I’m embarrassed to say that Ecuador's budget isn’t completely accurate. I love budgets and I was eager to get started recording our every penny spent; keen to see the accuracy of my pre-trip estimates. I figured I would just use my favorite “Google Docs” and I had pre-set up a spread sheet for each country with separate expense categories. Unfortunately when we were actually traveling I was not able to keep it updated because internet was less available then I had originally thought. So I quickly set up a Numbers Doc on my Macbook Air and it was going all fine and dandy until one of the first few days in Nicaragua when it just disappeared; got wiped off my computer. Don’t ask me how. I pulled out my hair and felt like I was back in computer lab in 8th grade. But looking on the positive side, I did have the total amount spent for Ecuador, including the subtotals for expensive tours, Galapagos and Amazon, recorded elsewhere.
But how was I going to keep track of our daily expenses going forward? I recalled an app, called Trail Wallet, which I had researched a bit during the pre-trip planning phase but somehow got put to the sidelines. So after few minutes checking out the free trial , I was hooked. Really anyone that knows me can see how this app makes me giddy. There is a pie chart built in! You can enter in different currencies, set a daily budget or a trip budget, and set up custom categories. Luckily after about an hour of going back through our time in Ecuador in my head, I was able to pretty much recreate our expenses for the first month. All the details may not be exactly blow by blow but I was able to recall all the prices of our accommodations, the big tours, and any private transportation. The total is the exact total we spent in Ecuador. So although not perfect, it does give an accurate picture of the expenses for our family of four in Ecuador for the first 35 days of our round the world trip.
And going forward with Trail Wallet every penny spent will be recorded . It is going to be great.
But how was I going to keep track of our daily expenses going forward? I recalled an app, called Trail Wallet, which I had researched a bit during the pre-trip planning phase but somehow got put to the sidelines. So after few minutes checking out the free trial , I was hooked. Really anyone that knows me can see how this app makes me giddy. There is a pie chart built in! You can enter in different currencies, set a daily budget or a trip budget, and set up custom categories. Luckily after about an hour of going back through our time in Ecuador in my head, I was able to pretty much recreate our expenses for the first month. All the details may not be exactly blow by blow but I was able to recall all the prices of our accommodations, the big tours, and any private transportation. The total is the exact total we spent in Ecuador. So although not perfect, it does give an accurate picture of the expenses for our family of four in Ecuador for the first 35 days of our round the world trip.
And going forward with Trail Wallet every penny spent will be recorded . It is going to be great.
eCUADOR BUDGET BREAKDOWN:
Total Nights in Ecuador: 35
Total Nights on Special Tours:
Amazon tour -4
Galapagos tour -7
Non-Tour Nights: 24
Costs:
ON TOURS:
Amazon Tour $1840 (5days/4nights)
Galapagos Tour $8575 (8days/7nights)
Total Tours: $10,415
Non-Tour Days By Category:
Averages to $125.20 per day for non-tour days
Pre-trip Estimated budget: $3000 ($125/day)
Difference between estimated and actual: $5!
Grand Total for Ecuador: $13,419.70
And that is a CRAZY amount for one month but amazingly it is exactly what we had estimated since we had pre-planned for the very expensive tours of Galapagos and Amazon. For our family those experiences were well worth the expense.
Total Nights on Special Tours:
Amazon tour -4
Galapagos tour -7
Non-Tour Nights: 24
Costs:
ON TOURS:
Amazon Tour $1840 (5days/4nights)
Galapagos Tour $8575 (8days/7nights)
Total Tours: $10,415
Non-Tour Days By Category:
- Accommodation: $1271.70 (ranged from $45-$95 per night)
- Food & Drinks: $1186.09 (average $50/day for the 4 of us)
- Transport: $285.81 (we used long distance taxis rather then buses 3 day)
- Entertainment: $164.30
- Misc supplies: $96.80
Averages to $125.20 per day for non-tour days
Pre-trip Estimated budget: $3000 ($125/day)
Difference between estimated and actual: $5!
Grand Total for Ecuador: $13,419.70
And that is a CRAZY amount for one month but amazingly it is exactly what we had estimated since we had pre-planned for the very expensive tours of Galapagos and Amazon. For our family those experiences were well worth the expense.
