Can we talk about hitting 35 countries under $10k total? Here's the debate

I just tallied up my travel expenses over 4 years and realized I hit 35 countries on roughly $9,800 total. That includes flights, hostels, food, everything. Some people say you have to stay in hostels and eat street food to keep costs low, but I actually found that staying in cheap apartments through local Facebook groups saved me more than dorm beds. The surprise for me was that my biggest expense wasn't lodging, it was transport between countries. I'm curious, do you think chasing a high country count is worth it for budget travel, or is it better to go deep into fewer places and save on moving around?

2 comments

2 Comments

david5621mo ago

Transport between countries is always the hidden cost. People think hostels are the killer but they're wrong. If you're really trying to hit numbers skip the long bus rides and focus on cheap flights or trains between nearby countries.

juliashah1mo ago

Flew from Prague to Vienna for 15 euros, @david562, way cheaper than that 8-hour bus.