Taking the Long Way Around

The Lost Girls officially pulled off the trip of a lifetime by safely landing in Oz, and it's time to end our yearlong journey. While all the lessons we’ve learned on the road probably won’t hit us until after we’re back in the States, we do know this: Travel has proved we’re more resilient than we ever thought possible.

We’ve conquered the Inca Trail in Peru and cockroach-ridden trains in India. We swam with Nemo in Thailand and spotted kangaroos in Australia. We’ve learned that one person really can change the world—or at least the world around them—after meeting humanitarians such as Sister Freda, who saves lives every day by offering medical care to the poor.

But our biggest accomplishment may have been maintaining a friendship that not only survived spending 24/7 with the same two people, but actually grew stronger. (Hey, we never imagined we’d have to sleep head to toe in a bug-infested bed when we signed up for trip!)

So we toasted to ourselves in style at Sydney’s fancy Shangri-La hotel, and tried to maintain our composure during our last night. The next morning, Holly was returning to her apartment in Brooklyn, Jen was going to visit her ‘rents in Florida, and Amanda was staying Down Under to experience solo travel before we all reunite in the Big Apple. The road ahead may be uncertain, but we’ve learned that no matter how lost we get, we always manage to find our way back home.

Think you've heard the last of The Lost Girls? Not a chance. We'll be returning to the web in just a few weeks to report upon our time apart (sniff!), our solo journies and what happens after we finally complete the lap back to The Big Apple. Stay tuned...

Lost in the Mail

LGs: A few weeks ago, we launched a new section where we try our best to answer readers’ burning travel questions. Whether it’s a query on deeply discounted airline tickets, the rules for dating on the road or where to find the best brands of quick-dry skivvies, no topic is too embarrassing (or too precious) to discuss online. Send us your best Qs and we’ll do our best to provide the As. We may be Lost Girls, but we’re never adverse to asking for (or giving) directions.

Q. I am planning a one year trip around the world that will start in Sept. I will be taking along a DSLR camera, camcorder and laptop to record my journey. I was wondering if you could tell me how you made your website. It's really laid out well. Any tips for creating an award winning travel blog like yours? Don't worry, I'm not in competition with you since I'm a solo traveler :) I'm all ears if you do!
Cliff Williams, 28 (whereiscliff.com)
A. Hey Cliff...congrats on taking the big leap! We've checked out your website and are truly awed by all of the places you're planning to visit. We also appreciate the kudos on our own blog, which was created using a standard Blogger.com template that we souped up a bit by tweaking the HTML template. In the next few months, we'd like to migrate over to WordPress, another blogging program that allows its users the flexibility to do cool stuff like add interactive features, organize archived posts any way you want and to work on blog entries while you're offline.

To learn more about launching your own blog, check out the article we wrote for Budget Travel called "DIY Travel Blogging." If you're hoping to make it award winning, here are a few tips:

1. Focus on what makes you different: There are about 40 zillion travel journals in the blogosphere, so it helps to have some sort of a "hook" or point of difference. We love Six in the World, a blog written by parents currently circumnavigating the globe with their four children (bless 'em!), and Hometown Invasion, written by a dude visiting people's homes for a week each in all 50 states. Whether you're traveling the planet with your girlfriend, going it alone or with your five Persian cats, be sure to share right up front what makes your trip unique by writing a one-two line subhead that sums up the adventure. When other bloggers decide to pass along the word about your site, they'll usually re-print the tagline you've come up with...so make it good.

2. Flex your writing muscles for someone else: While its critical to update often--and write well--on your own blog, it pays to submit your work to other, more popular sites. For example, our pal Ian recently started handing out $20 bills to bloggers who contribute great content to his baby, Brave New Traveler. Not only will writing for him boost your bank account (hey, a Jackson can cover a couple nights lodging in many parts of the world), but a link back to your own blog definitely help increase awareness and traffic. Other great websites that take submissions are Chick Speak (for college age travelers), WorldHum.com (they say "you may be compensated") and TangoDiva.com. Of course, if you're a Lost Girl with a great story to share, you can submit to us too (see Q below for details) and we'll be sure to link back to your blog.

3. Keep it simple: This means the writing, pictures and layout...we can't tell you how many blogs that we skip reading simply because the font color is florescent green on a polka dot background, or because the photos are so large they take 45 minutes to load! If you're not sure how to build a blog from scratch, for the love of your family and friends who feel obligated to read it, use a simple web-based blog hosting program. Most allow you to personalize your adventure with maps and other fun sidebar stuff, and they keep the focus on what's most important--your writing, your pictures and your trip.

4. Get nominated and spread the word: At this point, Lost Girls World has been nominated for two online awards (thanks to our readers) but there's usually no rule that says you can't nominated yourself! We've found that even being in the running for a blogging honor can bump up your traffic significantly. Do a little google research to see what's out there (start with The Bloggies, The Bloggers Choice Awards and The Best of the Blogs) get nominated and get your family, friends and readers to cast their votes!


Q. Wow girls! You all rock my world---I love your site and ditto on all the Lost Girl sentiments. I have been a relatively steady traveler: China, Russia, Mongolia, all of Western Europe, Honduras, parts of Eastern Europe and India. I feel a travel bug nagging for a longer trip though.... Are you interested in aiding to send off another Lost Girl Trio in '07?! I also think it'd be cool if perhaps you passed down your site to a new batch of Lost Girls after you finish you adventure....what do you think? :)
--Sarah Bergman RN, BSN

A. Hi Sarah...We definitely plan to keep the blog going strong and can't wait to pass travel baton to a whole new wave of fabulous LGs. While we can't afford to fund all those big adventures (we're actually in a bit of a money crunch ourselves these days), we'd love to invite all future LGs to submit their writing for our new "Dispatches from the Road" section. Just email us at lostgirlsworld@gmail.com to tell us about your upcoming trip (or an adventure already in progress) and be sure to send along a few fun photos of your group. If you'd like to submit a specific travel tale for publication, just make sure around 500 words and of course, accompanied by a Jpeg image. Happy travels!

Q. My name is Melissa and a friend of mine told me about your trip. I love how you guys dropped basically everything in your life and went on this fantastic journey! It's very inspirational to girls like me. I'm only 18 years old but I’m longing to get out and see what the world has to offer. I was just wondering how you and your friends are affording your year long adventure and how long did it took to plan or was it more of a spontaneous decision?? Good luck on all your adventures!!
--Melissa Moy, student

A. Hey Melissa...you've got a great attitude and we're thrilled that we can help inspire your future travels. It took us about 18 months to plan our trip, but you could organize a less extensive journey to a single region in just a few months. To find out how we socked away cash for the big adventure, check our our post called "How We Paid for Everything" or Jen's three-part Budgeting Series tracking almost every dollar we spent. Click here for Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3. Happy saving!

Have a burning backpacker question? Need an opinion on wardrobe choice? Want to share your own travel tips? Send queries and comments to lostgirlsworld@gmail.com.

The Lost Girls on CNN

ADP: When we received the following email several weeks ago (soon after reaching Australia), I immediately assumed it was some sort of hoax:

Hello. I produce a program called “Project Life,” a new television program hosted by Dr. Sanjay Gupta, which will air on CNN International and CNN Headline News. Our program is designed to help people enrich their lives by achieving a balance of the mind, body and spirit. We would like to do a report on career-breakers -- people who choose to take a break from the office and travel or work in a third world country. I was interested in your year-long journey and I'd like to see if you are near any of our bureau cities. Please contact me at xxx.xxx.xxxx as soon as you can, as I hoping to shoot this report in the upcoming week or two. Thanks so much and hope you are enjoying your travels!

Jen, Holly and me? On international television? Yeah, right.

I was so convinced that the person on the other end of this email was a full-on stalker trying to get us to give up information about our whereabouts (something that our parents had warned us about!) that I asked a slightly freaked-out Holly to call the CNN Headquarters in Atlanta, 16 time zones away to confirm my suspicions.

After a quick chat with the network operator, we were shocked to learn that not only did this producer exist, but she wanted to speak to us immediately. Gotta give Corbett some major props—she so deftly handled the producer's ensuing questions that the woman decided to line up a film crew in Sydney to record a “day in the life” of a Lost Girl. As Holly clicked “disconnect” on Skype, there was a good five seconds of silence before all three of us started talking and shrieking at once. Holy Sh*t!! We were really gonna be on television!!

