Location: Thessaloniki [Greece]

Week 53 and the month of January are over. Let’s see how I did….

Transportation

Zero. I didn’t change cities, and I walked everywhere. In a hilly city like Θεσσαλονική (Thessaloniki), that’s a lot of exercise!

Accommodation

I haven’t paid my bill yet, but the hostel should be approximately $15.40 per night. It’s definitely 13.50 Euro, but conversion rates change often so….

Food

So food here is more expensive than Georgia, but still pretty good. Also, free breakfast being included by the hostel helps a lot. I’ve been getting the vast majority of my calories in the morning because of that.

To get a decent example of food prices at restaurants though…. I went on a date on Tuesday. We got 2 glasses of wine and 3 appetizers for $15.97. It’s not cheap, but it’s not Western Europe either.

Other

My first travel insurance plan finally expired on Sunday. So after that, the cost of only one travel insurance plan is $5.57 per day. I suspect it’s still a lot more expensive than most due to my ‘country of origin’ being the United States. Also, if you want to travel anywhere, just get a global plan in the beginning. Adjusting plans as you go is often not an option (as I found out the hard way, and ended up with 2 simultaneous plans).

VPN service: $0.26 per day.

Amazon Prime: $0.33 per day.

This blog: $0.31 per day.

Skype: $0.08 per day.

Chase Sapphire Reserve: effective $0.41 per day.

On Friday, I went on a free walking tour (mainly to see Γιοργιος again), and tipped $4.56. It may have been the 4-5th time I’ve been on that tour, but I still appreciate what he does.

On Saturday, I bought a postcard to send to a friend: $2.74 (which includes shipping). I even wrote a short message in it with my limited Greek.

On Monday, I bought a Greek Language B1 book: $30.80. The woman that sold it to me said the book was designed to have a teacher helping, but I think I should be able to figure most of it out. And if I get confused about something, there are plenty of Greeks around I can flag down and ask for help.

On Thursday, I did laundry: $3.99. It’s those little expenses that sneak up on you….

Summary

Week 53
Fri	Sat	Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Total
Travel	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Lodging	15.4	15.4	15.4	15.4	15.4	15.4	15.4	107.8
Food	7.98	10.84	5.7	2.28	15.97	0	2.28	45.05
Other	14.59	12.77	10.03	37.74	6.94	6.94	10.93	99.94
Total	37.97	39.01	31.13	55.42	38.31	22.34	28.61	252.79

As we can see here, this is a little less than double the price of one of my weeks in Georgia. It’s still under budget though so I’m happy.

And for the month of January….

Jan 19
Week 49	Week 50	Week 51	Week 52	Week 53	Total
Travel	0	0	0	36.81	0	36.81
Lodging	11.28	26.32	26.32	65.72	107.8	237.44
Food	15.64	55.41	35.14	55.57	45.05	206.81
Other	29.85	93.04	69.98	247.79	99.94	540.6
Total	56.77	174.77	131.44	405.89	252.79	1021.66

That’s not terrible either. See you all next week.

Locations: Tbilisi, Kutaisi [Republic of Georgia], Thessaloniki [Greece]

My one year anniversary of when I started traveling will hit this week. Let’s see how my finances shook out this week; it’s been a busy one….

Transportation

On Sunday, I took the თბილისი (Tbilisi) metro to the train station: $0.19. Then, I took a train from Tbilisi to ქუთაისი (Kutaisi): $3.02. It was a 5.5 hour ride on the mostly empty train. It took about an hour longer than the vans that go everywhere, but far more comfortable. I highly recommend train travel in Georgia when it’s available.

On Tuesday, I took a personal van from the city of Kutaisi to the airport: $1.89. It was a half hour ride, and (since it’s low season) I was the only customer. Winning!

Also on Tuesday, I took a flight from Kutaisi to Θεσσαλονίκη (Thessaloniki): $28.00. A 2.5 hour flight on a budget airline for that price; hell, yes! I think I was the only one on the plane that isn’t Greek or Georgian. I also got to see first-hand how much easier it is for me to travel verses a Georgian. They had to present their passports; bank statements; and answer questions about where they were staying, for how long, what the purpose of their visit was…. The border control agent just looked at my passport, commented on how different I look from my picture, asked if I’d just flown from Georgia, and gave me a new stamp. I only got one question, and it wasn’t even a ‘real’ one.

After flying in, I look a bus from the airport to downtown Thessaloniki: $2.28. It’s not Georgia prices, but it’s still pretty good.

On Wednesday, I went out with some French guys from the hostel. They got really drunk, and we decided it would be best to take a taxi back rather than try to walk since half of us were stumbling (I’ll let you guess if I was part of the wasted half). A 10 minute ride later, and $1.43 less in my wallet (that was my split), we arrived back safely.

Accommodation

Friday and Saturday were my last days in Tbilisi: $3.76 per night. I ended up spending about 2 months in total time there, and I made pretty good friends with the manager. When you spend a while somewhere, you can save a decent amount of money and even make some friends.

On Sunday and Monday, I stayed at a hostel in Kutaisi: $6.00 per night. Off season in Kutaisi is pretty dead. I’m not going to say I was the only foreigner there (since that’s ridiculous), but I was the only person in a rather large hostel. I got the staff all to myself!

Tuesday to Thursday were at my favorite hostel in Thessaloniki: $15.40 per night. Hostels in Greece are far more expensive than in Georgia. I miss those half Asian prices already….

