At close to 4,000 feet, Peru
FOREWORD: This is MB&S’s last statistical update. Though it has been fun tracking every sweaty mile and unimportant penny, it’s time to shelve the calculator. As with all the words written on this blog, this last statistical update reveals a great deal about Bob, Surly, and I’s personalities but also the mechanics of our long pedal across South America. For example, we’re good for Brazil’s economy (US$ 11,770.40 spent in that country), bad for Bolivia’s (US$ 13.41 average spent per day there) and statistically we enjoy kicking loose more than clipping-in (only 18% of travel days spent in the saddle). It is our hope, our minor legacy, and our cyber goodwill, that this information will help future cyclists and travelers plan for their South American adventures. Check out each week’s specific statistics by clicking our Weekly Statistics category. Of course, if you’d like futher information write any time.
Paria Beach, Trinidad
TRINIDAD & TOBAGO:
(Week / US$ Spent / Days on Bike)
Week 1: US$ 153 / 0 Days
Week 2: US$ 194 / 0 Days
Total Weeks in Trinidad & Tobago: 2
Total Days in Trinidad & Tobago: 14
Total Days on Bike: N/A
Percentage of Time Biking: 0%
Total Mileage: N/A
Average Mileage per Week: N/A
Average Mileage per Day: N/A
Total Money Spent in Trinidad & Tobago: $347
Average Spent per Week: US$ 173.5
Average Spent per Day: US$ 24.76
Me and Kat in Caracas, Venezuela
VENEZUELA:
(Week / US$ Spent / Days on Bike)
Week 3: US$ 88.81 / 0 Days
Week 4: US$ 250.00 / 0 Days
Total Weeks in Venezuela: 2
Total Days in Venezuela: 14
Total Days on the Bike: N/A
Percentage of Time Biking: 0%
Total Mileage in Venezuela: N/A
Average Mileage per Week: N/A
Average Mileage per Day: N/A
Total Spent in Venezuela: US$ 338.81
Average Spent per Week: US$ 169.41
Average Spent per Day: US$24.20
First day, Cartagena, Colombia
COLOMBIA:
(Week: US$ Spent / Days on Bike)
Week 5: 167.10 / 2
Week 6: 92.99 / 4
Week 7: 100.95 / 5
Week 8: 165.06 / 2
Week: 9: 203.23 / 0
Week: 10: 138.96 / 0
Week 11: 155.90 / 3
Week 12: 98.59 / 2
Week 13: 179.87 / 5
Total Weeks in Colombia: 9
Total Days in Colombia: 63
Total Days on Bike in Colombia: 23
Percentage of Time Biking: 36.5%
Total Mileage in Colombia: 1,232.81 (1,984.02 km)
Average Miles Biked Per Week: 136.98 (220.45 km)
Average Miles Biked Per Day: 53.60 (86.26km)
Total Money Spent in Colombia: US$ 1,302.65
Average Spent per Month: US$ 578.96
Average Spent Per Week: US$ 144.74
Average Spent Per Day: US$ 20.68
Climbing out of Quito toward the Amazon, Ecuador
ECUADOR:
(Week / US$ Spent / Days on Bike)
Week 14: 227.85 / 2
Week 15: 299.20 / 0
Week 16: 148.01 / 0
Week 17: 126.17 / 0
Week 18: 106.75 / 3
Week 19: 137.22 / 0
Week 20: 88.34 / 0
Total Weeks in Ecuador: 7
Total Days in Ecuador: 49
Total Days on Bike in Ecuador: 5
Percentage of Time Biking: 10.2%
Total Mileage in Ecuador: 304.78 (490.50 km)
Average Miles Biked Per Week: 43.54 (70.07 km)
Average Miles Biked Per Day: 60.96 (98.11 km)
Total Money Spent in Ecuador: US$1,133.54
Average Spent per Month: US$ 647.72
Average Spent Per Week: US$ 161.93
Average Spent Per Day: US$ 23.13
PERU
(Week / US$ Spent / Days on Bike)
Week 21: 59.54 / 0
Week 22: 25.61 / 2
Week 23: 44.56 / 7
Week 24: 85.61 / 4
Week 25: 81.51 / 5
Week 26: 78.72 / 0
Week 27: 61.70 / 5
Week 28 – 38: VISITED CHILE WITHOUT BIKE SEE BELOW
