Savings



Running Sheet


Money


Dinning Out

Budgeting for the Big Trip around Australia.

How much do you allow? This is a difficult question, but here are some suggestions to help you decide.

Because everyone has a different idea on what to spend, and how to live, this is a difficult question to answer.  There is no right or wrong answer to this question – there is just your answers. For a FREE budget sheet to record costs just print as many as you need. Or you can request an editable version of this simple running sheet, with calculations just email us.

Considerations: There are a number or items to factor in. To help you why not download this great conversion program to convert things like Miles to Kilometers or the other way around. (see instructions at bottom of page if needed).

Petrol – With today’s fuel prices this is a very important part of the equation, you can travel less Km and stay longer in one place and then use public transport to help offset the cost.

Check the size of your fuel tank, and cost to fill it – this will vary depending on fuel cost. e.g 50Ltr x $1.29per Ltr = $64.50 per tank.

Check your average fuel consumption per litre – this will vary depending on your load, and road conditions e.g 400km per tank (record: the litres you bought and Km driven a few times, and you will get an idea)

Estimate how many km you plan to travel each day or week, and add some extra for side trips.

Example only, as your particular fuel costs are not known:- Day 1 x 350km = $52.50    Day 2 x 400km = $60    Day 3 to 7 x 300km as only doing local trips from a caravan park, and without the van, so less fuel usage.   Total = 850Km  Calculated on $1.50 per ltr at say 10 lts to 100km = $127.50
Your average Km per week might be about 400Km or say $90 per week.

Mechanical Issues – again an unknown factor, but your vehicle type, and age needs to be taken into account. If you have a major service before you leave, and buy some of the spares you might require on the trip, this helps provide a starting point.

How many Km are you intending to do each day, week, month etc? 

The vehicle will need regular servicing according to your service manual

Add the extra wear & tear on items like tyres, and budget for them. 

Add unknown breakdown factors, like a water pump going, or a fuel line breaking, and factor these into your equations as best you can.

Food – How do you eat at home usually? 
Unless you plan on eating out a lot, your food bill should be not that much more than it is at home. Planning your meals in advance will help reduce waste. If you are planning on eating out, think about how much you pay for each person for the same kind of meal that you would eat out at home, e.g. breakfast can cost from $15 - $30pp. Compare this to the self prepared version, and the costs soon mount up to eat out. Whichever option you choose, it is better to over estimate than under estimate.

Example for eating out:-
Breakfast $18 x 2 – Lunch $15 x 2 – Dinner $45.00 x 2 = Total $120
Example for preparing your own:-
Breakfast $3 x 2 – Lunch $5 x 2 – Dinner $8.00 x 2 = Total $32
On average: costs for food may be a bit higher than at home, but not all that much unless you change your habits.

Accommodation – This will be in the form of caravan parks most of the time.
You maybe lucky enough to get the some free campsites, but in most places fees apply, and they vary depending on the size of your van. Measure your van and know what size it is. Site costs start at about $20, and go up to about $70 or $80 for powered sites in larger towns or cities. Ring ahead and check the fees, or take a good guide book with you, do an estimates for each location. Work out an average per night fee, multiplied by the number of nights you are travelling. You may decide to stay away longer than planned so add a little extra just in case.

There may be nights you go on an organised tour, with accommodation included, so allow for these sort of extras if you think they apply to you, but don't forget you will need to allow for the van to be parked as well. 

Treats:
Entry fees to local attractions
Canoe or Boat hire (plus licence fees if required)
Sightseeing trips
Park entrance fees
Restaurants

You may want to set yourself a weekly budget for the extras, so think about how many of these you want to do each week, plus any souvenirs you buy along the way (don't forget your space is limited so not too many can be carried.  You may need to post them back home, so add postage etc).

The budget may be a set allowance, then work within that framework. E.g. set aside a set amount per week, which might be very limiting, and you need to decide if you spend it each week, or save for a few weeks and do something more expensive every so often.

Extras – Park entrance fees, fishing licences, boat licence, Laundromat fees, road tolls, etc
Some of these issues may not apply to you, but if you are going to fish, you might need a fishing licence in the State you are fishing in. Check out our Fishing and also Boating pages if you are going to use one. For road tolls,  consider buying an etag before you go, which will work in all States. By doing it that way you will not need to plan a route that avoids toll roads, just because they don't have toll booths.

Clothing – Most will go with you. The items you take with you should be sufficient, but allow some extra. If the area is colder than you thought, you may need warmer clothes. If you forget something, loose it, or it wears out e.g. swimming gear, or protective footwear, then you may need to purchase new items along the way.

Equipment - Again most will go with you, if you have planned it well.
There may be items you have not thought of, and will need to purchased along the way. Other items may break, or prove unsuitable for the job you intended them to do. You may buy cheap chairs, and find they are so uncomfortable, or worse they break, you really must replace them. Tyres & mechanical items may simply wear out if you travel far enough, so make allowances for this issue where possible. But make sure you allow enough for emergencies, that crop up along the way.

For more information on how to Supplement your income, and Banking issues, follow the links to those pages.

To help with conversion of Volumes, weights etc why not download this great conversion program. Save it to your "Desktop" for quick reference for any conversion issues.

Instructions: Click on it and "save".  Select where, e.g. Desktop and save. It will only take moments, and will look like two arrows icon with the word "Convert" under it. Double click on the Icon, when it opens and BEFORE you click on "run", un-tick the box in bottom left corner which says "Always ask this question", then click open. When is it opens there are a series of "tabs" to choose from.  Select one e.g "Distance". Choose from the left side what you want to converts from, and the right side for the conversion to. To test it, try converting Miles to Kilometres, and there are 1,000 of them. Choose Miles (on the left) and Kilometres (one the right) then type in the number at the bottom, and it converts as you type it.

See also Packing, Planning, Motoring Associations, Mechanical, Health, Choosing a Caravan, Banking, and Supplementing your income.

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