Budget world travel is no more a reality but a dream to the adventurous soul. In 2024, a string of places across the world combines cultural experience with breathtaking landscapes, adding on the affordability of accommodations that make the art of traveling for all.
Whether backpackers, digital nomads, or escapists want to see more on a shoestring budget, this is the place on a budget one could want. Go and help yourself learn about the best places in which your dollar stretches furthest, from Southeast Asia to South America.
Southeast Asia
Vietnam
Generally speaking, almost everything a traveler would need can be found at cheap prices in Vietnam: from walking in the hustle and bustle of the streets of Hanoi to lying on the beaches of Da Nang, it’s affordable fun for anyone’s type. The second most important reason to come here is the good exchange rate. Since 2,500 VND is equal to 1 USD, your money will go a long way.
Accommodation: You will be able to find a low-budget hotel or hostel from 5 to 10 dollars a night. If comfort is what you are seeking, mid-range hotels cost from 20 to 50 dollars. Staying in a luxurious resort would even be rather affordable: it is about 100 dollars to satisfy every whim of yours each night.
• Food: There is a food stall on almost every corner, and great tasting food is available. A good meal is available for 2-3 dollars. At mid-range restaurants, one can have more sumptuous meals for 10-20 dollars.
• Best Places to Visit: The best places not to be missed for the feel of history, culture, and food are Saigon, now called Ho Chi Minh City, and Hanoi. Not forgetting about nature, one has Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park and Halong Bay.
It is balanced by affordability and adventure, making it one of the best places to go on a tight budget.
Philippines
With more than 7,000 islands, the Philippines is a haven of unbridled exploration for travelers, especially shoestring travelers. Be it island hopping around Palawan or doing some street explorations highly vibrantly in Manila; Philippine Peso ₱55 to $1 USD makes this Southeast Asian country relatively accessible for budget travel.
Accommodation: For low-budget hostels and hotels, the cost is 5-10$ per night. For middle-class ones, every night he will have to pay between 20-50$. For a five-star hotel, if one wants to stay at top places like Boracay or El Nido, he can expect to pay over 200$.
• Food: Food is affordable when eating outside in the Philippines. For as low as $1 to $2 a meal of street foods like adobo or pancit, eating in a mid-range restaurant will probably be in the neighborhood of $10 to $20 per meal.
Best Places to Visit: Excluding Manila, Cebu offers beautiful beaches while Bohol offers breathtaking scenery due to the Chocolate Hills of it. For the fondness of people towards beach resorts and glassy, transparent seawater, Palawan and Boracay work as ideal places.
That means for the budget traveler, everything is available in the Philippines-from city exploration to secluded islands-at cheaper rates compared to some other more popular destinations.
Central and South America
Mexico
With its rich culture and diversity of landscape, Mexico can be a treasure trove for the really budget traveler, as both accommodation and food come very cheaply. The Mexican Peso, pegged at about 17.50 pesos to 1 USD, really stretches your travel budget, no matter what region you choose to travel in.
Accommodation: For budget travelers, there are dorms and even hotels starting from 5-15 dollars per night. Generally, mid-range hotels go from 40-100 USD per night, while really pricey ones, especially the luxury resorts in the main tourist spots such as Cancun and Cabo San Lucas, go upwards of US$200 per night.
• Food: The meals from food stalls that serve in the street are mostly $2 to $3 for tacos, quesadillas, or tamales. With mid-range dining options, one finds quite a lot of value for meals. The cost ranges from $10 to $20.
Resorts: Riviera Maya combines beachside lounging with cultural explorations strewn out along a coastline that encompasses everything from Playa del Carmen to Tulum. Farther inland is one of Mexico’s most vibrant states: Oaxaca. It is well-deserving, sun-seekers, too-the Baja Peninsula.
With its affordability combined with natural beauty, Mexico is a hit for any traveler since one can have a rich experience without necessarily having to pay a lot.
Colombia
From breathtaking scenery to pulsating cities, Colombia has carved a niche for itself among the list of affordable countries to travel to. The Colombian Peso gets a real value-for-money deal at ₱4,400 to $1 USD, thereby making everything-from accommodation to dining-affordable and cheap for international visitors.
Accommodation: Major cities like Cartagena and Medellin have super affordable hostels, with the lowest costing $5 to $10 per night, while mid-range hotels will start at around $30-60 dollars per night, and fancier ones will cost over $100-plus a night in upscale neighborhoods.
• Food: Street food such as arepas or empanadas can cost as little as $2 to $3. For a sit-down meal at a mid-range restaurant, you’ll spend $10 to $20 per meal.
