Cost per day to tour

Priceline! You can get really good deals and generally save $5-15 off of motels and significantly more off of higher end hotels. I use BetterBidding and BiddingTraveler to look up successful wins and hotel lists in the area so I can bid multiple times. After a few weeks, it really adds up. We stop at Mickey D's for free wifi close to where we want to stop for the night.

Also....stay away from KOAs unless you have no choice. They are expensive and have more of a family environment. We've stayed at ones around $40-50/night whereas state/national parks are $15-30 for serviced sites.

I also bring snacks with me bought in boxes - goldfish crackers, granola bars, fruit leather, etc. to tide me over until the next meal. Cheaper than buying individual at gas stops but then again, you have to have the luggage space. For healthy, we'll stop by the local grocery store before heading to camp and buy some fresh stuff.

Even with camping, we stay at hotels every few days to handwash some things (saves time and money), get a good shower in, and take some travel sized toiletries and coffee-stuff for brewing at the next camp sites.

Also, I always sign up for sample toiletries and household cleaners so I have free travel sized items for the trip. If you buy them in stores, it's like $1-3 each and that adds up.
 
I'm thinking that a small pot and a small single propane burner would be worthwhile to pack. Soup, ramen, hotdogs, coffee
 
Yeah buddy in australia always packs a little stove and has tea breaks on our jaunts in the bush.
He carries a pair of camp chairs, and tea biscuits.

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all in a tiny pair of saddle bags and a small backpack.
Much fun

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Schneller said:
I'm thinking that a small pot and a small single propane burner would be worthwhile to pack. Soup, ramen, hotdogs, coffee
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I did a crapload of research before my planned cross country trip last year. Ended up buying the MSR Dragonfly stove and GSI Pinnacle Backpacker cookset. I've only used them a couple times, but they seem to work well. Advantage of the Dragonfly is that it runs off pump gas so you can refill it wherever and you have extra gas in case you run out.
 
It depends on where you are going. Usually US is cheaper...the lowest per day was $130/day with food/motel/gas for 800km day.
 
For my wife and I two up in the states it looks like this:
2 tanks of gas + ~$50
cheap motel about $60 including tax -yes they're sketchy sometimes but always clean enough
breakfast is the hotel freebie or a bowl of variety pac cereal
lunch is a sandwhich and snacks picnic style -usually $15 worth of groceries is good for two days - $7.50/day
supper is mix of fast food and something involving a waiter so about $30 on avrage for us both
a $5 six pack last two days - 1 for lunch and couple in the room -$2.50/day
Total $150/day for the pair of us.
Every other day would likely also include admission to some kind of park, site or road side attraction

Camping rough with buddies in Canada it gets cheaper
Gas about the same $50
Accommodation free
Breakfast usually a warm left over beer and a smoke - maybe some left overs and boil up coffee if time permits
Lunch fry truck or gas station sandwhich $5-10
Suppers cheap groceries over a fire (chicken wiener time) and the odd restaurant meal tossed in - average maybe $20
a sixpack a day $8-10
Total probably get by on $85
 
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I like your style, dirtbag.
 
Schneller said:
For everything there is a season. (Turn, turn.) Camping has had it's day. Another downside is carrying the necessary gear. Just not for me any more. I wish I were younger and could still enjoy camping.

I'm at an age where I know the song referenced in the first line. This trip is a retirement gift to myself. Freedom 57, baby!
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Now I'm jealous at 59 with no freedom in sight :-( However, I still love camping - motels vs tents are like cars vs motorcycles to me - yeah its more convenient to do the former in every aspect - but what personifies the freedom of the open road more than a tent strapped to the back of a bike?

But back to costs - Since fuel is the one thing you really can't control at all, I budget my gas based on anticipated mileage, at current Ontario prices, then add in an additional $100 per week of planned trip for side trips and fluctuations and I usually end up below budget, which is just a bonus.

Food and accommodation expenses can be juggled somewhat - its really about priorities. Even fast food restaurants now offer salads, I can't imagine eating $50.00 of food a day - but I don't drink when I'm touring so I don't care about alcohol and even when I do drink, one or two drinks will do me. If I can't camp, I will stay at a cheap motel and cheap doesn't necessarily mean flea bag. I'd rather spend my money on what will keep me on the road and get me to where I want to go - I'll live on granola bars and apples and camp in $5.00 municipal campgrounds if that's the only way I can afford to stand by my bike looking over the Grand Canyon. Cuz if I was paying $120 for hotel rooms it would be a trip outside my budget - or maybe a once every five year trip.

But that's just me - you gotta love your journey and if that means relaxing in a nice hotel room at night, with a few cold ones and a pool and a jacuzzi - which sounds nice even to me - then that's what you gotta budget for.
 
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Many thanks for you input, BeastieGirl!
 
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