Adventure Pennies Make Adventure Pounds

After some frown-inducing maths, we estimate that for ‘Leg 1’ (Europe) it will cost us approximately 25p a mile. This now presents a new cash-conscious strategy... ‘The Adventure Mile’. Take for example the following scenarios; Emma: “shall we have these £8 steaks or 50p lentils for tea?” Andy: “That’s a difference of 30 Adventure miles, lentil me up”. Andy: “I need a new shirt, should I buy a dope Zoo York shirt for £37 or this Primark shirt for £6?” Emma: “that’s a difference of 124 Adventure miles, go pikey style!”. It works. The guilt element plus the realisation that every small amount adds up will hopefully hold us in good stead for saving and accumulating the necessary funds.

Food shopping has taken on a new frugal approach; Waitrose and delicatessens are a luxury of the past that now give way to the prudent purchases available in Iceland. Buying the same amount of chicken in Iceland saves us 12.64 adventure miles than going to Waitrose- significantly more economical eating. That’s why Adventurers go to Iceland*.

We are addicted to e-bay, if you want to keep something it has to be screwed down in our room. Everything and anything goes on the ruthless auction website. This has the dual advantage of saving monies and de-cluttering our possessions ready for a minimalist life on the open road. Ironically, the CD ‘A Grand Don’t Come for Free’ (The Streets) sold on ebay for 20p + £1 postage.

Christopher Columbus came from a very poor family; the King and Queen of Spain gave him money and ships to begin his adventure. Queen Elizabeth I paid for Sir Francis Drake’s explorations and Sir Walter Raleigh was also funded by the adventure-loving Monarch (although the latter explorer may have been the object of Liz’s affections).

In the absence of any Royal acquaintances, we plan to continue our thrifty lifestyle for the next 10 months; skimping, saving and living a cutback existence. As we plan subsequent legs of our trip the average ‘Adventure Mile’ should decrease as overall costs of fuel and living is lower.

* NB: the supermarket, not the country (where food prices are 50% more than in London).


Emma