The financing of such a trip is surely the most important question for some. For us it is not insignificant as several things came together. Since our idea did not come about long after Luisa's birth, some things were mixed up there - reduced working hours, payment for the daycare place, health insurance, etc ... all things that have to be considered in principle and somehow paid and organized.
In order to keep an overview, this article is on the one hand a little longer but also subdivided, because the topic is really extensive. We will not name any exact sums here (just partly rough estimates), it is more about creating awareness and perhaps asking yourself the appropriate questions about the meaningfulness and cost-benefit ratio of various things and areas of life.
Travel expenses
What does a trip like this cost per month or per year? Well, who knows? We read a little through various other travel blogs, mainly travelers with children and vehicles. We encountered costs of 1200-1500 € per month (all inclusive). The costs vary enormously, of course, depending on which country you are in (gasoline price) and mainly how much you drive. But on average, the costs seem realistic to us. We can at least compare a little with the costs of our previous trip to Kyrgyzstan and we had quite high costs because we drove a lot in a short time.
Travel costs can vary greatly depending on the country. The gasoline / fuel makes up a considerable proportion of the actual costs, provided that you haven't rented a finca for a month ;-) And we noticed that the gasoline prices are so variable, especially in Kazakhstan. Back then we paid around 15 € for a full 70 liter tank of 95 gasoline. In Italy, a full tank of fuel can quickly cost well over 100 €.
In addition to travel costs, there are of course food, medical expenses, visas and permits, insurance, entry to sights, SIM cards, spare parts for the bus and so on. That's all factored in here. But of course it can explode quickly if the engine goes on strike or the transmission says goodbye.
Saving money
For us it was important that we don't have to rely on work on the way in order to keep the freedom as great as possible. Of course, this does not exclude small remote work projects for home or on-site work (e.g. for board and lodging). However, we would like to be able to travel without work. In addition, we saved up and abstained, perhaps by classic Swiss standards. But we must not hide the fact that living and working in Switzerland is an enormous advantage when it comes to saving money for such a trip.
In our case, Corona has of course contributed to better savings behavior, although we rarely or never went to restaurants, rarely drank beer in bars and the wardrobe was still well filled from recent years. Our vacation trips with the Syncro to Sardinia also left a plus in the household budget rather than a big minus. Our hobbies (climbing, ski touring, ice climbing) are associated with rather high material costs, but everything was already available and no new ropes, ice tools or even skis had to be purchased. We can now list a number of examples, but that would lead too far. The important thing at this point is simply self-reflection: Do I really need this and that? Can I get along well without it? Is it also really nice to have a toast with friends at the lake or at home? And most of them will know it anyway: Cooking yourself can be a lot of fun and also delicious ;-)
Insurances and health insurance
Health insurance is mandatory in Switzerland and in other European countries (luckily). However, corresponding savings can of course also be made. We both chose the highest franchise and therefore the lowest monthly contribution. We did the math and no other model is worth it for us. Otherwise we have both our car as well as our legal protection insurance with the VCS (Swiss Traffic Club). In our case, this is very cheap (approx. 700 CHF per year for car insurance with partial coverage for two vehicles with variable license plates) and, thanks to a combination solution, very cheap. Household contents and liability are also jointly insured with Smile for a relatively low annual amount. The benefits are similar to those of other insurance companies. Telephone support or claims processing may not be as quick as with other insurance companies, but we are happy to accept that.
Rent
Here, too, you can save a lot if you keep an eye out and don't have to live in a top refurbished apartment in Zurich or other good residential areas. We live a little outside of Zurich, but still well connected by public transport in a simple but not too small apartment. Due to the location and the standard of furnishing, the rent is relatively low by Swiss standards. In addition, we have, for example, had the television cable connection sealed and have a double parking space instead of two single ones, which is much cheaper.
The Syncro
Perhaps the biggest cost factor in travel preparation is certainly the bus. When we bought it, the whole extent was not really foreseeable (see Zacharias). Little by little things emerged that had to be revised, restored and redone. That causes costs. However, I repaired and built almost everything on the bus myself. Only important welding work, engine and gearbox revisions have been passed on to other hands. We haven't calculated the costs for Zacharias yet, but I would estimate the costs to be carried out in a proper workshop at just under 100k CHF. Whether you absolutely need a T3 Syncro is another matter. We can save a lot of money, at least at this point, through the self-construction and self-repair (less time, of course ...). And as a positive side effect, we can repair most things on the bus ourselves while we are out and about, since I already had every screw in my hand.
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