20 Affordable Travel Destinations Around The World If You Want Some Serious Bang For Your Buck
5 min readThe world is your oyster, especially when it comes to travel. I recently asked the BuzzFeed Community to share the most budget-friendly destinations around the globe. Here’s what you should add to your bucket list:
Note: Some submissions are from this Reddit thread.
1.“I have traveled all over the world and Vietnam is top on my list for affordability and diverse culture. From the mountains to the meanderings down the coast through small villages and towns with markets, cheap and plentiful high-quality lodging, history, natural wonders, and exciting immersion into the culture! There are plenty of different types of transportation — affordable private drivers, air, bus, watercraft, and the ever-popular motor scooter! Even after spending two weeks exploring, I have so much more to discover on trips back. Locals are so welcoming and eager to help.”
2.“Colombia: Bogotá and Cartagena. I spent about $2.99 to get unlimited internet on my phone for the week. All my meals were so affordable I could barely hit $30 when I tried out a three-course meal.”
3.“Chiang Mai, Thailand! It’s a beautiful, historic, and majorly underrated city near the northern mountains. It’s cheaper because it’s not coastal, and much less frequented than other popular tourist spots like Phuket, Bangkok, and the rest. Three nights at a nice resort, local food, and a guided day tour cost us under $500 USD!”
4.“Budapest, Hungary and anywhere in Eastern Europe! Food and drinks between five people worked out to be £50.”
“Budapest, Hungary. Food has gotten a bit more expensive (not too much) but the attractions, public transport, flights, and nightlife were all pretty good and affordable.”
5.“Just came back from El Salvador. It’s extremely cheap.”
6.“Morocco! The entire country is amazing and super budget-friendly. The food is unbeatable. Public transportation, including trains, are clean. There’s something for everyone, from all-inclusive resorts, ancient Roman history like the town of Volubilis, sleeping under the stars, and ATV adventures in the desert.”
—Jay from New York City
7.“Czechia is a phenomenal budget destination. It’s safe and beautiful. There are tons of stunning medieval and Renaissance architecture. Gorgeous nature, spa towns, great beer, and wine, too. It’s an underrated wine destination with excellent public transit, so getting around is manageable without a car. It’s affordable and outside of Prague, the amount of tourists drops dramatically. One of the safest destinations for solo female travelers as well.”
—Anonymous
8.“Meals in Italy were generally cheaper than in the US. I live in Washington, DC.”
9.“Just got back from Madeira, Portugal. It was astonishingly affordable, from the Airbnb to the food. Despite being so cheap, everything was great. We had a great studio with oceanfront views, the food was amazing everywhere we went, and most of the activities on the island were fairly inexpensive, if not free (i.e. levada walks or natural pools). I can’t recommend it enough.”
“Portugal! I don’t think I spent more than 20 Euros a day on food while I was there and there were tons of Airbnb, hotel, and hostel options within our budget. Plus, the Portuguese people were so kind and friendly. A good number spoke English, but those who didn’t were gracious as we bumbled through our translator app.”
—Emma from Georgia
10.“Mexico City, Mexico was very affordable.”
11.“Puerto Rico! We stayed at Airbnb spots and went between the end of Lent and the start of spring break. We ate local food and went around the west and south sides of the island in a rental car. The car was the most expensive part of the trip. A beautiful place that I can’t recommend enough.”
12.“Currently in Guatemala and I’m surprised at how little everything has cost this far.”
13.“I was so shocked at how affordable Japan was. Honestly, I probably spent half of what I was expecting. It was such good value compared to what I had been hearing from everyone. Food, hotels, transport, and activities were all so reasonable, and buying goods/souvenirs is also really cheap.”
14.“Kraków, Poland. Party hostel for €12/night that serves FREE dinner. An all-around beautiful place, a super underrated destination for nightlife as well.”
15.“Southeast Asia remains a very affordable destination. Even Bali is cheap if you avoid the beach clubs and Western-oriented restaurants. And if you can find affordable accommodation, even Singapore and Hong Kong can also be done cheaply.”
16.“Tamarindo, Costa Rica wasn’t that expensive. Also, most of my Peru trip was pretty affordable.”
17.“100% agree with Singapore being affordable if you choose not to splurge. It has a reputation for being expensive, which it can be if one focuses on splurging only. I was there last year, booked a reasonably four-star hotel early, and ate mainly at the Hawker food markets. My $5 meals were so good! Also, great that they have an amazing train/metro system that is reasonably priced.”
18.“Domestically, camping in Kentucky was pretty much as cheap as it gets. Internationally, Cairo, but we save money by staying with family, and the dollar goes far there.”
19.And finally, “New Orleans, Louisiana. You can get a killer meal without spending a fortune, and plenty of architecture and live music to soak up for free as you roam the streets.”
What’s your favorite budget-friendly travel destination? Share it in the comments!
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.
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