Hi, my name is Fong Mun Oon and I volunteered to Romania. Some advice for those who wish to do budget planning before going for a GV is to do plenty of research beforehand; the more resources the better.
I was using a few online sources (numbeo.com, expatistan.com) to figure out the estimated spending range for my GV. Still, the data you will get is only a rough figure, so do prepare extra in case of emergency situations.
My managing directors, both in Malaysia and Romania were extremely helpful. They have emailed me a few preparation sheets and booklets about the cost estimation a few weeks before, which helped me a lot.
Kudos especially to my local manager, as he was trying his best to ensure that I had the best experience possible, since I was the first who did their GV in that country.
Initial budget planning was not easy to be honest, since I had no idea where to start. But thanks to the guidelines and links I had received, everything became easier and much more organized.
I brought RM3,000, exchanged to euros before departing. Since accommodation was included in the EP fee, so I did not need to cash out extra for this aspect. Most of my expenses were spent in food and transportation while travelling across the country. Since my workplace was within walking distance from our accommodation, I was able to saved up more for other miscellaneous costs (like an overnight stay while travelling to a faraway state).
My budget was well under control throughout my whole GV. Actually there are various ways not to exceed your budget, I would recommend splitting the bill, let’s say for a home-cooked meal where everyone puts in some money for a family meal. It is much cheaper compared to eating out.
You could also make a simple list of your daily expenses in your phone, which makes budget controlling much easier. The things that should be considered while planning your budget will be: your spending habits and how much travelling you would like to have.
If you can survive on a tight budget, your overall cost will certainly be much lower. If you wish to explore different places in the country you are going to, make sure to take this into consideration as well!
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