It’s one of the first questions asked by anyone considering the idea of traveling around the world – how much does a round the world trip cost? The answer could make or break your decision to go.

So?

I hate to say it but it’s tricky to give an exact answer to this question – any exact number is based on a slew of variables like destinations, the trip’s timing and personal traveling style.

This article is our best shot at nailing down just how much it costs to travel around the world. If you want to see our hard number, jump down to that section here. Otherwise read on to see why a hard number shouldn’t be trusted.

What variables affect costs?

These things have the most influence on the cost tally for your trip:

• When you go – it has a huge influence on the overall cost of an around the world trip. Prices in a given location can vary wildly depending on the time of year you’re there. This is also known as seasonality.
• Where you go – parts of the world are more expensive than others. Europe, the USA, Australia and Japan are going to deepen the expense of your RTW trip. India, Southeast Asia and Central America will bring the total cost down. Here are some tips on how to choose where to go.
• What you do when you’re there – going out for adventures every day (or every other day) will bring up the total cost of your trip.
• Your accommodations – hostels, hotels, guest houses, long-term rentals, all have a huge effect on your trip’s cost. Here’s our guide on how and when to book accommodations.
• The type of food you eat – whether you eat at street vendors, supermarkets, restaurants, local’s houses or Buddhist monasteries will alter your food budget.

What is generally included in the cost of a round-the-world trip?

There are really only a few archetypical things that people spend their money on when they travel and can be summed up easily:

Plane tickets – getting from region to region. The average cost of a trip we sell at AirTreks (aka, an AirTrek) tends to be in the $2500 – $3500 per person range including taxes. Over the last 20 years this number has remained largely stable.

Tag a price on your budget spreadsheet around $3300. If your trip comes in lower, that’s a bonus!

» Plan and price your own RTW trip with TripPlanner now!

Accommodations – where you stay. These can range from the most barebones dormitory-style hostel to a fairly luxurious hotel or resort. Of course you can mix and match, and you will over the course of your trip. After plane tickets, accommodations will be the most expensive part of your travel budget.

Plan on $20 – $40 per night in inexpensive regions and $90 – $150 in expensive ones. (Less if you plan to sleep in hostels every night.)

Food/Drink – what you eat every day. This item can range from supermarket picnicking to street food to restaurants. This will vary from meal to meal. The less you spend every meal on food the cheaper your RTW trip will be.

Plan on $1 – $5 per meal per person in inexpensive regions and $5 – 20 per meal per person in expensive ones.

Activities – also known as what you do with your time besides eating. These are things like tours, museums, adventure activities (rafting, zip lining, Zorbing), elephant riding. Of course you are going to spend money on doing things.

Can range from $5 – $200 each depending on the activity.

Ground transportation – that which gets you from place to place and is not an airplane. This includes buses, trains, ferries, taxis, moto-rickshaws, regular rickshaws, tuk-tuks, barges, giant catapults.

Costs vary depending on how far you’re going and how fast.

» Find out how to set a travel budget

Here is how much a RTW will cost*

It’s a general consensus from people who have done these trips (people traveling as frugally and judiciously as possible), that a year on the road costs somewhere between $20,000 and $30,000 total. Let’s just say $25,000 for the sake of argument. If you break that down monthly, a RTW trip will cost one person around $2000 per month accommodating everything.

*This cannot and should not be taken as a hard and fast number since the variables for your particular traveling style are numerous.

» Find out your traveling style

Another thing to keep in mind is the consensus that the longer the trip the less you spend on a daily basis. On a longer trip you’ll spend less every day, simply because you don’t feel the need to fill each day with stuff. There will be days you don’t spend as much money because you’re not driven to be running around active.

This is also the reason why we’ve said that longer trips can actually be cheaper on a relative basis.

It’s our recommendation to build a spreadsheet for yourself, add all your variable items and adjust them to your particular traveling style.

» Find out what kind of traveler you are

If you want some further hard numbers on how much a round the world trip cost, there is a selection of travel bloggers who have posted their numbers online for all to see, to compare and to evaluate. The travel blog Jack and Jill Travel has compiled some of the best of them.

The blog RTW Expenses put together a yearlong tally of their personal costs for a RTW trip (updated for this year’s pricing).

And finally, David Lee, an around-the-world traveler, former AirTrekker and founder of the great travel blog Go Backpacking, put together a public spreadsheet with information on costs associated with his own RTW trip. This can be used as an excellent gauge for someone trying to put together a budget for a big trip.

Recouping your money

You shouldn’t forget that while you will spend money up front and during the trip, it’s possible to put some of that money back into your bank account while on the road, offsetting some of the above costs. Here are a few ideas on how to earn money while you travel.