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Monthly Expenses of a Nomad in South America – September 2023 (Peru)

In September 2023, Mark, dog Maya, and I explored the central part of Peru in our truck camper, Thirsty Bella. It was an eventful month – financially and otherwise – and the most expensive one this year, at around $2,300.

Note: Traveling overland in this country with your own vehicle is VERY different from flying in as a tourist, using organized transport, visiting the highlights, eating in high-end restaurants, and sleeping in comfortable hotels.

Sunset in Paracas

In Peru, nothing is easy and every event comes with a story or a crazy twist. Hence this longer than normal report. Despite extra expenses, the car category was, again, the highest one for last month, because of the high cost of gasoline (around $5/gallon), our bad fuel economy, and the tons of (mountain) driving we did. Peru is a large country, we only received three months of entry, and when we don’t like a place, we move on… so we drove a lot. Still, spending almost $600 on gas hurts. Other car costs went to parts, a checked airline bag to have a friend bring said parts to Cusco, tolls, and parking by a grocery store.

(As always, hover over or click on photos in galleries to read their captions.)

Prices for gasoline hover around $5 per gallon.

Getting fuel

Toll booth along the Panamericana

Prices for the toll booth

The first big and random expense was for a Starlink satellite internet system. After months of debate (it’s a pricey product and service), dealing with relatively decent cell service in Colombia and Ecuador (dismissing the purchase), and struggling for weeks to get online in Peru, we bit the bullet and decided to buy Starlink.

Except, we couldn’t. Mark tried for three days to order the product on Starlink’s website for around US$500. The price of the system and the monthly service fee depend on the country – in Ecuador, the dish was the cheapest at $300; in Colombia, the monthly service is, at $65. All our credit cards were declined, even a debit card. We tried different shipping addresses, email addresses, and local ID numbers. Several people provided info to help out, but nothing worked. We couldn’t purchase the dish.

In Lima, we searched for alternatives and found a guy who sold brand-new units for $450. We were leery about it, not wanting to meet inside his house, so set up an appointment at the parking lot of a grocery store. Junior didn’t show up on time, so we bought groceries and were ready to give up on the whole endeavor. While messaging with him, he asked us for more patience and offered a discount if we gave him another chance to show up. So, that’s what we did.

Parked at a mall to deal with the Starlink purchase

Getting groceries, so our drive here, with the camper, wouldn’t be a total waste

When Junior eventually showed up, three hours late, in a wheelchair pushed by his girlfriend, we felt guilty. Of course, it wasn’t easy for him to meet outside of his house (which is located in a questionable area of Lima). It took another couple of hours to transfer the Starlink account and for Mark to make sure the system worked. Well, it actually didn’t at that location and, since everyone was losing their patience, we took a leap of faith and committed to buying the system then and there.

A brand-new Starlink unit

Junior and his girlfriend patiently wait while Mark checks the equipment and makes sure it works.

In an act of goodwill, Junior gave us all the purchase receipts, information, and a one-week “warranty” to return the product if we didn’t get it to work properly. We paid the agreed-upon $430 (in local currency), shook hands, and moved back to our parking spot in Miraflores, where, miraculously, the system worked. We stayed in touch with Junior, recommended his service online, and helped out with questions he had for future customers.

A new family member sharing the bed with us!

No, we did not keep the box.

Finding a spot to store Starlink before we permanently install it isn’t so easy.

Starlink in action!

We usually put the Starlink dish on our roof when we want to use it. A cable has to run through an open window.

Paying for Starlink’s monthly internet service wasn’t easy either, due to the same international credit card issues but at least, as official subscribers, we can now contact their customer support. Starlink has been a game changer for us. It provides unlimited internet throughout South America and the world, but, in the last few weeks, we did have connection issues three times: when a massive sandstorm blocked access to the satellites, when we were camped in a deep canyon, surrounded by two steep walls, and when being parked next to a patch of forest, the trees interrupting the signal…

The sandstorm blocked the sun and our dish’s connection to the satellites. Doesn’t the sun look like a full moon?

Camped along a river towards Cusco, out of view from the main road and surrounded by steep canyon walls

Other costs that fall into the “computer” category were parts for a future 12V conversion for our Starlink system (a massive project), which our friend Lauren brought back from the US, the renewal of one of our internet domain registrations ($22), and, after one year of having a cracked screen on my Google Pixel Smartphone, we had it replaced in Cusco for $40, providing our own screen, which Mark brought back from the US a little while ago.

After one year, my badly cracked screen was replaced!

Prepping the Starlink installation

Our grocery purchases were average at $267; as usual, we cooked most of our meals at home. The next big expense was dogfood for Maya. As a highly allergic dog, she eats a special kind of fish-based food of a brand called Taste of the Wild, which is not available in every South American country, let alone, city, and is pricey, especially outside the US. We had three big bags delivered to our friends’ address in Lima, and managed to find storage for them in Thirsty Bella. Maya should be set now for another 18 weeks.

An extensive range of potatoes at the San Pedro central market in Cusco. The price for one kilo is around $1.

We found flaxseeds at a bulk section in the Orion grocery store in Cusco – time to stock up!

With all the eating out we’ve been doing in Lima and Cusco, the total cost wasn’t too bad at $126. We don’t eat out often and are picky about the cost – and reputations – of the places we splurge at. September offered a nice balance.

Finally ordering the Caldo de Gallina – rooster soup

Caldo de Gallina is tasty, filling, and affordable

Costazul is a popular and recommended seafood restaurant in Miraflores, Lima.

Wonderful seafood dinner in Miraflores

Sharing a pitcher of sangria with friends at a vegetarian restaurant

Enjoying a lovely day dish (menu del dia) in Cusco for the equivalent of $3 per person

Our utilities were higher – and will be from now on – than other months, because we switched to Starlink satellite internet. Our monthly (Peru) fee for that is $70. Last month, we augmented that with the local Claro service before we switched over and for a bit afterwards, as it’s our only means to have cell service away from the camper and – currently – while driving, since the unit hasn’t been permanently installed yet. We hope to cut Claro – and any local service – out entirely, because we hate giving money to companies that don’t have their act together and frustrate us.

We managed to get most of our potable water for free at gas stations, confirming multiple times that the water, indeed, was okay to drink. Once, in Paracas, when we were totally out, it took an hour to find a place that sold 5-gallon (20L) water jugs, at an elevated price. We needed one to hold us over another day at the beach. Easier to fill up with our hose!

How do you fill your water tank when the faucet doesn’t have threads for your hose?

Our water thief in action!

Filling with potable water at a gas station

Whenever we can, we use a filter when filling our water tanks. It slows the flow a lot. We also have an indoor, under-the-sink filter.

Slowly filling with water at a gas station where we topped up our fuel as well.

A third, unexpected expense went to a hospital visit for Mark. For many weeks, he’s been having chest pain, in between his ribs. Because of his medical history, everything out of the ordinary raises flags and has us worried. A visit to a private clinic and a chest X-ray concluded all seems fine and his body is just bruised, but the pain has not disappeared yet. An unpleasant side effect of this hospital visit is that he came home with a bug or a virus and we’ve both been sick for a week now. Wearing masks is still important!

Parked on the edge of Cusco for a week, here next to the Italian van

Blocked in during the weekend. We couldn’t even leave if we wanted to.

Mark’s chest X-ray didn’t show anything out of the ordinary

We spent some money on alcohol in September, but didn’t really drink, apart from being with our Italian friends Valeria and Davide in Paracas and Cusco. The reasons for this abstinence: often camping at high altitude requiring lots of hydration, having frequent headaches, and being sick.

Spending quality time with our new Italian friends, Valeria and Davide

Enjoying a wonderful Italian dinner in Bella, cooked by our friends

Second Sunday pancake breakfast with Val and Davide

Transportation is not a usual category as we have our own, but in Lima and Cusco, we took a handful of cabs to reach places. We always used Uber or InDrive (a bit cheaper) to visit sites or people while camped at the edge of Lima, and to get to the hospital for Mark in Cusco, when parked outside of the “tight” town.

Buying a piece of plexiglass and having it cut to size in Cusco

We bought a few new items for our household (ice tray, cutting board, frying pan, toothbrush charger) and for camper projects (screws, caulk, plexiglass), went out for drinks once (the staple Peruvian cocktail, Pisco Sour), had our laundry done in Cusco, and explored a few sites.

My first Pisco Sour

Two Pisco Sours during happy hour in Barranco, Lima, cost around $10.

Entertainment was provided by a guide in Lima, who we tipped at the end, and a visit to Paracas National Park, leaving Maya in the car.

Our walking tour guide in Lima

Entrance to the “fountain park” in the evening is $1 per person.

Under grey skies, it is difficult to see that one lagoon is blue and the other pink (Paracas NP.

Cathedral Bay in Paracas National Park

Coastline in the park

Our free camping spot in the town of Paracas for a week. On this Sunday, a group of tuk tuk drivers decided to have a party next to our camper for the day.

Between the coast and Cusco, we stopped at several archeological sites. Mark and I enjoyed the Palpa Lines and geoglyphs more than the Nazca ones and made a little detour to the cemetery of Chauchilla.

Huacachina L:agoon

Camped in the desert by the Pampa geoglyphs

Some of the Palpa lines and geoglyphs

Two men as part of the Palpa lines

Some of the Nazca lines seen from an observation tower

Cemeterio de Chauchilla

We were annoyed by a disrespectful parking situation – and attitude of the attendant – at the impressive Acueductos de Cantallos, so I visited those by myself. And then, we headed back into the mountains, not yet paying for anything in the Cusco area.

Acueductos de Cantallos

Camped on the way back into the Andes mountains, before the elevation became super high again

And there was the minor accident in Huaraz, before we left the Cordillera Blanca, on the 1^st of the month. Drivers in Peru are impatient, aggressive, and “unaware” of any rules. Add to that road construction and a traffic jam, and things really spin out of control. Instead of waiting in one line, like everywhere else in the world, the drivers keep going and pushing, creating five lanes in one direction, making a bad situation even worse and blocking traffic from the opposite side. Of course, there are hand signals and honking involved as well.

Instead of one lane being queued in the forward direction, there are at least four.

Buses, cars, and trucks overtaking everyone in the right lane prevent traffic from passing in the oncoming lane.

Some scuff marks on the camper’s jack and door from the mirror we hit

One guy had pulled up to our left (not a lane), inches away from our camper. When Mark moved forward a bit, following the main lane, he swung out a tad to start making a turn and our right rear camper jack crushed the mirror of said car. Not our fault, really. The man shouldn’t have been there. I explained to him the rules of the road in Spanish and refused to give him money for his mirror.

Eventually, we all calmed down a bit. Plenty of time to contemplate… Mark and I didn’t really want to involve the police (we all know how that would end in Peru) and we DID ruin his mirror, so we settled on paying $15 towards a repair or replacement. Everyone was “happy,” we waited in line for another hour, and I took up the role of traffic controller at some point, because none of the police officers did and the local drivers kept obstructing everyone else with their stupidity. If I sound harsh, I’m not. Ask any foreign – or educated Peruvian – driver in Peru about their driving experiences.

