The Best Places To Travel Around The World Without Blowing Your Budget

Advice for yourself for solo traveling countries

Travel list

These are your classic ‘Top 10‘ lists of anything and everything. From restaurants to flights, from ways to pack to what to eat. So many options and what the bulk of travel blog posts seem to be called. There is a school of thought too that the number of items should always be an odd number (i.e Top 9 instead of 10) but the jury is still out on that.

India

Vietnam

Albania

Indonesia 

Nicaragua

Cuba

Greece

Turkey

Poland

Philippines

Nepal

Travel tips and resources

These are posts that offer pure travel advice or links to other sites with similar information. Generally worded as if it’s the only advice you will ‘ever’ need to complete a particular task but usually very subjective so it’s only the author's views, to be honest. Great for getting new followers and hits as these titles can be exactly what the reader is searching for.

India

India is perhaps the cheapest country to travel to, but if and only if you’re willing to haggle and hunt for deals. Keep in mind that cheap rooms that run in the $3 range will be very basic and it’s normal to shower with buckets of heated water. You will be hard-pressed to find cheap gems in the north, but the south with its gorgeous beaches may prove more fruitful when it comes to budget accommodation.

The best way to travel through India on a budget is to book things yourself. This means no agents and no online booking sites (except for some intercity travels. For that, check out 12Go Asia). Similar to Nepal, if you walk into local guesthouses, restaurants, and tour companies, you could easily get the same things in person for half the quoted price online.

Meals: $3 – $6 per day

Accommodation: $4 – $8 per night in a local guesthouse
Transportation: $1 – $3 for a full day of bus and train rides, or $8 – $30 for an intercity train ride (sometimes a domestic flight costs as little as $30, if you want to splurge without actually splurging!)
SIM card with data: $3 for 1.5GB with 30-day validity. Yes, it is that cheap!

Vietnam 

I probably had the healthiest and cheapest street food in Vietnam. Think of a soup with rice noodles, cilantro, amazing broth, and a whole shank of pork for $1.50, or a cup of strong, aromatic coffee for $1. As far as transportation goes, if you rent a motorbike, you are all set for the day. However, I understand that not everyone is comfortable riding a motorbike, especially in countries like Vietnam where the road traffic can be overwhelmingly chaotic. 

The good news is that GrabBike (similar to Uber but on bikes!) is widely available in all major cities, and the cost is as low as $0.50 for a 2km ride! The long-distance buses and trains are also affordable and reliable. Accommodation is similarly pleasant and easier to afford than almost anywhere else in the world.

t's best to budget around $50 per day. This way, you'll have more money to spend on things like food, drinks, activities and hotel rooms. For a comfortable mid-range experience in Vietnam, it's best to budget $60 to $100 per day for your entire costs.

Albania

For one week, a vacation to Albania usually costs around Lek36,043 for one person. So, a trip to Albania for two people costs around Lek72,087 for one week. A trip for two weeks for two people costs Lek144,173 in Albania. If you're traveling as a family of three or four people, the price person often goes down because kid's tickets are cheaper and hotel rooms can be shared. 

If you travel slower over a longer period of time then your daily budget will also go down. Two people traveling together for one month in Albania can often have a lower daily budget per person than one person traveling alone for one week.

Personally, I’ve found the costs to be nearly the same for both countries. In particular, budget accommodation and public transportation costs are pretty much the same.

The only real difference in prices is for food. I’ve found Albania to generally cost only ½ – 1/3 the price of Montenegro for most food & beverages, including meals in restaurants, pastries, ice cream, produce, and groceries. That actually brought my total daily costs to travel in Albania slightly lower than in Montenegro. But not by much.

In this article, I’ve detailed my costs of exploring Albania on a budget, with sample prices for many items. I hope this will help other budget travelers plan their explorations of this beautifully scenic & friendly country.

Keep in mind that I visited during the height of the high tourist season- July and August. Prices on accommodation are probably even cheaper during other times of the year.

Albania has its own currency, called ‘lek’. When I visited Albania in July 2019, the main exchange rates were –

$1 US = 108 lek

1 Euro = 121 lek

Indonesia

The thing about Indonesia is that it can be really cheap, or it can be quite expensive, depending on one big thing – transportation. Intercity traveling can be very time-consuming and costly, so is traveling from one island to another with a private boat. To save costs, stick with a region or two! 

There’s a lot to do and see, and spending more time in one place will only allow you to travel deeper and have a more meaningful experience anyway. If you want to travel far and wide on a budget, my biggest tip is to take local transportation! That’s what I did backpacking in Indonesia a few years back, and sure enough, I ended up with some funny stories.

