South America - Budget

Four of a kind

Myself and the girlfriend are in the early stages of planning a 6 month trip to SA next January.

So far we aim to fly into Rio, then travel south down Argentina then over to Chile, up to Bolivia, Peru and finish in Colombia. Obviously this route is just a starter, and will get tweaked as the months go by.

However, I'd like to get some information regarding what sort of funds are we looking at between the two of us for the duration of the 6 months there. Brazil I know is a very expensive country along with Argentina and chile.

Would €2,000 per month for the two of us give us a budget to get by on? We don't drink(well we don't plan on doing any drinking), we want to see a few sights along the route, but basically we'd like to backpack our way around and stay in safe/clean accommodation.

Regarding the accommodation, what options will be available for a couple? Don't fancy sleeping in mixed dorms.


As I said, I just want to get a decent idea of what the money side of things will be like in order for us to plan ahead.

I've a beginners course in Spanish just completed in order to kick start my preparation and so would like any advice/tips from those of ye that visited SA already.

Thanks.

yeraulone

Hey

Last year me and my gf did a similar 6 month trip from mexico down to peru. I think we had about £7k (8.5 euro) each which was loads.

You're going to be covering a lot of ground and obviously the most expensive thing is going to be the buses/border taxes etc. Try and travel on overnight buses when going long distances and you'll save a bit on hostels. The buses are unbelievably comfortable as well, unlike the CIE dust buckets. If you are only going short distances, say 2-3 hours, avoid the coaches and make use of the mini buses (collectivos) which are super cheap.

Nearly every hostel will have private rooms for cheap - between $15 and $20 (per room) per night. Bit pricey for backpackers but we wanted our privacy. Food/water - you should get by easily on about $5 - $10 each a day. Make use of the hostel kitchens, especially in the big cities where everything is going to be a lot more expensive.

Good move learning spanish, you are going to need it!

Four of a kind

yeraulone wrote: »

Hey

Last year me and my gf did a similar 6 month trip from mexico down to peru. I think we had about £7k (8.5 euro) each which was loads.

You're going to be covering a lot of ground and obviously the most expensive thing is going to be the buses/border taxes etc. Try and travel on overnight buses when going long distances and you'll save a bit on hostels. The buses are unbelievably comfortable as well, unlike the CIE dust buckets. If you are only going short distances, say 2-3 hours, avoid the coaches and make use of the mini buses (collectivos) which are super cheap.

Nearly every hostel will have private rooms for cheap - between $15 and $20 (per room) per night. Bit pricey for backpackers but we wanted our privacy. Food/water - you should get by easily on about $5 - $10 each a day. Make use of the hostel kitchens, especially in the big cities where everything is going to be a lot more expensive.

Good move learning spanish, you are going to need it!

Great info dude. Thanks!

Yeah the budget is main concern at the moment. We did a similar trip last year in Asia and €1,000 each a month was loads, but I know SA is a lot more expensive so just want to be on the right road for planning.

Regarding wifi, I presume its plentiful? Online banking while over there will be how I intend to sort my money situation.

yeraulone

No problem.

Yes you'll get wifi in most hostels. Even some of the buses have it. I actually brought a small 11" laptop with me which was really handy.

BTW, Hostel world is a great site for booking places to stay and reviews. It will also give you an idea of prices etc.

Four of a kind

yeraulone wrote: »

No problem.

Yes you'll get wifi in most hostels. Even some of the buses have it. I actually brought a small 11" laptop with me which was really handy.

BTW, Hostel world is a great site for booking places to stay and reviews. It will also give you an idea of prices etc.

yeah I always bring a mini laptop with me for trips. That and an external hard drive with movies. Kept me sane on many a night in Africa

Wow....some of the buses have wifi?? Now that's gangsta :rolleyes: