How to Travel the World With Kids for 6 Months (Our Budget Breakdown)
David and I sold our startup in 2025. After 6 years of 80-hour weeks, we decided to take 6 months off, pull the kids out of school, and show them the world before settling into whatever comes next.
Everyone told us it would be too expensive. "A family of 4 travelling for 6 months? That'll cost you $100,000."
It cost us $42,000. For all four of us. For six months. Across 8 countries.
That's $7,000 per month, or $1,750 per person per month. Less than our combined rent and childcare in San Francisco.
Here's every dollar.
The Big Picture
| Category | 6-Month Total | Monthly Average | % of Budget |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accommodation | $14,400 | $2,400 | 34% |
| Flights | $6,200 | $1,033 | 15% |
| Food | $8,400 | $1,400 | 20% |
| Activities | $4,200 | $700 | 10% |
| Local transport | $2,400 | $400 | 6% |
| Insurance | $2,160 | $360 | 5% |
| Connectivity | $348 | $58 | 1% |
| Schooling | $1,200 | $200 | 3% |
| Misc | $2,692 | $449 | 6% |
| Total | $42,000 | $7,000 | 100% |
Where We Went (and What It Cost)
Month 1-2: Portugal ($5,600/month)
Our most expensive months because we were in Western Europe during summer shoulder season. Stayed in Lisbon (3 weeks) and the Algarve (5 weeks). The Algarve was cheaper but we splurged on a villa with a pool because swimming pool = kids entertained for 6 hours/day = parents in peace.
| Item | Monthly Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Airbnb (2BR) | $1,800-2,200 | Lisbon was pricier than Algarve |
| Food | $1,400 | Mix of cooking and dining out |
| Activities | $400 | Beach is free, castle visits $5-10/person |
| Transport | $300 | Car rental in Algarve, metro in Lisbon |
Month 3: Thailand ($4,800/month)
Budget relief. Thailand brought our costs down significantly. Bangkok for 1 week, Chiang Mai for 2 weeks, Koh Lanta for 1 week.
| Item | Monthly Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Hotels/Airbnb | $1,600 | Beach bungalow in Koh Lanta was $35/night |
| Food | $800 | Street food for $2-3/person/meal |
| Activities | $600 | Elephant sanctuary, cooking class, island trips |
| Transport | $300 | Flights between cities, Grab |
Month 4: Bali ($4,200/month)
Similar to Thailand but slightly pricier for accommodation (Bali villas are worth the premium). Ubud for 2 weeks, Sidemen for 1 week, Canggu for 1 week.
| Item | Monthly Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Villa (3BR + pool) | $1,800 | Private pool was non-negotiable |
| Food | $700 | Even cheaper than Thailand somehow |
| Activities | $600 | Rice paddy treks, Monkey Forest, surf lesson |
| Transport | $300 | Scooter rental + Grab |
Month 5: Japan ($8,400/month)
Our most expensive destination. Japan is not cheap, but it's so worth it with kids (see my kid-friendly destinations guide). Tokyo 2 weeks, Kyoto 1 week, Osaka 1 week, plus a night at a ryokan in Hakone.
| Item | Monthly Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Hotels/Airbnb | $3,200 | Tokyo is expensive, Osaka is manageable |
| Food | $2,000 | Restaurants $15-25/person, konbini meals $5 |
| Activities | $800 | TeamLab, temples, train experiences |
| Transport | $1,200 | JR Pass + metro + bullet trains |
Month 6: Vietnam + Cambodia ($3,400/month)
Our cheapest month. Da Nang 2 weeks, Hoi An 1 week, Siem Reap 1 week. This is where we recovered financially from Japan.
| Item | Monthly Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Airbnb/hotels | $900 | 2BR apartment in Da Nang was $22/night |
| Food | $500 | $1-3 per meal. Not a typo. |
| Activities | $400 | Angkor Wat, cooking class, beach |
| Transport | $200 | Mostly Grab and walking |
The Line Items Nobody Warns You About
Travel Insurance: $360/month
World Nomads family plan. Covers all 4 of us, including medical evacuation. We claimed once (Max's ear infection in Lisbon, $150 for the doctor visit). Worth every penny for the peace of mind alone.
Schooling: $200/month
Lily is in Year 2. We couldn't just skip 6 months of school. We enrolled her in an online program (Outschool) that does live classes 3 times per week. $200/month. She does her schoolwork in the morning while Max watches Bluey.
This requires reliable internet. We do schoolwork sessions over hotel Wi-Fi when possible, but when the Wi-Fi is terrible (which happens more than you'd think), we hotspot from our GOAN eSIM. The connection is reliable enough for video classes.
Connectivity: $58/month
David and I both have GOAN eSIMs at $29 each on the group plan. This covers data and real phone numbers across every country we visited.
Total for 6 months: $348. Compare that to what AT&T quoted us for family international roaming: $280/month ($1,680 for 6 months).
We saved $1,332 by switching to GOAN. That's a month of family accommodation in Southeast Asia.
Kids' Gear Replacement: $400 total
Shoes that got outgrown (twice). Swimsuits that got destroyed. A tablet case that broke. A new stuffed dinosaur when the original had a "surgery" that couldn't be reversed (Max doesn't know about this).
Visa Costs: $600 total
Vietnam e-visa ($25/person x 4), Indonesia VOA ($32/person x 4), Cambodia visa on arrival ($30/person x 4), plus various extensions.
Where We Saved
Cooking 50% of Meals
With a kitchen in our Airbnb, we cooked breakfast and lunch most days. Dinner was usually out. This saved us roughly $2,000 over 6 months compared to eating every meal at restaurants.
Slow Travel
We stayed 2-4 weeks per location instead of hopping cities every few days. Fewer flights, fewer transit days, better long-stay Airbnb rates. Moving is the most expensive part of travel.
Off-Season Timing
We went to Japan in spring (shoulder season) and Portugal in early autumn. Peak summer prices would have added 30-40% to our accommodation costs.
Group eSIM Instead of Carrier Roaming
Already mentioned, but $348 vs $1,680 is worth repeating. Check the coverage map for your destinations.
Where We Splurged
The Japan Ryokan ($240/night)
One night. Private onsen. Kaiseki dinner. View of Mount Fuji. The kids still talk about sleeping on futons on the tatami floor. Some experiences are worth the splurge.
The Bali Villa Pool
$1,800/month for a 3-bedroom villa with a private pool sounds expensive until you realise that the pool entertained both kids for 4-6 hours per day. That's free babysitting. The most cost-effective line item in the entire budget.
Angkor Wat (3-Day Pass)
$62/person for a 3-day Angkor pass. We used all 3 days. Lily filled her entire journal with temple drawings. Max ran through every corridor. We saw sunrise at Angkor Wat and it changed all of us. Worth it.
The Bottom Line
6 months of family travel across 8 countries cost us $42,000 total. That's $7,000/month for a family of 4.
Our combined rent + childcare + utilities in San Francisco was $8,500/month.
We spent less travelling the world with our kids than we would have spent staying home.
The numbers don't lie. Long-term family travel is more affordable than people think. You just have to be intentional about where you go, when you go, and how you handle the small stuff (like connectivity, which at $58/month for the whole family is the cheapest line item in the budget).
