Posted July 23’rd, 2013
Let’s say that your desire is to see the world, and all of its cultures … up close and on a personal level. Just for fun, you grab an idea out of the air, and you make a tentative plan to visit at least one hundred different “cultures” …
There are over two hundred different countries to visit, but you know you have limits. You figure if you can visit the better part of half of them, you’ll be the wise and knowledgeable world traveler. How might you do it?
Well, if you’re Bill Gates, or Warren Buffet, you could make a single phone call to your travel agent, and tell your secretary that you’ll see her in a couple years. The last time I checked, a one-way air flight ticket to Tahiti was a couple grand. So, to make the calculations easy, let’s figure that average flight fare would be half of that … on the level of hand grenades and horseshoes. Additionally, let’s make the assumption that you will visit two countries on every flight tick. Probably not realistic, but it’s horseshoes and hand grenades. How much does Billion$ Bill subtract from his account for his earthly enwisenment?
100/2 = 50 tickets
50 tickets x $1000/per-ticket = $50,000
Now, you will require lodging. Let’s figure a week in each two-country set. (Bill did say he was to return in two years). Let’s not upset his secretary. Most people who have lodged in any other country know that a hundred bucks is too conservative. But, it’s hand grenades and horse shoes. Call it a $hundred per night.
365 days/yr x 2 years = 730 days
730 days x $100/per-day = $73,000
$50,000 (airfare) + $73,000 (lodging) = $123,000
What did Bill get for his $123,000?
Rush, rush, rush. In each place he can spend only so much time, else his lodging bill (if he were of normal means) might eat him alive. So … rush, rush, rush. He’ll not have the time for total cultural immersion. Is that what you/he wants? We haven’t even considered the cost of food. Even on beans and rice, you’re up to $150,000.
What if you were to purchase a sailboat … one that is capable of ocean crossings? Sounds preposterous?
Not really. Especially if you’re not one of $Billion Bill’s means. A few years ago, ocean going yachts were the domain of the very wealthy. But, since those days, the American economy has collapsed. Today, boats that were purchased for a half million dollars are being sold for a fraction of that. A couple on the east coast recently purchased a 35 foot ocean-going yacht for $13,500. New, it was probably purchased for a couple hundred thousand dollars. Really. It has a few things left alone too long, and requiring maintenance, but they figure that they’ll manage the costs on their relatively modest financial means. They’ve already sailed a thousand miles down the coast in the boat, as is.
Musings 