Camped at Casa Lena along the multiple-day drive towards Cusco

The school building and project of Casa Oye, ran by a Belgian-Ecuadorian couple

As always, we camped for free, with the exception of one night on a Belgian-Peruvian property called Casa Lena. We wanted to support the owners for what they accomplish with their education program (Oye Lena) for local, poor children. Since the nasty biting bugs (gnats, chitras, or sandflies) were awful and we don’t really get much out of paid campgrounds (when there is no potable water available), we left the following day.

Boondocked at Laguna Antacocha

Our preferred spot to camp in Barranca… but it was too loud at night, so we had to move.

We moved to this neighborhood in Barranca after 10pm. It was marginally quieter.

Our camp spot in Miraflores, Lima, for a week

Laguna Huaypo

Some of the other places we chose caused issues as well, not the least when we agreed with a friendly, local land owner to spend time at his peaceful riverside property and were basically chased off in the middle of the night, because his son entertained visitors with a party and campfire by the river. It was tricky to back out of the driveaway in the dark but luckily, we found a truck stop nearby and were settled again at 1am. We hate driving at night here!

Our pretty campsite, where we planned to spend the weekend, before being “chased off” in the middle of the night

The river where we hoped to spend a nice weekend

Clear, pretty, litter-free!

Maya taking a dip in the ice cold water

After leaving the river spot during the first night, we ended up at this truck stop.

Thus, we entered October and our third month in Peru. And, believe me, there are many more stories to tell…

(It might be easier to read the table when turning your device in the horizontal position.)

Find all our expense reports here. To learn what other full-time nomads spend each month, check out the blogs of our vanlife friends Duwan and Greg at Make Like An Ape Man.

If you are enjoying these posts, please consider donating to Roaming About in support of our website and our lifestyle. A big thank you to all our readers who have helped out in the past!

Monthly Expenses of a Nomad in South America – August 2023 (Peru)

September 6, 2023 / Liesbet / 37 Comments

In August 2023, Mark, dog Maya, and I explored the Northern half of Peru in our truck camper, Thirsty Bella.

The golden light near Laguna Churup

We literally taste Peru with all our senses, from smelling the smoke from a neighbor burning trash and the black exhaust of trucks, to hearing barking dogs, partying locals, honking cars, homemade fireworks, and the killing of pigs, to seeing trash being tossed in rivers, the sea, or the roadside, to tasting the bland food at local stands and limited vegetables in remote villages, to touching the hungry, skinny, attention-deprived stray dogs huddling around our camper, to being stared at by sustainable farmers and squeezed by aggressive drivers. Being part of Peruvian life has been challenging and heart-breaking, but some of the scenery has been awe-inspiring.

(As always, hover over or click on photos in galleries to read their captions.)

Two cute and hungry stray puppies at El Brujo

Driving among trash along the coast

A common sight along the Pan-American Highway in Peru

Take care of the environment, don’t throw trash…

The Cordillera Blanca

Impressive peaks from our free campsite in Caraz

It is no surprise that our biggest spending category last month was the car, more precisely fuel. At about US$5 per gallon for gasoline, this has been “killing” us. Over half of our total monthly amount went to gas! On top of the high prices for this commodity, our fuel mileage has been worse than ever, due to all the mountain driving (up and down relentlessly; no tunnels), the liberal placements of topes (speedbumps) everywhere, and the abundance of potholes. There is a lot of accelerating and slowing to a crawl.

Time to fuel up again

Many speedbumps (and potholes) to slow us down and make us use even more fuel

First fill up in Peru – over US$140!!!

High fuel prices – gasoline is over US$5 per gallon

Thirsty got a bath for the equivalent of US$3 and we paid for a few toll roads as well. Unlike in Colombia, these highways in Peru are actually smooth, wide, fast, and awesome. As long as you don’t look to the sides.

Filthy Thirsty needed a bath after driving on all the dirt roads surrounding Huaraz

Toll rates on the highways: around US$3 for a normal car

Despite grocery items being more expensive in Peru than Colombia and Ecuador, we didn’t spend a huge amount in supermarkets, for two reasons: we are being frugal about what we buy and we rarely see decent stores. They only exist in bigger cities.

Our first decent grocery store in two weeks, in Cajamarca. Yay!

Full cupboards again…

Annoying local dairy store to buy butter from the source – no prices and no friendly service, but affordable and good butter

Bakery in Carhuaz

We mostly obtain produce and eggs at local markets (when present) and don’t eat very varied these days. We have to be creative, just like when we sailed in the remote islands of the South Pacific. Obtaining raw, hanging meat at those mercados is something we are not keen on, so our protein intake has been low.

Lots of fruit at the markets and at roadside stands

Vegetables like at this stand are harder to find and don’t keep long

Dogs are happy at the mercado central

Hanging chickens at the market of Huaraz

Trying to eat varied and healthy at home

Because of the high cost of fuel in August, we refrained from too many splurges. We ate out a few times, but none of that was noteworthy. People keep saying that the food in Peru is excellent. So far, we have not experienced this. If you have traveled here, please enlighten us.

The small, local restaurant where we had a decent and affordable lunch

This ceviche was tasty – it’s the first course of a day menu

Main course of the day menu in a tiny fishing village. The US$3 meal also comes with a juice.

Mark’s meal in Trujillo: beef hearts and gizzards on sticks

One day, not having bread for a sandwich lunch at home, we decided to eat a local meal on our daytrip to a fabulous lake in the Andes Mountains. When asking what was served, the answer was chicharron (pig skins). No chicken? No, but they could make potatoes and eggs for us. Sure! We were only slightly surprised to each receive a bowl with four boiled potatoes in the skin and one, unpeeled hard-boiled egg on top. Never mind that the menu poster showed two boiled eggs (peeled) per plate!

Poster on the outside wall of the food shack

Cooking on wood fires

Our bland lunch

Here is the best part of being in Peru: the scenery and sights! When we can reach and afford them, anyway. 😊 Fascinating ruins, incredible views, rewarding hikes, spectacular lakes. We did a bit of all that, which will be elaborated on in future posts.

Upper part of the Gocta Waterfall

Ventanilla de Otuzco

Cao Viejo ruins

The amazing wall art in Huacas del Sol y la Luna

View along the incredibly crappy road to Llaca Lake

Laguna Llaca at 14,000ft

Willkawain Ruins

Laguna Paron

After keeping an eye out for an alpaca poncho in Colombia and Ecuador, but never biting the bullet, I did treat myself to a colorful poncho at the artisanal market in Huaraz. It wasn’t cheap, but I love it and have used it since on those chilly nights in the mountains.

Showing off my poncho in the Cordillera Blanca

Watching the rising of the full moon in Caraz – with my comfy poncho

Finding usable internet to work has been tricky in Peru. And we have moved camp a lot for that reason. Only some towns have reliable cell service, the biggest plan you can buy is only for 1.5GB, and while Claro states Facebook, WhatsApp, Messenger, and other social media channels are included in the plan, it is our experience that this is not correct. Sometimes, we’d have full bars of 4G service and not one page loads in our browser. One moment, we can connect, the next, nothing…

Getting a Movistar SIM card in Chachapoyas

Mark hard at work at night, often the only time to focus on computer stuff

First time we used our pump to transfer water from a 5-gallon water jug into our tank – we were totally out of potable water

We have been able to stay stick to our $30 average budget for internet, but it has been due to careful consideration and planning around accessibility and the few times we bought an unlimited day plan. That’s when I upload photos to my website and read other people’s blog posts. And for anyone who wonders… yes, we are seriously considering buying Starlink. Ouch! For the first time in a year, we paid for potable water as well.

Recommended chocolate shop in Celendin

Pretty and tasty bonbons!

Carhuaz is famous for its local ice cream

Trying three different and new flavors

We stopped for a sandwich lunch in Carhuaz and I splurged with ice cream for dessert!

Our alcohol expense wasn’t too bad. We stayed at high altitudes for most of August and when dehydration, headaches, and shortness of breath threaten, an adult beverage is not appealing.

Sunset at our wild camping spot near Pueblo de los Muertos

Urban camping in Chachapoyas

Camped for a night at the cold, windy, and rainy Calla Calla Pass

Camped for a night in the countryside

Promising free campsite in Puerto Malabrigo

Sunset along the coast in El Brujo

Urban camping in Trujillo

Tortugas: not a bad place to spend a few days

We spent a few nights along the long, narrow, dirt road to Laguna Paron in Caraz

Most of our campsites were wild and free, but we did stay at a paid campground for three nights; something we usually don’t indulge in. The reason was two-fold: we wanted to take the camper off the truck, because that was the only way to visit most sights around Huaraz in the Cordillera Blanca and we needed to fill with potable water. Finally meeting other campers was a bonus. Most of our fellow overlanders stay at places like this.

Our paid campground – Marian Wahi – in Huaraz

Unfortunately, Marian Wasi didn’t have WiFi and the Claro cell service was not strong enough to work, so we had to leave the camping earlier than expected. Not that this was an easy feat… We cleared the lowish entrance gate when arriving, but not when leaving. Letting air out of the rear tires was the solution. Good we have an air compressor with us!

A very tight fit leaving the campground

Too close for comfort! Our camper did not clear the gate upon exiting.

Thirsty Bella stuck under the gate – Mark drove, I stood on the ladder to check the minuscule clearance and guide him,, two guys hung at the back to add weight, and we deflated the rear tires

Spending an hour alongside the narrow road to inflate the tires again with our small compressor

The last three expense categories consisted of a few loads of laundry in Trujillo, buying an orange squeezer and new cheese grater, and drinking fresh juices at a café on the coast and coca tea at a high-elevation refugio to help with altitude sickness.

Restaurant/store where we had our juices

Refreshing and fresh orange juice on a hot walk along the coast

Our laundromat in Trijullo

Based on how we kept spending money on all of this in August, we expected our total to be higher than the $1,058 recorded, so we don’t feel too bad about just cresting $1,000. September, however, will sport some super costly items, which will bring us closer to $2,000!

(As always, click on or hover over photos in galleries to read their captions.)

(It might be easier to read the table when turning your device in the horizontal position.)

Find all our expense reports here. To learn what other full-time nomads spend each month, check out the blogs of our vanlife friends Duwan and Greg at Make Like An Ape Man.

If you are enjoying these posts, please consider donating to Roaming About in support of our website and our lifestyle. A big thank you to all our readers who have helped out in the past!

Monthly Expenses of a Nomad in South America – July 2023 (Ecuador)

August 12, 2023 / Liesbet / 34 Comments

Mark, dog Maya, and I concluded the month of July in Ecuador with our truck camper Thirsty Bella, before crossing the border into Peru.

(As always, click on or hover over photos in galleries to read their captions.)

