Wind and Whim’s 2024 Full-Time Travel Costs
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It’s a new year, which means it’s time for our annual spending breakdown! In 2024, we explored 16 cities and towns across 7 countries on 3 continents. This year marked a milestone—it was our first adventure in Southeast Asia, where we spent over four months.
Our travel style sits comfortably between backpacker and luxury—think of it as a solid three-star experience. If you’re planning full-time or long-term travel, rest assured, it can be done for much less. Don’t miss the Ways to Travel for Less section below for some great tips!
Read on to discover how we allocated our funds, what we spent in various destinations, and just how far over budget we ended up.
Where We Went
Here’s our travel lineup for 2024:
- Jacksonville and Orlando, Florida, – Quality time with friends and family.
- Savannah, Georgia – A quick stop on our way to a pet sit in Asheville, N.C.
- Asheville, North Carolina – Two chilly weeks with Aspen, the first dog we ever pet sat.
- Tonawanda, New York – A suburb of Buffalo. We spent three weeks visiting family while looking after a dog and cat.
- Bury St. Edmunds, U.K. – Three weeks in this charming town, pet sitting two adorable dogs. We fell in love with the place.
- London, U.K. – Nearly ten weeks alternating between pet sitting and being tourists. We moved around a lot and got to experience six different areas of the city.
- Canary Islands, Spain – A three-month adventure split between four towns on three islands. You can read about our time in the islands here and here.
- Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Our introduction to Southeast Asia and a wonderful four weeks. Read our take on KL here.
- Hanoi, Vietnam – An intense yet fascinating four weeks that you can read about here.
- Chiang Mai, Thailand – A hot four weeks that I didn’t particularly enjoy.
- Bangkok, Thailand – Five weeks here was more than enough for me.
- Siem Reap, Cambodia – A delightful end to 2024.
Our 2024 Budget
| Item | Budget Per Day | Annual Budget |
|---|---|---|
| Daily travel expenses | $150 | $54,900 |
| General expenses | $8 | $2,900 |
| Totals | $158 | $57,800 |
Our travel budget for the year is $57,800. This breaks down to $150 per day for travel ($54,900 for the year) and $2,900 for general expenses like evacuation insurance, supplies, and website costs.
Since 2023, I’ve used this daily rate method instead of budgeting by category. It’s a huge time-saver and serves as a helpful guide throughout the year.
Our 2024 Costs by Category
| Category | Cost |
|---|---|
| Accommodations | $25,900 |
| Food | 16,700 |
| Transportation | 12,000 |
| Activities | 4,000 |
| Insurance | 1,100 |
| Medical | 1,200 |
| Office Related | 300 |
| Supplies | 1,000 |
| Telephone | 800 |
| Website | 500 |
| Visas | 300 |
| Other | 400 |
| Total | $64,200 |
| Budget | $57,800 |
| Over budget | $6,400 |
| Cost per day | $175 |
* All costs are in U.S. dollars
* All costs are for two people unless noted
The following items are not included:
* U.S. medical insurance
* Routine prescriptions
* Storage of our possessions in the U.S.
* Clothing (unless purchased for a specific reason like skiwear)
* Gifts and contributions
Spending Details
Accommodations
While Airbnb has always been our go-to for keeping accommodation expenses manageable, we used it far less in 2024. The main reason? We only needed short stays before, after, and between our pet-sitting gigs.
Here’s the breakdown:
- Airbnb: We spent $8,600 on Airbnbs over 128 nights, averaging $67 per night.
- Hotels: We spent 156 nights in hotels. This cost us $17,300 for an average of $110 per night.
- Free Stays: Thanks to pet sitting, we enjoyed 82 nights of accommodation for free!
Food
As always, we ate well. We spent $16,700 on food, with more than half going toward dining out. Staying in hotels more often this year made eating at home less practical, though we’ve been known to haul olives, cheese, and salami back to our room when we’re too tired to venture out.
We had nearly one meal out for every day of the year. Cutting back could save us a lot, but dining out is something we both genuinely enjoy.
Transportation
Our transportation costs reached an all-time high of $12,000. Two main factors contributed to this:
- Increased Flights: We took an unusually high number of flights, flying 11 times at a total cost of $5,900.
- Extended Car Rentals: We rented cars for 10 weeks, with expenses for the rentals, gas, and parking adding up to $3,400.
Additionally, we spent $2,500 on public transportation and $200 on other transportation-related expenses (AAA membership and international driver permits).
Activities
Our activity costs were higher than usual this year—we spent $4,000 having a blast. Sure, many of the things we did came with a hefty price tag, but like dining out, if we’re making the choice intentionally and can afford it, why not?
Our most memorable activities included:
A two-night Halong Bay cruise: Sailing on the Paradise Explorer was the perfect mix of nature and luxury. At a base cost of $760, it was a splurge but worth every penny.
An overnight stay at an elephant sanctuary: This experience, costing $350, was one of the highlights of our year. Check out our post, “What You Need to Know About Elephant Sanctuaries in Thailand” to learn more.
A day of deep-sea fishing for Steve: Ever since we started traveling, Steve had been dreaming of a fishing trip. He finally found the perfect opportunity in the Canary Islands, where we enjoyed fresh tuna after the trip. The charter cost $157.