On the flip side, food and drinks are cheap throughout the country, not to mention absolutely delicious too! Riding a scooter through the mountains costs very little, so does hiking, chasing waterfalls, and slouching in a hammock by the beach all day long. Hostels are plentiful, social, and affordable, especially in places like the Gili Islands.

Meals: $5 – $15 per day. Some hostels provide breakfast
Accommodation: $5-$10 per night in a hostel
Transportation: $8-$15 for a motorbike for the day (prices may vary depending on the bike condition and your haggling skills)
SIM card with data: $5 for 2GB with 30-day validity

Nicaragua

Biodiverse and naturally beautiful, Nicaragua is a still off-the-grid destination, filled with active volcanoes, cloud forests, jungles, lakes, and two coastlines, all boasting plenty of attractions and things to do.

Outdoor adventure enthusiasts can hike to natural attractions like crater lakes in dormant volcanos or sled-down mountains of ash on wooden boards. While those in search of wildlife experiences can explore one of the many protected reserves around Nicaragua that are home to everything from jaguars to howler and white-faced monkeys and hundreds of species of birds.

With beaches on both its Caribbean and Pacific Ocean coastlines, there are plenty of options for getting wet as well. Towns like San Juan del Sur on the Pacific Ocean's Emerald Coast near Costa Rica are top places to visit, famous for their colorful architecture and surf scene. While the Corn Islands in the Caribbean Sea are known for their laid-back beach vibe.

Managua is Nicaragua's capital city, but people tend not to linger here unless visiting for business. Many things to do really lie in the smaller cities, like Leon and Granada, which are known for their colorful architecture and churches, and natural attractions such as Lake Nicaragua. It is the largest freshwater lake in Central America and home to hundreds of islands, including amazing ecolodges.

And then there is the multitude of volcanoes, some dormant; others, like the Masaya Volcano, still very much active. Here are our picks for the top things to see and do around Nicaragua.

You should plan to spend around C$1,110 ($32) per day on your vacation in Nicaragua, which is the average daily price based on the expenses of other visitors. Past travelers have spent, on average, C$332 ($9.57) on meals for one day and C$48 ($1.38) on local transportation. Also, the average hotel price in Nicaragua for a couple is C$672 ($19). So, a trip to Nicaragua for two people for one-week costs on average C$15,546 ($449). All of these average travel prices have been collected from other travelers to help you plan your own travel budget.

Cuba

As a Cuban-American, Talek Nantes has had a lot of experience traveling around Cuba. There’s a lot more to the country than just all-inclusive resorts! In this guest post, she offers an in-depth breakdown of how to travel around Cuba like a local.

Stunning beaches, carnivals, vintage cars, great rum, eclectic architecture, warm and fun people, scenic countryside, unique cuisine, and refreshing coffee et al describe the essence of Cuba. Do you need more reasons to pack your bags? Get in your traveling boots and head to Cuba for an experience that would remain imprinted on your mind forever. Check out these amazing places to visit in Cuba that will have you book your tickets to Cuba faster than you can blink!  

DAILY AVERAGE = $90 USD

Your personal travel budget in Cuba may vary. When I traveled through Cuba for 10 days in 2016, I spent a total of $900 for an average of $90 USD per day. Some of the things I splurged on included renting a car for more freedom to explore the island on our own.

Greece

Timing is crucial if you want to travel to Greece on a budget. While prices of flights, accommodation, and tours have been largely cut down since the country’s debt crisis in 2010, summer months still cost more than others. 

This means avoiding July and August, which are the hottest and busiest months in Greece. Instead, go a few weeks before or after summer, and you will be able to enjoy Greece with smaller crowds and a lower budget. 

Accommodation: $10 – $15 per night in a hostel

Transportation: $10 – $15 per person for a rental car split between 4 people (note: scooter rental costs about $25 – $30/day), or $10-$20 for ferry tickets around the islands

SIM card with data: $12 for 2GB with 30-day validity.

As far as activities go, opt for the free walking tours available, and if you are planning to do some island hopping in Greece, plan well and stick with a group of islands to minimize transfers. For any long-distance travel, keep in mind that sometimes a domestic flight can be cheaper than a bus ride.

Meals: $10 – $15 per day

Turkey

Steeped in history with a landscape that encompasses beaches and soaring mountains, Turkey has acted as the gateway between Europe and Asia for thousands of years. Being a trade and exchanging cultures has made Turkey a richly diverse country. The point where East meets West, the wealth of culture and breadth of influences has left its mark and is revealed in the country’s mouthwatering culinary landscape, as well as in the innumerable religious monuments and archaeological sites.

Turkey can be cheap or expensive, depending on what you want to do and how deeply you want to travel through the country. A hot air balloon ride costs around $200-$300, and intercity traveling can be really long and costly. However, the country has a bunch of other bucket list-worthy items that cost way less, and if you plan your route well, it is definitely possible, if not easy, to travel through Turkey on a budget.