Last night in Vilcabamba – further away from town to “escape” the fireworks

Happy hour at home, after all the drinking out!

Boondocked by a dam and violent river on our last night in Ecuador

We splurged in July, mainly on eating and drinking out in places like Baños , Cuenca, and Vilcabamba, where quality establishments are plentiful. Yet, our total expenditure for July was well below US$1,000, our new goal.

An extensive lunch at the excellent Korean restaurant “Maya’s Kitchen” in Vilcabamba

A set lunch – main dish and juice – for $2.50 at Mr. Café in Cuenca

Awesome dumplings in Cuenca

We found the best Chinese restaurant – making their own noodles – in Cuenca

Hot chocolate and coffee in Cuenca

Splurging with a sweet crepe in Baños

Awesome empanadas in Baños

Local dish at the market in Baños

Amazing pizza dinner in Baños

Tasty, hot soup in Quilotoa

Set lunch (almuerzo) in Quilotoa – $5 per person for this main dish, the soup pictured, and a juice

Ice cream treat in Cuenca

Decent Mexican burrito, except for the tiny bones in the chicken

Ecuador’s local beer – Mark didn’t like it at all

Important to note is that Mark and I have been receiving more paid work than before and if that’s reflected anywhere, it’s in those two categories. We spent A LOT in European bakeries in July; good bread (and pastries) is important to this Belgian! Of course, we’ve been busier as well, needing more internet data and having to chase cell service. As a result, we’ve been making more than we are spending, so are not dipping into savings anymore. What a concept! 😊

The French bakery in Vilcabamba – pastries

The French bakery in Vilcabamba – breads

Vilcabamba has two European bakeries – pastries for Sunday breakfast!

While it has been fun to meet up with friends for drinks and dinner out, after one such night in Vilcabamba, on which we spent US$50, we had to reign ourselves in. That’s a lot of money. Especially for us. Especially in South America!

Happy hour with new friends in Mr. Café, Cuenca

At this restaurant, you can choose your empanada fillings.

Going out for dinner with our friends Eric, Brittany, and Caspian

The empanada cook

Drinks out at Vilca Garden in Vilcabamba

More drinks at another brewery in Vilca

The grocery cost was quite high, mainly because in early July I did a “failed” border run to Colombia and went shopping in our favorite store, D1, where I stocked up on olive oil, Parmesan cheese, soy sauce, and snacks. These items are expensive or elusive in Ecuador. While the snacks have long disappeared, the bottles of olive oil and “real” soy sauce will last a while.

While in Ecuador, we always shopped for groceries in an Aki (or Gran Aki or Super Aki), because prices were usually pretty good there.

Produce in Ecuador was very affordable – all these potatoes cost 99 cents.

Incredible produce market in Baños

Fabulous homemade meal – Mark is a good cook!

My favorite meal cooked by Mark; mushroom burgers on a bed of lettuce with rice and aioli

The car was the second-highest category, with around $180 for fuel (we covered 2/3 of the country with that amount and topped up before the border; you’ll find out next month why), some tolls, and our SOAT (liability insurance) for Peru, which only cost $16 for six months.

Meeting the smart, idealistic, and generous Tayrone of the Cuenca Store

A wonderful gift from Cuenca Shop owner Tayrone

Filling our propane tank north of Cuenca

I mentioned the dining and drinking out; our fun expenses. The next one was for utilities. We average paying $30 per month for internet in South America (Mark keeps bringing up Starlink, since cell service has been hard to come by at times) and we filled our propane tank near Cuenca. Running out of gas one chilly morning surprised us, while heating water for a shower. We managed to keep turning the water heater back on each time it turned off and reached lukewarm temperatures. Our reasoning for this unpleasant discovery: spending a lot of time above 12,000ft (3,700m), running our gas heater at night. We are more careful now.

Quilotoa Lagoon

The fee station before entering Quilotoa town

Liesbet getting ready to dive off the bridge in Baños

Geared-up for the “bridge dive”

Viewpoint over a canyon, for $1 a person

The two of us spent about $40 on activities. While national parks in Ecuador are free, pretty much all other entertainment costs money. For this amount, I dove off a bridge in Baños ($20), we paid the town’s entrance fee to Quilotoa Lagoon, the three of us visited some waterfalls, Casa del Arbol (all near Baños as well), and a museum in Cuenca, and we immersed ourselves in the Inca ruins of Ingapirca (see next blog).

Machay Waterfall

El Pailon del Diablo Waterfall

La Casa del Arbol

Ingapirca Ruins

A great museum in Cuenca

Ruins at the Pumapungo Museum in Cuenca

The remaining categories were low – we bought ourselves two small paintings of a local artist in Tigua, barely purchased alcohol in stores, had a few loads of laundry done, obtained a $10 health certificate for Maya as a requirement by Peru, and I got my biannual $5 haircut.

Painting of Cotopaxi Volcano

Painting of Laguna de Quilotoa

Visiting a vet in Loja to obtain Maya’s health certificate

Maya’s $10 health certificate for Peru

A massive way to save money for us is to wild camp/boondock. We don’t want facilities as we are self-contained for up to two weeks (at which point we need potable water), so make due with free parking available in towns and on public lands. In July 2023, we only spent $2 for overnight parking in Rio Verde. The other nights – 30 of them – we “camped” gratis.

Free camping spot near Chimborazo Volcano

Camped among other overlanders in Baños

Paid overnight parking ($2) in Rio Verde

Free overnight parking at the ruins of Ingapirca

Camped by a park in Cuenca for almost one week

Camped along a river between Ingapirca and Cuenca

Camped with friends at a park north of Loja

Wonderful free camping spot along the river in Vilcabamba, where we stayed about a week as well

A negative about not paying for established campgrounds is that we haven’t slept well, because of fireworks, traffic noise, and other sounds, either at night or early morning. Not that paid camping would solve all these issues… And, some views from our preferred campsites in nature are hard to beat!

Boondocked by Cotopaxi Volcano

Now that we are in Peru, life has become much more pricey and we have to convert our money again – no more US dollars, like in Ecuador!

(It might be easier to read the table when turning your device in the horizontal position.)

Find all our expense reports here. To learn what other full-time nomads spend each month, check out the blogs of our vanlife friends Duwan and Greg at Make Like An Ape Man.

If you are enjoying these posts, please consider donating to Roaming About in support of our website and our lifestyle. A big thank you to all our readers who have helped out in the past!

Monthly Expenses of a Nomad in South America – June 2023 (Ecuador)

July 14, 2023 / Liesbet / 26 Comments

My goal was to write and publish this expense report a week ago. But a large, multiple-day translation assignment arrived in my inbox, which was followed by a few days of driving and sightseeing, as our time in Ecuador is quickly coming to an end. And just like that, it’s Friday again!

Home for another 3+ weeks!

Sunset view from Graham’s property

Maya hid in the bathroom when there were fireworks in Ibarra – mostly during the weekends

In June, the first ten days were spent exploring Northern Ecuador a bit more with our truck camper Thirsty Bella. Mark flew to the US for 2.5 weeks and then joined Maya and me in Ibarra to conclude the month at our friend Graham’s place. This time around, Thirsty Bella was parked for over three weeks on Graham’s driveway. Add our five-day initial visit to his family in May, and for one out of our three months in Ecuador, we lived in Ibarra!

Mark was dropped off at Quito airport for his short journey to the US.

Quito airport

Our biggest expense last month was the car. We filled our F350 pickup truck up with gasoline a couple of times in Ecuador and Mark did the same for his mom’s car in Massachusetts. There were toll roads here but most of the parking money went to a Dana Farber parking garage in Boston, when Mark dealt with health check-ups.

Toll rates in Ecuador

One of the frequent toll booths along the PanAmerican Highway in Ecuador

Another chunk of money went to maintenance of our truck, which is not that high all things considered, because we did all the work ourselves. Once Mark returned to Ecuador, we used Graham’s driveway to replace the 25-pound (11.5kg) front wheel bearing hub on the passenger side (which my husband brought back from the US in his carry-on luggage!) and check the brakes, including disassembling them and lubricating the parts. We planned to replace the rear brakes, but it wasn’t necessary yet.

Mark managed to bring back a brand-new wheel bearing hub in his carry-on backpack.

We had to take the camper off to do truck maintenance.

Cleaning up the brake pads

Uninstalling the old wheel bearing hub took a couple of hours.

Installing the new wheel bearing hub

Dealing with brake maintenance

Believe it or not, but $55 of those $113 that went to car stuff was spent on a frivolity item that Mark had his eyes on for many months… He bought a “moo horn” for our Thirsty Bella.

Mark installed this button of our “moo horn” on the dash, so we can both reach it.

Now, with the push of a button, she sounds like a cow as well, delivering even more smiles in the villages we pass through.

Our groceries for June cost less than $200, due to me not buying much for just one person and Mark’s mom covering the food bill in the US. Our dining out category was relatively high – we splurged on a few meals in Mindo, Ecuador, and enjoyed taking our friends out for some food as a thank you.

Eating out in Mindo

Eating a late local dinner out with Graham on the way to the airport

My splurge at Finca Sommerwind on a long lake walk in Ibarra with Maya.

This $1 lunch on my bus ride back from the Colombian border consisted of rice, a boiled potato, and a chicken thigh.

Our annual Chase credit card fee was payable last month, so that was a one-time expense, as well as the high amount for transportation. This $95 covered Mark’s two-hour transfers to and from Quito airport, his train trips to and from Boston airport, a couple of taxi rides to Ecuador’s capital from the spot where we left our camper, a bus ride for me to Yahuarcotcha Lake and one to the border with Colombia in a failed attempt to return on my Belgian passport, and two cab rides to Ipiales for me to go shopping at my favorite Colombian grocery store, the D1.

Waiting for this bus to take me back to Graham’s Place after an exhausting, hot walk around Laguna Yahuarcocha

My daytrip to the Colombian border was pretty much a waste.

The alcohol expense was average, I think; when we hang out with friends, we tend to drink more than when it’s just the two of us. Mark bought SD cards for two new security cameras, two pairs of shorts, wiring for the camper, and bandages for Maya while he was in the US. He also went out for drinks with friends one night. Internet was cheap, because we could use Graham and Amalia’s WiFi network for free when camped on their property, as well as the washing machine.

Other useful items Mark brought back from the US – most of them free through our Amazon Vine perk

The only camping we paid for was at Hostal Colibri near Quito airport, which we checked out as a potential place for me to stay while Mark was gone. It happened to be too noisy (from airplanes landing overhead), expensive, and tight to consider. All our other nights of camping were free.

This hostel/campground is located ten minutes from the airport by car.

Too close for comfort!

When you’re living in a camper here, the planes overhead are loud. Most people only store their vehicles here when flying to the Galapagos or abroad.

Free camping in Mindo town

Free camping by a “tubing” river in Mindo

Free camping in the Pululahua Crater

Most of our entertainment – hiking, sightseeing, reading – is free, but in June, we paid money for a waterfall hike in Mindo (see my next blog post) and I bought an eBook to support a fellow author.

