From Byron Bay on the East Coast of Australia to San Francisco in California – August has been full of epic surprises and here’s the lowdown, budget and stats…
Well August has been another crazy month on the road full of surprises!
It began like the last few months of Byron Bay goodness, kicking back enjoying a slower pace of life, surfing and soaking up the good life. It quickly took a turn for the unexpected though…and if you’ve been following me on social media you’ll be pretty aware it’s because there’s a girl involved!haha!
Yup I crossed paths with a lovely Californian called Erinn, showed her around Byron Bay – including kayaking with dolphins and introducing her and her buddy Lorenna to scuba diving – and something just clicked.
Unfortunately she then had to bounce to New Zealand but within a few days had booked a flight back to see me!
But seeing as I live a pretty fluid lifestyle when she asked if I fancied coming to visit her in California I decided to go with the flow and booked a flight from Byron Bay to Sydney to San Francisco and spent the remainder of the month kicking back in California with the sunshine, mimosas and a lot of tacos!
Life can be pretty crazy and unpredictable and I’m quickly making a habit of embracing the chaos – at the end of the day I’d rather regret things I did than those I didn’t.
And this time it’s paid off with some new places ticked off my travel bucket list and a gorgeous Californian girl on my arm – happy days indeed!
And feeling all loved up again here’s my stats round up for August 2015;
[Tweet “”August has been another crazy month on the road full of surprises!””]
Overland Distance; 305.51 km
Flight Distance; 13,256.24 km
Total Distance; 13,561.75 km
Countries; Australia, USA
Main Spots; Byron Bay, Sydney, San Francisco
Transport Taken; airport shuttle, train, car, tram, VW Campervan
Flights – BNK-SYD (Virgin Australia), SYD-LAX (Delta), LAX-SFO (Delta)
Money Breakdown
Australia – £422.98 over 22 days = £19.22 per day
USA – £234.71 over 9 days = £26.07 per day
Total spent – £657.69 over 31 days = £21.21 per day
Well although California has cost me a lot more than I first expected – I’m not paying for accommodation after all – I’m still stoked that my overall daily spend is still under the £25 mark!
[Tweet “”Total spent – £657.69 over 31 days = £21.21 per day””]
Cheapest Place – As per the last few months Byron Bay still takes the biscuit for cheapest spot. Renting a house and cooking most of my meals has really helped me keep my costs down, which is an important thing to get under control if you’re spending a lot of time in Australia!
Most Expensive Place – despite not having to pay for any accommodation as I’m crashing with Erinn in San Francisco I’ve still managed to smash my expected budget for this mini trip…mainly due to meals out and a good few drinking sessions! Whoops!
Biggest Splurge/Unforeseen Expense – apart from the obvious surprise flight booking (which isn’t included in my monthly budget) I’ve not really had any big splurges this month, just the cost associated with good living and city life in California!
Highlight – Well I’m not going to lie – the definite highlight of the month was meeting Erinn and the crazy whirlwind romance that ensued and landed me in California a few weeks later…!
Lowlight – saying goodbye to Byron Bay…sure it’s only for a few weeks but my next visit will be a quick stop to catch up with some buddies and say bye to everyone before my next adventure.
[Tweet “”the crazy whirlwind romance that ensued and landed me in California a few weeks later…!””]
Top Shot
What’s Next?
Well after a couple weeks of downtime exploring California it’s no surprise that Australia is where I’m bouncing next!
However this time Byron Bay isn’t my only destination and I’m hoping to explore some new places whilst I piece together the next adventure which will take up the remainder of 2015 – super stoked for it!
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