Thanks, Steve, for your helpful comments! Clearly there is not a single best way to make all the arrangements. Just do it, and learn from doing it, seems to be the operative approach.

We were up in Lone Butte to see the grandkids, so this thanks is overdue. The amount of wisdom and tips you share in your journals is much appreciated.

Thanks, Steve, for the GPSMyCity link. That looks very useful!

How nice to hear from you, and thanks for your kind words. Dodie carries a small notebook and a pen in her handlebar bag and is very disciplined about recording every expenditure in real time (in the currency of the country). This makes it very easy to analyze costs at the end of a trip.

I love the opening of this post where you accurately highlight that the cost doesn't truly reflect the invaluable returns these long rides provide. What we gain is genuinely priceless, notwithstanding the expenses, risks, and the significant amount of effort—both physical and emotional—we invest.

Additionally, I appreciate how effectively you (Dodie) assist other enthusiasts and dreamers by meticulously tracking expenses and calculating costs.

I've been intending to undertake a similar cost estimation for my current India trip but haven't had the chance to do so yet.

Once again, thank you for sharing your inspiring experiences.

What a grand tour you had. I so enjoyed following along. I'll confess to a similar approach to tour planning - ooh let's go here, and here, and there too.... It's great fun to puzzle out how to work it all into the itinerary. I'll second Mark's thanks for the GPSMyCity tip. We can definitely make use of that. Thanks for a great read!

Thanks for the kind words!

We have swung back and forth over time between just booking one day ahead, the idea of not booking at all but looking for a place on arrival, and booking the whole trip. We have found it very comforting to know we have a place to go to at the end of a day, so we have never really done the just look for a place. On several trips now we have booked the whole thing. That removes the need to look for something the night before, when Dodie (our booking agent) may be very tired. On the other hand, on two occasions an unforeseen event has forced us to go and try to cancel 30 or maybe 70 bookings. Now that is a real pain, especially because the unforeseen event is by definition stressful by itself! I think our next two trips (Yucatan - come right up, and Valencia to Nantes - starting in February) may follow the book a week or two in advance model.

For air flights, we will first look at something like Expedia, to see which airlines are sort of going our way. Then we will go to the website of a specific airline to actually book. The airline website is much clearer about the special options and bundles, and especially bicycle bookings. It seems Expedia et al do not offer any different base prices anyway.

The last time we used a travel agent was maybe in 1975. We remember then you told them where you wanted to go and when, and they figured it all out, even printing airline tickets on site. But that was 1975. It seems nowadays they just sell tours and package travel deals?

Norway brings to mind what was the world wide cycling duo of Matilda and Peyman, from Finland. One time they cycled through Norway in winter to the arctic circle! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAhAhRPik98&t=780s
Matilda since got a chronic illness and dropped out of cycling, plus they broke up, bummer. Still they were a treat to watch.

Steve and Dodie, Your journals continue to be treat to read! Thanks for including the tip about GPSMyCity. That looks very useful. Two questions: Do you plan out all accommodations ahead of time and make bookings, or do that each evening for the next day while on the road? And second, then searching for good fares, airlines and terminals, do you do this entirely on your own through websites, or have you used the services of a travel agent? (If websites on your own, what is your typical approach when planning your next tour?)

We are looking hard at options in Norway as I have deep roots there, but have never visited. It's apparently expensive there to eat and stay, but we're doing some research nevertheless.

Thanks for posting your expenses! It's very useful. Our costs are similar but restaurants every night really add to the total. Good on you for being so disciplined. Look forward to your next trip!

Your daily breakdown of costs is to be commended. We are noting that our hotel costs are creeping up and also had a couple of 200 euro a night stays this last trip. Evening restaurant meals (when you can wait long enough for them to open) can get pretty expensive relative to our lifestyle at home too. When could you do Europe on $10 per day anyway? Well, in 1973 Authur Fromer provided, “The 1973-74 Edition of Europe on 5 and 10 dollars a day” So fifty years ago. How time (and costs) fly!

Keeping track of your expenses in such accurate detail is quite a feat, equal to riding your bicycles 3,450 km! Good your piggy bank is fed regularly, enabling future trips!

We see you have already done most of that Iberian/French itinerary - so it's old hat. But oh, we have also sort of done it already. No matter, it's always new.

There is kind of a chute on the side of the piggy bank, and pension money slowly slides in there. Then while we are not watching, it fills up! We have the bikes in Valencia in a storage that expects to see us back in February. So we'll pick them up then and spin around Iberia, through Portugal to Santiago de Compostella, backwards on the French Camino to Bayonne, and up the coast to Nantes.

But also our forecast here coming up is for rain and temps from 2 to 8. Yucch. Depending on some family obligations, we could bolt for Yucatan on the Fridays in December!

Always look forward to the post-trip cost breakdown? So, is there money for trips left in the piggy bank or not? Are we getting more Grampies' adventures?

I just read a comment elsewhere about how much they spent per mile on their tour, which was the Great Divide MTB route. He said pre COVID he spent $1. a mile , post COVID, $3. Per mile.

I’ve never figured it by the mile before, only by the day.

I second Kelly's thoughts, on pillows and your excellent journal. I enjoyed following your trip.