The south end of the beach at Hua Hin, Thailand.
Where are Kevin and Ruth now? Hua Hin, Thailand.

Where are Kevin and Ruth going next? Maldives on March 23rd.

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

What did our Australia RV trip cost?

Yesterday, I received the insurance refund for the original flights that we had booked to Australia. If you remember, back in May Ruth was ill with a painful kidney infection and we ended up cancelling the original flights that we had booked.

So, the cancellation insurance did in fact cover all of our expenses for the part of the trip that we cancelled. It was also processed fairly quickly, but we didn't get the payment until we arrived back in Canada to pick up our mail.

Although the replacement tickets were more expensive, they also included the fact that we got to stop in Singapore for 3 nights, which we really enjoyed as well as an overnight in Bali, which gave us a taste of a country that I'm sure we will return to one day. Then on the return, we ended up with 3 nights in Hawaii which we would not have had with the original flights.

Before we could get there we had to buy Visas for Australia. Total cost for the two of us was $176.18 CAD.

Next, we had to actually get there. We flew Calgary to Singapore, Singapore to Bali, Bali to Adelaide. And on the return, we flew Sydney to Honolulu, and Honolulu to Saskatoon. Total cost for all of those flights for the two of us was $2,941 CAD. Quite a bit more expensive than what we originally had planned. But again, we got to do quite a few things that weren't in the original plan.

We had bought the Australia RV for $18,000 AUD.

But let me tell you the story of how that happened. The original asking price had been $25,000 AUD. I was prepared to pay $23,500 AUD when the owners got back to me saying that they needed to sell quickly and were willing to let it go for $18,000 AUD if they could make a quick deal. I had done the research and I knew this was a deal so we jumped on it.

We also put some repair and maintenance and upgrades into it during the time we used it, and when it came time for us to sell it, I asked $23,500 AUD firm, knowing that that is what I had been prepared to pay for it in the first place. And from the response I got, I should have been asking more. It sold to the first person who looked at it.

So, including all upgrade, repair and maintenance costs, licensing and transfer and insurance fees, exchange rate differences, and the original storage fees, we netted a profit of $2,345 CAD on the deal.

We put 4,500 kms (2,800 miles) on the rig and spent $893 CAD on fuel.

We spent $112 CAD on propane. This seems high, but it's because it was fairly chilly at night and we had to stay warm!

We spent $1,240 CAD on groceries.

We spent $323 CAD on miscellaneous stuff... cellular access, laundry... etc.

(We also bought Ruth a laptop while in Australia, but I am not including it here).

We spent $226 CAD on "entertainment" and this includes all meals out.

We spent $1,000 CAD on accommodation. But the vast majority of this figure was for our overnight stays in Singapore, Sydney, and Honolulu. In fact, while we were RV'ing, we only spent $141 during the whole two and a half months RVing in Australia.

From the time we left Canada May 19th to the time we arrived back in Canada August 23rd we had been gone for 96 days.

In total (including our airfare and our time in Singapore, Bali, and Hawaii) we spent $6,911. But, we made a profit of $2,345 on the sale of the RV.

So, our total cost for the trip was $4,566 CAD ($3,434 USD). Divided by 96 days, we spent $47 CAD ($36 USD) per day for the two of us. Yes, this also includes the flights and the RV!

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24 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. What, you thinking Kevin should be doing RV flipping, lol? ;-)

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  2. You two are SO together!
    (CU at Delia's in Etzatlán this winter?)

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    Replies
    1. Thank you! We do tend to compliment each other. :-)

      Looking forward to it!

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  3. So glad you got a great price for selling the RV - I do think that was a smart move, no sense having rigs on 2 different continents, one is enough. Too much obligation and ongoing costs to license and insure them. You can always go back to Australia when the time is right for you

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    Replies
    1. Thank you! Kevin knew a good deal when we bought it so that helped a lot.

      We totally agree with you and that's actually the reasons why we decided not to keep Bundy and Joyce. When we are ready to return to Australia, we will keep our eyes open for another unit and then turn around and sell it when we are finished again.

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  4. Maybe a silly question but
    What made you buy an rv instead of renting

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    Replies
    1. It's very expensive to rent an RV in Australia. Or North America for that matter! We think renting is okay for maybe up to a one month period, but for anything longer than that it is better to buy and sell than to rent.

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  5. Wow, well done U2... amazing vacation / memories for such a little cost...

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    Replies
    1. Thank you! We did have an amazing trip at without breaking the bank and loved every minute of it. :-)

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  6. Hi I agree how thrifty you travelled in Australia and in general and keep such accurate details. I enjoyed following your trip and have been to many of the places you mentioned. Currently travelling in the UK and finding out how expensive accomodation, parking (if you can find one) and sightseeing. We knew this when we planned the trip and tend to find accomodation with self catering which means we don't have to dine out all the time.Look forward to hearing whats next after family.

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    Replies
    1. We have been doing this for so many years now that keeping track of our expenses is like second nature to us and so is being thrifty.

      It has been awhile since we were last in the UK, our last time there was in 2012. We are sort of lucky there as I (Ruth) have relatives there that we stay with, at least for part of our time. We have also done a house sit there which also keeps costs down. Like you, we like to try to find places that are self catering so that we can make our own meals, that is a big help for sure compared to eating out.

      After visiting with family we will be headed to Ecuador for three weeks. We are really looking forward to that. It has been a country that has been high on our list.

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  7. Well, that is plain amazing! You two really succeed in traveling and living at low cost! Bravo!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you! We do have to work at it, especially when we are in places like Hawaii where things are really expensive. We really enjoy the challenge though. :-)

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  8. Wow, what a great deal on an amazing trip!

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    1. Yep, we are pretty happy with the costs of our trip. And, what a great trip it was. :-)

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    2. And glad you got the money back from the insurance company :)

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    3. We are too! Thank you for letting us know what information was needed for a fast and easy claim with the insurance company right from the start, I think that helped make it impossible for them to refuse the claim. :-)

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