Do your
travel ambitions eclipse your bank account? Well here is a fix: places that offer plenty of cheap ways to stay, play and eat. Whether
you're on the prowl for a perfect beach or a city bursting with culture, these
cities and countries deliver big but cost little.
Not all of them will stay cheap in the year to come so if you are inspired to go, do it soon!
Philippines
Bargain
hunters, outdoorsy types and the food-obsessed should look to the Philippines.
The country's combination of cosmopolitan affordability and splendid nature make
it a destination that offers a lot for the money. Lonely Planet recently named
it one of the top value destinations for 2014, and according to CIO Wealth
Management Research's Prices and Earnings report, Manila has some of the
cheapest shopping and upscale dining in the world. For example, a couple can buy
a new wardrobe there for about $410 -- seven times less than what you'd pay for
similar items in Tokyo. And the average cost of a three-course meal in a good
restaurant is a mere $18, compared to about $95 in Geneva or Oslo (two of the
cities featured in our recent story on the world's most overpriced
destinations).
Greece
Like an
ancient epic adapted for modern life, after years of strife, Greece is once
again on a quest. The economic crisis that racked the country also dampened
tourism -- a serious blow to a destination that depends so heavily on holiday
seekers. Now, Greece hopes to be the place that launches a thousand ships,
airplanes and trains, all carrying visitors back to its ancient ruins and famed
beaches. Beguiling budget travelers with a siren song of lower prices and
smaller crowds, Greece's only real question is: Are you listening?
Dominican Republic
Can you
afford azure waters and silky white-sand beaches? In the Dominican Republic, you
can. While the Caribbean isn't known for its affordability, the Dominican
Republic remains -- at least for now -- a bastion of value in a sea of high
prices. With service from low-cost carriers including AirTran, Frontier and
JetBlue, and air-and-hotel vacation packages from your local travel consultant,
the Dominican Republic seems to have an endless supply of affordable
options
Mexico City
Two key
aspects score Mexico City a spot on this list: You can generally find very
affordable flights from the U.S., and once you're there, you can enjoy luxury
for a whole lot less than in other major cities. And while that makes it a
slightly different style of "cheap," it's certainly one worth embracing,
particularly if you're focusing more on maximizing value than on paying as
little as possible. According to the Prices and Earnings report, Mexico City is
one of the cheapest places in the world to stay in a five-star hotel: The
average rate is $210 per night. Compare that to $730, the average rate at a
luxury hotel in New York City, and upscale Mexico City starts to seem dazzlingly
within reach.
Lisbon, Portugal
Lisbon
is as easy on the eyes as it is on the budget. Stretched across a series of
hills, the city is a captivating combination of friendly locals, picturesque
winding streets and affordable pursuits. How affordable? According to the Prices
and Earnings report, Lisbon's mid-range hotels are the cheapest among the 72
cities surveyed, with an average rate of $80 per night -- a whopping 50% lower
than the global average. And Lisbon is also home to not one but two of the
properties we featured in last year's 10 hostels too upscale to
believe.
Bucharest, Romania
Still
harboring the scars of more than two decades under the Communist rule of Nicolae
Ceausescu, Bucharest's melancholic edge is offset by its metropolitan verve. And
while more and more visitors are discovering the unique appeal of the city once
known as "Little Paris," it's still a very affordable destination and a great
place to go upscale for less. In fact, its luxury accommodations have an average
rate of $190 per night, making Bucharest among the cheapest cities in the world
to stay at a five-star hotel. And according to the Prices and Earnings report,
Bucharest is the least expensive city for a weekend getaway that includes
accommodations, a meal with wine, taxi and public transport, a car rental and
extras: The average cost of $370 is a mere fraction of the cost of a similar
holiday in Paris, estimated at $1,100.
India
If you
can absorb the higher price of airfare to get all the way to India, you'll be
rewarded by a favorable exchange rate, inexpensive accommodations, an abundance
of free attractions and wildly affordable dining and shopping. Both Frommer's
and Lonely Planet named India a top destination for budget travel this year, and
the Prices and Earnings report put Delhi and Mumbai at the forefront of the
world's most affordable major cities. This is especially true when you start
looking at the prices of goods, services and food. However, keep in mind that
violence against women has become a high-profile issue, so while a trip to India
can be incredibly rich and memorable, travelers should factor safety into their
plans.
Sofia, Bulgaria
Mid-range and budget travelers
rejoice: Sofia is still a bona fide affordable destination. Bulgaria's capital
has the cheapest mid-range hotels among the 72 world cities surveyed in the
Prices and Earnings report: At around $80 per night, they are 50% less expensive
than the global average. The city also scored the number one spot on Price of
Travel's annual Europe 3-Star Traveler Index, with an average daily cost of
about $49 for accommodations, transportation, meals, and activities. It's not
just Sofia, either; Lonely Planet recently recognized all of Bulgaria as a great
deal.
Nicaragua
Every
few years, a new Central American country gets crowned "the next Costa Rica" --
meaning it's relatively safe and bursting with natural beauty, but it's not yet
expensive and overrun with tourists. This year, Nicaragua is working hard to
earn the title. Volcanoes, rainforests, rivers and Caribbean beaches lure
travelers looking for off-the-beaten-path adventure on the cheap. But as the
term "the next Costa Rica" implies, if Nicaragua becomes more popular in the
years to come, it will likely become more expensive as well. Until then, expect
to be able to spend as little as $20 per day, or live the high life for not a
whole lot more. Note that many see the recent constitutional amendment that
removes term limits on the presidency as a potential threat to democracy, but it
seems unlikely that there will be any immediate effect on travelers.
Riga,
Latvia
Riga
remains affordable in part because it's still relatively undiscovered. But that
may be about to change as Riga takes its place on the world stage as a 2014
European Capital of Culture. For now, though, travelers can still stay, play and
eat on the cheap. In fact, Riga scored a spot in the top 10 on both Price of
Travel's Europe 3-Star Traveler Index (with an average daily cost of about $74
for accommodations, transportation, meals, and activities) and its Europe
Backpacker Index (with an average daily cost of about $33).