Of course, being the ridiculous females that we are, we dropped everything to start planning for the shoot, which would take place just a few days later. After ten and a half months spent wearing the same three sun-bleached outfits and my hair in a shaggy tangle of un-tameable curls, I was going to hit the shopping center in Bondi Junction and attempt to pull myself together. I may be a lazy ass slack-packer in real life (I’d basically given up on makeup in favor of sunscreen), but I didn’t want to look quite so “earthy” on TV. Hell, maybe I’d even shave my legs for the big day.

Two days later, all donned in our carefully selected “traveler-chic” outfits and sporting new haircuts, we greeted the local CNN producer Hugh, his cameraman and a sound guy for a 10-hour day of filming in Sydney. It was an exhilarating yet utterly exhausting experience that gave me new appreciation for all those film and TV actors who complain about their “tough schedules.” Trust me, doing the same “candid” scene 12 times in a row—especially with a massive backpack in tow—definitely wears you out fast!




It took about six weeks from the time we filmed the segment until the day it aired on CNN (thanks to the time change, we had to wake up at 4:00am to see it!), but we were all pretty proud of the end result. We hope that it provides at least a little inspiration to fellow Lost Girls and would-be travelers throughout the world.

Here’s a link the six minute broadcast (give it a few seconds to load):
http://www.cnn.com/video/partners/clickability/index.html?url=/video/specials/2007/06/04/project.life.gap.year.cnn

Here's a link to more on CNN's Project Life: http://www.cnn.com/CNNI/Programs/project.life/

The Countdown

ADP: A white elephant has decided to crash The Lost Girls adventure and of course, none of us want to admit that its there. He’s rearing his big head all over Australia, distracting us as we try to plan road trips, acting like a downer at happy hours and forcing us to toss and turn at 3:00am instead of sleeping soundly in our respective hostel bunk beds.

What I’m referring to, unfortunately, is the huge, impossible-to-ignore reality that our round-the-world trip is rapidly coming to a close. Whereas I once had my doubts that Jen, Holly and I would actually be able to pull of such an ambitious global marathon (without losing or killing each other along the way!), I’m now having a tough time accepting the fact that very soon, I won’t be spending every waking moment—and every new experience—with the two women who’ve effectively become my sisters (not to be all cheese-monkey, but its true). After nearly 365 days spent together, we’ve truly hit a new level of closeness: there’s no secret left unexposed, no boring childhood story or personal insight left untold, no fake girlie politeness used to spare each other’s egos, no diplomacy when one of us needs to use the bathroom, no line of decency heeded when sharing what’s happening—or not happening—with one’s bodily functions.

Back in the beginning, one particular Lost Girl had been mortified to walk in on another as she was peeing. Now it’s hardly out of the ordinary for all three of us to discuss gas and constipation issues over breakfast and share how the addition of preservatives in first-world food is affecting our digestive tract. It’s gross, yet cool at the same time.

Forget our former Manhattan girl fabulousness: at this point, we’ve become about as chic and hip (and tied at the hip) as an old married couple, in it for the long haul, for better or for worse.

Interestingly enough, it’s the “for worse” that people seem most eager hear about. When we meet new groups of backpackers, one of the first things they tend to ask (using the same intense, gossipy tone people use when discussing Lindsay’s latest drug binge or Paris’ post-prison shocker) is whether or not the three of us get into screaming matches, pull each other’s hair out behind closed doors or at the very least, secretly despise one another. How, they want to know, could we possibly have traveled together for this long without wanted to plot one another’s untimely travel-related demise?

Well, I’ll admit that not every single day has been the sun-shining-birds-chirping-life-affirming journey that we envisioned well over 2 years ago on that original “emergency vacation” to Buenos Aires. In fact, we now re-read the original 20 Reasons Why We Left blog entry that we wrote at the start of the trip and laugh--how idealistic we were back then!

Planning this monumental adventure, Holly, Jen and I all knew that we’d have to make compromises, work hard to keep an open mind about new situations and become super-communicators in order to avoid stony silences, petty arguments and perhaps even all out brawls. We figured we’d successfully traveled together in the past, had been great friends back home in New York and we all had the faith and determination to work our way through any problem. Whatever stresses, disappointments or tough situations came our way, we could handle it together….right?

The answer to the question, ultimately, is yes. We definitely had our not-so-proud moments—Jen and I ended up in our first-ever knock-down-drag-out screaming match after getting separated at a half-moon party in Thailand and freaking out that the other might be in some kind of serious trouble—but I can count on one hand the number of times a disagreement ever escalated past rolled eyes and tense conversation. (By the way our fight ended in a draw at about 5:00am when we found ourselves laughing at the ridiculousness of the situation).

Quite simply, we made it work for the past 11 months because the alternative was just unacceptable. No single issue or decision was so important that the three of us would be willing to throw away our friendship—or the success of our incredible trip. Within the first few day of our departure, we encountered our first “deal-breaker” issue—whether or not to stay in less expensive hostel dorms or more private, pricier triple rooms—and we all worked hard, and spent several hours in conversation, before finally coming to an agreement that would work for all of us (triples it is!).

And so began the mental tally...the stuff we’d sacrificed as individual travelers in order to keep the peace as a group. For the longest time, none of us mentioned it—the “credits" you’d get for giving up the bottom bunk or riding in the front with an obnoxious cab driver—but we all kept a list in our heads. It was Jen, who’s an only child, who finally laid it on the table.

“C’mon, guys, you know we all keep track. And that’s fine. I never used to understand how siblings could fight over stupid little stuff, like which one got more juice in their glass or who got to ride shotgun, but now I totally get it.”

In some ways, we had reverted back to being little kids forced to share absolutely everything with one another—beds, bathrooms, train cars, battery chargers, breathing space.

While we rarely wanted to separate (perhaps we were afraid we’d miss something really exciting if the other two went off for a day?), sometimes all of the togetherness could be stifling. Imagine if you were tied at the ankle to your two closest pals for a year and you’ll get a sense of how intense things could be at times. It was the Big Brother House multiplied by 1,000.

Personally, I battled both with the unconscious desire to compare my own behavior to Jen and Holly’s and the slightly paranoid feeling that the other two girls might be assessing me. The flaws that I’d become such an expert at hiding back in New York--the fact that I can be impatient, forgetful, neurotic (and that I do some really weird stuff in my sleep)—were 100 percent un-hidable in such close proximity with the girls.

But, I soon realized, so were all of their loveable character traits (I say this as I know they’ll be reading it later). My whole life I’ve beaten myself up for—and tried to change—all of the little things that I didn’t like about myself. Maybe if I didn’t have such or a short temper or if I weren’t so overly ambitious, I’d be a happier person, and (cringe) people would be happier with me.

It took a good chunk of time spent traveling with Holly and Jen, but I finally realized that this was a completely ridiculous way of thinking. By being so very involved in their everyday, uncensored lives, seeing the woman that they are in their amazing moments, average moments and super low, sleep-deprived moments, helped me to truly understand the meaning of “nobody’s perfect.” That may sound awful but I mean it in the best possible way. It’s those little idiosyncrasies, personality quirks, unusual tastes, specific preferences and weird habits that make Hol and Jen the incredible people that they are. Not only has my respect deepened for both girls since I started traveling with them, but through their example, I’ve learned to have a lot more respect for myself.



Now, as I think about wrapping things up with the Lost Girls and returning home to the States, it seems strange to imagine daily life without the girls in it. They’ve become very much a part of me, like two extensions of my brain that I listen to constantly and trust implicitly. I’ve made very few decisions without them this year, from what kind of clothes to put on for the day, to what to have for dinner, to which country to visit next week.

Now I’ll have to re-learn that essential adult skill of listening to, and really trusting, myself.

In order to dive headfirst into that growth process--and visit a part of Australia that I’ve been dreaming about for years--I’ve decided to organize a little solo adventure.

Starting May 31st, I’ll be spending a nearly month traveling up and down Oz’s East Coast, flying first to Melbourne, then Cairns and making my back down to Sydney. I know its going to feel incredibly strange to be a Lost Girl flying solo (Who am I going to talk to all day? How will I find the hostel? Who's gonna watch my bags if I need to pee?), but another thing I’ve learned this year is that you’ve gotta try new things, even if the prospect is a little scary—and even if your best friends aren’t there to face the challenge with you.

I still can’t believe Hol and Jen will be flying home at the end of the month (damn you, white elephant!), but I’m kind of getting excited for the final leg of my round-the-world marathon.