The stunning Blue Mosque in Istanbul, the breathtaking white travertines in Pamukkale, and the hustling bazaars all over the country are relatively affordable to enter. While the long-distance buses are expensive, if you plan well and take the overnight buses, you get to save on accommodation. If you are short on both time and money, just stick with a city or two. Turkish food is delicious and cheap, so that’s one less thing to worry about!

Meals: $10 – $15 per day. Some hostels offer complimentary breakfast
Accommodation: $5 – $15 per night in a hostel
Transportation: $1 – $3 for a taxi ride, or $30 – $60 for an intercity overnight bus ride
SIM card with data: $8 for 2GB with 30-day validity

Poland

If you are a fan of heritage sites, Poland has 14 to offer. In a country rich with culture and history, it’s a shame that Poland is often overlooked by tourists. It costs an average of $5 to enter museums and historical sites, which is fairly affordable by European standards. Food is delicious and has a bit more variety than its neighboring countries, though it’s still heavy on calories. The trains are a bit dated but cost very little.

Poland is one of those countries where you can easily spend an entire day just wandering and people watching. There will be days when you spend nothing else other than on the essentials. Make sure to eat at a “milk bar”, an affordable yet delicious option that’s popular with locals. Go beyond Krakow and Warsaw, and explore other smaller towns like Gdansk, Wroclaw, and Zakopane, which are all stunning and possibly even cheaper to travel in.

Meals: $10 – $15 per day
Accommodation: $8 – $12 per night in a hostel
Transportation: $1 – $3 for a full day of train rides, $10-$15 for an intercity train ride
SIM card with data: $3 for 2GB with 1-month validity

Philippines

The Philippines’s archipelago can cost quite a lot of both money and time to get around, and the hostel options aren’t nearly as abundant as other Southeast Asia countries. While these two factors seem like a big turn-off for travelers trying to stretch their budget as far as possible, there are ways to keep your travel cost in the Philippines low. If you choose to travel during shoulder seasons, book your flights and plan your journey way in advance (it is not the country to always wing it!), and try to stick within 1-2 regions, the Philippines can still be affordable. On top of that, the country has some of the most gorgeous islands, beautiful dive sites, and hidden gems that you’d have had to pay so much more to experience in other parts of the world. In that sense, the Philippines is worth every peso you spend.

Meals: $5 – $15 per day. Some hostels provide breakfast
Accommodation: $7-$13 per night in a hostel
Transportation: $10-$15 for a motorbike for the day (prices may vary depending on the bike condition and your haggling skills) or $15 – $20 for a boat ride from one island to another
SIM card with data: $6 for 2GB with 30-day validity

Nepal

Nepal is a very cheap country to travel through, with most food, accommodation, and transport running at just a few dollars if you eat, sleep, and travel using local options. For food, while I never seem to get any stomach problems eating street food, the street food in Nepal does not have the best reputation. You can get cheap and delicious home-cooked meals in local-run small cafes though. Be very mindful when you book your accommodation online, as big corporations have taken over local homestays and turned them into boutique hotels and resorts. The “local guesthouses” you’ve booked may very well be part of a big hotel chain. I suggest booking the first couple of nights online and look for accommodation from real local guesthouses when you’ve arrived.

If you end up trekking, as long as you do so independently and avoid Mt. Everest itself, which costs tens of thousands of dollars, you can travel for as cheap as $10 per day on food and accommodation at the lower elevations, and closer to $20 USD at higher elevations on popular routes like the Annapurna Circuit.

Meals: $5 – $10 per day. Some hostels provide breakfast
Accommodation: $5-$10 per night in a local guesthouse
Transportation: $10-$15 per person for a private car and driver split between 4 people, or a local bus ride between cities
SIM card with data: $3 for 1.25GB with 30-day validity. Yes, it is that cheap!

How to Travel Safely During the Coronavirus Outbreak

Keep It Simple

Take a trip that is direct and door-to-door if possible; avoid a lot of different means of transportation or transfers. For example, traveling by car during COVID-19 will likely be the safest, so look for destinations within driving distance. Get on a plane only if you need to visit family or if it’s an emergency. If you must fly, keep in mind that a nonstop flight is safer than one with layovers, because of fewer chances of being exposed to the virus. Another advantage of taking a car is that after you reach your destination you can use it on local excursions. Regardless, choose local activities that do not require public transportation, and opt for walks and bike rides.

• Choose an off-peak time to travel. Don’t leave on a Friday, when public rest stops will be more crowded.

• Bring your own drinks and snacks to avoid standing in line.

• Wear a mask when you are close to others.

• Keep wipes and hand sanitizers on you at all times.