It’s been 71 days / 10 weeks since I came back from Europe.
So.. many people have asked me how much I have spent and as usual, I created an excel sheet and this is the summary (I would say it is 95% accuracy of my actual spending)
Base on exchange rate: 1 pound – 2.01 SGD; 1 euro – 1.66 SGD
Plane ticket (Emirates) Singapore – Dubai – Dublin (RETURN): 932.70 SGD
Ticket was booked 5 months before flight. I booked the tickets on the 1st day of promotions.
Saw the promotion in the newspaper in the morning & booked the ticket in the evening.
Accommodation: 1,172 SGD (avg 48.83 SGD per night)
554.09 euros (2N Amsterdam, 3N Paris, 1N Milan, 2N Venice, 3N Florence, 3N Rome, 3N Barcelona, 2N Madrid)
125.3 pounds (2N Edinburgh, 3N London)
Internal Transportation (Trains/Bus/Plane): 734.25 SGD
6 flights, 1 bus, 4 train rides (to travel across 10 cities) – I did NOT purchase euro rail yet I spent lesser than euro rail.. Trick is to book early-bird tickets!
Food: 935.42 SGD (avg 31.2 per day)
457.7 euros + 87.38 pounds
Attractions: 458.6 SGD
192.73 euros + 69 pounds
Shopping: 899.4 SGD
I didn’t exactly buy a lot (I THINK).. No idea how I spend so much here =p
GRAND TOTAL: 5,132.37 SGD (avg 171 per day)
My planned budget was: 4,000 + 932.7 (ticket).
Exceeded by 199.67 SGD or 4%
If only I didn’t buy THAT wallet..
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Anyway, I believed I mention before about the risks of going for a long grad trip. You might miss out on potential job opportunities which require you to start immediately. IDEALLY, you should find a job before graduation and go for your grad trip fuss-free but when that happens, you won’t be able to have early-bird discounts and catch the various promotions. It’s hard to choose but you will have to. I kind of valued traveling more than looking for a job because I doubt I will be able to go for a 30 day trip in the next 10 years or so. You will require 20 days of Annual Leave and most people only get 14 days a year. Which means ignoring the possibility of Public Holidays, you only can have maximum 20 days. But, now that I have conquered Europe + USA, it’s probably short trips (max 6 hours of flight) for the next 5 years.
And.. I’m still trying to pay off my debt of 2,500 which I had to borrow. Actually, if I didn’t go Korea last year, I wouldn’t have to borrow any money. LOL.
TIPS to saving money:
(1) Part-Time Jobs pay (a lot) better than Internship (of course, it’s industry-dependent)
(2) Teach Tuition (fastest way to earn money, but you must also have the passion and relevant skills to teach; otherwise don’t)
(3) Watch movies during off-peak timings
(4) Set a target in mind and work towards that goal
Alright to be honest, I am very bad at saving money.
And I always do not have savings because I will splurge it all on my trips and return home with an empty wallet & usually (in debt).
Yes & I am moving on to my next phase in life (the longest phase) –> Working Adult.
This blog would probably be (dead) at least in the next 3 months as I will have nothing to update about.
Thanks for reading my travel blog and I hope that it is helpful.
Do feel free to keep the questions coming in & I will try my best to help you with your trip.
I will be back in ( ) months/years time; hopefully with a better camera!
Ciao~