MAY 2023 EXPENSE REPORT
Introduction
Hello!
Welcome to my third monthly expense report, covering travel in the month of May 2023. Like March, this was a truncated month for self-financed travel, as I was blessed to enjoy a 10 day family trip to Morocco. Thus, this report is inclusive of 21 days of travel.
May was a tremendously exciting month for me as it almost always is: Spring has fully sprung and Summer is right around the corner, each new day is warmer than the previous, and people are outside enjoying the returning sunshine. Moreover, May was a great month for me because I found myself in three continents, journeying from South Korea (#37) to Bali, Indonesia (#38) on Singapore Airlines Business Class. That experience in itself was everything I hoped it would be and then some, and it’s the experience I’m most bummed about not being able to document (if you’re new here, I lost my hard drive that contained all my work up to my time in Malaysia).
I took a boat to the neighboring island of Lombok, then flew to Malaysia (#39) where I explored Kuala Lumpur and Penang. From Penang I crossed into Thailand, took an overnight train to Bangkok, then flew 7 hours to Abu Dhabi and 8 hours onward to Casablanca where I met my family in Morocco (#40). Our family trip ended just before the end of the month, and on May 29th I flew to Bratislava, Slovakia (#41) with my brother.
Alas, three continents, five time zones and five countries: how much did it all cost?
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Transportation - $258.39
Expenses
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 was down on a month-over-month (MOM) basis from $740.57 in April to $258.39 in May. A significant decrease indeed, albeit a skewed indicator as April was inclusive of 30 days of travel, and May only 21 days of travel. In any case, my average daily transportation expense enjoyed a MoM decline of $12.39, or 50.2%, to finish the month at $12.30 per day.
I simply lack the adequate words to describe the elation I experienced when I calculated that value! I went into this entire year of travel with an idea in my head of what I would be spending on a daily basis, and that initial number had been obliterated on a daily basis up to the month of May. Macro-economic factors coupled with the destinations I visited yielded a more costly start to this journey than I had planned for, so May was the ultimate sense of having loads of weight taken off my shoulders. My expenses in all categories for the month made me feel this way, and the Transportation section was no exception.
Accommodations - $987.32
This section is inclusive of all nightly accommodation expenses.
Notes:
My accommodation expense dropped on a MoM basis by a staggering $591.16, or 59.9%. More tellingly, my average daily accommodation expense experienced a MoM decline of $12.06 per day, or 36.6%, to finish the month at $20.85 per night.
Continuing the theme of relief I experienced from the Transportation section, a 36.6% decrease in daily accommodation spend made me optimistic that maybe I really can make this work for a full year. Of course, a majority, not a minority, of the countries I visit will be more expensive than Indonesia and Malaysia. Yet please take note of my accommodation type in Indonesia: I stayed exclusively in hotels. Thus, there is a possibility in which this metric dips even lower (although it isn’t a likely one, as I do need some privacy from time to time).
All Other Expenses - $506.42
The Miscellaneous section of the expense report 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:
May was my second consecutive month of heavily relying on cash for daily expenses. As I’ve mentioned in the past, this isn’t my preference, as it disrupts my ability to categorize my expenses, not to mention I don’t rack up any cc points for such purchases.
In any case, I’m really pleased with my average daily expense of $24.12. This indicated a MoM decrease of 49.6%, or $23.78, from April’s total of $47.90. The decline for this metric was expected as Indonesia, Malaysia, and even Slovakia are all significantly less expensive countries than Hong Kong and Japan.
Going forward, this will be a challenging metric to reduce to a further extent, as I’ll hardly be visiting more inexpensive countries than those of May, and the necessary sacrifice for such an expense reduction is enjoyment. I already avoid the nice restaurants, three meals per day, and using rideshare services rather than public transport or simply my own two feet. To reduce my daily spend even further would mean no more morning coffee, convenience store meals, and potentially less phone service. Frankly, those aren’t budget cuts I’m willing to make.
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My average daily spend (ADS) for May was $57.27, which represents a MoM decrease of $48.22, or 45.7%. This comes after a MoM decrease of $59.69, or 36.14% from March to April. Alas, my ADS has regulated to the equilibrium I initially hoped for, the graph of which resembles a roller coaster that puts you in momentary free-fall before cruising to a flat slope. I don’t expect any further significant decreases in my ADS, not until the fall at least, when I plan to travel around Central America.
average Daily Spend (ADS) - $57.27
Summary
total spend - $1,160.97
This wraps up the first expense report I’ve produced that was thoroughly a joy to compose due to the values I calculated for my key metrics. $1,160.97 across 21 days, or $57.27 per day, is a number that hardly tells the story of daily decision making, of googling two cafes and choosing the one with the more wallet-friendly menu, of getting extra daily steps that I wouldn’t have had if my budget were greater, of sleeping in shared rooms in favor of private ones.
As I’ve alluded to earlier in this report, I don’t see myself reaching lower totals of daily spend, because such an achievement would come at a significant cost to my overall enjoyment and ability to experience the destinations I visit. This entire journey is about a balance of stretching my money but also doing proper justice to the incredible places I’m so blessed to see.
The sacrifices I make are a small price to be paid in order to see our beautiful planet. Travel will forever be the antidote to ignorance, and I hardly imagine one can engage in seeing the world with open eyes and return to their home a more arrogant version of their self that left in the first place. Yet make no mistake, to travel is a luxury not everyone affords. The stars of family responsibilities, financial burdens, social relationships, and everything in-between have to align in a precise way for one to be able to fully just go. Seeing the world might educate you, but it doesn’t make you any more noble than your neighbor who never left their hometown.
Between prudent saving, a healthy family, a self-sufficient spirit, I do enjoy the luxury of traveling, and that’s a blessing I count every day.
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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