Map of the park

Hiking in the jungle of Mindo

The first waterfall along our trail

The last waterfall along the trail – only Mark and Maya checked this one out

We didn’t swim; only let our feet cool off

Free hiking trail in the Pululahua Crater

Hiking in the Pululahua Crater

Based on Mark’s international trip and shopping sprees and my stationary time in Ecuador, last month’s total expenses of $1,043 are relatively low.

Stopped by a Chinese restaurant for lunch on one of my excursions with Graham and family

Graham dropped off a slice of take-out pizza a couple of times!

The reasons? The hospitality and generosity of friends and family (Thank you!!), the costs for plane tickets and car parts going to previous months, and the fact that Mark and I are both Amazon Vine members. This status allows us to order useful items for free, to a US address, in return for honest reviews of those products. Of course, we can only use this benefit in accordance with a stateside journey. Time to write some more reviews now! 🙂

New pepper and salt grinders

New (wireless) mouse

New laces for my old hiking shoes

(It might be easier to read the table when turning your device in the horizontal position.)

Find all our expense reports here. To learn what other full-time nomads spend each month, check out the blogs of our vanlife friends Duwan and Greg at Make Like An Ape Man.

If you are enjoying these posts, please consider donating to Roaming About in support of our website and our lifestyle. A big thank you to all our readers who have helped out in the past!

Monthly Expenses of a Nomad in South America – May 2023 (Colombia & Ecuador)

June 13, 2023 / Liesbet / 30 Comments

Early last month, Mark, Maya, and I completed 175 days of exploring Colombia and on May 4th, we crossed into Ecuador with our truck camper Thirsty Bella. Did you know that the national currency in this country is the US dollar? It will make our tracking – and spending – that much easier. 🙂

The border crossing between Colombia and Ecuador was surprisingly mellow.

May 2023 was our cheapest month in years. We rarely dip under $1,000, but this time we surpassed ourselves. The reasons: because April was an expensive, above-average month, Mark and I tried hard to “save” money by not eating out and camping for free, and we had somewhat stocked up on dry food in cheaper Colombia. On top of that, we were surrounded by generous friends – old and new.

(As always, click on or hover over photos in galleries to read their captions.)

Graham treated us to a traditional Sunday lunch out in Zuleta

Fernando made a Mexican lunch for all of us

Spectacular dinner out with Katherine and Brandon in Quito

Yes, Ecuador has higher prices for pretty much everything except tolls, gasoline, and produce and you often have to pay for street parking, hiking, and natural sites. National parks seem to be free.

One of the many free national parks in Ecuador

A lovely park!

Peguche waterfall ($1 for two people)

The main roads, especially the PanAmerican Highway, are in better shape, motorcycles are less frequent, and tourism is more established than in Colombia.

Vegetable market in Otavalo

Vegetable bounty for $5

Sampling of our fridge

In Ecuador, homemade potato chips come with three condiments…

Big jar of honey: $6

Our highest category last month was groceries at under $200, followed by car expenses. We didn’t drive that much and only ventured around northern Ecuador the first five weeks, because Mark decided to leave from Quito for his annual medical and family visit to Massachusetts, USA.

View over Quito from Andy’s place, where we stored our camper for two nights ($8) while visiting the capital with friends

Before we crossed the border with Ecuador, we had an oil change done in Pasto. When you buy the oil at a garage, they perform the change for free. Unfortunately, the mechanic overfilled the reservoir, so Mark had to carefully drain some of it back out (and save it) the following day. There were some tolls too.

The shop part of the garage

Getting ready for our oil change in Pasto

If the mechanic could have, he would have poured two gallons of oil in the reservoir!

Tolls in Colombia are pricey, all things considered.

Our last toll road in Colombia

The last two nights of May, the three of us stayed at a funky Airbnb in Quito. This allowed us to explore the capital city on foot – our accommodation was located in the historical district – and to have quality time with our friends Katherine and Brandon, who are traversing Central and South America on their decked-out BMW motorcycles. We had an amazing time!

Our Airbnb in Quito consisted of an entire house and former hotel, El Palomar

Our bedroom, one of six

View from the top floor of our Airbnb

As usual, we boondocked (camp without facilities) 100% of the time and managed to mostly do so for free. Ecuador offers more public spaces than Colombia, but we did have to pay a small fee for overnight parking a few times.

Overnight parking spot in busy Pasto

Our first (free) camping spot in Ecuador was peaceful, so we stayed a week!

Camped for one night (free) at Grutas de La Paz

Free camping at Chachimbiro hot springs

Free camping near Laguna de Cuicocha

How’s this for a free campsite view?

Camped by the El Pisque hot springs (free)

Camped for one night (free) by the Pena Pivico rock climbing wall

Parked for the night (free) outside of the Jamanco hot springs in Papallacta

The reason we spent some money on camping is because I wanted to check out a few safe options for Maya and me to stay during Mark’s 2.5-week absence. In the end, I decided to return to the property of friends Graham and Amalia in Ibarra, where I’m currently typing this. Mark left on June 11th.

Mark, Maya, and I stayed here, with Graham, wife Amalia, daughter Leah, and grandma Ada for five nights and were invited back. This is my current location.

Lots of doggies at Graham’s place in Ibarra

Beautiful property at Graham’s

Night view from Graham’s place

Camped for one night at Cascada de Peguche in Otavalo ($1)

Checking out The Garden campground in Ibarra ($6 per person per night) – too noisy

We were camped for one night just outside the Oyacatchi hot springs ($1 for parking)

Checking out Fernando and Evelyn’s place in Puembo to potentially stay when Mark left. I really liked it here as well.

Despite trying our best to not eat out (cooking and doing dishes every single day does get old, though), we kept sightseeing without worrying too much about the cost. In Colombia, we paid $9 for the cable car (teleférico) from Santuario de Las Lajas back up to the parking lot.

Goofy photo at Las Lajas

Taking the cable car back up the hill to Thirsty Bella

We are being followed!

In Ecuador, we soaked in four (!) hot springs (termales) for $42 in total, paid $5 for road access into Cayambe-Coca National Park, and visited the solar clock and museum ($5) on the equator. The following photos are just a sampling, blog posts about all these attractions will follow later this month.

Hot springs at Grutas de La Paz ($2/per person)

Grutas de La Paz; an inspirational site

The Chachimbiro hot springs were fancy at $7/person

Nice pools to soak in at the Chachimbiro hot springs, my favorite ones.

Crossing the equator in Ecuador ($5/per person to visit the solar clock & museum)

The equator museum wants to change the orientation of globes and maps.

We didn’t visit the El Pisque hot springs and this is why…

Oyacatchi hot springs

Maya wanted to be part of the fun.

For $5 (“road tax”) you are allowed access into the Cayambe-Coca National Park, but only from the north.

Jamanco hot springs

We have been hanging out with friends in May so needed to make sure we had wine, beer, and rum. Also, before crossing into Ecuador, we topped up our propane tank as this is cheaper and more convenient in Colombia. The rest of the utilities category went to internet. Claro is the biggest cell and data provider here as well, but the plans are pricier than north of the border. Somehow, we still manage to spend around $30 a month, which is alright. The price is roughly $1 per 1GB of data.

Mark’s new alpaca sweater

Lots of clothes to choose from

Our new blanket is tested and approved by Maya at the Airbnb

The indigenous town of Otavalo reputedly has the biggest handicraft market in South America on Saturdays. Our trio visited on Sunday – we are not fans of crowded places – and Mark bought two pretty sweaters, one synthetic and one made of alpaca wool, for $32. At an artisanal market in Quito we finally bought an alpaca blanket for our bed after using a crappy fleece one from Walmart for six years. It was a tough bargain at $23.

Of course, I have to try “everything,” including forcha…

I did not like it!

A sad day – Mark finished the maple syrup we’d brought from the US

Homecooked hamburger with roasted potatoes

Another tasty and varied dinner at home

My treat in Otavalo: a fruit cocktail with ice cream, whipped cream, and a wafer for $1!

Our drinking and dining out expenses were ridiculously low. We thought there would be a spike during our time with friends in Quito, but they were super generous to treat us to a fancy dinner the first night, and on the second night we cooked and ate in the house we rented. If there would be a bakery category, however, you’d be surprised at how costly it gets.

Being served at the Oyacatchi bakery by a young girl

I found some good pastries in Quito and surroundings

Amazing steak dinner for our friends

Lovely evening out with friends in Quito – and the food and views were delicious

And that’s a wrap for May 2023, totaling $652. I doubt we will ever be able to match that amount, but we might as well try. Once in a while…

(It might be easier to read the table when turning your device in the horizontal position.)

Find all our expense reports here. To learn what other full-time nomads spend each month, check out the blogs of our vanlife friends Duwan and Greg at Make Like An Ape Man.

If you are enjoying these posts, please consider donating to Roaming About in support of our website and our lifestyle. A big thank you to all our readers who have helped out in the past!

Monthly Expenses of a Nomad in South America – April 2023 (Colombia)

May 6, 2023 / Liesbet / 38 Comments

In April, Mark, Maya, and I kept exploring Colombia in depth with our truck camper Thirsty Bella. We drove quite a bit again, mostly south, because our visas would expire on May 8^th.

(As always, click on or hover over photos in galleries to read their captions.)

Heading to the Tatacoa Desert

Driving through Colombia

Driving on the Trampoline of Death road in Colombia

A beautiful part of the river

Three items were responsible for our above-average total: Mark’s upcoming flights to the US ($324), two bags of dogfood for Maya ($170), and a new part for our Ford engine ($160). If you don’t count this $650 of “extras,” we did pretty well, because we were extra careful with “splurges,” like eating and drinking out. We are on a tight budget after all.

And that’s why we didn’t want to drive into Bogota!!!

The first time this tire was removed…

The car category is the highest one last month, but not because of the fuel this time. For a while, we’ve been hearing a “funny” woowoo noise coming from the front, when the truck turns left. Mark suspected it was a bearing issue. When in Bogota, we visited a mechanic recommended to us by Juan from Overland Sally to diagnose the problem. Indeed, the bearing on the passenger side is bad and the hub needs replacing.

Waiting for the mechanics to do their job

Gas station in San Agustin; the price for fuel has gone up since we arrived six months ago

This mechanic has his shop on the street!

The mechanic located the correct contraption for an F350 in Colombia, but the price was over US$500. Mark did research on the spot and discovered he could buy one in the US for 1/3 of the price, so the guys just replaced the brake pads (which we had brought with us) and put everything back together.

Flat tire caused by tire terrorists!

This tube was maliciously fabricated and inserted into our tire!

That same day, leaving Bogota, our tire got sliced by a group of banditos on motorcycles. One of them stuck a purposefully created metal tube with a sharp edge into the front tire on the passenger side. It deflated in seconds! We were obliged to pull over immediately, which caused more damage as the rim shredded parts of the tire. It’s a long story, which I wrote about on my Roaming About Facebook page a couple of weeks ago.

