I’m glad that we didn’t travel on a fixed budget but rather tried to find a balance between being frugal, while traveling/living in a way we enjoyed, and not miss out on things we wanted to do and see. I believe we succeeded on all accounts.
It is nigh impossible to make a realistic budget in advance for a long overland journey. The global economy is in constant flux and unexpected expenses are inevitable. Trying to stick to a fixed budget will only give you grief. I would recommend just deciding how you want to travel and then accept what that means for the duration of your journey – there is no reason to stay on the road for as long as possible if you don’t enjoy what you are doing.

I like numbers and have been keeping track of all our expenses during the journey. I went into a detailed breakdown of our budget in a previous post.
Since we came home I’ve added up all our expenses.
The following numbers include everything except the value loss on the bikes – I wrote about that in this post.
Total expenses for 682 days of travel through 73 countries/states/provinces on 4 different continents while circumventing the globe was 640.698 Dkr (US$ 97.730 as of June 3rd 2025) which result in a daily average of 939 kr (US$143)

This journey has been a game changer. We have seen places most people can only dream of, but the real price is the people we have met and the friends we have made along the way. It has also been an inner journey and I believe it will take a long time to discover everything the journey has given us.

I would like to share some thoughts and a bit of advice to anyone who consider doing a similar journey.

Don’t let fear stand in the way of your dreams. At no point during our journey did we feel threatened or unsafe. Our attitude plays a big part in that equation. When dealing with people you get what you give. Besides that I consciously use the pygmalion effect to motivate people around me to be the best version of themselves and it works. Being seasoned and competent travelers also helps, but you have to travel to gain that experience.

Don’t overthink or over plan it. You can’t prepare for every eventuality so don’t even try. A fixed schedule will only result in you getting worked up when (not if) things don’t go to plan and create unnecessary stress. Whatever happens is part of the journey and the unexpected only adds to the adventure. Given time you will find a solution to every problem – simply because there is no alternative.

Learn some Spanish before entering Latin America. It changes everything when you can communicate with the locals and know what’s going on around you. We used the free version of Duolingo every day for 3 years before we set out and during the journey as well. It made a world of a difference.

Choosing homestays in residential areas instead of hotels and hostels downtown will not only save you money, it will also allow you to get away from other travelers and closer to the locals which add a special flavor to the experience. Some of our hosts even became friends. People react very differently to you when you are the only foreigner around.

Something else this journey has confirmed to me is that timing is vital. We paced our progress according to the seasons. As a result we avoided the rainy seasons and rarely had to ride in extreme temperatures. Even so the weather threw the occasional curveball. Often we extended our stays by a day or two to avoid riding in the rain. Rainy days not only spoil the fun of riding, they also steal the views and make it difficult to take good pictures. We rode in the rain less than 10 times during our 60.000 km/20 month trip through The Americas. It pays off to know the weather patterns and keep an eye on the forecasts.

Slow down on long journeys.
I had heard that advice from other long term travellers before we set out, but had to experience it myself to get it. Everyday logistics took up a surprisingly big part of our time because we planned as we went. Days off (no riding or sightseeing) allowed us to catch up, plan ahead, connect with the locals and get a better feel for the places we stayed.
Staying put for a while is also a good way to stretch your money. Accommodation usually gets cheaper the longer you stay. Food gets much cheaper when you can buy in larger quantities and prepare your own meals.

I have broken down the stats to put some numbers on our travel pace.
We travelled for 682 days.
255 days we were on the move on 2 wheels and 56 days on 4 wheels.
371 days we stayed put or puttered around locally.
That equals 45% on the move and 55% staying put.