Plus, its only 29 days on the road in one of the safest countries in the world. Dare I ask…what could go wrong?

Crash and Learn: Part 2

After spending two full days lapping up the luxury and relaxing atmosphere at The Golden Door Spa, I had almost forgotten about the fact that I’d kinda, sorta damaged our van just a teensy, weensy bit. That was until we were forced to drag our dirty backpacks out of our lovely world of tranquility back to a less friendly reality where the roof of our World Nomads loaner mobile was practically touching the steering wheel. Oh yeah, now I remember…my life pretty much sucked right now! Not only was my stomach doing flip flops at the thought of explaining my completely ridiculous display of driving to the car rental company in just a few hours, but the additional repercussions of my little mishap were beginning to pile up (oh you just wait, I’m full of witty car accident puns!). The biggest problem being that Holly’s sister was arriving tomorrow and we’d planned to pick her up at the airport and head straight up the coast to Byron Bay. Not only had had I destroyed our only form of transportation, but I’d put a serious dent (see, I told you!) in fabulous our road trip. But as I’d soon discover, the good-natured, ‘no worries’ attitude that most Aussies possessed was about to save The Lost Girls’ trip from further damage (yeah, I’m that good!).

After a tense, three hour ride back to the city, we pulled the van into the body repair shop and sheepishly slinked out, prepared to face the wrath of Auto Barn’s employees. But before I could spew out my long list of pre-conceived apologies and self-deprecating slurs, I was shocked into silence as the body shop manager, Phil, raised his eyebrow, laughed and said, “Hmm, yeah, you certainly did a bang up job here!” (Alright, he might not have actually used the word bang, but I couldn’t resist adding to my repertoire of clever puns!). But he did say, and I quote, “Well, you’re not the first World Nomads Ambassadors to get into an accident, but you certainly did the best at it!” Maybe I was still in a bit of shock over not getting reamed out, but it seemed as if the wonderful folks at Auto Barn were taking my accident in stride. As further proof, their main Marketing man, Chris Ford, who Amanda, Holly and I had met when we first picked up the van, grabbed me in a big bear hug and reassured me that accidents happen, everything would be OK and absolutely not to let it taint our trip at all, especially since we were in the final weeks of our year abroad. Well, if you put it that way!

Of course, there was still the slight dilemma of having to pick Holly’s sister up at the airport and getting up the east coast of Australia with no transportation to our names. Once again, our new best friends at Auto Barn came to our rescue. After a quick conversation with our reps at World Nomads (who were also seriously cool about the accident and wanted us to continue to represent their company as ambassadors), they got permission to give us a station wagon at no charge, so we could continue traveling. As if that wasn’t enough, Chris placed some calls to a few friends and managed to hook us up with lessons and accommodations at the coolest surf school on the east coast (see Amanda’s "Finding Our Mojo" blog, posted on 6/29, for all the juicy details) and a private dorm room at the YHA hostel in Byron Bay – all for a grand total of zero dollars and zero cents.

Now, I have absolutely no clue how, in spite of my best efforts to wreck our itinerary (sorry, couldn’t resist one more pun!), us crazy Lost Girls managed to get so supremely lucky - yet again! But here’s what I do know, which I pass on to you, dear blog readers:

1. Don’t ever leave the country without an insurance policy from World Nomads (www.worldnomads.com). I mean, I crashed their van and they still love us! I think! :)
2. If you need some wheels in OZ, don't even think about renting from any company other than Traveller’s Auto Barn (www.travellers-autobarn.com).
3. Low clearance signs are about as popular Down Under as Foster’s beer.
4. While the fiber glass roof on a standard camper vans can't be banged/pushed/shoved or coerced back into place like metal can (trust me, I tried), it does provide a nice, clean base for masking tape should you happen to rip a few holes in it.
5. If you accidentally drive under an awning that’s just a tad too short, Duck! Then blame the dent on a rogue kangaroo. Trust me! It makes for a much better story!

- - - Jen

For more fun, crash fodder, check out this video clip of our visit to Auto Barn!

Crash and Learn: Part 1

All you loyal readers out there can attest to the fact that unbelievable luck has often followed in Holly, Amanda and my footsteps throughout our round-the-world journey. For those of you just tuning in to our blog, allow me to recap. During our travels, The Lost Girls have managed to:

1. Convince the Brazilian embassy to put a special ‘rush order’ on our visa applications to get them back a few hours later (we didn’t realize they’d have to keep our passports which we desperately needed for a flight the next day!) 2. Foil the dastardly plans of two pickpockets / bag slashers (I kicked the guy who razored my purse in Thailand and Holly faced her Vietnamese assailant head on, scaring her away before she could steal anything) 3. Persuade (a.k.a. bribe with cash) the Cambodian border patrol that it was OK for them to place our visas on the last page of our passport (where stamps aren’t officially allowed) so we could get into the country. 4. Avoid any major illnesses despite eating street food and brushing our teeth with tap water in Kenya, India and throughout S.E. Asia. 5. Secure a countless number of hostels, trains, planes, tours, etc. when we were told it was impossible during the high tourist seasons in which we were visiting a particular country or region. And these are just to name a few!

We always joked that one day our good fortune was bound to run out, but with only a couple weeks left in our year-long trip, it looked like we were in the clear. Well, that’s what we thought anyway. As fate would have it, a road trip to Hunter Valley, Australia’s renowned wine region, would cause all our confidence to come crashing down on us – literally! Our tale of woe begins innocently enough…

It was a bright, beautiful morning in the vineyards as three cute, little Lost Girls cruised happily along in their psychedelic, pimped-out World Nomads’ camper van. The sun was shining, birds were singing, locals greeted one another with huge smiles and “G’Day Mate’s” and dingos realized the error of their ways and returned stolen babies! As if life wasn’t perfect enough already, the girls and I were headed to the area’s most luxurious and swanky spa, The Golden Door, where we were lucky enough to secure a complimentary two-night stay complete with meals, exercise classes and massages. No sleeping head to toe in the van bunk beds tonight! Anyway, I digress. Back to the story:

So...I was driving through one of the vast vineyard/restaurant/resort properties that spotted Hunter Valley when I got a little turned around. “How the heck do I get out of here?” I asked Holly and Amanda. “Oh wait, never mind. I see,” I exclaimed as I realized all I had to do was simply follow the gravel road around the front of the nearby hotel and out the gate. “La la la la la. La la la la la. La la la la la la,” I whistled, as I shifted into second, preparing to cruise gently under the charming, wooden awning of the lodge.

CRASH, BOOM, SHUDDER, SHAKE, SPLINTER, CRACK!!!!
CRASH, BOOM, SHUDDER, SHAKE, SPLINTER, CRACK!!!!
(Repeat a few dozen times)

Oh, my God! The entire roof – and our picture perfect day – was caving in on us! As Holly and Amanda screamed and covered their eyes with their hands, I gripped tightly to the wheel, trying to keep the shaking van straight and praying we’d come out the other side in one piece. Huge chunks of wood rained down on the vehicle as fluffy bits of fiber glass floated down on our heads like snow. In that instant, the sun went behind the clouds, the birds stopped singing, the locals’ grins morphed into horrified frowns, dingos started stealing babies again and I realized that I’d royally destroyed our only mode of transportation – and our perfect Lost Girls Luck record!

As the sawdust cleared, I managed to pull myself together long enough to turn the van off and slide out the door in a pool of shame as the hotel owner came running outside to confront the crazy American girl who’d defaced her property. Maybe it was my shocked expression or sputtering series of “Oh, my God, I’m so sorry. Oh my God,” but she immediately took pity on us, asking if we were OK and trying to make us feel better with a “This awning is lower than it looks. It could happen to anyone. Don’t worry about it! The most important thing is that you're not hurt” pep talk. Since I was bordering on catatonic, Amanda took charge and followed the owner inside to exchange contact information. Sensing that I was in no shape to get back behind the wheel, Holly hopped in the driver’s seat and steered us away from the scene of my crime and back onto the main road.

We’d only gone a few miles, when visions of hundreds of dollars in deductibles and the shame of confessing to World Nomads that I'd wrecked their beautiful van began tormenting me and a panic attack set it. “Stop the car!” I shouted. “I’m freaking out!” Holly and Amanda did their best to calm me down by reminding me that worse case, we were only responsible for $400 dollars, that this story would add flavor to our reign as World Nomads Ambassadors and that one day I’d look back at the whole thing and laugh. With a roof so severely dented that it practically brushed our heads and slits of sunlight shining through gaping holes of ripped fiber glass, I found it hard to find the humor of the situation at that moment, but I appreciated the support of my fellow Lost Girls.