Marking the first puncture

Second time in one day that this tire was removed from Thirsty!

Fixing our abused tire

The bottom line is that this was a scam to urge us to their tire shop for a new tire or overpriced patches. One of the guys even appeared with an air compressor and plug to temporarily hold air in our tire to reach this particular tire shop. Instead, we remained at the gas station we’d parked and used a tire shop there, after making a big scene that involved police officers, the head of the police department of Soacha (the town we were victimized in), and two undercover intelligence guys. They kept the tube, copied the footage we had on our dash cam, and inquired about video surveillance at the station. In addition, and at my request, they bargained the price down for the repair of the six (!) punctures in our newish, expensive, all-terrain tire that is not available here…

We involved the police

Explaining what happened to the police force

Showing the footage of the event on our tablet with dashcam

There is a fuel story as well. When we bought gasoline in Colombia, we always put the amount on our credit card. Just like at grocery stores, the attendants asked “Cuantas cuotas?” This basically means, “In how many installments do you want to pay this amount off?” We always reply “una” (one). Who knows how our American credit card company would deal with anything else? Well, we think one of the attendants typed in “6 cuotas” instead of “1.” This charge has not come through yet, so we will find out firsthand what will happen with that. There were a few more tolls as well, for good and bad roads.

One of the toll roads

Part of the toll road

Because we are always looking for the best deals and time is our friend, Mark spent about two months, every day, looking for affordable plane tickets from Ecuador (Quito) to the US (Boston). It was a frustrating and painstaking exercise with massive fluctuations, but eventually he snagged a decent price for his trip in the middle of June. The flights are awful, yet for this price, we can’t complain. The $324 is for one leg; we collected enough points for the return, which was the real deal at $125!

The other amount in the transportation category went to taxis (Uber and InDrive) getting to, from, and around Bogota, where we didn’t want to drive ourselves. Until going to the mechanic threw everything off – and destroyed our tire.

Inviting our motorcycle friends Katherine and Brandon over for a pancake breakfast in Bella

Buying produce in Cota

Vegetable market in San Agustin

On a long, eight-hour drive and many stops due to construction and land slides, we bought some snacks from vendors to hold us over.

A simple, but tasty pasta meal at home

Lunch at home consists of arepas, cheese, and vegetables, if we don’t find good bread for sandwiches (which is often)

The grocery category was normal for Colombia at just above $200 but Maya set us back a bit. We stocked up on two bags of her “fancy” dogfood, because, even at more than twice the price than in the US, the cost was lower than in Ecuador and Peru. We haven’t checked further south. She also went to her fourth vet in two months for a health certificate to cross into the next country ($6) and we ordered more heartworm medicine in the US. Now that Mark plans a quick visit there, we are ordering a bunch of stuff for him to bring back.

Another trip to the vet!

Passing the vet office on our drive out of San Agustin

As mentioned last month – and because of the extra costs we faced in April – we refrained from eating and drinking out too much. We succeeded, but still had a few fun and tasty outings.

Lunch out in Cota with our Colombian friends Caro and Andres

Waiting for lunch in Guatavita

My lunch – a tad too cheesy!

Mark’s meal

Dessert goodness in Guatavita

Tamales for lunch at $1 a piece

Chicken, rice, and vegetable tamale

Pizza out in San Agustin

Burger dinner out at El Gato in San Agustin

Set vegetarian lunch with soup…

… and a main dish in San Agustin, for $3 a person

The entertainment category was high and the Salt Cathedral was mostly to blame for that. We hemmed and hawed about visiting and initially only I would go and then show Mark the photos. But because so many people recommended this special site and we’d only be here once, we “gave in” and spent the $20 per person and $2 extra for Maya to be able to join us in a cart! Was it worth the money? I enjoyed the sights, but let’s just say that we would have stuck to the original plan on hindsight. To put things in perspective: $20 buys us six lunches/simple dinners out or two weeks of produce in Colombia.

Maya was not a fan of her cart

Colorful interior of the cathedral

Maya in the Salt Cathedral

The main nave and most impressive part of the Catedral de Sal

Maya goes to church

A highlight in April was our time at San Agustin’s archaeological park ($15/person); also not cheap, but no regrets there. Maya was allowed to join us on the trails and we spent three hours walking around and marveling at the statues and tombs.

Maya ventures with us into history

One of the many statues in the archeological park of San Agustin

Grave and tomb

These statues guard a tomb

Another one of the ancient statues

The other two attractions we visited last month were the Gold Museum in Bogota ($1/person) and a swimming pool in the Tatacoa Desert ($2/person).

Gold Museum in Bogota

Gold masks

More gold pieces in the museum

This pool is fed by natural spring water

Cooling off in the desert

Mark and I spent another $36 on two campgrounds (one night to meet up with our US friends Katherine and Brandon who are driving through Mexico, Central, and South America on their decked-out BMW motorcycles and a second night in San Agustin to fill with potable water, but the liquid was brown, so we passed on that chore) and several pay parking lots.

Meeting our US friends Katherine and Brandon at an $8 campground in Guatavita

Our paid camping spot ($8) for one night at La Cumbre in San Agustin

Mark makes a new friend, Perla, at the campground

One more night in the Cota parking lot to visit with friends

Parked for the night in the parking lot of the Salt Cathedral

All the other times, we slept for free in public spaces. Economical, but not always the quietest or most comfortable.

The first days of April were spent in a parking lot in Cota, near Bogota

We stayed at this spot in Guatavita for over a week, to sit out Semana Santa

Parking spot for the night in Silvania after arriving late due to the tire incident

Our free camping spot for a week in San Agustin

One night along a brown river after dealing with a barricade in Mocoa and a nighttime arrival

Surrounded at 7am in the morning by members of a meeting!

Blocked in; this happened more than once

Camped in El Puerto; it has been raining a lot, every day…

Our alcohol amount ($43) was exactly the same as in March and Mark managed to order a new SmartPhone for $28; another thing he’ll bring back from Massachusetts in June. Laundry was manageable – the owner of a parking lot in Cota, where we spent almost a week, let us use her washing machine for free and the loads I had done in San Agustin were affordable.

Great little laundromat in San Agustin

This laundry lady only has one washer and dryer, but does an excellent job!

Last month was the cheapest ever regarding internet. We bought a 15GB Claro data plan for $7 and it came with another 15GB for free. That was plenty for our remaining two weeks in Colombia. In Ecuador, data costs more than twice. The rest of our pesos went to my contraceptive meds (yes, I found the same kind), a hot beverage each, and a new dish towel. In case you wondered…

Filling up with water at a fuel station in San Agustin, after a failed attempt at the campground

We managed to fill up with water for free all month and, to conclude, a few photos of the nicest, quietest, yet hottest spots we boondocked in April.

Free camping in the Tatacoa Desert

One of our four camping spots in the dessert

Our fourth night in the desert – it even rained on us here!

Find all our expense reports here. To learn what other full-time nomads spend each month, check out the blogs of our vanlife friends Duwan and Greg at Make Like An Ape Man.

If you are enjoying these posts, please consider donating to Roaming About in support of our website and our lifestyle. A big thank you to all our readers who have helped out in the past!

Monthly Expenses of a Nomad in South America – March 2023 (Colombia)

April 9, 2023 / Liesbet / 17 Comments

In March, Mark, Maya, and I kept exploring Colombia in depth with our truck camper Thirsty Bella. We drove quite a bit, mainly covering the distance between the Medellin and Bogota areas. On top of filling our fuel tank a few times, we continuously paid for toll roads, which are expensive by local standards. In other countries, we avoid toll roads, but here this could mean we’d never reach our destination, turn a two-hour ride into an eight-hour one, or damage our rig.

(As always, hover over or click on photos in galleries to read their captions.)

On the road again

Driving through Jardin

We have encountered a lot of police checkpoints in Colombia, but have rarely been stopped

Busy dirt roads near a river crossing

Lots of rain causes landslides and construction work

It’s been raining on us every day for months in Colombia

The exchange rate between the US dollar and the Colombian peso is getting worse and prices are rising, like elsewhere in the world. Gasoline now costs almost $2.50 a gallon, which is 50 cents more than when we arrived five months ago. A long day on the road sets us back $20 in tolls, which is easily one or two meals out for both of us. Still, life is affordable here, which is one of the reasons why we love this country so much.

Driving through another town on the way to Cota

This toll road was actually worth its fee!

Driving through La Linea, the longest tunnel in the Americas

The first highway (paid) where we could actually drive the speed limit! No potholes!!

The weather and visibility deteriorated as we approached Cota after ten hours on the road

You might remember that we hit a nasty pothole on a highway a couple of months ago. It damaged our camper, which we fixed in Medellin the previous month. But, in Bogota, we discovered that, besides a serious dent in our truck bed created by the impact of the front edge of the camper hitting the metal, the top layer of the bed had come lose from the bed frame (and even warped part of it underneath). A welder managed to spot weld the top pieces back together.

Home for a week in Cota – nothing glamorous (or quiet)!

Back from the carwash, but the weather wasn’t ideal

When the truck (Thirsty) and camper (Bella) were separated to allow work on both, Mark took Thirsty to a carwash as well ($4) and bought a safety kit (fire extinguisher, safety triangle, vest …), which is required gear in several of the South American countries. I never got to take a photo of the sparkly truck as Mark and our friend Juan took it offroading in the mud soon after.

The living room of a family in Jardin, that’s turned into a restaurant

The day menu – soup, rice, plantain, a salad, beef, a piece of arepa, and a juice – for $3

A birthday appetizer at Cafe Jardin de Jardin

This coffee shop, Jardin de Jardin, is cute, friendly, and affordable

Birthday dinner out at Bon Appetit in Jardin

Our grocery amount was average (for here), but our dining out expense proved very high. We splurged in the cute towns of Jardin and Filandia, went out for a nice meal on Mark’s birthday, and treated our friends Juan and Lali to a couple of dinners as a thank you for their help and hospitality. On the flipside, a new acquaintance took us – and his paragliding friends – out for a meal and Lali prepared a traditional “Colombian chocolate” for us, which involved soaking cheese in the sweet liquid! This month, we are reigning in our eating (and drinking) out escapades.

Burger dinner out with new friends in Jerico

Lali and Juan invited us over for a traditional chocolate meal

Japanese dinner out to treat our new friends

The main reason we spent a week in the town of Cota, outside of Bogota, was to visit Juan and Lali from Overland Sally and to build a wooden frame to raise our camper. Recently, maybe because of the dent in the bed of our truck, the front edge of the camper and the roof of the truck cab collided frequently. Bang. Bang. Bang. Not ideal and the sound got annoying on bumpy roads, of which there are many.

