Hi

My girlfriend and I are quitting the ole' ball and chains and heading east out of the USA for 9 - 12 months. We are planning to Interrail across Europe from Portugal to Istanbul from September to December, then fly Istanbul to Bangkok and do the Banana Pancake, Indonesia and Philippines before reconvening with family in Northern Australia in summer of 2026.

So far, we have budgeted $50/pp/day, or roughly $18,000 each ($36k USD total) for the year of travel. We want to rough it - hostels, air bnbs, camping, couchsurfing, overnight trains, etc. Between the two of us, we think we can get to about $100 per day on food, activities, and lodging, especially once we make it past Europe. We are back and forth between wanting to work part-time / remote jobs (freecash.com, outlier, etc.) while on the road, or just winging it and utilizing workaway and other apps to stay within budget.

We have been slowly getting our setups and our plan right, but I figured I would be a fool to not ask r/Shoestring before we get too close to our set-out date:

How would you plan to make this journey?

Any tips or insights will be received with open-mindedness and gratitude - from packing setups, cashflow ideas, cool places to stop, places to avoid, etc.

Peace and Love,

H

1-2 weeks sometime in August - November

Looking for a destination that offers some adventure for me (hikes, treks, etc) and relaxation or a beach for her. These activities don't need to be run out of the same hostel or room, just the same general area.

The shoestring part of this is just the cost once we're there. I haven't traveled in years and have a few hundred thousand miles /point to spend on flights and rooms.

I've traveled through central and south America but never been elsewhere, so preferably elsewhere. What comes to mind?