JULY 2023 EXPENSE REPORT
Introduction
Hello to all you beautiful souls from Bovec, Slovenia!
I’m a particularly happy Eli at this moment as I write my fifth monthly expense report because I get to write about my least expense month yet 😁! That’s right, in a miraculous turn of events, my expenses in the month of July, which saw me travel to Turkey (#48), Lebanon (#49), and Georgia (50), were even lower than May, which saw me venture to the notoriously budget-friendly lands of Southeast Asia.
It’s difficult to put a collective label on the trio of countries I visited, given they’re essentially in three different “regions” of the world, despite their relative proximity to one another: Turkey is in Europe and also this weird, stand-alone part of Asia, Lebanon is in the Middle-East, and Georgia is in the Caucasus region, which would be considered Central Asia. Other than Georgia, I had this underlying feeling the entire month of July that I was spending a lot: I found Turkey and Lebanon to be expensive with respect to my preconceived notions.
I’m not saying I was necessarily wrong about that feeling, but based on these numbers, both Turkey and Lebanon (along with Georgia which blatantly felt extremely inexpensive even in the present moment) were some of the most wallet-friendly I’ve ever visited in my lifetime, which gives them even more points in my already lofty opinion of them both!
Alas, here’s what I spent:
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Expenses
Transportation - $456.78
The transportation section of my expense reports includes any pre-booked transit journeys from destination A to destination B: these are flights, trains, buses, ferries, and rocket-ships if need be. Excluded are public transportation, metros, taxis, ubers, buses to/from airports, etc.
Notes:
My transportation expense totaled $256.78 in July. This represents a month-over-month (MoM) increase in average daily transportation spend of $6.32 or 75.15%, from $8.41 in June to $14.73 in July. Considering July was my lowest spend of any month yet, I didn’t expect any of my expense categories to increase on a MoM basis from June to July.
My inflated transportation expense is wholly due to the taxes, fees, and surcharges of my flight redemptions. I took 8 flights across 5 itineraries, and while all-but-one booking was made with points, the added fees can certainly compound fast. In any case, I was rather pleased with the redemption rates I scored, so I’m not upset with the value of my average daily transportation expense in the slightest.
The highlight of all this flying was the Beirut - Istanbul leg of my Beirut - Tbilisi itinerary in Turkish Airlines Business Class. That first leg, TK 831, was onboard their B787 fitted with their newest business class configuration, so I truly felt like a king in the sky for the short 1.5 hour flight up to Istanbul.
Accommodations - $460.00
This section is inclusive of all nightly accommodation expenses.
Notes:
My July accommodation expense of $460.00 indicates an average nightly accommodation expense of $14.84. This represents a MoM decrease of a $168.33 from $628.33, or 26.79%.
This low figure was a feat of a balancing act, given I paid as low as $5.73 per night in Mestia, Georgia, and as high as $31.78 in Gaziantep, Turkey. I begrudgingly made my Gaziantep bookings of $22.66 per night and $31.78 per night, because Gaziantep is not an expensive place. However, it receives so little tourism, that there were no hostels in town or cheap Airbnbs, only hotels. Therefore, if I paid a hostel price on par with typical Gaziantep costs, my accommodation spend would be even lower.
It’s worth noting that I spent one night (the 29th) in the Athens Airport sleeping on the floor due to an overnight layover, so I had no accommodation expense that night. Therefore, my average nightly accommodation expense spread across 30 days is $15.33.
Miscellaneous Expenses - $815.77
The Miscellaneous section includes all expenses outside of transportation and accommodation. Perhaps in the future I’ll break this up into multiple sections, but for now I’m just lumping these expenses into one section.
Categories are ordered from largest expense to smallest expense.
Notes:
My average daily miscellaneous expense of $26.32 indicates a MoM decrease of $18.64 or 41.46%. Among all my MoM expense changes, this was by-far the greatest surprise, given that I didn’t feel like I was living in a more frugal manner than in June.
My July began in Turkey, where I hopped around the country, exploring 8 different destinations primarily traveling by bus. Most of my accommodations had kitchens, which greatly helps me reduce my daily spend. This is my preference, as I get to cook as I’d like, and make healthy, delicious meals. The harsh reality of eating out on a budget is that you’re typically eating doner kebap, which is tasty of course, but not nutritious in the slightest.
From Turkey I moved onto Lebanon, which as I’ve alluded to above, felt rather expense in comparison to my expectations. In reality, it wasn’t. I spent 7 days in the country, exchanged $350 USD for over 9 million LBP, and never spent beyond that initial amount, not that I had an option (using an ATM in inflation-ridden Lebanon means losing 80% of the value of your money).
And finally I ended the month in Georgia, which is glarringly one of the most inexpensive (if not the most) inexpensive countries I’ve ever visited in my life. Per my accommodation rates above, I spent $5.73 per night on a hostel in the mountains bordering Russia. That’s half the price of my cheapest hostel in Southeast Asia…
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Summary
Average Daily Spend (ADS) - $55.89
My average daily spend (ADS) for July was $18.42, which represents a MoM increase of $18.42, or 24.8%. This is my lowest ADS yet and was a complete surprise, given the overwhelming sense I had in Turkey and Lebanon that I was spending more than I had initially planned for.
Total Spend - $1,732.55
This expense report has been a complete and utter joy to compose as it covers my cheapest month yet since I’ve been on the road. Despite a significant increase in transportation expense due to more flights, every other category enjoyed a MoM decrease.
The sense of pressure to earn money that I had mentioned in past expense reports is certainly still present, albeit this report felt like a breath of fresh air. Additionally, I have a couple projects in the work that will hopefully allow me to offset my expenses. Further, I’ll have nearly one full month at home between a week in October and three weeks in December, which will help the wallet quite a bit. Looking far into the future, I have some travels planned in 2024 that I’m wildly excited for, so more to come on that in the near future.
Numbers aside, my spirits and energy are high as I close out my summer in Europe and head into Fall. I’ve greatly enjoyed all the countries I’ve visited and I’m incredibly please with the route I chose, although I’m frankly over the summer heat and eager to experience some cooler temperatures. As always, thanks for reading and I appreciate your support more than you know. More adventures, new relationships, and new places to come! Cheers
P.S.
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