Granted, the distance between both parts was a bit tight at half an inch (1cm), but thus far, it hadn’t been a problem; we tried to have an as small as possible footprint with this camper – height- and lengthwise. While small for American norms, we are still (too) big for Colombian towns and roads. Nevertheless, we needed more distance between the camper and the cab, so had to build a platform. Juan was the perfect partner for the job and we strongly recommend his services.

Juan and Mark built a frame for Bella

The platform is finished! Just the non-stick horse stall mat has to go on top

The entire contraption, right before loading the camper back on

Instead of two thick sheets of plywood, we opted to create a structure with wooden planks and a thin sheet of plywood on top to save money and weight. It was still expensive and heavy, though, as we picked high-quality wood and even crappy plywood is pricey. Our rig sits 1 ¼” (3cm) higher now, which affects us when entering our home via the (raised) steps. But the frame shouldn’t break, the camper shouldn’t hit the cab anymore, and the new contraption doesn’t budge.

Waiting for the view – and valley – to clear, which usually happens in the afternoons.

Getting ready for the jump and flight

Ready for a new adventure

For my birthday in November, I requested an exciting activity. It wasn’t until last month that I found it: paragliding with Nube Extrema in Jerico for 230,000 pesos (US$50). This was a first for me and I was happy with the location, once the fog and clouds cleared. While the experience was peaceful and special (not scary at all), my motion sickness acted up, in the air and on the fast, bouncy, windy 40-minute drive back up the mountain, despite sitting in front. I also bought a leather purse for myself and a postponed gift, a screw organizer box, for Mark’s birthday.

Liesbet paragliding with Nube Extreme

Liesbet and Juan Carlos in the air

Many purses to choose from, but I went with something simple and practical

Having a chat with the iconic Oscar, owner of this bar, while wearing my new purse

The alcohol and drinking out numbers aren’t crazy and also include treating our Colombian friends. Nevertheless, we will try to do better with these categories in April. We are spending too much. Mark had a chipped tooth (and a cavity) taken care of in Cota as well. We had a productive week there.

Cute and cheap bar on the outskirts of Jardin

Hot chocolate and coffee time on the square of Jardin, at the famous Cafe Macanas

The square in Filandia has little booths that sell juices, coffee, hot snacks, and desserts

Drinks out at a cool bar, La Cueva,, surrounded by rock

Having a drink at the eclectic bar of Oscar – he only opens during the weekends

While in North America we tried to stick to free activities, we are doing this South American trip only once, so are allowing ourselves paid entertainment. In March, we visited a bird sanctuary, natural hot springs and wax palm strands on private properties, and we took a funicular up a mountain (Cerro Monserrate) in Bogota. We had hoped to take a ride up and walk down, but dogs are not allowed on the path and stairs.

The cock-of-the-rock or Gallito de las rocas bird

Natural hot springs near Volcano Nevado del Ruiz

Termales El Sifon

Valle del Cocora, a highlight for many tourists to Colombia

Hike through the lush valley

Waterfall along the 6-mile trail

We had to cross many foot bridges in the jungle

I had the last spot – standing room – in the funicular and Mark the first one at the top, with Maya, next to the conductor

View over Bogota, a city of 11.5 million people!

We bought another monthly Claro data plan for $22, which gives us 80GB of data (currently with a promotion of another 80GB, so 160GB in total, which we could never use up) and filled our 20-pound propane tank, which seems to last about two months and is used for heating and cooking. We managed to get potable water for free.

Parked for one night at the Nube Extrema paragliding station, where we filled with water as well

Filling Bella with potable water for the next ten days

Maya is helping with the water fill at Meraki

In mid-February, Maya lost a toe nail and we had a vet come check it out. Three weeks later, the claw wasn’t growing correctly around the flesh, so another vet visit was needed (with a small procedure and meds) and we had to start over, treating the wound and restricting long hikes. The end of March, we visited a third vet to get our girl another rabies shot for her upcoming entry into Ecuador, which requires this vaccination to be administered between 30 days and a year before arrival. The cost for this last vet consultation, the shot, and a pet passport was a mere $4!

Holding Maya for an unpleasant procedure at the vet

Our vet in Jardin getting ready to heal Maya

Getting weighed at yet another vet

After her shot, Maya gets a “pet passport” – for other paperwork, we’d have had to wait another day

We kept our stays in paid campgrounds and parking lots to a minimum – mostly because we have no use for the facilities – and spent $24 on accommodation for the entire month. We spent two nights in a parking lot of a restaurant (Meraki Salento) in return for ordering dinner and drinks. We filled our water tank here as well.

Home for ten (!) days in Jardin

Camped for a few nights at the lookout (mirador) in Jerico

Boondocked in nature at 13,000ft

Parked for a handful of nights in Filandia, another cute town

We stayed a couple of nights along this street in Salento – so much rain…

We parked an extra night at Meraki, since the rain kept pouring for 24 hours

A night at this parking lot in Valle del Cocora was pricey at $6 with no facilities

We had to stay – and pay for – an extra (second) night, because I couldn’t leave due to another killer migraine after our strenuous hike

While in Cota, we took Uber and InDrive taxis into Bogota and we reimbursed Juan for some of his fuel carting Mark around. All this was still more convenient, faster, and less stressful than taking our truck into the capital, like we did in Medellin. Our F350 truck, just by itself, is still a beast on the narrow roads of this country. Maya and I also took one tuk tuk ride when her toe nail was still healing.

Tuk tuks in Jerico

Taking a ride home with Maya

Maya sniffing the scene from a tuk tuk

Laundry was affordable last month, since I could drop a few loads off in Jardin for the price of self-service in the US and the owners of the parking lot in Cota were super helpful in letting me use their machine for two washing cycles. I should have taken a photo of the lines I strung and clothes I hung among the dozens of parked cars on the gravel lot!

Because of the humidity and constant rain, our laundry didn’t dry in one day, so we turned the heater on and “hand dried” the wet pieces before bedtime

After laughing at tourists and locals alike – and motorcyclists – wearing “plastic bags” over their clothes and around their shoes when rain arrives, we gave in and bought a plastic poncho as well, mainly to protect our backpack during a walk in Valle del Cocora, where the chance of rain was 100%. I have to admit that it came in handy!

Mark, happy with his $1 poncho

Maya and a cousin on the Valle del Cocora hike

And that’s a wrap-up for our March expenses, which were much higher than we preferred (we have to do better) in a country like Colombia, but which are still under our average monthly amount of $1,300.

Volcano Nevado del Ruiz was only visible early mornings – it is currently expected to erupt!!!

Natural hot springs all to ourselves!

The pretty scenery of the Cocora Valley

The famous wax palms, Colombia’s national tree

We made it to Colombia’s capital!

Find all our expense reports here. To learn what other full-time nomads spend each month, check out the blogs of our vanlife friends Duwan and Greg at Make Like An Ape Man.

If you are enjoying these posts, please consider donating to Roaming About in support of our website and our lifestyle. A big thank you to all our readers who have helped out in the past!

Monthly Expenses of a Nomad in South America – February 2023 (Colombia)

March 8, 2023 / Liesbet / 22 Comments

I think a lot of people skip my expense reports, because they are not interested in the financial details of our nomadic lifestyle. But these posts offer a glimpse behind the scenes and show the practicalities of a life on the road; the photos providing a sense of the action. Plus, because I’m so behind with my regular travel posts, these reports are the most up to date about what’s recently going on with the three of us.

(As always, hover over or click on photos in galleries to read their captions.)

Wonderful views in the Colombian mountains

Congested town centers

Botero Plaza, Medellin

Mural in the center of Medellin

A dogfood dispenser for strays in Guatape, what a concept!

Glimpse of the Guatape reservoir

In February, Mark, Maya, and I continued our Colombian overland explorations in Thirsty Bella, our truck camper disguised as a cow. It was a good month for us. We finally reached our goal of spending less than US$800. Of course, it helped that there were only 28 days. It’s safe to say that this is probably a one off!

Drinks and lunch out with friends in El Retiro

Having dinner with our Guatape hosts Jake and Monica

The grocery and dining out categories have to be seen in conjunction with each other. When we don’t cook, we order food. Because life is much more affordable in Colombia than in western countries, we splurge a bit more on eating out. Usually for dinner; once in a while for lunch. Yet, we still try to keep things under control and did pretty well with the alcohol budget.

Cooking dinner on our grill

Dinner on the grill

Fresh produce in Guatape; total cost: $4

A chunk of money went to fuel, which is also quite cheap here, at US$2/gallon (don’t ask us why the prices are per gallon when everything else is part of the metric system). I guess we covered some miles in February. A negative about doing all this mountain driving is that Thirsty only gets about 8.5 miles to the gallon. Compare that with our (still poor) average of 10.5 miles in the US and it gives you an indication about the road conditions in Colombia. They aren’t pretty! And, they are the reason for our new rule of “four eyes on the road at all times!” Yes, after hours, this gets exhausting.

Typical dirt road

Busy on the backroads

Some of the roads are tricky and tight

Some paved roads have toll booths. But don’t assume that these routes are a breeze! If anything, one has to pay even more attention than on the slow gravel and dirt roads, as sunken road surfaces, potholes, and cracked pavement creep up fast to the unsuspecting eye. And, you get the privilege of paying for those surprises. While $3 for a stretch of semi-decent road might not seem like a lot, for Colombian living standards it is, and after a few a day the amount adds up.

Yes, this is a toll road – don’t drive too fast!

The other side of a toll road

Oncoming traffic

Parking, on the other hand, is cheap at an average of less than a dollar an hour, for a guarded lot in town. After three or four hours, it makes more sense to pay the daily rate. We took just our truck into Medellin once to run errands and go on a guided walking tour. The lots were overflowing, but we pulled into one anyway, being on a deadline. That’s when we discovered you leave the key with the attendants and they will move cars around as they see fit, or as people need to depart. Since the back of our cab had heaps of gear in it (part of the back seat acts as storage), we were a tad worried about handing over our key, but these are professionally-run parking lots, so we needn’t have stressed.

Leaving the parking lot with Thirsty

Parked by the Home Center in Medellin to buy supplies

Let’s talk about Maya. The good news is that we can find her exact (high-quality) dogfood in Colombia. The bad news is that it costs twice as much as in the US. This is probably the only thing so far that has been more expensive here than in the States. We’ll take it…

Maya found her food in a Home Canter in Medellin

Treating Maya’s injured toe

Maya’s paw has to be wrapped for weeks, in order to protect her injured toe.

Taking escalators on our Medellin tour – is this where Maya’s toe got injured?

When we were in Medellin, our girl lost a toe nail. We don’t know how exactly it happened, but this is a painful injury, as the “quick” underneath became exposed. It’s like an open wound. From the moment we arrived home, we disinfected it and kept it wrapped up. Worried about an infection, we involved a vet and received some remedies. But the main healer is time. So, no more decent walks for a while! After three weeks now, we can finally see progress, but her toe is long not recovered. As you can see in the report underneath, vets are not expensive here.

