Locations That Offer More But Cost Less

So you want to travel world but you have a tight budget?  Are you tired of reading about everyone else’s exotic adventures and ready to have some of your own?  Have you always wanted to take an international vacation but thought you couldn’t afford it?  There are numerous travel destinations across world that are both exciting and affordable.  Five of them are described here to give you ideas and get you started planning your own getaway.

There are two ways to approach affordable vacations to distant destinations.  Either you will save money getting there or savings will occur once you arrive at your selected spot.  If you want trip there to be affordable, many travel consolidators recommend choosing well-known destinations that are served by numerous airlines and receive millions of travelers each year.  The competition for customers usually drives costs down for everything from lodging to tour packages.  Airfares between major hubs tend to be more affordable and there are often plenty of discounts and last minute travel deals.

London

In Europe, London is a top pick for affordable vacation destinations, for these exact reasons.  Not only do you have more flights to choose from, they are cheaper than if you flew to a more remote location. On average, staying in London may be a bit more expensive than other European destinations, but seemingly endless choices in hotels, restaurants, transportation, tours, and other travel essentials gives travels opportunities to mold their vacation to fit their budgets.  And you can use London as your home base to set out on day trips to other more exotic locations or buy a Eurorail pass and see those more remote countries without expense of flying there.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico

This theory also works well for traveling in Caribbean.  Belize is an appealing destination, with wonderful Caribbean beaches and a lush tropic setting, but since it has only recently emerged as a popular travel destination, it is more expensive than Cancun, Jamaica or other well-traveled locations along Mayan Riviera.  With fewer flights, getting there is more expensive, and there are few moderate lodging options. Development of larger luxury resorts have begun to boom, but only real alternative for those on a budget is staying in local facilities that may be hard to locate from home and may be more rustic than most travelers are willing to try.

Although there are many options for affordable vacations in Caribbean, an excellent pick is Playa del Carmen, Mexico.  Accessible via flights to Cancun, which are often some of cheapest in region, Playa is just a half hour away.  It is filled with a multitude of lodging choices, from expansive luxury resorts on ocean to quaint but clean hotels downtown.  From Playa, travelers can branch out and visit Tulum and other locations on Mayan Riviera or take ferry across to island of Cozumel where snorkeling is prime and attractions are many.

For Asian destinations, travelers often do better to focus on saving money once they get to their destination. Depending on your country of origin, getting to just about any spot in Asia is going to be a sizable chunk of your travel budget.  The difference will come from cost of lodging, food, entertainment and other travel expenditures once you arrive. By choosing destinations where you get most for your money, you can save a great deal on your international vacation.  A drink or dinner in Tokyo will cost you many times more than what it would in Saigon. The key here is to go where your dollars buy you more and where local cost of living is low.

Tioman Island

An affordable yet exotic choice for Asia is Malaysia and specifically Tioman

This one is grand - a vast rail network criss-crossing length and breadth of country, spanning over plains and rivers, through forest and deserts, reaching out to obscurest of villages and connecting them to rest of this immense, wonderful conglomeration of people, towns, animals, history and culture, that is India.

While air travel saves you time and driving by road lends flexibility to your schedule, there is really no better way to know India than by train. The general compartment especially is a startling microcosm of multi-caste, multi-lingual eclecticism of country that immediately disarms you with its robust back-thumping welcome. No formalities here as you are expected to roll up your sleeves and join in abundant overflow of food, drink, conversation. Personal details are unabashedly pried into, common ground or acquaintances traced over a maze of memory, addresses exchanged and promises to visit, made…