The Money

RECEIPTS.
Itemised.

This is not a free-Yugo grift. We've already paid €513 out of pocket and we're putting in another €2,000 of our own money before we leave. Donations bridge the gap to the actual trip cost. Here is every line.

Our skin in the game
Already spent
€513
We'll add
+€2,000
Total from us
€2,513
Trip cost range
€3.9k – 10.3k
Depending on which goal tier we hit, donations need to cover roughly €1,400 to €7,800 — the gap between what we put in and what the trip actually costs. That gap is what every €5 sticker helps close.
Already spent · own money €513
  • Plane tickets · Riga → Belgrade × 2
    round trip, both passengers
    €220
  • AirBnB Belgrade
    4 nights, 26 – 30.06
    €235
  • Domain · yugotoriga.lv
    1 year, via Latvian registrar
    €14
  • Stripe · setup
    verification, test transactions
    €12
  • Spotify Premium · 1 month
    needed for the donation-queue feature
    €12
  • VPS server · current month
    €10 / month · already running this site
    €10
Upcoming · donations + own money ~€3,500+
Depends on goal raised
  • The Yugo itself
    floor → Cabrio stretch
    €1,000 – 6,000
  • EU import tax · 21% VAT
    on the car's customs value, paid at Latvian registration
    €210 – 1,260
  • Hotel nights · optional
    €50/night × 0–7 nights, if budget allows
    €0 – 350
Gear · one-time
  • Camping kit
    2-person tent, 2 sleeping bags, mats, cookware, headlamps
    ~€200
  • Power station
    EcoFlow-class · powers speaker, phones, lights off-grid
    ~€200
  • Speaker · with own battery
    for Spotify queue in the car
    ~€50
  • Sticker / shirt production
    supporter names on car, or T-shirts if Plan B
    ~€100
Trip operations
  • Agency middle-man
    notary, deregistration, export plates, green card, JCI customs
    ~€250
  • Fuel · 3,100 km
    ~8.5 L/100 km · €1.50/L regional avg
    ~€400
  • Food, water, tolls, coffee
    12 days × 2 people
    ~€600
  • eSIM · music + GPS data
    Spotify streaming + tracker phone uplink
    ~€20
  • VPS server · 4 more months
    €10/month · this site stays up after the trip
    €40
  • Spotify Premium · 2 more months
    €12/month · June + early July, then cancel
    €24
  • Breakdown / repair buffer
    when, not if
    ~€300
Floor scenario
~€3,900
€1,000 Yugo · tent every night · ramen
Mid-range
~€6,530
€3,000 Yugo · some hotel nights · real food
Cabrio · stretch
~€10,320
€6,000 Cabrio · 7 hotel nights · full buffer
Transparency

Numbers are real estimates, not aspirational. Fuel and food assumptions come from previous Baltic / Balkan road trips. The agency fee range is from quotes we've already received. Import VAT (21%) is paid at Latvian registration on the car's customs value — it scales with whatever Yugo we end up buying.

If the Yugo plan falls through (see Plan B), AirBnB and flights to Belgrade are sunk anyway. The rest covers a rental from Belgrade to Sofia, a couple of days with M., last-minute Sofia → Riga flights (~€150 each), and shirt printing for supporter names. Anything left becomes seed for next summer's attempt.

We bring our own money to the table — donations bridge the gap. If costs come in lower than estimated, the difference goes into the repair buffer. Yugos do not disappoint.

YUGO/TO/RIGA

Two Latvians. One Yugo we haven't bought yet. 3,100 km home.

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When
  • Depart Riga — 26.06.2026
  • Arrive Riga — 07.07.2026
  • Buffer — 08–09.07
Built in Riga by two idiots with one driver's license · 2026