The Baltic Loop

[Amarillo]

A rough outline of our planned 11 week tour of Scandinavia and the Baltic States 5 June to 23 August 2017.

With two young boys (ages 2 and 3) and two dogs, we hope to restrict our driving to 2 to 4 hours per day between main stops. Our budget is £1000 per week from continuing business income, with a rapidly decreasing contingency of £250 per week which is rapidly decreasing because we keep on spending it on accessories for the van such as solar panels, compressor fridges and expensive seat covers.

We expect to free camp about 25% of nights, stay on campsites about 50% of nights and stay in self catering accommodation or hotels about 25% of nights.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=17C16xmtK2xNxHEJKrr1vUVshoBo&usp=sharing

 

[Strong]

snip: Our budget is £1000 per week from continuing business income, with a rapidly decreasing contingency of £250 per week ...

Huh? You're planning to spend £1250 a week?

 

[Amarillo]

Huh? You're planning to spend £1250 a week?

No - our budget is £1000 per week from continuing business income and rental income from our home. Our savings could give us at least an additional £250 per week for a year if needed.

We hope to spend considerably less than our budget and not even touch our contingency funds. I have read blogs of couples who have spent about £10,000 and about £18,000 on a year away. But we are four, not two, and we intend to spend time in self catering accommodation and hotels, as well as about 75% of nights in the van.

This is all unknown to us, a bit of a plunge in the dark. We have absolutely no idea how much it will all cost in terms of accommodation, meals, fuel, tolls, excursions, etc. Our total time away will be about one year, I'd like to stay away from 5 June to 23 August, then from 6 September to mid August 2018, but I expect we will return home at around the end of the tenancy on our home, early June 2018.

 

[Strong]

I apologise for the apparent tone of my reply - it wasn't ridicule or derision, I'm just confused or surprised. If I read you right you're budgeting eleven grand for the trip with a further nearly three grand contingency -- I just thought that sounded a lot. But hey, why the hell not! It'll be a fabulous trip!

(I'm not sure what "continuing business income" means but it sounds cool and it's probably none of my business anyway ...!)

 

[Amarillo]

(I'm not sure what "continuing business income" means but it sounds cool and it's probably none of my business anyway ...!)

It is no secret.

I have a small business that requires very little work, and that work which is required can be conducted from any suitably connected phone, laptop or tablet. We also have a three bedroom house in a south London suburb which we are prepared to let out for a year. The business and the letting out of our home should generate an income after tax of about £1000 per week.

Therefore, using an amended Micawber Principle, which includes savings, weekly expenditure <= £1000: result happiness; weekly expenditure <= £1,250: result satisfaction; weekly expenditure > £1,250: result misery.

 

[bigmac77]

Our family could easily burn through a grand a week on holiday but we go peak season. Autumn, winter and spring should be easily done within budget leaving a surplus for the summer if required.

 

[Amarillo]

Our family could easily burn through a grand a week on holiday but we go peak season. Autumn, winter and spring should be easily done within budget leaving a surplus for the summer if required.

Scandinavia is the most expensive region in Europe. If we can manage on £1000 a week or less over June, July and August in Scandinavia, I am confident that we can manage on £1000 a week or less in the rest of Europe off season.

One plus point about Scandinavia is that free camping is abundant, and with 200 watts of solar panels on the roof, we are well-placed to take advantage of this Scandinavian boon.

(I have informed senior management that our absolute budget is 100 Euros or 900 Nok per day).

 

[bigmac77]

Nearly 20 years ago I back packed round the world. The first couple of months I spent a lot of money simply down to inexperience. Once I got into it and figured out how to live cheaply I was able to live on a fairly small amount and in the last couple of months I was surviving on very little simply because I didn't want to come home. IMO careful budgeting in the first few weeks will set the tone for spending throughout the year but equally if you see something you want to do and it's over budget just do it because you might never get the opportunity again.

 

[Seaside Sussex]

Loving the sound of your plans Tom @Amarillo

Only wish we'd purchased our Cali when our two were younger. Our eldest is entering his GCSEs years come September so long trips simply aren't an option.

 

[Amarillo]

Loving the sound of your plans Tom @Amarillo

Only wish we'd purchased our Cali when our two were younger. Our eldest is entering his GCSEs years come September so long trips simply aren't an option.

I guess it is only because we are older parents that we can both afford a sabbatical year. But being older parents does come with its own costs. Woken at 3am the other morning, I needed a pee before I could attend to my teething son! A teenage niece came to stay a couple of weeks ago - she read a bedtime story to the boys and I fell asleep....

 

[Sandyvan]

Try and visit Warnemunde its a lovely German seaside town including beach and lighthouse, called there on a cruise. From memory campers were parked next to the beach.

