Evening star., 1895-04-27
the Pacific, and as to matters Of travel in
Asia. and these 1 wish to answer as far as
possible in this letter.
The Cost of nm Asiatic Trip.

The Cost of nm Asiatic Trip.
First. as to the cost Of trip to Japan.
This depends, of course, on the man. 1t
can be made very cheaply, or it may figure
up good round sum. Travelling in Japan
is comparatively cheaper than travelling in
Europe, and you can make trip in Asia
for less money than it will cost you to do
the great European capitals. The advant-
age lies chiefly in the matter of exchange.
The money you take from America is gold,
and the Asatic countries are all on the sill
yer basis. The result is you get about two
dollars for one. For every hundred dollars
which l drew on my letter of credit last
year received from $3.50 to 500 in silver.
These had in nearly every respect as great
a purchasing power as the same number
of gold dollars in America, and it cut down
my expenses nearly one-half.
The average cost Of travel comfortably
anywhere in the world is about SO per day.
During the trip which 1 took around the
me, and We travelled twelve months on
Asiatic soil. 1t cost US just $50 day dur
ing that trip, and the distances were great.
Such an expenditure ought to include the
best hotels, carriages, interpreters and all
the necessities Of travel. 1t can, of course,
be greatly reduced if a man wishes to cut
things down to the lowest notch. 1 met
one young fellow who told me that he was
going to spend year in his tour of the
globe, and that his expenses would be less
than $500. He Travelled second-class on
lHc steamers anu sought the cheapest
hotels. Another OF my travelling acquaint-
ances was spending not more than $3 a
| day, but l afterward found that this man
| had cut down his expenses by sponging off
| the missionaries, and by making most of
| his tours on foot. The reduction in silver
| however, has materially reduced the cost
| of the Japanese trip, and. after the ocean
voyage is paid for, one ought to be able to
| travel comfortably in Japan for about S7.5O
| q day in gold.
Three Months In Japan for 1000.
You can take a three months trip to
| Japan for l.O00 and have all the comforts
| You could travel very we'll for that time on
| $500, and If you were especially economical
| believe you could make it for even less
| than this. This is on the presumption that
| the start is made from San Francisco or
Vancouver If you go frcm New York you
| must add about 500 for the return trip
| and sleepers across the continent. Here
| are some of the items: The round-trip
| from San Francisco or Vancouver to Yoko-
| hama, Japan, in a first-claSs steamer will
| cost you $500 in gold. If you are going to
| confine your expenses to $500, you have $500
| left to spend. You take this to one of the
| banks, and they will give you nearly 5000 in
| silver for it. The trip across the Pacific and
! back will take fully one month Of, your
| time, and you will have about sixty days
| left. This gives you an average Of $40 in sill
yer day to spend, and. provided you do not
| go out of Japan, this ought to be sufficient.
| Hotels will cost you at the seaports from
| 81 to Sc per day. These hotels are for for
! e!gners, and they are as comfortable as