![\"Mycenea](\"https:\/\/travel-junkies.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/P1000232.jpg\")
<\/a>Mycenae Greece<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Dome of the Rock Jerusalem Israel<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Wadi Rum Jordan<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Giant reclining Buddha Bangkok Thailand<\/p><\/div>\n
So how did we do with visiting so many places?\u00a0 Sadly to say this has been our worst month yet since starting our around the world adventure.\u00a0 Our total expenditures for the month of January were $5,791.06 or $186.81 per day or $62.27 per person per day.\u00a0 Yep, you read that right.\u00a0 We didn\u2019t even come close to our budget of $100 per day.<\/p>\n
Several things contributed to us going over budget including a big jump from the Middle East to SE Asia and some splurges like spending 2 nights in a Bedouin camp and 2 nights on the Dead Sea in a resort.\u00a0 We were also caught off guard by how expensive Israel was, which I will detail later in this post.<\/p>\n
For the month of January 1.36 USD equaled approximately 1 Euro, 1 USD equaled approximately 3.49 Israeli Shekels, 1.41 USD equaled 1 Jordanian dinar and 1 USD equaled 32.97 Thai Baht.<\/p>\n
Transportation<\/h3>\n
Not surprisingly our biggest expenditure for January was for transportation given we had a big jump from the Middle East to SE Asia.\u00a0\u00a0 Our total expenditures for transportation were $2,107.52.<\/p>\n
While in Kiveri, Greece, we rented a car.\u00a0 Most of the car rental cost is reflected on lasts month budget.\u00a0\u00a0 But for a matter of convenience we kept the car an extra day for a total of $20.40, which is reflected in this budget.\u00a0 The total fuel cost was $116 and tolls were $33.50.<\/p>\n
We flew from Athens to Tel Aviv, Israel.\u00a0 The cost of the flight was $320.83.\u00a0\u00a0 We took a shared van from Tel Aviv, Israel to Jerusalem for a total of $55.59 and then the bus from Jerusalem to Eilat, Israel for a total of $65.78.<\/p>\n
Due to the lack of consistent buses in Jordan and after looking at the cost of taxis, we decided to rent a car during our time in Jordan. \u00a0A 10-day car rental in Jordan cost us $293.\u00a0 We also had to pay a hefty one-way rental fee of $49.44 to return the car at Amman airport as we picked it up initially in Aqaba.\u00a0 Our total fuel expenditure was $41.74 and we did not have to pay any tolls while in Jordan.\u00a0 Overall, driving in Jordan was easy, as main roads are well maintained.\u00a0 There are very few main roads, so getting lost is not an issue.\u00a0 We also found fuel to be relatively cheap.<\/p>\n
After our time in Jordan, we then flew to Bangkok, Thailand, which cost $1,023.97.\u00a0 I must say here, although we had to take 3 different airplanes to make it to Thailand, it was actually pretty pleasant.\u00a0 We flew on Etihad and SriLankan Airlines.\u00a0 I have not experienced airline services like this in a long time.\u00a0 They had free drinks, including alcohol, and meals and free movies.\u00a0 It felt luxurious compared to some of the other budget airlines we have flown while in Europe.<\/p>\n
Our total expenditures for local transportation were $87.27.\u00a0 Jerusalem has an excellent tram and bus system.\u00a0 Each ticket costs $6.90 shekels and is good for 90 minutes.\u00a0 But beware, don\u2019t make the mistake we did.\u00a0 You can purchase multiple tickets at a time, but they are only good for the day they are purchased on.\u00a0 Also, if you get on the bus first, you cannot use the tram tickets for the bus.\u00a0 However the bus ticket works for the tram and the tram ticket will work for the bus if you validated it on the tram first and it is still within the 90-minute time frame.\u00a0 Did you get that?<\/p>\n
Lodging<\/h3>\n
Our next biggest expenditure was for lodging.\u00a0 The total cost for lodging was $1,859.91.\u00a0 This is a lot more than we typically spend on lodging.\u00a0\u00a0 Most of the time we will try to find apartments to rent, as apartments tend to be cheaper and help us save on food costs.\u00a0 However due to difficulty finding affordable apartment rentals while in Israel and Jordan, we stayed in hotels.\u00a0 We also found the lodgings in Israel, especially in Jerusalem, to be incredibly expensive and basic for the amount of money spent.<\/p>\n
