Alright, let’s get into how I actually figured out the cash needed for my Venezuela trip step-by-step. Started clueless but ended up with a damn clear number.
The Kickoff Question
So I randomly thought about Venezuela travel but kept asking myself: “What’s the real damage to my wallet?” Googled stuff like “Venezuela travel cost” but got useless generic crap. Decided to build my own damn spreadsheet.
Breaking Down The Beast
First I listed every single thing that’d suck money outta me:
- Airfare: Typed “USA to Caracas flights” into Skyscanner. Almost choked seeing $800 roundtrip. Bookmarked that horror.
- Sleeping Spots: Checked * for hostels – $10/night dorms. Private rooms? More like $25. Went with 50/50 split.
- Food Adventures: Remembered that street arepa I saw on YouTube. Budgeted $2/meal for street eats, $8 for proper restaurants. Aimed for 70% street food.
The Local Cash Nightmare
Got schooled hard here. Venezuela uses dollars but locals pay in bolivars. My dumbass thought: “Cool, I’ll exchange USD there!” Wrong. Read Reddit threads where travelers got scammed at airport exchanges. One guy nearly cried getting 1/10th the actual rate.
Changed plan completely: Only take $100 bills (they give best rates) and find legit exchange spots through hostel staff. Budgeted cash for taxis separately after learning Uber sometimes vanishes there.
Padding For The “Oh Shit” Moments
Added 20% extra after remembering my Thailand trip disaster:
- Venezuela visa fee surprise? Check. $100.
- Random entry tax some flights sneak in? Yep. $30.
- Phone getting stolen? $50 emergency fund.
Threw in another $150 just for bribes after reading border cops sometimes “ask for donations”.
The Final Tally
Added all that hell up for 2 weeks:
- Flight: $800
- Sleep: $250
- Food: $180
- Moving Around: $120
- “Oh Shit” Cash: $280
Total: $1,630. Withdrew $2,000 cash anyway cause inflation’s wild there.
What Actually Happened
Ended up spending $1,500 but nearly got stranded when ATM ate my card in Mérida. Those emergency dollars? Lifesavers. Learned that calculating Venezuela cash isn’t math – it’s preparing for war.
