If we have proven one thing, it's that doing a motorhome exchange is a very economical way of exploring another country.
We spent a total of $2,032 CAD (approx $1,600 USD) and that includes our flight over here.
If you've been following along since the beginning of this European adventure, you'll know that we arrived in Barcelona January 2nd and spent four nights there. Then we took the train to Alicante and the bus to Torrevieja where we stayed for three nights before taking off in Louis the motorhome.
Yesterday, we walked through a nice residential area called Roche.
Most homes are priced between €300,000 to €500,000, with some of the beachfront ones closer to €1,000,000.
We only ate out twice the entire month! Of course this is a huge saving so it's a good thing Ruth is a super cook!
Here's how it all broke down...(the rest of these figures are in Canadian dollars. For U.S $ equivalent, you can subtract about 25%)
Gasoline: Actually, diesel fuel in this situation. Louis has a 4 cylinder diesel engine on a Fiat chassis. We spent a total of $178. Fuel is quite a bit more expensive in Europe, but with a small 4 cylinder, and a lightweight motorhome you use a lot less of it.
After walking through town, we came back via several coves along the beach.
We haven't had to spend any money yet on either toll roads or propane. We've been sticking to the secondary roads because we're in no rush to get anywhere that fast. And both propane tanks were full when we picked up Louis, but we'll have to bring them back that way at the end of our time with him.
Groceries: We spent $466. Better than we expected, considering we've been buying quite a few gluten free specialty items, and we only ate two meals out. And, we had to stock the cupboards at the beginning. Not bad, and we're happy with that.
The huge broken rocks are mostly made up of sea shells!
Alcohol: We drank a lot of cheap wine. And beer. And we even treated ourselves to a couple of bottles of scotch, and amaretto, and baileys. And we still only spent $114. Booze is cheap in Spain!
It was tough squeezing through the huge boulders. Good thing I'm skinny!
Miscellaneous: We spent $247 in this category. We had to buy an inverter for Louis which we may or may not get paid back for, but we're not worried about it so we've included it as an expense at $42. And there is very little free wifi in Spain so we've had to use our cellular more than expected. We spent $58 on internet. $24 on the new power supply for Ruth's laptop. And a bunch of little things. Doing laundry is pricey!
Still crawling through the boulders.
Entertainment: Not bad, at $173 for the month. This includes the only two meals that we ate out. Most of it was from our day trip to Ronda which included the return train fare at $35 each. We purposely avoided eating out in January because we'll likely be doing more of it in February when Ruth's cousin Helen and her husband Tony join us for a couple of weeks.
It was good exercise!
Overnight: A total of $235. That includes four nights at an Airbnb in Barcelona, and four nights at full service campgrounds. Very good. It's quite easy to find free overnight RV parking in Spain.
Travel: Of course we had to get here from Canada. So January's expenses include the $519 it cost to fly both of us over here, as well as the train to Alicante at $85, and the bus to Torrevieja at $13. Those prices are all for the two of us, one way. Total of $617.
So, we spent a total of $2032! Not bad, huh? Considering all we've done that's a pretty frugal month of RV'ing in Spain. February will be even cheaper, since it won't include any airfare!
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The BLU unlocked smartphone are getting pretty good reviews for the price. On deal of the day today...
And in Canada, the top selling digital bathroom scale is on sale...
I love it. Seeing Spain but doing it with a focus on frugality. You are truly living the dream. Don't forget to enjoy the different things though. Like iguana soup in Pátzuaro.
ReplyDeleteWe may be doing it with a bit of frugally but we don't really feel like we are missing out on anything. The eating out perhaps but then again we rarely eat out in Canada or the USA when we are traveling so we really haven't changed the way we are doing things.
DeleteWe did have some paella which is a national Spanish dish but that doesn't come close to the iguana soup in Patzuaro. ;-)
And pimientos . . my favorite Spanish small plate item hands down. Most of the peppers are mild, but every so often? Oh my! It's a bit like culinary Russian roulette. :-)
ReplyDeleteHmmm, sounds interesting! We will keep our eyes open for that, Tamara.
DeleteNot bad at all. And your are enjoying it.
ReplyDeleteWe sure are enjoying ourselves!
DeleteLove following the trip. Thank you. You guys are my inspiration.
ReplyDeleteThank you Cindy. We love showing people that travel and having fun doesn't have to break the bank. :-)
DeleteYou have done very well! So glad your Motorhome swap worked out.
ReplyDeleteWe are happy the the motorhome swap and worked out so well too. We would consider doing it again some day.
DeleteGreat numbers good to hear it can be that inexpensive especially if you know someone with a Motorhome you can use. I take it you did not pay for the Motorhome rental. Spain looks lovely will have to put on my bucket list. Looking forward to your next adventure!
ReplyDeleteYes, being able to use someone else's motorhome at no charge has certainly made traveling here very affordable. It isn't a motorhome rental, we are doing a motorhome swap/exchange. The couple who we are borrowing the motorhome from came to Canada and used our motorhome for 2 months last summer and no charge and now we are using theirs for 2 months a no charge. It is a win-win situation for us both.
DeleteSpain should be on everyone's "bucket list" it is an amazing country and has a bit of something for everyone.
Our costs for traveling around Europe in our motorhome are just about in line with what you have for your first month over here. We own our motorhome and maybe stay in campgrounds a bit more and some countries are more expensive than others but it all averages out. It's a great lifestyle, roaming around Europe in a motorhome, especially since the US$ got so strong. But that could change. In the meantime, we enjoy living in Europe in our MH and now that we've gotten our 2 year German residence visa, we can stay over here with no more Schengen restrictions (90 days in and 90 days out).
ReplyDeleteGood to hear that the our costs are similar! It is amazing how much cheaper living in another country can be when you are able to tote around your own home. Kevin and I have discussed the possibility of buying a small motorhome over here and then storing it when we go back to Canada. We will have to talk more to you about it when we meet up. Nice that you could get a 2 year German residence visa, that really would make a huge difference!
DeleteYou should rename your blog to 'The frugal Travelers' LOL Nice job of keeping expenses down. I too am very frugal when I travel...tent camping and sharing hotel and other expenses.
ReplyDeleteNope, not changing the name but I think most people who read our blog are very aware that we are pretty frugal, having said that if we see something that we want to do that it pricey but good value for the money then we will go ahead and do it. We always think carefully about how much something costs and whether or not it is worth the price because many times it isn't!
DeleteExcellent job, kids! We are so impressed!!! You make it look soooooooooo easy! ;-)
ReplyDeleteThanks Connie and Barry!
DeleteIguana soup? Hmmmm....
ReplyDeleteIt was actually shrimp and iguana soup! www.travelwithkevinandruth.com/2012/01/im-going-to-eat-some-iguana-today.html
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