2025 Trip – Total Costs

The Honda Transalp was superb from start to finish. Nothing has broke on the bike and with the exception of tightening the chain on a couple of occasions and using about 200ml of oil for the chain-oiler, these are the only things I’ve done to the bike while I was away:

The Honda is definitely a very capable touring bike, but it also has the unique ability of being able to go off-road with confidence. It doesn’t need to pretend about being an adventure bike, because it can do it – and I know it can because I have done it. Early on I did wonder if I would have been better to get the CRF300 or even the 500X, but I’m glad I got the 750 Transalp because it gives me the several abilities:

So, am I happy with the bike..? Yes, yes and yes. Definitely..! At first I thought it was boring, but after this trip I do love the bike. There’s no fuss and no hassle. You just get on, start it up and ride. It’s QUIETLY CONFIDENT. My only two niggles are with the suspension. The front tends to bottom out occasionally when offroad, and the rear is…unpredictable and too bouncy. If you are not careful, the suspension unit can allow the back end to get out of shape, especially when loaded with luggage on rough or bumpy roads, or bendy roads if you’re going too fast. That’s my only criticism of the bike, and something I will change in 2026. Oh yes, I also think the air-filter should be more accessible (and not a tank-off evolution) but its something I can live with. Most of all, the Transalp is here to stay as it really is an excellent bike.

COSTS FOR THE TRIP

If anyone actually reads this, then you may be interested in my statistics. When I go away I note my mileage at the start and when I finish by taking a picture of my mileage display. Also, when I’m away I only use one card for ALL my purchases: my Revolut card. This included fuel, campsites, shopping, cash from ATM’s and ferries (except the Holland to the UK ferry). The Revolut card is accepted everywhere, plus it’s really easy to look at all my payments and work out the costs. The only bit of speculation here is fuel costs. In some countries the fuel would be cheaper than the UK, where in others countries more expensive, so I worked out an average of £1.40 per litre. Its not a precise figure, but near as dammit…

Accommodation: With the exception of the guest houses in Mostar and Riga, I camped everywhere else. The cost of camping varied, from as little as £10 a night to £20 a night, with the cost of campsites in Turkey being around £18 per night. The cheapest campsites were in Albania and Bulgaria at £8 per night. I was also lucky in that I did not pay for camping in Lithuania.

Food: With the exception of the occasional meal or take-out pizza, I cooked my own food throughout the trip using a single burner stove, and I always bought my food at supermarkets wherever I could. I did this because supermarkets are plentiful, especially Lidle or Aldi. You get a far better choice of food at large supermarkets, rather than small shops, and you’re also able to see your total at the check-out and pay by card. Wherever possible avoid buying from small shops in Turkey when they don’t have a till, as you will invariably end up paying much more for your food.

Tea: I do carry coffee with me, but most of the time I drink tea. I carry loose-tea, because it takes up less space than tea bags, and goes further. In Europe, most of the time you can only get tea bags, usually Liptons breakfast, but occasionally you can find loose tea, either Chinese or Indian/African. Chinese tea is normally drank in Africa or the Middle-east, where in the west it is generally Indian/African. In Turkey I ran out of tea, which was a blow, and all I could find was Chinese tea – which is not very strong. No kick..! Fortunately I was able to find some PG Tips tea bags in Romania, and then in Poland some African loose tea. Phew..1

Ferries: The cost of my initial Le Shuttle, plus the ferries from Italy to Croatia and from Estonia to Sweden WAS included on my Revolut card. The ferry from Rotterdam to Hull was NOT included in the costs as this was paid using my own funds on another card. With the exception of my ferry to Belfast, all bookings were made the evening before using the Direct Ferries app on my phone. Its quick, easy and it works.

Servicing & Tyres: The cost of the tyres in Greece and Sweden, plus my services in Italy, Poland and upon return to the UK was NOT included on my Revolut card OR in my final costs. I paid for them separately using my own funds. Whether you want to include them in the total costs is up to you, but personally I just put these extras down to the overall costs of owning and running a bike.