If I was slightly more conscious about my dining, accommodation, and spending habits, I easily could have cut 30 NZD or more per day from my budget. (This won’t be an issue next time I go back, as unlimited Wi-Fi is standard in most hostels now.) I picked up the slack on my phone by just ordering more data and not really thinking about it. As a person not used to data limits, being data-limited at hostels was new territory for me as I tried to stream Netflix. Additionally, the scenic rail I took (while awesome) was also 159 NZD! And transportation to Stewart Island was 160 NZD!Īnd I definitely blew through way too much phone data. With a lot of ground to cover, I couldn’t always spend a day on a bus so flying really increased my costs. Looking back, there were plenty of things I could have done to lower my costs.įor example, I could have saved money by eating out less or by booking less expensive Airbnbs instead of hostel private rooms (which are always a terrible deal but I wanted to be around other travelers). ![]() I knew that taking scenic planes, trains, and helicopter rides staying in private rooms, and meals out were going to cost a lot of money.īut even I was surprised by how much I spent when I wasn’t tracking my spending. I spent a lot of money, but, again, I said yes to everything. Spark phone service: 164.68 NZD (6.50 NZD/day).Accommodations: 913.64 NZD (36 NZD/day).Like holy hell a lot of money! Way more than my $50 USD a day guideline. Over the course of my 25-day visit, I spent 4,550.90 NZD, averaging 182 NZD per day. And, in the process I learned a lot about, the true cost of traveling New Zealand. So I became the Nomadic Matt of many budgeting hats. What if you want to eat out a lot but also hike or sleep in a van? What if you want to do all the adventure activities in the world? What does it cost to be a broke backpacker? A mid-range traveler? Or a mix of the two? I wanted to really know how much money you need in New Zealand for a variety of budgets. ![]() I was going to say yes to everything - regardless of cost. I cooked most of my meals, hitchhiked, skipped all the costly adventure sports, and drank a diet of cheap boxed wine and happy hour beer.īut, on my most recent visit, I changed my MO. Back then, I was a cheap(er) backpacker and focused on saving as much money as I could. The country was so much more expensive than I thought it would be. I first visited New Zealand over a decade ago. It’s also a land that sucks all your money from your wallet like a giant vacuum. The land of Middle Earth, Great Walks, kiwis, backpackers, adventure sports, delicious wine, and pristine remote landscapes.
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