While Kiveri, Greece we stayed in a lovely house along the Argolic Gulf, which cost us $411 for 10 days.\u00a0 We then spent two nights in a hotel in Delphi, Greece for a total of $149.60 and one night in a hotel in Athens for a total of $43.62.\u00a0 We then spent 4 nights in a guesthouse in Jerusalem for $350.72.\u00a0 The guesthouse included breakfast.\u00a0 We spent 2 nights in a hotel in Eilat, Israel for a total of $139.83.\u00a0 We then spent 1 night in a hotel in Aqaba for a total of $49.35.<\/p>\n
<\/a>View from our apartment in Kiveri<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Sunset Eilat Israel<\/p><\/div>\n
We spent 5 nights in Wadi Musa (Petra) for a total of $300.33.\u00a0 Breakfast and dinner were included in the cost.\u00a0 We then splurged and spent 2 nights at the Dead Sea in a 5-star luxury resort for a total of $283.\u00a0 A word to the wise here, always read the fine print.\u00a0 Initially it looked like the room at the Dead Sea would cost $100 a night, however, at checkout this bloomed to $141.50 per night. \u00a0We also made the mistake of using our credit card.\u00a0 We have rarely used our credit card since leaving, preferring to pay with cash.\u00a0 However we were running low on money and decided to put it on our credit card instead.\u00a0 We made the mistake of having the hotel convert the charge to USD and they gave us a terrible exchange rate.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Floating in the Dead Sea<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Sunset Dead Sea<\/p><\/div>\n
After the Dead Sea, we spent one night in Madaba, Jordan before flying out to Bangkok.\u00a0 Our hotel cost $62.04 and it also included breakfast.\u00a0 While in Bangkok, we rented an apartment for a week.\u00a0 Two of the nights are reflected on this month\u2019s budget for a total of $59.42.<\/p>\n
<\/a>The pool at our apartment in Bangkok, Thailand<\/p><\/div>\n
We also had $10.60 in miscellaneous cost for laundry while in Jerusalem.<\/p>\n
Luxury hotels London<\/a><\/p>\n Our next biggest expenditure was for food for a total of $775.50.\u00a0 We spent $432.11 on groceries and $343.39 for dining out.\u00a0 Our cost for dining out was higher this month, since we spent the majority of our time in hotels. We found several hotels that included breakfast, which helped offset our food costs.<\/p>\n Souvlaki<\/p><\/div>\n Sydney enjoying ice cream and waffles<\/p><\/div>\n Feta with olive oil<\/p><\/div>\n We added a new category this month, as I was not sure where to include our time in Wadi Rum in our budget.\u00a0 During our time in Wadi Rum, we spent 2 nights in the desert on a jeep\/camel trek and sleeping in a Bedouin camp.\u00a0 The total cost was $423.\u00a0 Although this was expensive, it has been one of my favorite experiences since leaving on our around the world adventure.\u00a0 My only regret is we did not spend longer in Wadi Rum.<\/p>\n Wadi Rum Jordan<\/p><\/div>\n Stars in the night Wadi Rum<\/p><\/div>\n Camels Wadi Rum<\/p><\/div>\n We spent a total of $364.59 on entrance fees.\u00a0 This included seeing Mycenae, Olympia, Lerna, Tyrine and Delphi in Greece, the City of David, Church of Ascension, Israel Museum, and walking the ramparts of Jerusalem.\u00a0 We also went to the Coral Beach Reef in Eilat, Israel and while in Jordan, we saw Petra, Church of the Map, and the Archeology Park.\u00a0 By far the most expensive site we visited in January was Petra.\u00a0 A 4-day pass cost us a total of $169.20.\u00a0 Despite the expense, it was well worth it. Petra is very large and really needs at least 2 to 3 days to be able to see it without exhausting yourself.<\/p>\n Mycenea<\/p><\/div>\n Olympia<\/p><\/div>\n Delphi<\/p><\/div>\n The ramparts Jerusalem<\/p><\/div>\n Petra<\/p><\/div>\n Church of the Map<\/p><\/div>\n The other place that we found to be expensive, but still worth seeing was the Israel Museum.\u00a0 It cost us $35.82.\u00a0 The Israel museum houses some of the Dead Sea scrolls and also has an amazing archeology collection.<\/p>\nFood<\/h3>\n
<\/a><\/a><\/a>All inclusive<\/h3>\n
<\/a><\/a><\/a>Entrance Fees<\/h3>\n
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