Insurance
The only travel-related insurance expense we had was Medjet, an air medical transport and travel security membership program. It provides transportation to a hospital of your choice in your home country in case of a medical emergency while traveling. The coverage also includes the transfer of mortal remains.
The cost for both of us was $1,224, but with an AARP discount, we paid $1,069.
For medical insurance, we rely on our U.S. Medicare policies, which cover us within the United States. For procedures performed abroad, we pay out of pocket.
Medical
Our travel-related medical expenses totaled $1,240. We only include medical costs directly tied to travel or those that exceed what we would have paid in the U.S. with our insurance.
Here’s the breakdown:
- Typhoid, COVID, and flu vaccines for Steve and Linda: $345
- Doctor visits for bloodwork and prescriptions for Steve and Linda: $560
- Mammogram for Linda: $200
- Probiotics for travel tummy for Linda: $65
- Urgent care and first aid supplies after a fall down stairs for Linda: $30
All the prescription medicine we bought while traveling cost the same or less as it would have cost if purchased in the U.S. with our insurance.
Office Related
Our office-related expenses totaled $335. The two primary items in this category were:
- Virtual mailbox subscription through Traveling Mailbox for $200
- VPN service through ExpressVPN for $120
The remaining $15 covered miscellaneous items such as copies and postage.
Supplies
Supplies includes any items purchased for travel, excluding everyday clothing. Of the $1,000 we spent, the majority went toward small items under $20. The largest expenses were:
- Two sets of luggage: $409
- Packing cubes and organizers: $84
- Brita pitcher and filters: $65
Telephone
Our telephone costs came to $800, which is higher than usual. Previously, we relied on local SIM cards but recently switched to Airalo’s Global eSIMs. While they are more expensive than local SIMs, they eliminate the need to get a new one each time we change countries. The Discover Plus plan includes data, calls, and texts.
See what Airalo has to offer.
This total does not include our base telephone service. For that, we use Hushed, which lets us keep our U.S. numbers for $200 per year both of us and offers inexpensive international calls.
Costs by Location
Our travel style in 2024 was all over the place. Four of the cities we visited involved petsitting, three included family time (which increased costs), and two spanned across years.
Here, I’ll focus on what we spent for nine trips that didn’t overlap years and didn’t involve other family members.
It may be necessary to turn your screen to view the entire table.
2024 Costs by Location – Without Pet Sitting
| Location | Total cost | Days | Cost per day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Savannah, Georgia, USA | $800 | 3 | $267 |
| Canary Islands, Spain | $14,500 | 84 | $173 |
| Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | $5,200* | 29 | $179 |
| Hanoi, Vietnam | $4,000 | 28 | $143 |
| Chiang Mai, Thailand | $3,200 | 28 | $114 |
| Bangkok, Thailand | $4,200 | 37 | $114 |
- This includes $2,000 in airfare from the Canary Islands to Kuala Lumpur.
2024 Costs by Location – With Pet Sitting
| Location | Total Cost | Days | Cost per day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asheville, N.C., USA | $900 | 13 | $69 |
| Bury St. Edmunds, U.K. | $3,600 | 23 | $157 |
| London, U.K. | $11,100 | 67 | $166 |
Seven-Year Comparison
Here’s a look back at what we’ve spent since we started traveling full-time in 2018:
| Year | Annual Cost | Days in Year | Cost per Day |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018* | $58,400 | 365 | $160 |
| 2019 | $52,900 | 365 | $145 |
| 2020 | $41,700 | 366 | $114 |
| 2021 | $42,300 | 365 | $116 |
| 2022 | $64,500 | 365 | $177 |
| 2023 | $64,500 | 365 | $177 |
| 2024 | $64,200 | 366 | $175 |
*The 2018 cost is an annualized number based on what we spent for eight months of travel.
You can see details for all the past years here.
Ways to Travel for Less
Traveling doesn’t have to break the bank—you can still have an amazing trip while keeping costs down.
- Cut accommodation costs – Airbnb is a solid option, but don’t overlook other budget-friendly choices like pet and housesitting, hostels, or staying with friends and family.
- Travel slowly – Staying longer in one place reduces transportation costs and may let you take advantage of long-term discounts. Plus, it gives you time to truly experience a destination.
- Use public transportation – It’s not always glamorous and can get crowded, but in many places, it’s a fast, convenient, and affordable way to get around.
- Plan side trips wisely – Keep side trips to a minimum, consider day trips, or tack a short trip onto the end of a longer one to avoid paying for two accommodations at once.
- Travel in the shoulder season or off-season – You’ll often find lower prices and fewer tourists.
- Visit less expensive destinations – You don’t have to go full budget; balance pricier places with more affordable ones.
Price of Travel is a website that provides backpacker-level cost estimates for over 200 cities. Even if you plan to travel more comfortably, it’s a helpful tool for comparing the relative costs of different destinations.
You can also use websites like Budget Your Trip to estimate expenses. Simply select a city, travel style (budget, mid-range, or luxury), and currency. The site calculates the average daily cost and provides totals for one or two people for durations of one week, two weeks, or a month.
Learn more about pet sitting in “Everything You Need to Know About Pet Sitting While Traveling” and see why slow travel rocks in “Slow Travel: Better for You, Better for the Environment”.
Until Next Time
I hope you found this information helpful! If you have any questions or would like to see other data, feel free to let me know in the comments.
Happy traveling,
Linda
Featured image by Bru-nO on Pixabay.
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