The people who know me know I’m a compulsive budgeter. I’m terrified of debt so I review my finances about twice a week. So obviously the first thing that I wanted to nail down is roughly how much I can expect to spend on this trip to Brazil in 2014.
Travel: My planned itinerary is Toronto to Sao Paulo to Brasilia to Rio to Toronto in 3 weeks. It’s very difficult to get ticket prices so far in advances but based on 2013 prices and factoring price hikes in anticipation of the World Cup, I’m budgeting $2500 for flights. *cries*
Accommodations: This is another biggie. I want to look into vacation rentals—they’d be cheaper than hotels but not as sketchy as hostels… I think? A quick Google search tells me the norm is about $70/night but it could be more by 2014. I’m looking at at least $1400. *cries some more*
Public transportation: I plan to walk as much as I can to explore the cities but since they’re HUGE I’m sure I’ll have to hop on a bus/train/cab once in a while. I don’t plan to spend more than $100 though.
Food: I plan to save money by doing groceries (if my accommodations allow it) and taking full advantage of local street food. I don’t plan to spend more than $300.
Miscellaneous: This is my catch all category for discretionary and emergency funding. Since I plan to do as much as I can for free/cheap I’m only budgeting $300 here.
Paperwork: Canadians travelling to Brazil need a tourist visa. The Brazilian consulate’s website says it’ll cost a little over $106 but with other random paperwork that’s sure to be require and costs of getting pictures etc, I’m planning to spend $200.
ESTIMATED COST: $4800
I have roughly 18 months to raise that money. That’s about $267/month. Let the penny-pinching commence!
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