 

[Palm]

Don't forget Lofoten on your way south it's just do the left before Narvik driving down from North Cape. It's amazing and in the context of your tour, on the way so to speak. Lofoten is 250 K from top (the bridge) to bottom the village Å. There is ferry boat(s) to mainland if you don't want to drive the same way back. From my point of view backtracking gives another view and worth it.

 

[Amarillo]

Don't forget Lofoten on your way south it's just do the left before Narvik driving down from North Cape. It's amazing and in the context of your tour, on the way so to speak. Lofoten is 250 K from top (the bridge) to bottom the village Å. There is ferry boat(s) to mainland if you don't want to drive the same way back. From my point of view backtracking gives another view and worth it.

Lofoten is one of our main stops as we journey north, arriving in the area on 8 July and leaving 12 July, perhaps a day or two later.

 

[Amarillo]

Our family could easily burn through a grand a week on holiday but we go peak season. Autumn, winter and spring should be easily done within budget leaving a surplus for the summer if required.

We've just returned from another of our 'practise' weekends. I took a note of costs:
Campsite £33.80 - no hookup, we have 2x100 watt solar panels on the roof.
Food £33.65 - basic fare, includes 2 x cooked breakfast, 2 x packed lunch, 2 x cooked evening meal, 2 cans of beer and 1 bottle of lager
Fuel £18.00 (98.3 miles, 3 gallons)
Excursions £15.95 (swimming on Saturday, we cycled on Sunday which was free)
Total £101.40, £50.70 per day.

This doesn't include hidden costs such as insurance, gas or laundry. It also doesn't include dog food (£1.50 per day for 2 dogs if bought in small quantities).

 

[Suomi man]

If you can, include a stop in the Turku archipelago in southern Finland and pay a visit to the Aland Islands. There both well worth the (shortish) detour

 

[Amarillo]

If you can, include a stop in the Turku archipelago in southern Finland and pay a visit to the Aland Islands. There both well worth the (shortish) detour

It looks like a fascinating area and a possible loop of the inner archipelago:
https://goo.gl/maps/YguFXTgfuyF2

 

[hirsty]

I'm obsessed with Norway after watching a few movies & spending too long on tourist websites. Have you worked out the fuel costs? (I don't doubt it!).

When we do longer trips we quickly get into the 'bread & cheese + local plonk' lifestyle, but there's no way around diesel costs if you're doing the miles. On a longer less hurried trip I guess you will be mostly able to avoid tolls.

 

[Palm]

There is places in Norway where you can't avoid road tolls, OSLO is one example BODÖ is another.
Swedish plates are recognised by the toll cameras, you might find a invoice in your mailbox if they can do British plates. It would not surprise me if there is tunnels and bridges with tolls. I usually uses ferries they cost money but has usually toilets and a small canteen. As Norway is generally more expensive than Sweden, I appreciate that the price of diesel is higher there. i.e. over 1.10 £ per liter diesel. Have a nice trip, Norway is a beauty and worth the price, they know it too well.

 

[Walrus]

1.10 £ per liter diesel. Have a nice trip, Norway is a beauty and worth the price, they know it too well.

That's cheaper than UK! Also I found you get much better mileage because of the lower speed limits and higher potential fines.

 

[hirsty]

Gorgeous:

https://www.visitnorway.com/plan-your-trip/travel-tips-a-z/national-tourist-routes/

 

[amountainhigh]

Hi Tom (Amarillo), I'll be keen to see how you get on, on your trip. I'm currently trying to persuade my other half to consider a 6 month road-trip around Europe in a California - just the two of us and dog. We've recently hired an Ocean for a couple of weekends but she's concerned about the space for a longer trip (and the usual practicalities re- shower/toilet), so with the 4 of you I'll be keen to hear how your trip goes and hopefully use you as a positive reference!

How did you you overcome any concerns, if there were any? Keep it quiet but I've even started secretly looking at high-top vans like the Ducato-based Westfalia Amundsen or Adria Twin's as a fall-back but hopefully I can persuade her otherwise.

Are you planning on posting regular updates or maybe running a blog during your year away?

 

[Amarillo]

Hi Tom (Amarillo), I'll be keen to see how you get on, on your trip. I'm currently trying to persuade my other half to consider a 6 month road-trip around Europe in a California - just the two of us and dog. We've recently hired an Ocean for a couple of weekends but she's concerned about the space for a longer trip (and the usual practicalities re- shower/toilet), so with the 4 of you I'll be keen to hear how your trip goes and hopefully use you as a positive reference!

How did you you overcome any concerns, if there were any? Keep it quiet but I've even started secretly looking at high-top vans like the Ducato-based Westfalia Amundsen or Adria Twin's as a fall-back but hopefully I can persuade her otherwise.

Are you planning on posting regular updates or maybe running a blog during your year away?

I've bought a web site for a blog, but have yet to upload any serious content:
https://au-revoir.eu/