Food

So you’ll notice my food bill pretty much doubled when I hit Greece. Going out’s still cheaper than Western Europe, but it’s got nothing on Georgia (or Turkey for that matter). I do get to enjoy all my favorite Greek food now though. That’s something.

Other

Travel insurance: $8.64 per day.

VPN: $0.26 per day.

Amazon Prime: $0.33 per day.

This blog: $0.31 per day.

Skype number with US calling: $0.08 per day.

Chase Sapphire Reserve: effectively $0.41 per day.

On Saturday, I had my ‘holiday shopping’ along with a few miscellaneous things (mostly credit cards) dropped in the mail: $64.94. International shipping is a bitch. It costs more than the actual items. But there are some things that are hard to come by outside the West. I’ve saved enough money staying away from the expensive part of the world to more than make up for it though.

On Monday, I hit up the dentist for a cleaning before leaving Georgia: $56.56. That’s the most expensive cleaning I’ve had out of the three times I’ve had it done there. It’s still reasonable though, and I sure didn’t want to try a dentist in Greece. Drug prices are great here, but the health care….

While my teeth were being cleaned, the dentist discovered a cavity! That’s the first one I’ve had in years. I don’t know how that happened, but I decided to get that fixed before leaving the cheapest country I’ve found so far: $26.39.

On Tuesday, I topped up my mobile data on my travel carrier: $20.00 for 1G of data. For Europe, that’s not bad.

On Wednesday, I bought some socks: $5.70 for four pairs. They’re not the best socks in the world, but they’re thin and sturdy which is all I need for being constantly traveling.

Also on Wednesday, I did laundry: $3.99. Because staying clean is good.

Summary

Week 52
Fri	Sat	Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Total
Travel	0	0	3.21	0	32.17	1.43	0	36.81
Lodging	3.76	3.76	6	6	15.4	15.4	15.4	65.72
Food	10.71	0	7.32	1.76	1.89	13.58	20.31	55.57
Other	10.03	74.97	10.03	92.98	30.03	19.72	10.03	247.79
Total	24.5	78.73	26.56	100.74	79.49	50.13	45.74	405.89

So I went over budget this week. I blame the dental work. Next week, should provide a better picture of about what Greece is costing me. See you then.

Location: Tbilisi [Republic of Georgia]

Week 51 on the road….

Transportation

Zero. I didn’t go anywhere.

Accommodation

The hostel is $3.76 per night. Not too shabby.

Food

I managed to not go out for food at all this week. All the expenses here are from grocery shopping. For reference, I buy mostly eggs, liver, vegetables, nuts, and the occasional seasonings. I don’t do complicated….

Other

Travel insurance: $8.64 per day.

VPN: $0.26 per day.

Amazon Prime: $0.33 per day.

This blog: $0.31 per day.

On Wednesday, my Skype subscription renewed: $29.94. It gives me a US number people can call if needed, and enables me to freely call US (and I think Canadian) numbers for free. Annualized, that comes out to $0.08 per day!

A couple weeks ago, I applied and received a new credit card: the Chase Sapphire Reserve. My readers from the US will probably recognize it as one of the better travel cards. For the $450 annual fee, I get $300 in travel credits, access to Priority Pass (airport lounges), a nice sign-up, and a lot of other cool travel perks. The original charge comes out to $1.23 per day, but I’m going to assume I use all the $300 travel credit and go with the effective rate of $0.41 per day. It’s a bit pricey, but I think worth it.

On Friday, I did laundry: $1.13.

Summary

So what’s all that look like?

Week 51
Fri	Sat	Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Total
Travel	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Lodging	3.76	3.76	3.76	3.76	3.76	3.76	3.76	26.32
Food	2.35	0	12.17	0	12.95	3.76	3.91	35.14
Other	10.12	9.95	9.95	9.95	9.95	10.03	10.03	69.98
Total	16.23	13.71	25.88	13.71	26.66	17.55	17.7	131.44

It looks like one of the cheapest weeks ever! I’m going to miss Georgia….

Location: Tbilisi [Republic of Georgia]

Week 50 on the road! Let’s see what my wallet has to say about this….

Transportation

Zero. I didn’t go anywhere.

Accommodation

The hostel is super cheap at $3.76 per night. It’s awesome.

Food

Yeah…nothing exciting going on here….

Other

Travel insurance: $8.64 per day.

VPN: $0.26 per day.

Amazon Prime: $0.33 per day.

This blog: $0.31 per day.

On Friday, my local phone plan renewed itself: $0.38. How convenient.

On Saturday, I bought a new coat: $11.28. Because…why not? I was getting annoyed with the old pull-over jacket I have been using as a coat. Plus, the ‘new’ one looks amazing. It’s that puke, military green that seems to be popular in these parts, and looks like an absolute piece of shit. Nothing to steal here would-be thieves; I’m just a random hobo.

On Thursday, my local data plan was renewed: $11.73. That’s for 15G of mobile data. There’s no way I’d get a deal like that in Europe.

Summary

Week 50
Fri	Sat	Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Total
Travel	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Lodging	3.76	3.76	3.76	3.76	3.76	3.76	3.76	26.32
Food	12.82	0	14.62	0	11.69	3.16	13.12	55.41
Other	9.92	20.82	9.54	9.54	9.54	9.54	21.27	90.17
Total	26.5	24.58	27.92	13.3	24.99	16.46	38.15	171.9

So, that’s pretty good. I’m going to miss these prices in a few weeks. See you all next week….