Parked for one night on the town square of Florian

Moved slightly out of the town center of Florian for a few nights – a quieter experience

Free overnight parking at a restaurant in Marinilla, after eating dinner there

Free camping next to a cemetery in Rionegro- finally peace and quiet!

Camped for a handful of nights in El Retiro

Boondocked on a sandspit/gravel pit in Guatape

Parked in Medellin for a couple of nights

Mark and I are still trying to camp for free as much as possible. Because we don’t need services, this is an area where we can save money, as long as our spots are safe. That being said, we needed to do repairs on our camper in February, so stayed about a week in an established campground, where we could take the camper off and fix our issues. We also paid for one night at the Rio Claro.

Camped for one night at Rio Claro

Al Bosque campground in Santa Elena, an hour from Medellin, was home for almost a week.

In Guatapé, we were invited to camp for free for a few days on the amazing property of ex-overlanders, which was a very nice and welcome gesture.

Parked for a few nights on the driveway of a beautiful property in Guatape

Nice detail in the yard

Relaxing on the dock of our Guatape hosts

Maya also has a new friend, Mona

Boat ride on the Embalse (reservoir) of Guatape

In February, we also spent money on fun activities! The entrance fee for the waterfall pool in Florian, which was located on private property, cost about $1 a person, Mark and I joined two “free” walking tours in Medellin, for which we donated the equivalent of $20, we tipped musicians and a dance group, and we climbed the tall rock, El Peñol, in Guatape for $4 each. That gives you an idea about entertainment costs in Colombia.

View of the waterfall pool

Pool at the bottom of the weak waterfall

Our professional, smart, and funny guide German of Real City Tours in Medellin

Group photo Medellin Real City Walking Tour

Piedra del Penol, the rock

View of the Guatape Reservoir

Climbing the 675 steps of the rock

On the way back down El Penol

Comuna 13 tour with guide George of Zippy Tours

Dance group on our Comuna 13 tour

Because there was no payment for Google Fi anymore (our account was suspended), internet was very affordable last month. We buy 80GB (currently doubled for no extra cost, an amount we can’t even use up if we wanted to) monthly data plans for about $20 each. This is similar to “unlimited” internet use. We didn’t pay for other utilities as we managed to fill up with water for free (or at the campground), our propane tank is still quite full, and garbage service appeared at our door. 😊

Time to do some work on Bella

Fixing structural damage underneath the camper

Installing heavy-duty screws to keep the wood panels together

Taking our new fridge out for the tenth time in order to fix its problem

Running a new propane hose

Buying a piece of teak wood

We managed to fix several camper problems without breaking the bank, had to use public transportation in Medellin the second time we visited, needed household items (matching forks, something that Mark had been craving for a while, and a different basket that won’t flip its contents when we hit a pothole or tope), barely drank out, and only paid for one load of laundry (washing). These last savings are thanks to our friends Susan and John, who blog at Latitude Adjustment and also have a series of interesting posts about Colombia. They generously let us borrow their home’s facilities in El Retiro. I washed three loads of clothes and took over their hanging racks – and second floor – for three days in a row! ¡Gracias amigos!

Comfy Maya in Susan and John’s home

Meeting up with Susan and John in El Retiro

Garbage service on “our street”

Pick-up at home… 🙂

Taking the metro to Comuna 13

Find all our expense reports here. To learn what other full-time nomads spend each month, check out the blogs of our vanlife friends Duwan and Greg at Make Like An Ape Man.

Donate to Roaming About to help maintain this website.

Monthly Expenses of a Nomad in South America – January 2023 (Colombia)

February 17, 2023 / Liesbet / 32 Comments

In January, Mark, Maya, and I continued our Colombian overland explorations in Thirsty Bella, our truck camper disguised as a cow. As expected, we are spreading joy and smiles driving through villages and the countryside. And we are getting stuck in narrow town centers and battered by country roads a lot, too.

(As always, hover over or click on photos in galleries to read their captions.)

Driving through narrow Barichara

Driving through the mountains on small roads

Crossing a river in the mountains

One of the many narrow and rocky dirt roads we traversed in January

Bumpy road surface

Our grocery amount was decent and similar to the previous month. We are eating out regularly now, which might explain a drop in grocery costs and a jump in eating out. Life is much cheaper in Colombia than in the US, allowing us to splurge more. A decent dinner costs around $5-$8 a meal. It’s possible to eat cheaper and more expensive. Grocery shopping is affordable.

Lunch at a Belgian-run restaurant with Sheri and Jeff in Guane

Lunch out in Guane

Dinner out in Barichara

Small grocery store in Gambita

Crepe with fresh fruit and whipped cream

Saturday produce market in Villa de Leyva

Milhoja dessert at a bakery in Villa de Leyva

Splurge from a French bakery in Villa de Leyva

Fresh fruit and vegetables are easy to come by in Colombia!

While in the US and Canada we always camped for free, mostly in nature. Once we arrived in South America, it’s been a mix of boondocking in or on the edge of towns or along roads and paid campgrounds. That’s what the accommodation cost of almost $100 is attributed to.

Camped (for free) along the beautiful trail to Las Gachas

Parked for the night along the square in Gambita

Camped along the dirt road between Gambita and Palermo

Boondocked (free) along the lake in Paipa

Lago Sochacota in Paipa

Parked for the night (free) along the square of Tibasosa, the feijoa capital of the world

Maya poses in front of the town’s sign

Camped for a few nights (free) at higher elevation next to Laguna de Tota

Lake view through our window

Laguna de Tota

Another night of parking at the edge of a town, Mongui this time

On average, campsites cost $4 a person per day. Don’t expect hookups for that. We merely pay for a flat place to park in a safe environment. Sometimes, there are amenities like showers, toilets, and trash cans. Once in a while, a common space like a kitchen, firepit, or lounge and laundry facilities are available. Secure overnight parking in a lot is cheaper at around $2 a night.

Camped with our friends at an official campground in Barichara for a week over New Year

Sunset in the mountains

Communal kitchen at our campground in Barichara

Outdoor showers at Camping Guaimaro in Barichara

A paid camping spot in someone’s (overgrown) yard in Villanueva

Parked for the night at the hot springs. We did have to pay extra for that.

One (paid) night at a parking lot in Raquira

Our cost for internet was high last month. We paid $50 for our Google Fi plan, which allowed international roaming. Warned that this option was going to be suspended in February, we finally registered our phones in Colombia (mandatory by law) and bought local Claro SIM cards and data plans. The good news: internet is cheap in this country; the equivalent of $20 for 80GB of data (valid for one month). Propane is affordable and we use much less with our electric fridge. Most of the potable water we obtained (up to 48 gallons) was free.

Getting our phones registered in Duitama required fingerprints instead of signatures.

Getting our propane tank topped up. It was still half full after one month

Little chapel out of a propane tank

Filling up with potable cistern water at a gas station

Filling our tanks with potable water from the convent in Villa de Leyva

In February, we planned a visit to our friends Susan and John in El Retiro, near Medellin. They blog about their worldwide travels and Colombian expat life on Latitude Adjustment. This provided us with a shipping address – yes, Amazon ships certain items to Colombia! – so we ordered a few camper necessities, like a waterproof tarp, new propane hose, fridge thermostat, and water filters. Our alcohol expense was decent.

Last month, we also managed to apply for – and receive – visa extensions. If I would have entered the country with my Belgian passport, this would have been free for me. But I boasted my US citizenship when arriving, so I had to pay the same amount as Mark, around $23. Totally worth being able to spend another three months in Colombia, of course! Recently, we managed to get the same extension for Thirsty Bella from Customs (free). All of us can now legally stay in the country until May 8^th.

In Villa de Leyva, while driving to a water spigot to top off our tanks, we passed through a narrow road, of which there are many in Colombia. It was a route we’d taken before, except, this time, a car was parked a distance from the curb. Instead of jumping out of the passenger seat like I usually do, I estimated we’d clear everything. When Mark rounded the parked car, we could hear roof tiles clatter onto the cobblestones. Darn…

We hit this overhang from a gate in Villa de Leyva

Pile of broken roof tiles on the ground

Our ladder had hit the decorative, overhanging tiles topping a cute gate. Luckily, the owners were relaxed about the scene and no harm was done to our camper. We gladly reimbursed the lady for eight broken tiles and the labor to fix the gate. Being in Colombia, paying for the damage didn’t set us back too much! That was the miscellaneous category.

Hiking in the mountains around Barichara

Hiking with our friends towards Guane

Hiking near Villanueva

The natural site of Las Gachas is free to visit, depending on which walking route you take.

Little known and free waterfall in Palermo

Maya meets a baby cow

Plaza Mayor in pretty Villa de Leyva

Strolling in the colorful town of Raquira

The colonial church and town square of Mongui

Maya in front of a historic bridge in Mongui

Besides hiking and exploring some natural sites and historic centers for free, we “splurged” on entertainment last month, visiting an interesting fossil museum in Villa de Leyva (El Fosil), hot springs in Iza (Piscina Erika), and a gorgeous waterfall near Gambita. Each destination was worth a stop or a strenuous hike!

The impressive top part of the waterfalls

Along the trail to the top of the waterfall

Piscina Erika hot springs

El Fosil museum

Depiction of the Monquirasaurus

El Fosil, a Kronosaurus that was renamed Monquirasaurus

The other categories were on the low end. Early January, I did laundry at a campground – three loads in three days, hanging everything to dry outside. The rest of the month, we washed by hand.

Camped for free on the edge of
Villa de Leyva and doing laundry by hand – the town offers free water

We took taxis a couple of times in skinny Barichara (“transportation”), I needed aspirin and more acetaminophen for my headaches, Maya could use more treats, we bought a gift for friends, and I finally received a professional haircut. The hairdresser took pride in her work and finished with 10 minutes of hair blowing. This unnecessary touch-up cost an extra 5,000 pesos ($1), totaling $6 for the entire experience. Oh, and Mark drank one beer out as well. At these prices, it is easy, fun, and possible for us to support local businesses!

Tuk tuk taxi in Barichara

Fresh haircut in Villa de Leyva!

We didn’t quite make it under $900, but we keep trying. Luckily, February only has 28 days. Our goal is to spend less than $800 a month in South America. We still have a way to go. Colombia is probably the cheapest country of the continent, so if we fail here, we might have to alter that target.

Find all our expense reports here. To learn what other full-time nomads spend each month, check out the blogs of our vanlife friends Duwan and Greg at Make Like An Ape Man.

Donate to Roaming About to help maintain this website.

Annual Expense Report of a Nomad – 2022 (USA, Mexico, Colombia)

January 29, 2023 / Liesbet / 32 Comments

Our first yearly expense report (2016) can be found here, the report of 2017 is here, the one for 2018 here, our 2019 expenses are located here, our total costs for 2020 are documented here, and those for 2021 are detailed here.

It feels like 2023 has only just started, yet we are already a month into it. Crazy how time flies. I better publish our 2022 expense report, before the February 2023 one is due!

(As always click on or hover over photos in galleries to read their captions.)