Week 39: MISSING
Week 40: 101.58 / 3
Week 41: 215.66 / 4
Total Weeks in Peru: 10
Total Days in Peru: 70
Total Days on Bike in Peru: 30
Percentage of Time Biking: 42.86%
Total Mileage in Peru: 1,183.41 (1,904.51 km)
Average Miles Biked per Week: 118.34 (190.45 km)
Average Miles Biked per Day: 39.45 (63.49 km)
Total Money Spent in Peru: US$ 1,302.65
Average Spent per Month: US$ 521.08
Average Spent per Week: US$ 130.27
Average Spent per Day: US$ 18.61
Hiking in Torres del Paine, Chile
CHILE
(Week / US$ Spent / Days on Bike)
Week 28: 309.07 / 0
Week 29: 64.33 / 0
Week 30: 30.21 / 0
Week 31: 285.32 / 0
Week 32: 109.00 / 0
Week 33: 134.51 / 0
Week 34: 128.84 / 0
Week 35: 95.40 / 0
Week 36: 170.83 / 0
Week 37: 85.60 / 0
Week 38: 91.40 / 0
Total Weeks in Chile: 11
Total Days in Chile: 77
Total Days on Bike: 0
Percentage of Time Biking: 0%
Total Mileage in Chile: N/A
Average Miles Biked per Week: N/A
Average Miles Biked per Day: N/A
Total Money Spent in Chile: US$ 1,504.51
Average Spent per Month: $543.08
Average Spent per Week: US$ 135.77
Average Spent per Day: US$ 19.54
BOLIVIA
(Week / US$ Spent / Days on Bike)
Week 42: 74.56 / 2
Week 43: 85.29 / 0
Week 44: 68.33 / 5
Week 45: 39.57 / 4
Week 46: 85.56 / 1
Week 47: 108.14 / 0
Week 48: 207.54 / 4
Week: 49: 94.29 / 0
Week 50: 81.46 / 1
Total Weeks in Bolivia: 9
Total Days in Bolivia: 63
Total Days on Bike: 17
Percentage of Time Biking: 26.98%
Total Mileage in Bolivia: 701.07 (1,128.26 km)
Average Miles Biked per Week: 77.90 (125.37 km)
Average Miles Biked per Day: 41.24 (66.37 km)
Total Money Spent in Bolivia: US$ 844.74
Average Spent per Month: US$ 375.44
Average Spent per Week: US$ 93.86
Average Spent per Day: US$ 13.41
BRAZIL
(Week / US$ Spent / Days on Bike)
Week 51: 131.62 / 5
Week 52: 99.84 / 6
Week 53: 81.08 / 4
Week 54: 152.11 / 0
Week 55: 197.30 / 0
Week 56: 142.97 / 0
Week 57: 224.58 / 4
Week 58: 157.63 / 0
Week 59: 204.35 / 3
Week 60: 500 / 0
Week 61: 168.38 / 3
Week 62: MISSING
Week 63: 197.74 / 0
Week 64: 178.53 / 2
Week 65: 175.75 / 2
Week 66: 141.24 / 3
Week 67: 166.10 / 2
Week 68: 180.79 / 1
Week 69 – 92: 8,002.00 / 0
Week 93: 287.81 / 5
Week 94: 174.59 / 1
Week 95: 59.60 / 3
Week 96: 146.43 / 5
Total Weeks in Brazil: 45
Total Days in Brazil: 315
Total Days on the Bike: 49
Percentage of Time Biking: 15.56%
Total Mileage in Brazil: 2,730.67 (4,394.59 km)
Average Miles Biked per Week: 60.68 (97.65 km)
Average Miles Biked per Day: 55.73 (89.69 km)
Total Money Spent in Brazil: US$ 11,770.44
Average Spent per Month: US$ 1,046.28
Average Spent per Week: US$ 261.57
Average Spent per Day: US$ 37.37
NOTE: Monthly students loan payments of US$90 are included in the Brazil expense breakdown.
Traversing the sand bars of Laguna Rocha, Uruguay
URUGUAY
(Week / US$ Spent / Days on Bike)
Week 97: 120.24 / 2
Week 98: 153.11 / 1
Week 99: 134.22 / 0
Week 100 – 101: 703.48 / 2
Total Weeks in Uruguay: 5
Total Days in Uruguay: 35
Total Days on Bike in Uruguay: 5
Percentage of Time Biking: 14.29%
Total Mileage in Uruguay: 440.77 (709.35 km)
Average Miles Biked per Week: 88.15 (141.86 km)
Average Miles Biked per Day: 88.15 (141.86 km)
Total Money Spent in Uruguay: US$ 1,111.05
Average Spent per Week: US$ 221.21
Average Spent per Day: US$ 31.74
Recently arrived in Buenos Aires, Argentina
ARGENTINA
No money or mileage was tracked in Argentina.
