Phase 1 Stats

Ok. For those that don't know me all that well, I'm organized. Anally so. This is why I naturally found myself in Project Management. So why shouldn't I be applying these life skills to this trip? Of course I am.

I have, what Sean affectionately calls, the 'spreadsheet of doom'. This multi currency, country, activity planning and expenditure tool has been carefully designed to allow us to:

a) Log all expenditure

b) Reconcile the cash we should have left each day

c) Track withdrawals

d) Budget for future activities

Sean says that 'being a traveller' isn't about planning - he'd rather just turn up and go. But when we can afford to do the expensive excursion in a few weeks cause we got the slightly cheaper room earlier on, he appreciates it. At least I think he does.

What this does mean, however, is that I can share with you, dear readers, some lovely statistics from phase 1 of our trip (Sean likes this bit). This phase being defined as 14th July when we flew to Berlin until 4th Feb when we left the UK for Africa (there is much debate between us about the inclusion or not of our UK intermissions).

And here goes:

So far on Phase One of this trip we have:

• visited 15 countries in 206 days
• used 15 currencies, 3 different bank cards and a friend's paypal assistance
• spent the night in 73 different places, 15 of which were moving (buses, boats, planes)
• spent 10.7% of our time on 10 flights, 13 trains, 31 long distance buses, 14 jeeps and 3 boats actually 'travelling'
• spent more time on a train than any other mode of transport:

• lost 5 items that we bought with us (one backpack cover in Moscow, one Nepal Lonely Planet to the monsoon, one corkscrew to airport customs, one pair trainers to mould, one pack plastic forks to breakage)
• drunk about 20 different brands of beer
• missed 11 daily items from home (cheese, bread, pasta, wine, washing machines, the cold, football, washing teeth in tap water, flushing toilet paper, toilet paper, PS3)
• gained 16 items on our journey (pack cover, 2 carribenas, pack plastic forks, hat, notebook, books, jewellery and clothes)

And here's the money part... 30% of our budget went on transport, 23% of sights and activities, 16% on food, 14% on accommodation and 6% on alcohol. 5% went on keeping in touch (admittedly we did buy a notebook on the way, it's not that internet cafes are extortionists, although Vodafone is). 2% went on visas. And I am slightly annoyed to say that the bank got 1% of our money by charging us to withdraw our own money.