Our 3-Month Pre-Kids Trip: Route, Budget, and What We'd Do Differently
Tom and I quit our London jobs in January. By February, we were standing in a Marrakech souk wondering whether $400 was too much for a rug that the seller swore was "museum quality." (It was too much. We bought it anyway. We don't regret it.)
Three months. Five countries. One plan that we made up mostly as we went. Here's the full breakdown of where we went, what we spent, and what we'd change if we did it again.
The Route
Week 1-2: Morocco (Marrakech, Fes, Chefchaouen, Essaouira) Week 3-4: Turkey (Istanbul, Cappadocia, Antalya) Week 5-6: Kenya (Nairobi, Masai Mara safari, Diani Beach) Week 7-9: Thailand (Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Koh Lanta) Week 10-12: Japan (Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Hakone)
We booked the first two weeks before leaving London. Everything else was booked on the go, usually 3-7 days in advance. This is where having reliable phone data everywhere was non-negotiable. We booked flights, hotels, and activities from our phones constantly. One GOAN eSIM covered every country on the route.
The Budget (Honest Numbers)
Total spent: $18,400 USD for two people over 12 weeks.
That's about $1,533/person/month or $51/person/day.
Here's the full breakdown:
| Category | Total (2 people) | Per Person/Month | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flights | $3,200 | $533 | 6 flights, mix of budget and full-service |
| Accommodation | $5,800 | $967 | Hotels, riads, ryokan, one safari lodge |
| Food | $3,600 | $600 | Street food to fine dining |
| Activities | $3,100 | $517 | Safari, balloon ride, temples, tours |
| Transport (local) | $1,200 | $200 | Taxis, trains, ferries |
| Connectivity | $174 | $29 | GOAN eSIM (both of us, 3 months) |
| Insurance | $480 | $80 | World Nomads |
| Misc | $846 | $141 | The rug, gifts, laundry, random |
Country-by-Country
Morocco ($2,800 for 2 weeks)
Accommodation: Riads in Marrakech and Fes ($40-80/night), a budget hotel in Chefchaouen ($25/night), a beach guesthouse in Essaouira ($35/night).
Highlight: Getting completely lost in the Fes medina for 3 hours. We started panicking, then started laughing, then found a rooftop cafe with mint tea and the most incredible sunset view. Our GOAN data eventually got us home, but the 3 hours of wandering were the best part.
Regret: The rug. It's beautiful. It was overpriced. Tom reminds me weekly.
Turkey ($3,200 for 2 weeks)
Accommodation: Boutique hotel in Istanbul ($60/night), cave hotel in Cappadocia ($90/night), beach resort in Antalya ($55/night).
Highlight: Hot air balloon ride in Cappadocia at sunrise. $180 each and worth every penny. I've never experienced anything like it. Three hundred balloons floating over fairy chimneys as the sun comes up.
Connectivity note: Tom's phone died during the balloon landing and he needed to call the shuttle back to our hotel. Having a real phone number on his eSIM meant he just called them directly. Data-only wouldn't have worked.
Kenya ($4,200 for 2 weeks)
The expensive one. Safaris are not budget travel. But there are ways to make it less painful.
Accommodation: Mid-range safari lodge in Masai Mara ($150/night all-inclusive), beach hotel in Diani ($50/night).
Highlight: Watching a lioness teach her cubs to hunt. We sat in the jeep, completely silent, for 40 minutes. Some things you can't put in an Instagram story. (We tried. The footage doesn't capture it.)
Budget tip: Book through a local operator, not the big international safari companies. We saved about $800 by using a Nairobi-based agency that a couple in our Istanbul hotel recommended. Found them on Google while sitting in a cafe in Sultanahmet. Data + phone = booking in 10 minutes.
Thailand ($3,400 for 3 weeks)
Accommodation: Nice hotels in Bangkok ($40/night), boutique guesthouse in Chiang Mai ($30/night), beach bungalow in Koh Lanta ($35/night).
Highlight: A cooking class in Chiang Mai where the instructor took us to the local market first to buy ingredients. We learned to make green curry, pad thai, and mango sticky rice. $25 each, including the market tour. Better than any Michelin restaurant.
Budget tip: Thailand is where you recover financially after Kenya. Street food is $1-3, massages are $8, and you can have an incredible day for under $30/person.
Japan ($4,800 for 3 weeks)
Japan is expensive but efficient. The trains run on time, the food is consistently excellent, and nothing is a scam.
Accommodation: Business hotel in Tokyo ($70/night), ryokan in Hakone ($120/night for the experience), hotel in Kyoto ($60/night), hostel in Osaka ($20/night per person).
Highlight: The ryokan in Hakone. Private onsen, kaiseki dinner, sleeping on tatami mats with a view of Mt. Fuji through the window. The most peaceful night of the entire trip. Worth the $120.
Connectivity note: Japan has excellent cellular coverage. Our GOAN eSIM delivered 30-40Mbps in Tokyo and Kyoto. We used it heavily for navigating the train system (Google Maps + Navitime app) and translating restaurant menus.
What We'd Do Differently
1. Spend Less Time in Transit
We crammed 5 countries into 12 weeks. That meant a lot of travel days: packing, airports, adjusting to new places. If we did it again, I'd cut it to 3-4 countries and spend more time in each.
2. Book the Safari Earlier
Our Kenya safari was a last-minute booking (5 days before) and we got the last available room at our preferred lodge. The stress wasn't worth it. Safari lodges book out months in advance. Plan ahead.
3. Don't Buy the Rug
Kidding. Buy the rug. But negotiate harder.
4. Take More Rest Days
We tried to see and do everything. By week 8, we were exhausted. Build in at least 2 "do nothing" days per week. Sit in a cafe. Read a book. Let the destination come to you instead of chasing it.
5. Start With GOAN From Day One
We spent the first 3 days in Morocco on separate Airalo plans. Different coverage, different data limits, constant hassle. Switching to GOAN on day 4 was a quality-of-life upgrade we should have made before leaving London. One plan, both phones, every country on the route.
The Connectivity Line Item
$174 total for 3 months of data for two people. That's the cheapest line item in the entire budget after laundry. And it enabled everything else: booking accommodation on the go, navigating unfamiliar cities, coordinating with local operators, translating menus, and staying in touch with family.
If we'd relied on carrier roaming, that $174 would have been $1,800+. If we'd bought local SIMs at each border, it would have been 10 separate purchases with hours of wasted time.
Set up your eSIM before you go. It's the smallest cost and the biggest quality-of-life improvement.
