How to Avoid an Expensive Backpacking Trip

While most people look for cheap holidays, I gravitate towards the most expensive ones for some reason. It’s not intentional because I prefer roughing out my trip rather staying in luxurious hotels. But that doesn’t mean that the dollar signs won’t add up at the end of the trip. Here are some examples on how to turn your backpacking trip in an expensive one:

Brazilian Amazon

Visit the Amazon

Although the Amazon is a must see destination at some point in your life, it can easily bring up the cost of your backpacking trip. If I look back at my trip to Brazil, my internal flight to Manaus (Amazon) was triple the price of my internal flight to Salvador (Bahia). Once you’re in the amazon, you will most likely need to book a tour unless you have the skills and permissions required to wander off the amazon on your own (which I highly doubt). Depending on what type of tour you choose, you can pay anywhere between $500 to $1,000 for a 5 day tour. There is no doubt that it’s worth the price because the Amazon is definitely something you should see at least once but the price of this experience should be planned for if you’re on a tight budget.

Ngorongoro Crater

Go on a Safari

Africa is the poorest and most under developed continent of the world. You would probably think it would be cheapest place to travel, which to a certain degree it is. Once your flight is paid, you can stay in hostels for about 10$ per day, depending on where you are. This being said, if you plan to go a safari, you’ll have to be ready to pay the price for one. Some parks offer self drive safari which will cost considerably less than if you hire a guide. But if it’s your first time on a safari, wouldn’t you want someone to explain the history of the park, the animals and so on? But for that, you’re talking about a few hundred dollars per day. My week in the Serengeti cost me $1,000. Every penny of it was worth it because it was like being on a BBC documentary. If I were to do another safari, I would probably consider a self drive safari but for my first experience, I was very satisfied with my guided tour.

Kilimanjaro

Climb a Mountain

If you’re considering hiking or climbing a mountain, you’ll have to budget for hiking and climbing gear. We all know the price of mountain equipment can quickly increase the cost of your trip. And that’s not all. If you’re thinking about climbing a seriously mountain, you’ll need to hire a guide and maybe even porters. My 6-day Kilimanjaro hike totalled about $1,500, where again, every penny was worth it. But, not everyone may be able to afford it so you should think about what activities you plan on doing when you visit a specific country.