Rough budget:
To see a full budget guide, view my American budget blog post. This is a quick overview of spending money you might need in America. Please keep in mind this will vary for everyone and is a rough guide.
Flights- We flew from Melbourne to San Francisco to Toronto to Boston, Washington to Las Vegas, and Los Angeles back to Melbourne. For 5 flights (3 international) we paid $1630AUD.
Other big travel- We got the amtrak from Boston to New York to Philidelphia to Washington and a greyhound bus from Las Vegas to Anaheim. We paid $160USD ($200AUD).
Hotels- We stayed in 3-4 star hotels every night. we paid an average of $60 USD a day, keep in mind this was split between 3 people and does not including resort fees or bonds.
Food- I tried to stick to the budget of $35 USD a day. Some days you would just buy food from the supermarket so it was less than the budget. Other days like when you’re at Disneyland one meal would cost $35 USD plus your two other meals and snacks for the day. I don’t really drink too much alcohol so it didn’t change my budget too much.
Shopping- I like to do a bit of shopping while I’m on holidays, and bring back things for everyone. My friend and I did so much shopping in America we had to buy another large bag to share. I spent around $500USD in 5 weeks so that averages to $15 USD a day.
Travel- We would get uber’s if the places we wanted to see where far away and we made sure we planned what we wanted to do that day roughly to keep additional travel costs low. New York was a big one where we had to plan what we were going to do. We would spend one day in the upperside, another in Brooklyn, midtown, central park, lower side and so on. This meant we would pay for one train in the morning and one train back instead of 3-4 train trips a day jumping all over the place. We walked a lot mainly in Vegas cause our hotel was in the middle of the strip so we would be walking 10km plus a day. Which is why we didn’t need extra transport, just uber’s to and from the airport which was all split by 3. I roughly paid a total of $350 USD in 5 weeks so this averages to $10 USD a day (this does not include flights and big travel like a train across states).
Attractions- Our days were filled with attractions, most days we did two in one day. These attraction prices differed from free, to cheap, to mid-range to expensive. I roughly paid around $100 USD a day. This cost is high as we did things like a helicopter tour, watched broadway and other shows.
In total, I paid $230 a day, not including Flights, other big travel, insurance, visas, resort fees and bonds.
Check out my latest posts about America:
- The truth about being a Camp CounselorBeing a camp counselor is the most rewarding job, however, we like to say it is the hardest job you’ll ever love. This saying is so true. You work 24 hours a day (Yes, you are technically working while you are sleeping), you don’t have breaks, it’s hot, and it… Read more: The truth about being a Camp Counselor
- How much should I budget for 5 weeks in America?Budgeting for travel can be so hard because everyone spends there money differently. If you’re a foodie you will most likely spend more money on food then someone who likes to shop. It also depends on what country you come from, as the exchange rate could be good or bad… Read more: How much should I budget for 5 weeks in America?
- Unique things to do in San FranciscoAfter being in San Francisco for 4 days, I have some tips on things to do and see in this amazingly chill city. Okay obviously, I’m not going to tell you some of the main things to do like go to Alcatraz, see pier 39 and Fishermans wharf, because everyone… Read more: Unique things to do in San Francisco
- How to become a camp counselorSo you want to go to camp? Awesome! Be prepared for the best but hardest summer job you’ll ever work! If you live in America and grew up going to summer camp I’m honestly so jealous! We don’t have anything like summer camp. So we live out our dream of… Read more: How to become a camp counselor
- What camp counselor company do I apply through?Okay, so, if you have read my blog post about how to be a camp counselor, you will know you cant just simply apply through a camp’s website if you don’t live in America. You have to apply through a sponsorship company and they will be your J-1 Visa sponsor.… Read more: What camp counselor company do I apply through?