While I knew it would take a little time for me to feel better about my unfortunate and completely foolish accident (I mean, I freakin’ drove under an awning that was about, oh, 6” too short!), I didn’t want my stupid mistake to completely ruin our road trip. After all, we had a fabulous 2-day spa vacation to look forward (thank God, cause we sure as heck couldn’t sleep in the van now!) As we pulled our freshly-crunched vehicle into the parking lot of The Golden Door (‘hiding’ it in the furthest spot), I realized that good luck hadn’t completely abandoned us. I mean, what are the chances that the one time we get into a car accident happened to be the same day we scored a last minute media stay at a five-star facility? If not for this fortunate twist of fate, we'd probably have to sleep in a field or in the bed of roof shards on the van floor. Maybe all hope wasn't lost – even if Holly, Amanda and I were!

- - - Jen

Stay tuned for our continued crash saga as we return to Sydney to face the music and the folks at Auto Barn!

In the meantime, enjoy this video clip we took of our Aussie heroes – kind employees at Balloon Aloft, the best hot air balloon company in Hunter Valley (http://www.balloonaloft.com/app/uniq0.9691696479084807/front_sky.html) – who patched up the van for us when rainy weather appeared imminent!

Hunter Valley: A Hedonist’s Playground

HCC: There’s a lot more to Oz than the sunburned outback and endless beaches. When my fellow Lost Girls and I heard about the rolling vineyards, gourmet restaurants and relaxing spas that were to be found in Hunter Valley, we refilled the oil in our camper van (we learned our lesson!) and hit the road. Located just about three hours from Sydney, Hunter Valley sounded like the perfect place to recharge without having to waste too much of our dwindling vacation time behind the wheel.

It turned out to be a pretty big region encompassing lots of towns, so we decided to stop in Singleton for the night because it had a campground with powered sites. It was here that I met Makalah, a permanent trailer park resident who introduced herself to me in the bathroom. When I mentioned that we were on our way to visit the Singleton Information Center to figure out which wineries to visit, she laughed out loud. “The Information Center is about as useful as tits on a bull!” I felt like a silly tourist, which, of course, I am. But we decided to hit up the bigger Hunter Valley Information Center anyway, which was only a twenty-minute drive.


I can’t speak for the Singleton Tourist Information Center, but most of the ones we’ve visited in Oz have been lifesavers. The large one in Hunter Valley was stocked with maps and the staff even guided us in drafting an itinerary for the next four days, including wine school, food tastings and hot air balloon rides. Information is more than power—having it on a road trip makes everything more manageable.

It’s no secret that The Lost Girls live to eat, and Hunter Valley turned out to be a foodie haven. We were overwhelmed with the possibilities: There was the Hunter Valley Smelly Cheese Factory, Hunter Valley Olive Centre and Hunter Valley Coffee School. Worried that our tummies wouldn’t be able to handle all these yummy delights, we opted to simply satisfy our sweet tooth and drove over to the Hunter Valley Chocolate Factory.

I witnessed the girls’ eyes light up and then glaze over in anticipation as we examined the endless mounds of confectionary creations arranged in neat piles behind the glass display cases. I sampled chocolate-covered caramel frogs, rocky-road fudge and chocolate-dipped marshmallows. Then I tasted Jen’s toffee-filled treats and Amanda’s mango-mousse covered chocolate. Dieters beware: This is not a place to come if you’re counting calories, so it’s best to give yourself a break. I’m over dieting because it makes me bitchy. Chocolate, on the other hand, makes me very, very happy.

Rising before dawn, on the other hand, does not make us happy. But the next morning we did just that because we had the chance of a lifetime: To get a bird’s eye view of the sunrise over the valley. We signed up for a hot air balloon ride at Balloon Aloft that required us to meet our group at 5:30 a.m.

When we arrived, we were asked to fill out the mandatory safety forms and then sat around sipping steamy coffee and watching kangaroos have a boxing match in the grassy field that stretched out in front of us. By 7:30 a.m., the sun had risen, but our hot air balloon had not. Our guide ended up canceling the ride due to windy weather. We were bummed, but figured it was better to be safe than sorry (we made it this far around the world and would rather not have to report to our parents that we’d been involved in a hot air balloon crash).

We had the whole day ahead of us and made our next stop the Hunter Valley Wine School. Yes, they are opened for wine tasting at the ripe hour of 9:30 a.m. The Lost Girls became wine connoisseurs! Well, not really, but we graduated and each got our own certificate. Our teacher instructed us to wear these hardhats (even though we’re hardheaded enough) for a tour of the winery to watch just how vino is made. Then we sat down inside the wine bar and got to sample the goods.

Hunter Valley is known for four types of wine: Semillon (a light, dry white), Verdelho (a fruity white), Chardonnay (a full-bodied white that can be tart) and Shiraz (a spicy red). Though there are around 140 boutique wineries in Hunter Valley, we were disappointed to learn that we couldn’t buy many of the bottles in the States since the smaller ones don’t produce enough wine to export.

We walked out of there giggling like little schoolgirls. Seriously, how the heck did we get so lucky as to be able to spend our days tasting chocolate, sipping wine and watching kangaroos at sunrise?! However, our high soon became a low when our perfect road trip took a turn for the worse. Stay tuned for Jen’s story about how it all went sour…
Holly

A Fine Day for the Opera (House)

Last week, we learned that the Sydney Opera House just received official recognition as one of the most fabulous places on the planet, earning a coveted spot on the UNESCO World Heritage List (an honor it shares with such international treasures as the Taj Mahal, the Egyptian Pyramids and the Great Wall of China). Not bad for a building conceived just 50 years ago by Danish architect Jørn Utzon and finished in 1973…it's the youngest cultural site ever to be included on the World Heritage List.

As must-see, culturally important destinations go, this one certainly lives up to all the hype—few manmade structures thrill the soul quite the Sydney Opera House. I challenge anyone to stand along the waterfront at Circular Quay, spot the gravity-defying white “sails” billowing against a cloudless blue sky and not feel at least a little moved. It might have cost the city $102 million dollars to build (money they originally tried to re-coup by selling kisses with singers on the Opera House steps!) but the end result was—and still is—spectacular.

I must admit, Jen, Holly and I felt pretty jazzed when we received an invitation to visit the Opera House and learn more about its soon-to-be launched "Essential Tour," an interactive program kicking off in August 2007. Trying not to sound too excited about having an excuse to dress up and act civilized, we responded “yes,” and started planning which martinis we’d order at the al fresco Opera Bar later that afternoon.

Splurging on a cab down to the harbor (mustn’t ruin our one and only pair of heels), we headed past the box office to meet up with Steven and Megan, our dedicated guides for the one-hour tour.

Once we’d all made introductions, our little quintet set off on a journey underneath the Opera House, passing through the quiet subterranean corridors that lead to each of the different dramatic venues. Each year, we learned, 1.5 million patrons catch 1,500 different shows on those five unique stages--making the Opera House one of the most active performing arts venues in the world.

Our first stop was the experimental theater known as The Studio, an abstract venue where you can check out that sort of edgy, avant-garde stuff that’s so weird and disconcerting, its entertaining. Tickets to most shows are only about $20, so it’s a great way for the young and the budget-conscious to “go to the Opera” without going broke.

Next, we took a peek at The Playhouse, a cozy 398-seat theater venue originally used for screening popular surfing movies (how very Aussie!) and now the backdrop for an eclectic menagerie of dance, comedy and classical theater performances.

From there our group moved onto the midsized Drama Theater, where Megan let us sit down so she could share a bit of the history behind the Opera House. She explained that in the 1950s, the city of Sydney held an open competition for the design of a new concert hall and opera theater. After much deliberation, Jørn Utzon’s revolutionary concept was plucked from the reject pile and it went on to win the competition. The finished performance venue took 14 years to build (and went over its allotted budget by 95 million dollars!) but it was definitely worth the cash—and the wait!

When most people think of attending a fabulous performance at the Sydney Opera House, they’re probably imagining a night in the 1,500-seat Opera Theatre—it’s the venue that The Australian Ballet, The Sydney Dance Company and Opera Australia all call home. Compared to the ultra-ornate Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires or the Paris Opera House, the Opera Theater is streamlined and spartan. But don’t confuse that with boring: the understated simplicity places the focus where is should be—on the performers.

