Originally a lot of this material was interspersed amoung the photos, but Janet pointed out that it made me look like all I cared about was how much things cost. That would be an overstatement, but the simple fact is that in places where costs were very high (like Vienna and Venice), this bothered me a lot. After all, we were budgeting an average of $100 a day for both of us, and Venice was costing almost twice that just to eat and sleep. When costs were very low, like in Poland and Thailand, it gave us the opportunity to do all kinds of cool things, like SCUBA diving for me, and guided tours and massage for Janet. In the end, we averaged about $110 a day, excluding airfare. The airfare was about $2000 each to fly around the world. We didn't buy real "around-the-world" tickets, we went through STA Travel for our long international flights, and bought short flights as we went.
If you are thinking about a trip like this and on a tight budget like us, I would highly discourage any time in Western Europe unless that is non-negotiable for you. It costs literally twice as much as the other places we travelled. Greece is the exception, but prices are rising quickly there.
Some places will charge you more if you are a tourist. The worst offender was Thailand, although because things cost so little there to begin with it wasn't too annoying except in Phuket. In Phuket, locals have grown so accustomed to foreigners paying whatever they ask that prices in some areas are nearly the same level as in Europe. There, the best deals you will find are from foreign shop owners. You quickly learn to bargain or you get taken advantage of. Market people in Bangkok will routinely quote you 10 times what something is worth, just to see if you will pay it! It is incredibly difficult to know what things are worth. A local man we made friends with said he hated shopping in the markets for exactly that reason. Poland was the least likely place to get ripped off. I don't know if it is just because they haven't experienced a lot of foreign tourism, or if they are just honest people. I have to say though that the Poles struck me as some of the most honest and fair people I have met. In the markets, they will charge a fair price every single time. I didn't see that anywhere else on our trip.
Here are some representative prices for a private room in the places we stayed:
Here's a good example of why we abandonded our Western Europe schedule, and headed straight for Eastern Europe. This is a laundry bill for two small loads of laundry in Vienna: about $30.
Greece was a surprise to me, I thought it would be more affordable. Restaurants are about the same price as home, although lodging is cheaper because of all the competition. Bottled water is cheap, but washing clothes is expensive (around $10 per load; we were washing in the sink). According to travelers we met, this is a recent thing, in the last two years. Apparently the change to the Euro is part of the reason, along with increased tourism. Many things that would cost $8 at home (like a dish at a restaurant) cost 8 Euro, but the poor exchange rate means that it will cost us about $10.
Typical dialog in Greece:
Janet: "Sure is relaxing here in the islands, isn't it?"
Daniel: "WHAT?? I COULDN'T HEAR YOU OVER THAT !@#$!@# MOPED!"
Now, it is Janet's turn to write about tuk-tuks and taxis. What bothered me most about the tuk-tuks was how much Daniel talked about them, complained about them, compared them to everything. He is beyond fascinated with them - he is obsessed! He is offended by their presence. I don't think he understands that it is nothing personal. I am so glad to be back in Boulder where there are no reminders of tuk-tuks for Daniel, and I don't have to hear about how unfair it is that the mafia rips people off. That is what the mafia does best, how can we blame them!