours. They cost a bloody fortune and you can easily do things yourself. If you're really thirsty for knowledge you will easily find a local at the entrance who will act as your guide for half the price!.

 

 

Luke shaving his head has significantly reduced our shampoo usage. Taking one for the team, nice one Lukey!

 

 

Skype is a saviour!! We can call home to any landline for like 1.2cent per minute or something mad like that. Cheap and chearful chats :)

 

 

Sussing out family members who are holidaying along your route and crashing said hotel for the duration of their stay. We spent an entire week whizzing down the slide into the Hilton pool and lying back on sun loungers sipping cocktails!!! Nice one Luke's Mammy Mia!!!!!

 

 

On a serious note one of the greatest lessons we have learnt is to ALWAYS haggle on a price before you accept a service/trip/guest house/product/bus ticket etc. Every price in Asia in negotiable. If you're willing to play the game you will receive huge reductions and will not fall prey to the ridiculous tourist extortion racket.

Then all you have to do is shoot for the stars, smile :) and see where you land...