SOUTH AMERICA BIKE TOUR SUMMARY
TOTAL WEEKS TRAVELING: 102
TOTAL DAYS TRAVELING: 714
TOTAL DAYS TRAVELING BY BIKE: 129
TOTAL HOURS TRAVELING BY BIKE: 1,032 (8 hour days)
TOTAL MINUTES TRAVELING BY BIKE: 61,920
TOTAL SECONDS TRAVELING BY BIKE: 3,715,200
PERCENTAGE OF TIME TRAVELING BY BIKE: 18.07%
TOTAL MILES TRAVELED BY BIKE: 6,483.51 (10,434.21 KM)
AVERAGE MILES BIKED PER DAY: 50.26 (80.89 KM)
TOTAL MONEY SPENT TRAVELING: US$ 18,200.72
AVERAGE MONEY SPENT PER DAY: US$ 25.49
ME, BOB & SURLY: THREE FRIENDS BIKE SOUTH AMERICA 
[…] Trevor went on a massive bike tour of South America, including all costs. […]
By: The Economics of Epic Excursions on July 12, 2011
at 4:27 PM
Hi Trevor,
By chance, do you have statistics of how many books have you read or how many films have you watched in this long trip in south america?, this information could be interesting too… saludos, Carlos ;)
By: Carlos on June 11, 2011
at 8:38 PM
Hey Carlos, when I began this trip I too thought it’d be interesting to track my reading habits. Under the tab “Books” you can see a list of all the books I’ve read since beginning this bike tour. The math breaks down this like: 102 weeks on the road / 84 books = 1.21 books per week. Unfortunately I didn’t track my movie viewing, but I’ve watched many, especially Brazilian ones. Abrazo amigo.
By: wrightbro2 on June 12, 2011
at 4:55 PM
great, interseting and thanks Trevor to take time posting this. Indeed travelling cn be much cheaper. As i am still have south america in my mind, I am happy to find your blog!!
I am currently cycling in the EU averaging under 15€/day, say it is 20$, much less on a cycling only day compared to a “new in the city day”
as you say, budgetting can be made very tight but I feel that it is about enjoying the trip, cutting down on costs may reduce the enjoyment although costs only do not prove any enjoyment! Besides show me 10 bicycle traveller and you will have 10 travelling styles
I love as much being alone cycling in the wild, camping on my own, as tasting local delicacies with a newly met friend.
By: François on June 10, 2011
at 8:06 PM
Thanks for sharing, Francois. You summed up my philosophy perfectly when you said, in a paraphrase, that cutting costs just to cut costs doesn’t provide any enjoyment. If you have a blog, could you reply with it here? I think others could learn from your travel experience as well. Cheers!
By: wrightbro2 on June 10, 2011
at 11:17 PM
Cool, I actually read it all. Useful stuff. I know ways to make it almost half cheaper (sprouting being one of them), but if having the means, I’d love to spend four times more. Eh, eh.
By: McComber on June 10, 2011
at 1:04 AM
Eric, thanks for the comment.
Yes, there are always ways to travel cheaper. However, after years of financial sacrifice to make this trip happen at times I
just wanted to enjoy myself, without worrying about prices or competing at how little money I could surive on….
When in Brazil I lived as my middle-class Brazilian friends lived, which meant going out several times a week, eating out more than I normally would, and paying cover fees to see live music. The US$1,046.28 spent per month (including rent) in Brazil reflects this….
Before my sedetary life in Brazil, my average per month expenses while cycling Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia were US$ 530.80, or US$ 17.69 per day. I think this reflects only slightly more than what the average cyclist can expect to spend. Note that of the almost 9 months “cycling” in these countries, only 3 months were actually spent in the saddle. During most pure cycling days I spent less than US$7 per day. Off the bike I’d sight-see, splurge on tons of delicious local foods, indulge in a beer or two, and go out with people I’d meet—all of which cost more than reading books around a campstove in the middle of the countryside.
As per your comment, half of US$530.80 would be US$ 265.40 per month, or US$ 8.85 per day. Though it’s possible to bike tour on this budget, I think you’d miss out on many interesting aspects of local culture. In all South American countries there are locals who earn and survive on US$265.40 per month (or less)—and you’ll get to know them on the bike. That’s the beauty of bike travel. However, by spending only US$ 8.85 per day it will be difficult to intregrate and make friends with the middle- and upper-class locals, which also offer a unique perspective on their respective country.
Like you said, you can travel more cheaply, but a more liberal budget allows for more varied experiences.
Best,
Trevor
By: wrightbro2 on June 10, 2011
at 5:16 PM
Hi Trevor,
Thank you for your kindness.
Your picture… just to restate, you remind me of EL CHE.
El cuadro “América Invertida”, de 1943, del uruguayo, el artista Joaquín Torres García, y sus palabras:
“Dije Escuela del Sur; porque en realidad, nuestro Norte es el Sur. No debe haber Norte para nosotros, sino en oposición a nuestro Sur. Por eso ahora ponemos el mapa al revés, y entonces ya tendremos justa idea de nuestra posición, y no como quieren en el resto del mundo. La punta de América desde ahora se prolonga, señala insistentemente el Sur, nuestro Norte”.
As per your advise, I’ ve started today reading “Shantaram”, great, thank you.
Abrazos, Martha
By: akaeter on June 9, 2011
at 8:10 PM
Martha, I’m very different from Ernesto “Che” Guevara in many ways…but most agree he was a handsome man, so thanks for the compliment…You’ll be transported to India with “Shantaram.” When you finish the book I want to hear what you think. Un saludo!
By: wrightbro2 on June 10, 2011
at 11:22 PM