But the real jewel in the Opera House crown has to be the voluminous 2,679-seat Concert Hall, a gorgeous rose and cream-shaded space that somehow made me feel that I was sitting inside an enormous conch shell….and what a finely tuned shell it is. Since there’s no place to hide theatrical sets or for actors to run off to change, the venue is used almost exclusively for musical performances and concerts by the Sydney Symphony, Australian Chamber Orchestra and the Sydney Philharmonia Choirs, among others.

But before I could give the Concert Hall too much respect as a sacred musical space, Megan informed us that it was on this very stage that Arnold Schwarzenegger won his final Mr. Olympia body building title in 1980, and where the most recent Australian Idol was announced. Nice.

Our tour wrapped up with a quick spin around the exterior of the building, where Steven shared that not only were the sparkling white roof tiles self cleaning, but one could, theoretically, park eight Boeing 747s, wing to wing on the Opera House site. He seemed to be such a wealth of knowledge that I asked him exactly how many of those self-cleaning tiles were on the roof of the building.

Ummm…..

(The answer, retrieved later from the Opera House press packet): 1,056,006

We decided to cut Steven a little slack because he was cute...and he promised to hook us up with tickets to a show before we left Sydney.

To learn more about the Opera House or to book a space on one of its tours, visit www.sydneyoperahouse.com.

The Lost Girls RTW Budget: Part 3

Meals & Snacks, Intra-Country Travel, Entertainment & Extras and Miscellaneous. Plus Bonus Features!

Jen: OK, faithful budget followers, it’s trivia time on www.lostgirlsworld.com…

What do The Lord of the Rings, Back to the Future, Indiana Jones and The Lost Girls RTW Budget Series have in common?

Blog Readers: “They’re all trilogies that were created by pure and utter geniuses!”
The Lost Girls: “You are absolutely correct!”

Which also means that in addition to your impeccable taste and judge of talent, you’ve probably deduced what today’s blog entry is…all together now!

Blog Readers: “The third and final installment in The Lost Girls RTW Budget Series”
The Lost Girls: “Right again! We have the smartest audience of any blog ever!”

While Part 3 of our humble, little series may not sweep every Oscar category, require 1.21 gigawatts of electricity or solve the mystery of the Holy Grail, it will, however, brilliantly showcase the precise number of greenbacks The Lost Girls spent on: Meals & Snacks, Intra-country Transportation, Entertainment & Extras and Miscellaneous items. And before the end credits roll, we’ll also delight you with exciting bonus features (I know, anyone could have guessed this all from the blog's subtitle, but wasn't my Q&A so much more fun?!!)

So without further ado, we present:

The Lost Girls RTW Budget: Part 3

Actually, I must ‘ado’ for just a second for the sake of any budget beginners out there (you know who you are!). While I encourage you to scroll down the blog page and check out Part 1 and Part 2 of this series first, if 3 happens to be your lucky number, you don’t have time right now or your boss is starting to get suspicious of your online activities, here’s a quick flashback:

(Average, estimated costs per person (by category) for The Lost Girls RTW Trip)
Flights: $5000
Travel Gear: $500
Visas: $375
Vaccines: $450
Accommodations: $2786
Meals & Snacks: $3803
Intra-Country Transportation: $1490
Entertainment & Extras: $2872
Miscellaneous: $715
And the moment you’ve all been waiting for…

The Grand Total:
$17,991 per person


OK, I’m done ‘ado'ing! Here we go with Part 3…

Meals and Snacks
Average Dollars Drained ($3803): (Average $11.81/day for 322 days: $15/day-Peru, Bolivia, Brazil x 60 days = $900 + $8/day-Kenya x 50 days = $400 + $15/day-Dubai x 6 days = $90 + $8/day-India x 28 days = $224 + $12/day-Thailand-Laos-Vietnam-Cambodia x 77 days = $924 + $10/day – Bali x 14 days = $140 + $15/day – New Zealand x 27 days = $405 + $12/day – Australia x 60 days = $720)
LG Creative Cuts:
- - As was the case with most our of budget categories, the fact that we spent about 75% of our time in third world countries was the biggest factor in keeping food costs under control. In most of the places we visited, huge portions or delicious local dishes were available for a few bucks.
- - The girls and I became masters timing our days so we could get away with only two meals and snacks in between. The joy of not having jobs made it possible to sleep in, have a big brunch around 12pm, grab cheap snacks ‘til dinner, then have our second meal around 7pm or 8pm. Since food can be a surprising money sucker, sticking to this schedule helped make it possible for us to eat well within budget.
- - When times were tough, PB&J sandwiches and granola bars were our saviors!
Other Helpful Hints:
- - Follow your Mom’s advice: Share! While most portion sizes abroad do tend to be smaller than those in the States (surprise, surprise, right?) many of the local staples like chicken biryani in India or pan fried noodles in Thailand are automatically super sized (at no extra charge!). So grab a friend or a fellow solo traveler and split a dish for dinner. You’ll save money and still be full.
- - You might be ignoring your Mom’s advice on this one, but give streets eats a chance. It’s a great way to test drive exotic dishes with little financial risk (seriously, we got entire meals for 50 cents). If that thought scares your stomach, take heart in the fact that the girls and I never gotten sick from sampling vendor cuisine (knock on wood) even once during our time abroad. In fact, since the food is cooked fresh right in front you, it’s probably some of the safest on (or in) the market.
- - Make like the hardcore backpackers and prepare your own meals. Hostels worldwide come equipped with kitchens and refrigerator, so hitting the grocery store and cooking at ‘home’ will save you big bucks.

Intra-country transportation
Average Dollars Drained ($1460): (Peru/Bolivia: flights-$200, buses-$50, taxis-$10, boats-$10 = $270 + Brazil: flights-$150, taxis-$50 = $200 + Kenya: trains-$60, matatus (shared vans ) /boda bodas (bicycles)-$25 = $85 + India: trains-$100, taxis/rickshaws-$30 = $140 + U.A.E. (Dubai): taxis-$50 = $50, Thailand: flights-$75, trains-$40, buses/ferries-$25, taxis-$20, skytrain-$30 = $190 + Laos: buses-$25, tuk tuks-$10 = $35 + Cambodia: buses-$30, taxis/motorbikes/bicycles-$15 = $45 + Vietnam: flights-$80, trains-$30, boats-$20, taxis-$15 = $145 + Indonesia: taxis/shared vans/bicycles-$20 + New Zealand: rental car-$230 + Australia (est.): taxis/buses(est.)-$50)
LG Creative Cuts:
- - Clearly, our creative juices weren’t flowing at the beginning as we blew almost $350 on plane tickets during the first two months of the trip alone. The flight to the Amazon in Peru was worth it, but we could have opted for an alternative route for the others. Oh, well, live and learn.
- - After a little bit of practice, we realized the best way to save money was to not worry about how long it took to get somewhere or how uncomfortable it was (we still reserved the right to bitch about, though). So we started taking local buses and trains whenever possible, which saved us loads of money in the long run.
- - Another way we saved was simply by negotiating. In most of the countries we visited, everyone from tour operators to taxi drivers will come down significantly from their original asking price. It’s just the way the game is played, so learning the rules quickly will definitely help your bottom line.
Other Helpful Hints:
- - Other than, don’t visit as many countries as we did, our best advice is to not get too ambitious with your itinerary versus racing around and trying to squeeze in too much. It’s hard not to be excited and want to see everything, but you’ll avoid overspending and burnout if you prioritize your over land commitments and focus on getting to know one region well.
- - Sharing is key when it comes to intra-country transport. Taxi, mini-vans, tours, etc. are all more cost-effective when there’s a group of travelers to split the cost. We paired up with strangers several times to get a better rate into town from the airport or border crossing and by the end of the trip, we’d made new friends.


