Category Pages For: Budgets

Actual travel budgets and projected GRANDPAcking costs

Beach Tour 39
OCTOBER - NOVEMBER 2022: OVERVIEW: In my post (Gili Trawangan – Indonesia – Getting There), I talked about how to get to and find accommodation in Gili Trawangan (GiliT). I my previous post, I provided some General Information about GiliT. … now let’s talk about what it is like to ‘live’ here … PLEASE NOTE: The currency in Indonesia is the Indonesian Rupiah (or the ‘IDR’). I will refer to them as IDRs. At the time of writing, the exchange rates were: US$1 EU€1 GB£1 Published Wholesale Rate 15,319 15,063 17,204 Effective (Actual) Exchange Rate 15,037 14,786 16,888 You will […]

Gili Trawangan – Indonesia – Living on ...

OCTOBER - NOVEMBER 2022: OVERVIEW: In my previous post (Gili Trawangan – Indonesia – Getting There) I talked about how to get to and find accommodation in Gili Trawangan (GiliT). You can check out 12Go to have a look at ‘getting there’ options: It is assumed that you plan to be here for 60 days … arriving with a standard 30 day Visa On Arrival (VOA), then extending your VOA by another 30 days. This gives you upto 60 days for your GiliT ‘experience’. … now let’s talk about what it is like to ‘live’ here … PLEASE NOTE: The […]

Gili Trawangan – Indonesia – Information

MAY 2021: OVERVIEW: I stayed in San Pedro La Laguna (SPLL), Lake Atitlan, Guatemala for 4 months during COVID-19. Generally speaking, SPLL is pretty safe with bars and restaurants closing at 9pm. Alas, only about 50% of people there wear masks… and we had a COVID outbreak that came out of one of the young, party bars near the main Boat Dock. This resulted in the town being closed down for 2 weeks followed by bars closing at 6pm for a further 2 weeks. It was time to move on to Roatan Island, Honduras. I decided to take on the […]

Lake Atitlan (Guatemala) to Bay Islands (Honduras) ...

OCTOBER - NOVEMBER 2020: OVERVIEW: During COVID-19, I was in Phuket, Thailand for 4 months followed by Hurghada, Red Sea, Egypt for 2.5 months. In October 2020, many countries were still closed. The ‘2nd wave’ was well underway. I had few options: Turkey was open to tourists and did not require a ‘Fit to Travel’ health certificate within 72 hours of travel. … we, now, go to Dalyan, Turkey … PLEASE NOTE: The currency in Turkey is the New Turkish Lira (or the ‘TRY’). I will refer to them as T$s. At the time of writing, the exchange rates were: […]

Dalyan – Turkey – Information (COVID-19)

JULY - SEPTEMBER 2020: OVERVIEW: COVID-19 delayed my travels and altered my plans. I was stuck in lockdown in Thailand for 4 months. My Visa Amnesty in Thailand came to an end and I was forced to move on. Many countries were still closed. Daily infection rates in Europe (and many other countries) were on the rise again. I had few options. Egypt had just opened its borders (albeit with restrictions and a 14 day self-isolation period). … we go to Hurghada, Red Sea, Egypt … PLEASE NOTE: The currency in Egypt is the Egyptian Pound (or the ‘EGP’). I […]

Hurghada – Egypt – Information (COVID-19)

MARCH / APRIL 2020: OVERVIEW: My ‘6 Year Around The World’ tour is complete. We are going back to some of the best Retirement Locations in S. E. Asia. … we now look at Patong, Phuket, Thailand … PLEASE NOTE: The currency in Thailand is the Thai Baht (or the ‘THB’). I will refer to them as T$s. At the time of writing, the wholesale exchange rates were: US$1 EU€1 GB£1 Published Wholesale Rate T$32.16 T$35.62 T$39.81 Effective Exchange Rate T$30.59 T$33.89 T$37.89 You will NOT get these wholesale rates (read the ‘Money’ section, below); expect to lose 5%. I […]

Patong – Thailand – Information (COVID-19)

DECEMBER 2019 / JANUARY 2020: OVERVIEW: My ‘6 Year Around The World’ tour is complete. We are, now, going back to some of the best Retirement Locations in S. E. Asia. We start in my, personal, favourite S. E. Asia country: Vietnam. … and, in one of my favourite locations: Hoi An … PLEASE NOTE: The currency in Vietnam is the Vietnamese Dong (or the ‘VND’). I will refer to them as V$s. At the time of writing, the wholesale exchange rates were: US$1 EU€1 GB£1 Published Wholesale Rate V$23,215 V$25,775 V$30,156 Effective Exchange Rate V$22,538 V$25,023 V$29,276 You will […]

Hoi An – Vietnam – Retirement Locations

NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2019: OVERVIEW: Our ‘Around The World’ tour is complete. I ‘skipped’ India … but, I might go there at a later date. We are, now, going back to some of the best locations in S.E.Asia. We start in my, personal, favourite: Vietnam … PLEASE NOTE: The currency in Vietnam is the Vietnamese Dong (or the ‘VND’). I will refer to them as V$s. At the time of writing, the wholesale exchange rates were: US$1 EU€1 GB£1 Published Wholesale Rate V$23,234 V$25,623 V$29,840 Effective Exchange Rate V$22,556 V$24,875 V$28,9269 You will not get these wholesale rates (read the […]

Hanoi – Vietnam – Retirement Locations

NOVEMBER 2019: OVERVIEW: We have just spent 3 nights in Sauraha (Chitwan National Park). We now head back to the Old Town of Patan near Kathmandu … ABOUT: Patan is the historical name for Lalitpur. It is the third largest city in Nepal after Kathmandu and Pokhara and it is located in the south-central part of Kathmandu Valley. The city received extensive damage in the 2015 earthquake. As of the 2011 census, it had a population of 226,728. The city has an area of about 15 square kilometres. It is believed that Patan was founded in the third century BC. Several historical records (including many other legends) […]

Patan – Nepal – Living Ideas

NOVEMBER 2019: OVERVIEW: We have just spent 3 nights in Lumbini (Buddha’s birth place). We now head to Sauraha for a Safari in Chitwan National Park … ABOUT: Chitwan National Park was established in 1973 and granted the status of a World Heritage Site in 1984. It covers an area of 953 km2 (368 sq mi) and is located in the subtropical Inner Terai lowlands of south-central Nepal. In altitude it ranges from about 100 m (330 ft) in the river valleys to 815 m (2,674 ft) in the Churia Hills. Chitwan National Park is one of Nepal’s most popular tourist destinations. There are two main entrances: Sauraha in the east […]

Sauraha – Nepal – Living Ideas

OCTOBER 2019: OVERVIEW: We have just spent 5 nights in Pokhara. We now head for Lumbini … ABOUT: Lumbinī is locate 260 kms west of Kathmandu and 165 kms southwest of Pokhara. It is a Buddhist pilgrimage site. It is the place where Buddha was born. Lumbini was made a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1997. Lumbini is 4.8 km (3 mi) in length and 1.6 km (1.0 mi) in width. The holy site of Lumbini is bordered by a large monastic zone in which only monasteries can be built, no shops, no hotels, no restaurants. It is separated […]

Lumbini – Nepal – Living Ideas

OCTOBER 2019: OVERVIEW: We have just spent 7 nights in Kathmandu. We now head for Pokhara … ABOUT: Pokhara is located 200 kilometres (120 miles) west of Kathmandu. It is Nepal’s second largest city in terms of population and the largest in terms of area. It spans 12 kilometres (7.5 miles) from north to south and 6 kilometres (3.7 miles) from east to west but, unlike the capital Kathmandu, it still has much green space. The Annapurna Range (with three out of the ten highest mountains in the world: Dhaulagiri, Annapurna I, and Manaslu) is within 24–56 kms. Pokhara is […]

Pokhara – Nepal – Living Ideas