Top destinations include Cartagena, with historic sites combined with beaches, while Medellín is a city that enjoys an eternally warm climate-thus it is also known as the “City of Eternal Spring.” Those who enjoy combing beaches have the islands of San Andrés with beautiful turquoise-colored waters.
With friendly locals, great prices, and amazing landscapes, Colombia has it all that could be desired by a budget traveler in South America.
South Asia and Africa
India
India is one of the most interesting yet pretty cheap destinations for those on a budget. From the crowded streets of Delhi down to the serene mountain retreats in the Himalayas, India has much to offer by way of culture without necessarily straining your wallet. Currently, the Indian Rupee stands at ₹82 to 1 USD, making its accommodations, food, and travel really cheap.
Accommodation: A number of very low-budget hostels start from about $5 to $10 per night, while in cities like Delhi, Mumbai, and Jaipur, they start a little above the average, beginning with a range of $30-60$ per night. Those interested in luxury hotels will find the prices varied in most cities, like Mumbai and Goa, within a bracket of 100-300$ per night.
Food: Some of the best rewards of touring India are super cheap street food; you can find a full meal well under $1 if you look hard enough. In the average sense, you will be spending $2 to $3 in the local eating houses. If you want to eat in restaurants, these meals will cost you about $10 to $20 per head for mid-segment restaurants.
It’s a huge and vast country that comprises all kinds of land and various natures, along with artificial tourist spots. The Golden Triangle comprises Delhi, Agra, and Jaipur, which further comprises the great Taj Mahal and beautiful forts. Goa is famous for its clean beaches, while Rishikesh, at the foothills of the Himalayas, is a place of yoga and spiritual seekers.
Taking all this together, culture, adventure, and prices combined allow for getting the level of luxury at a fraction of what one would have to pay elsewhere.
Tanzania
If one is looking to head to an ever-exotic destination in Africa without necessarily blowing the bank, then Tanzania just has to be on one’s radar. At an exchange rate of TSh 2,350 to $1 USD, your travel buck actually goes further than you may well imagine. From trekking Mount Kilimanjaro through Serengeti National Park, to lazing and relaxing on pristine beaches in Zanzibar, Tanzania has it all.
Accommodations: Hostels and low-budget guesthouses charge about US$ 10-20 approximately a night. Middle-class lodges and hotels charge between US$ 30-100 per night. It can be very costly, especially in Zanzibar and other safari lodges, from US$ 200 onwards per night, but there is something that can fit into any kind of traveler’s budget. • Food: It is relatively cheap to eat out in Tanzania, especially if local dishes are chosen. A meal served at a local restaurant, even at food kiosks, would cost one $2 to $5. Prices stand at middle-range restaurants between $10 to $20 per head, especially at towns like Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar. • Most Visited Places: Where the wild-life lovers just can’t miss Safari in Serengeti National Park, where the famous Great Migration happens, the beach lovers would love Zanzibar – a small island with breathtaking white-sand beaches and turquoise water. Adventure travelers will want to conquer Mount Kilimanjaro – the highest mountain in Africa, which is at once a challenge and a reward in itself. With its mix of wildlife, adventure, and culture, Tanzania is also a great value trip to find in Africa. From budget accommodations to posh lodges, it suits every kind of traveler.
Europe and Middle East
Romania
Few people consider traveling affordably in Europe who consider Romania, but it is most certainly one of the best-kept secrets. The local currency of Romania, now moving at an exchange rate of 4.54 RON to $1 USD, makes it very reasonable from accommodation to food. From quaint medieval towns in Transylvania to the bright capital city of Bucharest, Romania is a haven for budget travelers.
Accommodation: Accommodations in Romania are not that hard to find; the price for low-budget ones starts from $7-15/night, while for middle-range, accommodations it could be about $40-100/night or so, depending on the place. For really famous places, like Brasov or Cluj-Napoca, the accommodations really will be a great value.
Food – You will get all kinds of local food in Romania at a very cheap price, starting from $2 to $5 in any local restaurant where you will get to have one full course meal for $10 to $20 in any mid-budget restaurant. Mici or sarmale is a kind of Romanian sausage, both special items in Romania.
• Top Attractions: Transylvania is Romania’s most important tourist attraction. Bran Castle is known as Dracula’s Castle in this region. Very picturesque landscapes in Transylvania, its capital Bucharest being a very lively city that offers a combination of history and culture with a very energetic nightlife, and the Carpathian Mountains, which are ideal for hiking.
Actually, for the traveler seeking rich culture and nature, Romania is a very good deal, yet one that does not wear a European price tag.
Türkiye
With its ideal degree of cultural variance from east to west, this is just what travelers find so appealing, and at very reasonable prices. Since 19 Turkish Lira go to 1 USD, it promises much-from historical Istanbul to the spectacular landscapes of Cappadocia-all rather at reasonable prices.