Entertainment and Extras
Average Dollars Drained ($2872): (Travel Insurance: 1-year policy from World Nomads (www.worldnomads.com) = $500; Peru/Bolivia: Inca Trail-$275, other tours/sites/entry fees-$40, sand boarding/dune buggy-$15, movies/shows-$20, cocktails/happy hours-$75, souvenirs/shopping-$65 = $490 + Brazil: capeoira/dance classes-$25, soccer game-$10, drinks/dancing-$45, souvenirs/shopping-$65 = $145 + Kenya: stargazing-$0, watching a baby calf being born-$0, bootleg DVDs-$10, scuba diving-$60, happy hours at the beach-$50 = $120 + U.A.E. (Dubai): cocktails-$50 = $50 + India: Golden Triangle tour-$100, yoga school-$70, backwater tour-$35, clubs/drinks-$55, souvenirs/shopping-$50 = $310 + Thailand: scuba diving-$115, muay thai boxing match-$15, muay thai classes-$10, beach buckets (liquor/mixer/straws)-$40, massages (3@$8/each)-$24, souvenirs/shopping-$60 = $264 + Laos: 2-day hike/kayak tour-$22, river tubing-$4, massages/reflexology (5@$3/each, 2@$5/each)-$25, souvenirs/shopping-$30 = $81 + Cambodia: Ankor Wat driving tour-$5, Tour of Killing Fields and school - $10, happy hours-$15 souvenirs/shopping-$20 = $50 + Vietnam: Museum entry fee-$3, 4-day tour to Sapa-$75, 2-day tour to Halong Bay-$35, souvenirs/shopping-$40, haircuts-$12, cocktails-$45 = $210 + Indonesia: DVD player/DVDs-$10, day tour of Bali-$15, drinks-$40, massage-$10, shopping/souvenirs-$20 = $95 + New Zealand: Abel Tasman 2-day hike/kayak-$70, bungee jumping-$150, bike tour of vineyards-$25, wine-$20, movies-$15 = $280 + Australia (est.): surf board rental-$12, scuba diving-$90, museums/sites-$30, wine tours-$20, mountain bike rental-$10, boat ride-$15, souvenirs-$25, cocktails-$75= $277)
Creative Cuts:
- - This is the one area where we attempted to be careful, but we just couldn’t help but overspend. When once-in-a-lifetime opportunities like hiking the Inca Trail, scuba diving in Southern Thailand or bungee jumping off the famous Nevis (a 400 foot drop) in New Zealand are thrust in your face on a daily basis, it’s difficult to stay cooped up in a dingy hostel reading a book.
- - Even considering our above admission of semi-reckless spending in this area, in general, we did manage to save a lot of money by simply opting out of activities or slashing all extra-curricular purchases when we noticed our monthly budget was in jeopardy. It sounds simple, but the old drug campaign “Just Say No” really works here.
- - Fortunately for us, there were dozens of free or cheap entertainment options in almost every country we visited. A few of our faves: DIY hikes, exploring local markets, horseback riding, running around town snapping photos, free movie screenings in local cafes (there practically on every corner in backpacker-friendly towns), hitting the beach with a good novel (purchased at a used book store or hostel trading shelf) or catching up on our journals over many cups of coffee – just to name a few!
Other Helpful Hints:
- - It sounds cheesy, but when you visit a country that truly inspires you, sitting on a bench and people watching or hiking to the top of a cliff and soaking in the scenery is often all the entertainment you need.
- - Prioritize! Decide which activities are absolute musts and set aside cash in your budget for them ahead of time. Also, allow a little extra for luxuries; they’ll help keep you sane!
- - Keep a detailed money journal to track how much you’re spending on anything that’s not a necessity. That way you can reel things in if they get out of control.


Miscellaneous
Average Dollars Drained ($715): (internet/communication-$30/month x 11 months=$330 + bank/ATM/credit card fees-$20/month x 11 months = $220, toiletries/personal supplies-$15/month x 11 months = $165)
LG Creative Cuts:
- - We signed up for Skype! It’s an internet based telephone service that allows you to call any number around the world for mere pennies a minute. You’d be surprised how many cafes around the globe cater to Skype users already, meaning they’ve downloaded the program on their computers (you just need to enter your log in and password) and provide headsets. It’s not a perfect system as calls can be patchy if the connection is slow, but in general it works great and definitely cuts communication costs. For more go to www.skype.com.
- - Before we hit the road, we called all of our credit card companies and banks to alert them of our departure and all the countries we planned to visit (we didn’t want them to shut our cards off due to suspected suspicious activity) and also to confirm exactly how much they each charged for international fees. By doing our research, we were able to save by opting to use the card with the cheapest fees, take more cash out at a time if there was a per/transaction ATM fee and using our own branches abroad where available. FYI-If you don’t have a Visa, get one. It’s often the only card taken in certain parts of the world.
- - The girls and I found that buying local brands of toiletries or cheaper imports (Nivea is huge in Peru!) resulted in significant savings in the personal supplies department.
Other Helpful Hints:
- - If you’re traveling with a laptop, type out all your email responses ahead of time before hitting the internet café. You’ll spend less money that way and have a more pleasant experience (connections can be frustratingly slow).
- - Pay cash when you can. Even with ATM fees and conversion rates, you’re probably better off using bills for purchases versus your credit cards. Visa and Mastercard can charge up to 4% on all international fees, with American Express generally coming in around 3%.
- - Learn to live without luxuries. It’s amazing how little you actually need when you’re traveling. All the fancy face washes, masks, scrubs, deep conditioners we swore by back home seemed a bit silly and extraneous on the road (and heavy to store in your backpack). It’s easy to save money in this category simply by pairing down to the basics.

************************************************************************

BONUS FEATURES:

Ok, so If your head isn’t completely spinning from all the random numbers, complex calculations and arbitrary advice above (and in the past two entries), stay tuned for the exciting special features that I promised. 5,4,3,2,1…and action!

Random LG Facts
- - We are not trust fund babies nor do we have sugar daddies.
- - The only people who cared enough to contribute to The Lost Girls travel fund were me, Holly and Amanda.
- - We saved specifically for this trip for a year and a half.
- - International travel has been a priority in all three of our lives since we were old enough to get our first jobs, so we always set aside a portion of our paychecks for that purpose.
- - We were willing to drain our bank accounts, dip into savings and even go into a teeny bit of debt in order to take our big RTW journey. Now, I’m not suggesting that others should necessarily adopt this mentality, but it was definitely a factor in our decision to go nomad for 365 days.
- - We will return to the States with none of the following: jobs, apartments, furniture (it’s all in storage but where the heck would we put it anyway?), health insurance, boyfriends (well, AP and I won’t) or a clue as to what our future brings. Oh well!

Savvy Saving Tips
Before We Left:
- - Had a set amount from our paychecks automatically deposited into savings.
- - Paid more attention to the little costs that add up. Example: bringing a mug of coffee from home rather than paying more to get it from a street vendor saved us about $50/month.
- - Immediately transferred tax returns and bonuses directly into our travel accounts.
- - Sold old clothes, books, furniture and basically all the useless crap we’d accumulated over the years on Ebay. Not only did we pocket a nice chunk of change, we also didn’t have as much stuff to store during our year away.
- - To completely eliminate storage costs, we begged our family and friends to adopt our possessions for the year in exchange for a few exotic souvenirs, a postcard from every country and, most importantly, our undying devotion! They’re so lucky!
- - For months before our departure, we limited our purchases to only essential items like food, rent, and bills and limited luxuries like clothes, taxis, dinners out and high priced cocktails (look hard enough and you can find cheap happy hours even in NYC!)
- - When possible, we picked up extra work writing freelance articles, babysitting and bartending. Good practice for us as these things will probably be our main source of income when we return.
On the Road:
Although we covered several specific ways to save in the above category breakdown, here are a couple other things you can do to stretch your travel dollars:
- - Pick up odd jobs: Hostels looking for help behind the bar, local vineyards in need of extra fruit pickers, a scuba shop searching for a new dive master. If you can fill any of these needs or the dozens more that are out there, you can make money abroad. A lot of people we met had a system going: they’d travel until they run out of funds, stop and work a bit until they earned more and then hit the road again. We’d definitely rank this method at the top of our savvy savings list.
- - Volunteer: While some organizations charge pretty high fees, there are several that provide amazing volunteer opportunities at a reasonable price. And since costs are generally fixed and include food and accommodations, signing up with a reputable program is a great way to see the world on a small budget, while helping to make a difference in the lives of others. We registered for a 1 month program in Kenya through Village Volunteers (www.villagevolunteers.org) and it was one of the most rewarding experiences of our trip. Plus, the money we paid all went directly to assist the organization and the local community where we worked (approximately $950 total, which included fees, meals, lodging, intra-country transport and 1 day safari in the Masai Mara-optional add on).


