June 20, Watson Lake, Yukon Territory, Canada.

Still driving through the endless beauty of the northern wilderness, 450 kms of forest and lakes today, with the odd snow-capped mountain to complete the scene. It might sound boring, but the day actually passes rather quickly, as there is a chocolate box scene around every corner.

We did some calculations today, just to get a bit of a fix on how long it will take us to drive from here to Regina in Saskatchewan, our furthest point east on this trip. We have been driving for three solid days now since we left Anchorage and we have just under 3000 kms to go, not accounting for side trips. If we drove and did nothing else, it would take us another 5 days to get to Regina. Lucky for us we have 9 days until we are expected. And lucky that we love the road!

This lull in the usual hectic pace of our travels is probably a good time to explore some of the travel philosophies that allow us to continue to roam the world, seemingly at will. We are often asked, “How can you afford to go on so many long overseas trips?” We suspect that underlying this question is some suspicion that we have robbed a bank or are much wealthier than we appear. Neither of these are of course true. So here is the secret.......

Firstly, be retired. Having the flexibility to grab a travel bargain is paramount. For example, we have jumped on the web and grabbed specials like, return flights to Kuala Lumpur for $198 or Tokyo for $250 return. Perhaps our favourite is the $15 (all inclusive) flight, KL to Saigon.

Secondly, pay and book major expenses, such as flights and vehicle hire, well ahead AND shop around. This spreads the cost over time. It might just be psychological, but if you can cover these sorts of expenses out of your normal month to month living expenses, you don't really notice any big hit from these costs.

Thirdly, do it yourself as much as you can. The internet allows us to get the best prices but, if needs be, approach travel agents and see if they can price match. Companies like Flight Centre don't make enormous profits by being charitable to travellers, but they can often get good rates if they are pushed by travellers who know the market prices.

We believe that once the major expenses of flights and vehicle hire or other land transport costs are covered, it costs less to travel than it does to stay at home. This is easily demonstrated in Asia where living costs are a fraction of those at home, but it is also true of developed countries like Europe and the USA. In Asia we eat out, drink in bars and spend like drunken sailors. In Europe (when the euro is strong) we hire a mobilehome, buy food and booze in supermarkets and cook and drink in the van and free camp wherever it is safe to do so. In the US, we hire a small car, stay in cheap chain motels, buy a mobile kitchen that allows us to cook in motel rooms, buy food and drink in supermarkets. We eat out from time to time and very rarely go to bars.

We feel confident that, after a total of almost three years 'on-the-road' travelling in countries and areas as diverse as Morocco, Scandinavia, South East Asia, Japan, Canada, USA, South Africa, Swaziland, Turkey, Western and Eastern Europe, the UK and Australia, just to mention a few, we have enough experience of this lifestyle to say that it is all possible on a very modest budget.

While travelling in this way can be isolating, it hasn't stopped us from enjoying new acquaintances, friends and experiences, encountered and enjoyed in all sorts of weird and wonderful places.

June 21, Fort Nelson, British Columbia

Just another day at the office, Just some of what we saw today on the 500km trip from Watson Lake to Fort Nelson.

A couple of early morning highway encounters.

Heavy Traffic!

Lake Munchho. Nice!

Keep Canada clean!