Leaving Auburn, California, with our “new” Lance camper

Watching the car carriers before it was our turn

Thirsty Bella dropped off in Galveston port, ready to be shipped

In 2022, Mark, Maya, and I focused on purchasing, fixing, equipping, and upgrading our current truck camper, a Lance 830, in the Pacific Northwest and Colorado. Before that, we explored the Baja peninsula in Mexico for 3.5 months. We completed the year in Cartagena, Colombia, happily reunited with Thirsty Bella, which we had shipped there from Texas. I also visited my home country of Belgium for two weeks, but my parents took care of me there. 🙂

We made it to Colombia!

Colombian church

Back on the road – in south America!

Road travel – and obstacles – in Colombia

Driving through the mountains

Last year was relatively expensive, especially if you add the one-time cost of shipping our truck camper to the mix (see below). We better live extra cheaply this year to make up for that!

The highest category in 2022, by far, was our car and more specifically the fuel. Over $4,000! We purposefully decided not to drive to the East Coast over the summer (to visit family, friends, and doctors), because of the exorbitant gasoline prices. But we did make it to the southern tip of the Baja peninsula in Mexico (and back) with our previous Cirrus camper and ended up driving huge distances to find and pick up our current truck camper in super expensive California. I can’t say any of that was planned, but such is life – our life anyway.

Fuel prices in the US, last year

Fueling up in Mexico

Driving on paved mountain roads in Colombia

On the road in a small Colombian town

Vehicle insurance and maintenance for our Ford F-350 each cost over $600 as well. We prepped the truck for this extended adventure in South America, which included spare parts, oil and filter changes, and a tire rotation and alignment.

Mark and I have periodically discussed our annual high prices for maintaining and fueling the vehicles and sailboats we own(ed), which made us realize that we could easily use this amount for plane tickets to house and pet sit internationally. As a matter of fact, that was the plan… before we adopted our Maya, three years ago. That’s when the South America trip became our goal. Then, Covid arrived.

Groceries is the second-highest category and averages $268 a month. Not bad. This is always the most straightforward subject. What is there to say? Everyone needs to eat. In our case, we stick to a healthy, mostly plant-based diet and consume 95% of our meals at home. Here in Colombia, we eat out a bit more, because it’s affordable.

Massive salad for dinner at home

Homemade salad with cocktail shrimp

Travel costs went to plane tickets for Mark, who needed to fly to Massachusetts twice (once from Mexico and once from Oregon) for family and healthcare reasons. Our dining out expense was almost a grand as well. I’d like to say it will be less this year, but even though food is much cheaper here, we probably will eat out more, so things might even out. We will see.

Dinner out with friends in La Paz, Mexico

Street tacos in Todos Santos, Mexico

Dinner out in Loreto, Baja, Mexico

Pizza at a restaurant in Mompox, Colombia

Lunch out at a local restaurant in Cepita, Chicamocha Canyon, Colombia

Everyone knows that taking care of a dog isn’t cheap. In Maya’s case, we spent over $900, mostly on food, her anti-itch medicine (Apoquel), and one expensive vet visit enabling and preceding our move to South America.

Maya getting ready for her exam, extra shots, and international health certificate

Our utility cost for 2022 also seems high at $800. The majority of that went to internet, unsurprisingly, but almost $200 was “wasted” on propane, thanks to the ordinary fridges put in RVs. Even though they are called 3-way fridges, they run inefficiently when using their DC power source. We don’t use AC, because we never plug into power. When using an RV fridge solely on propane, we emptied two full 20-pound propane tanks every month, and that’s being careful by monitoring the temperature and adjusting the settings.

Like fuel, propane gas prices swung through the roof last year. Filling our two tanks cost around $40 every month and there was the hassle of finding propane places that actually filled tanks instead of just swapping them out. Tractor Supply and U-Haul used to be safe bets but they aren’t anymore.

Maneuvering the new fridge through one of the windows

Prepping the compressor fridge to be installed

Removing the old, partly disassembled fridge, from the camper

Dry fitting our new fridge

Painting the new cabinetry

Because of all these reasons – the hassle, money, research, wasted trips and phone calls, worry of running out of gas, and lack of freedom – we replaced our propane fridge in Thirsty Bella with a 12V compressor fridge that we can easily run with the power created by our solar panels. In Mexico we paid for agua purificada (purified potable water) to fill our water tank.

Inquiring about potable water in Mexico

Filling with potable water in the US, which is free

Filling up with water at a private house in Colombia

Another big – and extra – expense was a new hybrid computer/laptop for Mark. That section underneath also includes hosting fees for our website and some software Mark bought. When it comes to adult beverages, my husband and I occasionally like to drink beer (only Mark) and wine and usually have one bottle of hard liquor around. There is no space for more. Our preferred alcoholic drink is rum with fresh juice, ice cubes, and a slice of lime.

Gifts include the annual calendars I create for our Belgian and American families, gestures (usually bottles of wine or dessert goodies) we bring when invited for dinner, a contribution to utilities when we stay on someone’s driveway for a while, Christmas gifts for friends we end up traveling with, excursions we do with our nieces and nephews, and birthday presents for each other, although I don’t recall any of those in 2022.

Breakfast prepared by friends in Portland, Oregon

Clam chowder made by Katherine in Oregon

Fresh (giant) oysters in Oregon

Seafood fest with friends on the Oregon coast

Our friend in Austin, Texas, presenting us with dinner

Household items are improvements for our life inside the camper – cooking, storing, light fixtures, … – and the camper category resembles materials and tools required to keep our home on wheels running. This last amount is low, because it does not include the money spent equipping our camper for South America, which we consider part of its purchase price and not maintenance cost. I will write a separate post about this in the future.

Camped on the beach in Baja

Our favorite camping spot of 2022 in Agua Verde, Baja, Mexico

Camped in San Juan National Forest, Colorado

A couple of weeks in the workshop of friends in Colorado

Camped in New Mexico

Hanging out with friends on the beach in Texas

Camped with friends by the ruined church of Gramalote Viejo, Colombia

In the US, we always camped for free, but because we traveled in Mexico for a third of the year, there is a substantial accommodation cost as we tend to stay at campgrounds there once in a while. Some of this category’s amount was spent in Colombia, on camping and a hotel.

Camped along Bahia Concepcion in Baja

Our paid campground in Loreto, Baja, Mexico

Pay camping in Ensenada, Mexico

Last night in a Colombian hotel!

Camped at Los Estoraques National Park, Playa de Belen, Colombia

Campground in Gramalote Nuevo, Colombia

The clothing expenses were higher than the previous year, because we made sure to have decent pairs of hiking shoes, rain jackets, jeans, and shirts to hold us over for a few years. In 2023, we hope this amount, in addition to the “computer” section, is negligible.

Drinking out is self-explanatory and transport covers taxis (in Colombia), Uber (to get to Houston airport from Galveston), and public transportation when we visit Massachusetts. Customs and Immigration fees were mostly paid in Mexico for tourist cards and towards a new Belgian passport for me. Luckily, those are now valid for seven years instead of five.

Cashier’s checks cost $15!

Banking costs went to our annual credit card fee and a cashier’s check to pay for our Lance camper (yes, that costs extra money). Health & Fitness includes vitamins (Mark) and occasional haircuts (me). This amount should mostly disappear as well. We gave up on the vitamins (don’t want to deal with it here), we keep cutting Mark’s hair ourselves with clippers, and my twice-a-year haircuts should cost a quarter of the price in South America.

Street view in Loreto, Mexico

Hike through Mesquite Canyon, Baja

Dunes in Baja

Natural bridge in Baja

View over the bay of Agua Verde, Mexico

Shoshone Falls in Twin Falls, Idaho

Idaho’s State Capitol in Boise

Going for a (free) horse ride in Colorado with friends

Street view Getsemani

Fort of Cartagena

Historic buildings in Cartagena

We spent less than $100 on entertainment. Most of our hobbies, like hiking, visiting natural attractions, writing, and reading are free. We never visit museums or pay for expensive activities. Last year, we bought two sets of snorkel gear (still to be used) and paid the entrance fee for a few parks.

Hike high into Deschutes National Forest

Hiking with a friend and her dogs in Oregon

Los Estoraques National Park, Playa de Belen, Colombia

Our medical cost is usually minimal, but last year Mark had to pay for an expensive Covid test in Mexico and I had two new pairs of prescription eye glasses mailed to an address out west. My husband chipped in for his dad’s memorial service (miscellaneous), we paid for laundry in Mexico (the rest of the year we managed to use the facilities of friends), and a small amount of money went to postage.

Sunrise along the Baja Peninsula

Extra one-time costs for 2022

One big expense not included in this annual report is the $5,497 we paid for shipping and agent fees to transport our home on wheels to South America for a multiple-year adventure.

Camped for a summer of work on the Lance, St. Helens, Oregon

Lots of work, tools, and gear

Sanding, taping, and painting the ladder

Scraping old caulk off to reuse this hatch

Removing the old letters of the camper to start fresh with cow spots

Installing a secondary water tank, Colorado

Attaching more cow spots, Oregon

So, what would have been a decent year in general at $16,809 (which is about $800 more than our average, not bad under the circumstances of inflation and super high fuel prices) is not so great anymore when you add the $5,500 of shipment costs to the mix. That’s around $22,300 in total. Let’s hope the year 2023 will be a fraction of that!

2022 Overview:

Car (fuel: $4,394; insurance: $666; maintenance: $631;

tolls: $19; parking: $16; registration: $10):

Groceries:

Travel (plane tickets Mark):

Dining out:

Dog (supplies: $413; food: $224; vet: $268; import: $11):

Utilities (internet: $552; prop.: $179; water: $48;

dump stations: $8; Skype: $5):

Computer (hybrid: $728; hosting: $40; software: $11):

Alcohol:

Gifts (B-days, Christmas):

Household:

Camper:

Accommodation/Camping:

Clothing:

Drinking out:

Transport (Uber, tip escort, taxis in COL):

Customs & Immigration (new passport L, tourist cards Mex.):

Bank fees (Chase visa card, cashier’s check):

Health & Fitness (haircuts L, vitamins M):

Entertainment (snorkel sets, parks):

Medical (Covid test M, mailing glasses):

Miscellaneous (memorial service):

Laundry:

Postage:

TOTAL:

(It might be easier to read the table when turning your device in the horizontal position.)

And that’s a wrap! If you are enjoying these posts and would like to help out with our expenses maintaining this blog, please click on the donate button underneath, in the side bar, or in the menu bar on top. I promise Roaming About will remain an ad-free website. Thank you!

Find all our expense reports here. To learn what other full-time nomads spend each month, check out the blogs of our vanlife friends Duwan and Greg at Make Like An Ape Man.

Donate to Roaming About to help maintain this website.

Roaming About

A Life Less Ordinary

Tag: car costs (page 2 of 5)

Monthly Expenses of a Nomad in South America – September 2023 (Peru)

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