A Week at Disney World vs. A Week in New Delhi
This little exercise was really just for fun as it doesn’t proof anything particular and the figures are merely rough estimates I gleaned from various websites and/or from my own personal experiences. Still, it just goes to show that even trips to more remote or foreign countries can be just as affordable as many popular domestic destinations. Plus, you get the added advantage of discovering another culture, building a better understanding of how others around the world live and putting your own life in the States in perspective. That's just a Lost Girls opinion, though. Everyone has different tastes and travel personalities, which should be the main considerations when planning a vacation. Though you have to admit, these mock budgets create a pretty compelling case to think globally!

7 Days with Mickey, Minnie and Goofy
- - Airfare and Accommodations: (2) Roundtrip tickets from NYC to Orlando, FL and 7 nights at Disney’s Coronondo Springs Resort (double occupancy) = $1464
- - Meals: Sample menu – Breakfast (continental breakfast at the hotel-$10), Lunch at Casey’s Corner in Magic Kingdom (Hot dog, French fries and a soda-$20), Dinner at Bistro de Paris in Epcot (Asparagus salad, Filet Mignon, crème brulee and a bottle of wine-$40) – All meals estimated $70/day/person x 7 days = $980
- - Rental Car: $39/day x 7 days = $273
- - Park Admission: 4-day pass for 2 people = $450
- - Park Extras: cotton candy/popcorn/hot pretzels/icecream ($5/item x 3 per day x 2 people x 7 days = $210), water/sodas ($3/item x 4 per day x 2 people x 7 days = $168), Space Mountain photo-$35, Mickey ears-($15/pair x 2 people = $30) = $443
- - Additional Activities: 2 movie tickets-Downtown Orlando-$20, Cocktails at Universal Citywalk-$40, 2 tickets to Cirque du Soleil-$150, spa treatment-$80, miniature golf-$25 = $315

Estimated Total - $3925

COMPARED TO:

7 Days with Shiva, Brahma and Vishnu
- - Airfare: (2) Roundtrip tickets from NYC to New Delhi, India = $1900 ($950/person-estimate from Orbitz.com)
- - Accommodations: 4 nights at Sunstar Grand (double occupancy) = $224
(mid-range, 3 star hotel). Note: The remaining 3 nights spent on tour-see below
- - Meals: Sample menu – Breakfast (fresh fruit, toast w/jam, tea/coffee-$3), Lunch (masala dosa, lentils w/rice, papaya lassi-$7), Dinner (cheese stuffed naan, chicken tika masala, wine, dessert-$15) –All meals-estimated $25/day/person x 7 days = $350
- - Local Transportation: Taxi/rickshaws-estimated $5/day x 7 days = $35
- - Golden Triangle Tour: ($100 per person) Includes a personal driver from New Delhi to Agra, 1-night hotel stay w/breakfast-, entry fee and tour of Taj Mahal, personal driver from Agra to Jaipur, 2-nights hotel stay w/breakfast, entry fees to all temples and palaces, personal driver from Jaipur back to New Delhi = $200
(based on an actual tour the girls and I took)
- - Souvenirs/Shopping: Handmade saris-$30, Carved Ganesh statue-$15, marble table top-$45, incense burner-$10, bangles/earrings-$20, sandals-$8, silk skirts-2 for $12 = $140
- - Entertainment/Extras: Shows and site-seeing - $20/day x 7 days-$140 x 2 people = $280, elephant ride for two -$20 = $300
- - Vaccines/medication: Hepatitis A-$52, Typhoid-$55, 3 Larium tablets-$30=$137 x 2 people = $274 (source: recommended vaccines pulled from mdtravelhealth.com)

Estimated Total - $3423


Still not convinced to go international even after my beautiful side by side comparison? OK, fine. But at the very least, promise me that you'll stop and sample a few exotic dishes from the row of ‘foreign countries’ lining Epcot! :)

Happy travels - wherever they may lead you!

Jen

The Lost Girls RTW Budget: Part 2

Flights, Travel Gear, Visas, Vaccines and Acccommodations

Jen: I hope all you readers out there enjoyed Part 1 of The Lost Girls RTW Budget series, which I posted a few days ago. If you’ve been waiting with bated breath for Part 2 (as I know you have!), wait no longer. Today’s entry will reveal the exact dollars drained from our first five budget categories: flights, travel gear, visas, vaccines and accommodations, as well as offer LG creative cuts and other helpful hints for each.

If you’re tuning in for the first time and have no clue what I’m talking about, I’ve included a quick recap below of what you missed. However, to get the full effect of my wit, charm and uncanny ability to manipulate a calculator, I highly recommend scrolling down to my May 4th entry and starting from the budget's humble beginning! :)

Highlights from Part 1: Showin’ You The Money!
After noticing that questions like “How the heck did The Lost Girls afford to hit the road for so long?” and “How much did they spend for the entire year?” were frequently popping up from readers, we attempted to provide answers by laying out our budget, by category, for the entire trip. Here are the average, estimated costs per person that I highlighted in my last entry:

Flights: $5000
Travel Gear: $500
Visas: $375
Vaccines: $450
Accommodations: $2786
Meals and Snacks: $3803
Intra-Country Transportation: $1490
Entertainment & Extras: $2872
Miscellaneous: $715
And the moment you’ve all been waiting for…

The Grand Total:
$17,991 per person


And now, ladies and gentlemen…


Part 2: A Categorical Breakdown
Flights, Travel Gear, Visas, Vaccines and Accommodations

Flights
Total Dollars Drained ($5000): $700 (round trip from N.Y.C to Lima, Peru) + $1000 (one way from NYC to Nairobi) + $2300 (RTW ticket: Nairobi – Dubai (free stop) – Bangalore – Bangkok – Bali (free stop) – Auckland – Sydney (via Christchurch) + $1000 (one way from Sydney to NYC).
LG Creative Cuts:
- - We could have saved a lot of money by cutting out South America, not visiting quite so many countries and/or sticking to one region of the world, but considering our complex itinerary, our trip was still economical thanks to the RTW ticket that we booked through Airtreks (www.airtreks.com)
- - For some reason, adding South America to RTW tickets often results in a large leap in price, as was the case with our itinerary. But we managed to save a few hundred bucks by booking our flight for that portion of the trip separately.
- - We also got ourselves to Africa as we found a great deal on a one-way ticket, which gave us more flexibility on dates (we were swinging through NYC and weren’t sure when we’d need to leave to begin our volunteer program in Kenya). Plus, starting our RTW ticket from Nairobi was a bit more affordable anyway.
Other Helpful Hints:
- - Generally, RTW tickets are the most cost effective way to visit multiple destinations without going over budget. Airtreks.com lets you plot out various routes, provides an instant quote and offers suggestions to save money/get more cities for your buck. So if you’re bored at work one day, hop on their site and see what your dream itinerary would cost. I guarantee you, it’s less than you think!
- - RTW tickets are often cheaper when you leave from Europe vs. the States, so booking a cheap one-way flight to London, for example, and starting your trip there, might save you a considerable amount.
- - Major alliances like One World offer multi-city tickets, so if you have frequent flier points linked to one of their airlines or just want to shop around, there are definitely options.
- - Research! Research! Research! Great deals are everywhere. You just have to look for them and of course book – immediately!

Travel Gear
Total Dollars Drained ($500): $175 Backpack + $75 Hiking shoes, $150 Clothes (windbreaker, hiking pants, thick socks, sports bras, etc.) + $100 Miscellaneous (water bottle, bug spray, first aid kit, medicine, flashlight, etc.)
LG Creative Cuts:
- - Like big girls are supposed to do, we learned to share! Fortunately we had each other to travel with and could split the cost of items we didn’t all need to bring (e.g. a universal converter, guidebooks, certain electrons/chargers, etc.)
- - When it came to bigger purchases like backpacks and hiking boots, we used all our resources, buying previously owned items (e.g. Amanda got an awesome pack from a friend for only $75 that was only used once and still in great shape), scouring the stores for sales and getting creative with items we already had in our closets.
- - Although we went a little overboard at the beginning (leaving our country for a year was kind of a big deal for us!), we did our best to limit our pre-trip gear to the essentials knowing that we could stock up again when we were passing through NYC on the way to Kenya or pick stuff up on the road.
Other Helpful Hints:
- - Borrowing gear from family or friends can really help your bottom line. You’d be surprised how many fabulous travel accessories are just collecting dust in people’s attics.
- - Take about ½ as much stuff as you think you need and get the rest on the road. Particularly if you’re traveling for a while, not sure what you’ll need, visiting a country or countries with drastic weather changes or simply don’t feel like paying full price in the States for staple items you can get for much less in many countries (e.g. we picked up 100% alpaca sweaters from a market in Peru for $6)
- - Start off with travel sizes and refill with local brands. We made the mistake of lugging huge supplies of certain items, like contact solution and tampons, with us because we thought they might be impossible to find on the road. All lies! Travel urban legends! Even the most remote villages in the farthest corners of the world are stocked with the essentials. Seriously, we bought an extra converter in Trivandrum, India, toilet paper on the Inca Trail, deodorant in Vang Vieng, Laos and shaving cream in Kitale, Kenya. Some things are more expensive abroad, but more often than not, they’re much cheaper.

