Costs

When I was first planning the trip across Russia I spent ages trying to work out what it would cost.  Everyone seemed to be very coy about talking about money.  For others in the same situation here are some notes - remember this  part of the trip happened between July and December 2011.  The prices below are Australian dollars at that time.

At the end of the trip I found the total 6 months away had cost me about $35,000 (excluding loss of wages whilst I was away). This comprised of:

• $8000 - preparation costs - see below
• $15,000 - day to day expenses (average was a bit under$100 day overall including all bike running costs, lots of camping early on but a fair number of nights in hotels towards the end as weather got colder)
• $6000 - transport costs - getting me and bike to the start point, ferries during the trip and getting me home.
• $4000 - keeping the house at home running (my two sons were still living there).

Was it worth it? - You bet it was!

Transport Costs

Here's a bit more of a breakdown of the transport costs.  The bike went to Vladivostok via Korea;

• Air freight to Seoul, Korea - departed 19 July 2011– cost about $2000 for bike and $700 for me.
• Truck transit “in-bond” between Seoul and the port of Dong Hae – this removed the need for me to temporarily import the bike into South Korea. Cost about $500. This probably doesn’t save any money but removes some complication. 
• RoRo Ferry Dong Hae, Korea – Vladivostok Russia- departed 24 July 2011. Cost about $1000 for me and bike. (Outrageous for the distance, in Europe I did a similar length trip Tallin - Stockholm for $100)

Preparation Costs

There were also quite a few costs getting everything ready for the trip -  and whilst I did most of it on a tight budget they all added up.  Key ones were:

• Preparing the bike (which I already owned) with new tyres, chains and sprockets, brakepads, a few spares - it all soon adds up: $2000 
• Buying riding gear, camping gear, clothes, laptop, guide books; $4000 (more than I expected)
• Paperwork (visa’s, health insurance, Russian lessons): $2000