Accommodation: Türkiye offers a lot of options to fit all budgets. Budget hostels range from $10 to $20 per night in city centers such as Istanbul and Antalya. Mid-range hotels cost about $50-100 per night, while a luxurious resort on the Turkish Riviera is surely well over $200 per night.
• Food: Eating out is one of the great pleasures of a visit to Türkiye. Local restaurants, known in Turkish as ‘lokantas’, will have meals from about $5 to $10 USD. In a mid-range restaurant, one meal will cost about $10 to $20 USD. One should not also forget to have some doner kebabs, baklava, and Turkish tea.
Top Destination: From the construction of every beautiful architecture-Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque-to trips for seeing special rocks in Cappadocia and going for hot air balloon rides, simply sitting on dazzling beaches along the Turkish Riviera, and Ephesus showing how the ancient Romans lived, history buffs will be in for a treat.
Türkiye is just a blend of history, culture, and natural wonders, which can be quite cheap to any kind of purse.
Unhyped Wallet-Friendly Faves
Nepal
Core trekkers travel to Nepal to be outdoors in the Himalayas at super-low costs. It is a piece of Earth with great views and a lot of cultural depth inside it. And at ₨ 131 to $1 USD, Nepal is pretty cheap to either see the peak of Asia or pass your time on some quiet cultural getaway.
Accommodation: In the budget categories, it is easily possible to find accommodation starting from 5 to 10 dollars every night in Kathmandu and Pokhara, where many trekkers ultimately end up. Actually, mid-range category hotels are largely comfortable, starting from US$ 20-50 dollars per night. If, on the other hand, one looks for an upgraded version, then available categories starting from 100 dollars or above per night, mostly around major trekking routes.
• Food: Eating out in Nepal is very affordable as long as one is prepared to try the local food such as dal bhat, a lentil-based meal, or momo dumplings. Meals from street vendors or lowly restaurants start at $2-5 and go up, while a meal in a mid-range restaurant will cost about $5-10 per person.
Most Favored Destinations: Kathmandu plunges into cultural experience, full of ancient temples and vibrant markets. Pokhara, at the doorstep of Annapurna, provides a very good base for trekking and relaxing at Phewa Lake. In terms of hiking, making it to Everest Base Camp or the Annapurna Circuit finds its place in any bucket list and doesn’t have to be overly costly.
With its unbeatable affordable rate and a landscape of majesty, the Himalayas make Nepal ideal for any traveler who wants to indulge in mountain glory on a shoestring.
Laos
Considered by many to be one of the more hidden jewels of Southeast Asia, Laos is available for a casual getaway at a fraction of the cost of its neighbors. Backpacking through the lush countryside and historic cities such as Luang Prabang, the current Laotian Kip-LAK-exchange rate is about 17,469 to $1 USD, which makes this laid-back country very favorable.
Accommodation: Accommodation in Laos is relatively cheap, with most places having hostels or guesthouses that go for less than $5 every night, maybe among the cheapest sleeping areas in Southeast Asia. Middle-class hotels charge between $30 to $75 per night. On the other hand, even their luxury accommodations are considerably not as expensive as one would expect globally.
• Food: In Laos, delicious street food costs cheaply, actually. You will enjoy dishes of laap-a minced meat salad, or khao jee, Laotian sandwiches, costing about $2 to $3. You will hardly ever pay more than $10-$15 even dining in mid-range restaurants.
Attractions: In Luang Prabang, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, amazing temples attract visitors. Placed centrally in Laos is the river of Mekong, about which one can have boat trips down or nice riverside views in towns such as Vientiane. Given that generally a backpacker is going to hold onto the so-called “Golden Triangle” route, joining Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam, this can easily give way to a really affordable journey.
Ideal for those who want a slow pace on a continent with very beautiful landscapes and cultural attractions at super affordable prices.
Conclusion
Traveling on a shoestring budget has never been easier in 2024, with a whole plethora of options offering everything from affordable accommodations to super-delicious cheap food and cultural experiences. Be it one of the vibrant Southeast Asian cities, the remote mountainous areas of Nepal, or the historic areas of Eastern Europe, there’s a destination to suit every kind of traveler in terms of budget.
It gives you the opportunity to cherish the beauties and diversities of the world, which might appear to be expensive for you in any other international travel. From the Himalayas to the beaches of Mexico, some of the most renowned, economically viable destinations worldwide will be embracing you with open arms in 2024. Time to pack your luggage, plan a trip, and initiate a globe-trotting mission within a shoestring budget. Safe journey!