Visas
Average Dollars Drained ($375): $100 Brazil + $50 Kenya + $75 India + $20 Cambodia + $70 Vietnam + $35 Laos + $25 Indonesia
LG Creative Cuts:
- - While mapping our itinerary, we researched which countries didn’t require visas, provided them for free (e.g. Thailand) or at a fairly low rate (e.g. Cambodia). That way, when there was a toss up between two options, we could save cash by choosing the cheaper one.
- - We applied for visas along the way versus getting them ahead of time (that wasn’t practical for our type of trip anyway), so if we changed our minds and nixed or switched a country at the last minute, we wouldn’t waste money.
- - As a side note, for those doubters out there, yes, it is possible to get visas as you go (Ex: we got our Brazil visa in Lima, Peru and our Vietnam visa in Bangkok, Thailand)! None of our visas took more than 2-3 days to process and sometimes we even got them the same or next day. Batting your eyelashes, smiling and/or begging also work in a pinch too if you’re really stuck!
Other Helpful Hints:
- - If you do have to pay for a high priced visa, avoid excess processing fees, postage, etc. by visiting the embassy in person vs. mailing away for it and be sure to budget for the cost when planning your trip. A couple less cocktails at the pool and the visa money will barely make a dent!
- - Also, in countries like Laos and Cambodia, where you can get your visa on the way in at border patrol, it helps to have U.S. dollars on hand as you can wind up paying more if you use local currency (For example: At the Laos border, our $35 visa ended up costing close to $42 when we paid in kip.)
- - Be sure to confirm visa requirements ahead of time so there won’t be any unexpected surprises or costly setbacks.
- - This may seem obvious (although it took us LGs by surprise), but the embassies actually keep your passport for the duration of the visa processing. This created a slight problem for us when we applied for our Brazil visa on a Friday in Lima, Peru, had a in-country flight to the Amazon on Saturday (for which you need a passport) and were told our visa wouldn’t be ready until Monday. Thankfully we are fairly savvy girls and managed to get our passports and freshly stamped visas back that same afternoon (see the last sentence of the last bullet in the above LG Creative Cuts if you’re curious how accomplished this feat.)

Vaccines
Average Dollars Drained ($450): (since the type of shots and the price we each paid varied slightly, I’ve adjusted the total number to reflect the average cost per person. In case you’re interested, here are estimated prices (at cost) for the vaccines we got: Hepatitis A ($52), Hepatitis B ($45) (can get Twinrix A/B combo for $78), Meningitis ($96), Yellow fever ($80), Typhoid ($55), Tetanus/Diphtheria ($24). We also spent about $150 on malaria medication since we were in high risk regions for about 4-6 months.
LG Creative Cuts:
- - Other than the obvious – don’t visit countries where you need vaccines - our best money saving advice is to do your research! The price of the same vaccine can vary drastically depending on whether you get it at your doctor’s office, a travel clinic or your county health department. We each shopped around to find the best deal (Hint! That means, getting the vaccines at cost), which saved us almost $50.
- - Since we were going to be in high risk malarial zones for several months, we opted to take Larium as it was only $10/per pill (which covers a week) versus Malarone, which was about 4x the price (and you have to take a pill every day) NOTE: Since we’re definitely not qualified to give medical advice, our best suggestion is to research all options thoroughly and weight the pros and cons of each. Ex: We were warned that Larium had more serious side effects than Malarone, but since saving money was critical for us, we decided to take our chances (and luckily we didn’t have any trouble).
- - We made sure to make the rounds with our all doctors and get all prescriptions filled before our health insurance ran out. I know, this is really specific, but if you plan to quit your job to travel, like we did, it’s a quintessential tip!
Other Helpful Hints:
- - Check with your insurance company first as some vaccines, like tetanus boosters or Hepatitis A, may be included. Most plans will also cover a small supply of malaria medication at the co-pay cost. After that, you’ll need to factor in whether visiting a malarial region for an extended period of time is worth the cost as meds can be very expensive.
- - Since certain vaccines can take days or weeks to become effective, be sure to take that into consideration and allow ample time to get them before your trip departure.
- - Separate your sticks! Speaking from experience, it’s no fun to get five shots in one day. My right arm swelled up immediately, producing a bright red lump the size of a baseball that refused to go away for almost 2 weeks – making it a fun conversation piece at The Lost Girls’ going away party! On a more serious note, it’s also safer to spread out your vaccines in case you happen to have an adverse reaction. Meaning, if you get multiple vaccines at once, you wouldn’t know which one caused the problem versus if you got one at a time.
- - Shot records - Don't leave home without them! Some countries may require proof that you've had certain vaccines, so be sure to carry a copy of your card with you.
- - Read Amanda's article, Cheap Shots, on the Travel + Leisure website (www.travelandleisure.com/articles/cheap-shots). Years ago, AP penned this brilliant piece, which, of course, coincidentally served as a great resource to The Lost Girls during our trip planning phase. We're so lucky!

Accommodations
Average Dollars Drained* ($2786): (Average $8.65/day for 322 days: $8/night-Peru, Bolivia, Brazil x 60 days = $480 + $9/night-Kenya x 50 days = $450 + $45/night-Dubai x 6 days = $270 + $5/night-India x 28 days = $140 + $5/night-Thailand-Laos-Vietnam-Cambodia x 77 days = $385 + $4/night – Bali x 14 days = $56 + $15/night – New Zealand x 27 days = $405 + $10/night – Australia x 60 days = $600)
LG Creative Cuts:
- - When it comes to saving on sleep (location, not hours!), The Lost Girls rely heavily on the three Cs: Country, Comfort and Compromise.
- - Sticking primarily to cheaper countries can drastically slash your budget and can mean the difference between affording to travel for a few weeks or a few months. For us, committing to an entire year on the road meant nixing Europe all together, limiting our time in New Zealand and Australia and spending the majority of our months in more cost effective regions like South America, Southeast Asia, India and Africa.
- - If you’re willing to sacrifice a little bit of comfort (OK, sometimes a lot) and stay in hostels and super cheap guesthouses like we did, you’ll save big bucks. Hotels weren’t even an option for us as they were nearly triple or even up to 10x the price.
- - Lastly, be sure to have a clear understanding of what you and your travel partners consider deal breakers (e.g. will only stay in shared dorm rooms ½ the time). Other than those few things (yes, there should only be a few), you must be willing to compromise on everything else if it means saving $.
Other Helpful Hints:
Get creative! There are tons of ways you can save on accommodations, but here are a few of our faves:
- - Book overnight flights. It sounds silly, but for us that was almost a week’s worth of hostels we didn’t have to pay for.
- - Expand your options and consider things like camping or renting a van that doubles as your transportation and a bedroom.
- - Call in favors / ask to stay with friends of friends abroad (if they’re willing and you promise to return the favor).
- - Negotiate! Negotiate! Negotiate! It’s pretty standard in third world countries to bargain on the price of a room, so don’t be afraid to show off your haggling skills, particularly if there’s stiff competition in the area or you’re willing to guarantee an extended stay.

*This was a pretty tough category to estimate considering how much the cost varies from country to country and hostel to hostel. In Laos, Amanda and I spend $5 for an entire double room, while in New Zealand, it cost about $15 for a dorm bed. What saved us in this category was 1) we spent 9 out of 12 months in third world countries where lodging is very cheap 2) we didn’t have to pay for lodging for 365 days as we spent a couple weeks with friends and family (for free) back in the States and on the road and 3) we were able to secure an apartment for only $300/month/person in Sydney – a city where hostels usually cost $20-$25 per night. Yikes!


Coming Soon!

Part 3: A Categorical Breakdown
- Meals and Snacks
- Entertainment and Extras
- Intra-Country Transportation
- Miscellaneous

Plus! Bonus Features
- LG Random Facts
- Savvy Savings Tips
- A Week at Disney World vs. A Week in the Life of a Lost Girl