How Much Does A World Trip Cost?

Visiting distant countries, getting to know other cultures, and preferably for several months at a time. A trip around the world is on many people's to-do lists. Probably very few, however, realise their dream. One point here is certainly the money factor. But how much does a trip around the world cost? 

One often hears about amounts around € 15,000 to € 20,000 for a trip of several months without a lot of frills. Whether this is true and what you get for this has also aroused our curiosity. We have calculated the whole thing in more detail and explained the individual costs calculated for one person. Of course, the amount depends on various factors and varies greatly.

Before you even set off, you need to think about equipment, health insurance and any vaccinations you may need. Health insurance abroad is extremely important. Because on such trips, the statutory health insurance at home does not cover you. International health insurance starts at about €1.50 a day. For a very good insurance cover on a one-year trip around the world, you can expect about € 500.

Before travelling, you should inform yourself about possible vaccinations. Please note that some vaccinations require a longer lead time with several vaccination appointments. Six months in advance, you should decide which vaccinations you need or want for entry into the respective country and arrange appointments. Common vaccinations are hepatitis A + B, yellow fever, typhoid or rabies. The costs vary depending on the destination and the required vaccination. On average, you can expect to pay between € 200 and € 700. Unless your health insurance covers part or all of the costs.

You will also need to budget for visas, passport renewals, equipment, international driving licences, etc. As a rule of thumb, you can calculate about 20 % of the total costs for the start costs.

The duration of the world trip has a significant influence on the total costs. The longer you travel, the more money you spend. Even more so if you spend a lot of time in expensive countries. Countries in Europe, North America and Australia tend to be more expensive than destinations in Asia, South America or Africa. Then there is the standard of comfort you want to have. Hostels and shared rooms are of course a lot cheaper than 5-star hotels. Simple double rooms with private bathrooms or cheap Airbnb flats are, however, available in sufficient numbers for middle-class comfort.

You can also save or spend a lot of money on food. Cooking for yourself, street food and simple restaurants that are not directly in the tourist centre are the cheapest food options when travelling the world.

Getting around is another significant cost factor. If you fly from country to country, the costs increase by quite a bit. Local means of transport such as bus or train are cheaper.

As a rough guide, you can expect to pay €1,000 per month. Depending on which country you travel to next and what comfort you want to enjoy, you will sometimes exceed this budget and sometimes need less.

Of course, you also want to do activities in the planned destination countries. After all, you don't travel around the world for nothing, only to experience nothing. For the "activities" factor, an extra budget must be included. Many sights can be visited for free. Others have hefty entrance fees. Guided tours with a guide are sometimes better, but sometimes exploring on your own is quite exciting. It is best to plan roughly in advance what things you want to experience in each country and how much money you will need.

A somewhat more creative sightseeing idea is to take cooking courses in the destination country. Often, locals (e.g. via Airbnb) offer cooking classes with local specialities. This way, you not only get to know locals and their regional food, but you also save a meal in the catering budget. As this cost factor is very much related to the interests of the world traveller, you can only roughly calculate with approximate costs between € 1,000 and € 4,000.

There are a few additional costs that can arise during a trip around the world and should be considered individually. In non-euro countries, there are fees for withdrawing money from the bank account. In order not to have to pay these, a credit card with free cash withdrawal worldwide is highly advisable. You also need to consider ongoing costs in your home country. It may be possible to cancel contracts that are not needed and reduce or cancel other ongoing costs.

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