My boyfriend and I quit our jobs to travel the world and visited 19 countries with just $48,000
An American couple who quit their corporate jobs to travel the world shared how they visited 19 countries and spent only $132 a day.
In March 2022, Claire Zhu27, and Peter Ovendorf, 29, of Charlotte, North Carolina, waved goodbye to their nine-to-five life and hit the road with a travel plan.
The lovebirds documented their corporate gap year on their joint TikTok account, where they have more than 242,000 followers. They shocked fans with their glorious, yet candid videos that broke everything from their joyful days to “every penny” they spent.
Now Claire and Peter have revealed that they will be extending their global vacation through the end of 2023, describing that they could afford to live their nomadic lifestyle by spending a total of $48,235 – or just $66 per person per day – in the past year of travel.
Claire Zhu, 27, and Peter Ovendorf, 29, of Charlotte, North Carolina, quit their jobs at the company to travel the world and shared how they visited 19 countries and spent just $132 a day
In March 2022, they waved goodbye to their nine-to-five lives and hit the road with a travel plan, documenting their “corporate gap year” on their joint TikTok account
They shocked fans with their glorious yet candid videos that smashed everything from their joyous days to “every penny” they spent
After announcing they would be extending their trip, Claire and Peter – who traveled from Thailand to India to Egypt and beyond – shared a budget breakdown on their social media accounts to help other prospective travelers follow in their footsteps.
They started by revealing that their grand total was just over their original budget of $45,000.
Their costs include $10,601 in housing, $6,274 in field trips, $9,614 in food, $9,708 in transportation, and $9,783 in 34 flights.
While Peter tracked “every penny,” they didn’t include health insurance, which was estimated to be about $4,000, credit card fees, which were about $690, and the credit card points and miles they used for their trip, which was about $9,726. .
Claire and Peter did their best to stay within budget and used the credit card points they had saved for the past five years.
Those points helped them find housing in Norway, where they stayed in a hotel for 18 days.
To make ends meet, the lovebirds took paid jobs, pet-sitting and working in strangers’ homes in exchange for a roof over their heads.
Claire revealed that they were able to get 107 nights of free housing – sleeping in airports, buses and trains on some of those nights.
Claire and Peter shared a breakdown of their budget on their social media accounts to help other future travelers follow in their footsteps
They started by revealing that their grand total was just over their original budget of $45,000, adding up how much money they spend per day at each location.
To make ends meet, the lovebirds took paid jobs, babysitting animals and working in strangers’ homes in exchange for a roof over their heads.
Peter – who has a degree in accounting – recorded their budget in a very meticulous Excel spreadsheet that helped the duo keep track of their expenses.
While flipping through a document containing a total of 1,714 items, Claire revealed that the couple had spent $1.09 on three mangoes in Thailand and $30.12 on a midnight snack at the Norwegian gas station.
And even though they had thousands of points, Claire revealed that they have no debt.
She explained that the duo just let their points build over time.
“In order to accumulate points and miles through credit cards leading up to the trip, we have not changed our spending habits in any way and are not in credit card debt at any point,” Claire wrote on her Instagram.
She added: “We got some nice COVID deals but also got stuck with some high prices this year.”
The couple revealed that they have visited 19 countries in just one year: Egypt, Jordan, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Norway, Czech Republic, Hungary, Croatia, St. Martin, Germany, Denmark, Faroe Islands, Turkey, Georgia, New Zealand, Australia, Philippines and India.
Their work exchange in New Zealand, where they worked four hours a day in a family’s home, gave them free accommodation
Claire and Peter did their best to stay within budget and used the credit card points they had saved for the past five years
Claire revealed that they were able to get 107 nights of free housing – having slept in cars, airports, buses and trains on some of those nights
In addition to lifting their daily expenses, Claire and Peter also take their binoculars with them so that they too can explore the beautiful sights they see, such as the Great Barrier Reef and India’s Holi.
And while their lifestyle may seem enviable from the outside, Claire revealed that it’s not all glitz and glamour.
She explained that she once had 44 bed bug bites on her body, and that she and Peter regularly got sick with stomach flu.
And they even had to make a few sacrifices to stay within their budget. Many days their diet consisted of yogurt and $1 muffins.
To stay afloat, the lovebirds only dined out when they visited countries with lower costs. In the more expensive areas, such as Norway, Claire and Peter bought meals from supermarkets.
While expanding their mobile lifestyle, they revealed that they wouldn’t share or track their spending as much, but they would still stick to a budget
While extending their active lifestyles this year, they revealed that they wouldn’t share or track their expenses as much, but they would still stick to a budget.
“In addition to any sponsorship or employment opportunities, the plan is to still try to maintain an average of $123 a day from now through the end of the year.
“We are trying to survive with social media, but I have no idea how that will turn out.
“We’re so new to this. Honestly, we’re just cheap travelers and cheap people at heart,” Claire revealed.