I had a reply on my last post about Budgets from experienced traveller and blogger Lissie from Budget 4wd Travel.
Lissie raised some very good points regarding servicing of the van etc. In fact there were enough questions for a post, so a post I shall write!
So from here on in Lissie’s comments are in the Block quotes and my answers are below.
I’d say the main thing you are missing – and the biggest risk is maintenance – curently spending A$1500 on torque converter for said 4wd (yes we still have it!).
We’re lucky enough that the van is fairly new (2004). Of course the downside of this is that there’s a lot that we cannot fix if it did go wrong, most of the injection timing and stuff like that is all controlled by the Engine Management computer and they are damn expensive.
We do have some other spares we will take with us (I used to work for a magazine for the automotive repair trade – it’s not what you know but who you know when it comes to getting things for a good price).
Tyres wear out, etc. We did do 35,000km in 6 months though – you get that in Australia! You should service a diesel every 5000km to – its really a bad idea to miss this (they are less forgiving than petrol in this)
The tyres should last us for atleast 7500 miles, they will be replaced at the start of the trip if they don’t look like they will. We will also take two spare tyres (full size) in case of punctures or blowouts.
Fiat Panda, 1.3 Diesel!
As for servicing every 5000km – I’d disagree. Modern diesels (Like Ford’s 2.4litre Duratorque that powers the LDV) should be able to last 12000 miles between servicing, obviously more often increases longevity and economy etc. I’m not sure if Australia have the same kind of diesels as we do in Europe, I know in America they are seen as slow and sluggish but in Europe diesel powers just about as many cars as petrol. There is even a small diesel unit for the Fiat Panda!
In pratice you will need to regionalise your budget – you cant spend your average in Bulgaria and expect to spend the same in Sweden LMAO. We budgeted on a weekly basis – cause stuff averges out. What about interent and phones – internet adds up trust me on this!
We are looking at this. One of the reasons we went for the same costs acros the board is due to weighing up living costs. In Sweden and Norway etc we can camp for free in layby’s and even out in the wild, so our nightly costs will be nearly nothing, meaning that we can shift some of our 55GBP daily budget aroundfor food or activites.
In Eastern Europe, although we can camp for free, we will not be doing so. This is due to security, many campervanners have tales of being woken in the night by people robbing them, or even just stealing the whole van whilst they are in the back in bed!
Using guarded campsites does not come cheap though – about 20euro a night minimum, of course this is offset by cheaper activities and food costs.
On the flipside to all that though I quite agree with Lissie’s comment. It is hard to know what things will cost until we get there, and then budgets can be properly set. Different countries may have different costs and different regions certianly will.
We set out our budget just to get an idea of our trip’s cost. It’s a kind of “worst case scenario” or “most expensive scenario”. Once we get underway I am sure we will chop and change things and almost completely rewrite the book.
As for internet and phones – we will only be taking a mobile with us for emergencies. Again down to costs. As for Internet, we will be relying on internet cafes in cities, in most youth hostels you can find a pc with internet (free) and on campsites we will be hoping for wi-fi access or again a pc and internet.
You can see Lissie’s post from her travels by clicking on this link : How much will a budget trip around Australia cost? Part 1: Day to Day Costs I really do appreciate everyone’s comments, and I hope Lissie doesn’t think I am just disagreeing with her! lol.
I hope all the rest of you find these articles useful. Are there any other tips that you guys want to know about?
