We made it. We've now been traveling for one whole year! We're a few days delayed in getting this post out because we unfortunately spent our anniversary sitting in an embassy applying for new passports after ours were stolen last month. It hasn't been the best of times for us, but we are looking beyond that because with a year of travel comes a year of amazing experiences!As with our last report, each month we feature a travel review of the highlights, lowlights, and spending we had during the course of our adventure. These are provided as a snapshot of what our RTW trip is like for your reference, although we know that every trip is different.
Spending
During our twelfth month of travel we finished exploration of Bolivia and spent nearly all of the time in Peru! During month twelve we visited Isla del Sol, Bolivia and and spent four weeks in Peru (Puno, Cusco, Machu Picchu, Lima, Huanchacho, and Mancora). We also spent two days in Guayaquil, Ecuador; however, our spending for the country will be covered on next month's summary.
Our total out-of-pocket spending for the month was about $2,900, or roughly $95/day. Our spending was drastically reduced due to one partnership in Machu Picchu that help offset some costs to us (roughly $750). Generally speaking, we projected our spending to be much higher; however, after having a backpack stolen in Puno we put a halt to most of our activities and our spending dropped significantly. Our replacement purchases (~$1,350) are not included in this figure as our insurance covered the cost and then some for items we have yet to replace.
This spending includes the following breakdown on a per day average for the two of us combined (in USD). The following figures are for Peru only as our published numbers in last month's report are roughly the same when factoring in the extra city in Bolivia.
Accommodation
Food
Transportation
Sight Seeing
Souvenirs
Misc. Purchases
Peru $24.91* $39.12 $12.26 $9.79* $1.08 $1.40
*Notes: Our spending was reduced by about $750 due to a partnership for a Machu Picchu tour. Our accommodation and sight seeing averages are reduced by about $12.50/day each as a result.
As always, our full spending log is available from our menu under "Plan Your Trip."
RTW Tally Snapshot
It is funny how being the victim of theft makes you not want to do much of anything, and this month's RTW Tally update reflects that. We didn't go to very many places, relaxed on beaches, and overall kept a low profile while we rejuvenated a bit to meet the next few months of travel head on.
Days Traveling: 366 (+31) June 10th, 2013 to June 10th, 2014, inclusive!
Countries Visited: 32 (+1)
Dollars Spent (USD): $65,201 (+$2,511) Some spending made in Month 11
Pictures Taken (Jeremy): 24,973 (+1,246)
Miles Traveled: 47,278 (+1,444)
Planes: 22; Trains: 45
Vehicles: 66; Ferries: 4
Days of Rain: 8 (+1)
Sick Days: 11.5 (+0)
Itinerary Changes: 4 (+0)
Arguments: 10 (+1)
Days Apart: 5 (+1)
Nights in a Dorm Bed: 39 (+5)
Combined Books Read: 45 (+2)
Bottles of Wine: 48 (+0)
Random Thoughts
As with the last RTW trip covered on this site, these monthly updates are a great place to put in the little random details that we found interesting in the countries we visited that may not find their way into a full blog post. The following are some of our favorites from the countries we visited in Month 12:
- It should be no surprise when we say we really don't like Peru. The number of people we met who were robbed was staggering (mostly because we were in Embassies and offices where most victims have to go), but it was definitely an eye opening experience that really lowered our opinion of the country.
- In fact, Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley were probably the only enjoyable spots we visited in Peru.
- Huanchaco would go down as our second favorite spot, not because of the amazing surf (we never learned how), but because the ruins there are some of the best outside of Machu Picchu.
- We're lucky in that our World Nomad's policy paid out our insurance claim almost in full, with their only decline being the residual cost of our visas. The plus side is that when we want to buy replacements, they will be covered.
- The most upsetting part about being robbed was not the loss of our equipment (I always say never travel with things you'd be sad to lose) but the loss of our souvenirs. We lost a huge bag of coins from several countries in Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa, and South America we now have to have others acquire for us, as well as our 8 moai statues we bought in Easter Island for a display piece. If anyone has any extra coins or is traveling to Easter Island in the future and wants to be our hero, please email us.
Since each month is limited on the number of days, we cannot write our posts fast enough to fit them all in! But don't worry, we've got ideas for a lot of great posts for after this trip ends (if it ever does). The following are a selection of some we're thinking of!
Peru, Stop Trying to Be Something that You're Not
Review of Our World Nomad's Insurance Policy
The Ruins of Huanchaco, Peru
...and more!
This month's backlog of posts is low because we do not have very many nice things to say when it comes to Peru, so we're choosing not to publish much.
So where will Month 13 take us? As we publish this post we are on a flight to the Galapagos and will be spending a week with a few friends exploring this highlight of nature. After that we are spending a week in Cuenca for Angie to take a Spanish class and us to work on the launch of our newest site, Eat Your Passport! The rest of the month will be spent heading north to our final country in South America: Colombia!
