Budget costs were estimated based on previous experience, guide books, web sites, and other travelogues. We know we are generally budget travelers but occasionally do like to splurge on the slightly nicer/cleaner place for a few extra bucks, so that's factored in. We will also attempt to track actual costs by country, and post those figures on the website.

The big "ifs" are in the costs of safaris and treks, and also extras like language school, flights to out of the way regions, etc. One of the reasons why eg Madagascar and Bhutan are so interesting and relatively untouristed, is that it's bloody expensive to get there! So, while on the one hand while we're in these areas we don't want to be overly frugal and miss out on once-in-a-lifetime opportunities, we can also see how taking on too many diversions and activities can quickly add up.

Anyway, our budget total is less than what we would spend living for a year in Boston, only there far fewer monkeys and elephants in Boston.