JUNE 2023 EXPENSE REPORT
Introduction
Welcome, I’m glad you’re here!
My fourth monthly expense report is a telling one, as it covers a full 30 days of travel in Eastern European countries in the lively summer month of June. My first full month in Europe saw me visit Hungary (#43), Romania (#44), Bulgaria (#45), Macedonia (#46), Kosovo (#47), Serbia (#48), and Turkey (#49). I moved quickly, although it didn’t feel like it.
The Balkans (where I spent most of June) are a compact group of countries with more-or-less similar cultures, landscapes, and cuisines. While other travelers admonished my tight schedule, I was happy to hop from country to country. Forgive me, but I have no desire to spend two months in Bulgaria, and doing so doesn’t make one a more noble person.
Diatribe aside, let’s get into the equally promising and conflicted stats:
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Expenses
Transportation - $255.44
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 $255.44 in June. This represents a month-over-month (MoM) decrease in average daily transportation spend of $3.89, or 31.6%, from $12.30 in May to $8.41 in June. I frankly didn’t expect any of my expense categories to enjoy a MoM decrease from May to June, so this was an unexpected surprise.
Upon further thought, this decrease makes perfect sense, given that I only took one flight. As much as I love award redemptions, the expense of taxes, fees, and fuel surcharges certainly can add up. Therefore, the absence of flying treated me to such a low transportation expense.
In any case, I still embarked on several transit journeys: 6 train rides and 4 bus trips to be exact. The takeaway? Train and Bus journeys in the Balkans are down-right cheap. $17.46 for 9 hours in the most premium cabin (see my Varna-Sofia line item) is a bargain in any area of the world, as far as I’m aware.
Accommodations - $628.33
This section is inclusive of all nightly accommodation expenses.
Notes:
My June accommodation expense of $628.33 indicates an average daily accommodation expense of $20.94. This represents a MoM increase of a measly $0.09; I’m not even going to calculate what that increase equates to on a percentage basis.
I’m frankly elated with this figure, as Europe (in any region) is ostensibly a much more expensive place than South East Asia, which is where I spent most of May. I adhered to hostels like a bee to its hive, outside of one treat-yourself stay at an Airbnb in Bulgaria’s seaside city of Varna.
Notable line items are the shocking low of $10.68 per night in Skopje, and the shocking high of $33.41. You probably imagine Budapest to be a more affordable weekend getaway in Europe, correct? Summer 2023 prices will have you sorely mistaken.
Miscellaneous Expenses - $1348.69
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 $44.96 indicates a MoM increase of $20.84, or 86.4%. This is a complete and utter gut-punch, given how frugal much of my day-to-day spending felt upon reflection.
My June began in Budapest, which proved to be a suprisingly cosmopolitan, worldly city with prices to match. Beyond that, my brother was with me, and was living on a different budget than I was given that he was only travelling for 3 weeks rather than a full year. I find that when I travel with others, I typically match their spending habits. I wouldn’t trade my time with friends and family for anything in the world, but it is a reality that it usually comes with a higher price tag.
Beyond Budapest, my time in Sofia, Bulgaria presented an utter lack of street food and subsequently meant eating at restaurants. In any case, my most expensive meal at a restaurant was a mere $22, which indicates that it wasn’t big ticket dinners that did the damage here, but rather a litany of habitual snacking purchases in the $5-$15 range.
My last comment of note is regarding the $51.50 I spent on the “necessary” eVisa for Americans to enter Turkey. If you’re visiting Turkey, DO NOT FALL for this trap. I was disappointed to discover that a $25 charge is the standard if you arrive at customs in Turkey without the eVisa, which saves you over $25 just by not doing your homework.
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Summary
Average Daily Spend (ADS) - $74.31
My average daily spend (ADS) for June was $74.31, which represents a MoM increase of $17.04, or 29.6%. Coming after two consecutive MoM decreases for my ADS, this jump in daily spend was no surprise. I went from South East Asia to Europe after all, even if it was Eastern Europe rather than Western. In retrospect, I could’ve achieved a lower ADS figure, but only at the expense of quality time with my brother in Budapest.
Total Spend - $2,232.46
My total spend of $2,232.46 is splendidly-low in comparison to my only other full month of self-financed travel, April, which saw me spend a total of $3,164.77. This 29.46% decrease in spending is wholly welcomed, albeit I’m sure I could’ve spent even less. As I’ve alluded to, it’s not the big purchases that get ya’, it’s the daily small purchases that have a pernicious impact.
Needless to say, a sense of pressure is accruing that was absent in previous months, when I was positively new to this traveling lifestyle. June officially marks my fourth month, or 1/3rd of my year of travel that I have saved for. I always knew that I would have to generate sources of income at some point, but that moment is fast approaching. I have faith that I’ll be able to increase income and diminish expenses via brand & hotel partnerships, but that feat is predicated upon my ability to grow a following and leverage my skillset.
On a less analytical and more joyful note, yes, I’m still loving this life that I’ve always dreamt of. I’m seeing the freaking world, and through the highs and lows, the magnitude of that privilege is never lost on me. My 15 year old self who would daydream in wanderlust about gallivanting our planet from country to country would be smiling ear-to-ear at the sight of what his future-self is doing. And if it all hits the fan and I’m not able to logistically continue this dream, making my former self proud and knowing I’ll never have to life with “what if” will most certainly be enough.
If you’re still here, thank you for reading this and I hope you found it useful. It’s you people who keep me going!
P.S.
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