Good places to Travel that aren’t too Expensive

good places to travel that aren't too expensive

As a digital nomad, I’ve recently been asked about good places to travel that aren’t too expensive. If you are travelling on a budget, it is easy to make the most of your money by staying in one of these inexpensive travellers havens….

Please note that all prices are averages based on my travel experience in 2015. They may change depending on exchange rates and local economies. All prices are given in £GBP. If you want a version in USD, please let me know, but you can easily convert using the online currency converter  www.xe.com.

Places to Travel that aren’t too Expensive – Europe

Bulgaria

If you are looking at Europe, I highly recommend Bulgaria. I was buying a chocolate croissant for about 18p, a coffee for about 20p and metro in Sofia worked out at about 30p. I stayed in a hostel for about £6 a night.

These prices are based on the cost of living on Sofia, where I spent most of my time. Remember that when you get out of the capital, it will be even cheaper!

Coffee – £0.18

Meal in a cheap restaurant – £3-4

Night in a cheap Hostel – £6-8

Local Transport – Metro £0.30

Romania

Romania is another cheap destination that has amazing things to see and do. As always, the capital of Bucharest will be more expensive than the rest of the country. Food and accommodation are on a par with Bulgaria. Head to Cluj Napoca and Brasov for some stunning architecture and culture.

Bucharest Old Town Romania

These average costs are based on the cost of living in Cluj-Napoca. The capital Bucharest may be a little more expensive, and some smaller villages may be cheaper.

Coffee – £0.90

Beer – £0.80-1.70

Meal in a cheap restaurant – £3-4

Night in a cheap Hostel – £9-£20

Local Transport – £0.33

Places to Travel that aren’t too Expensive – Asia

If you want to head to Asia, I highly recommend India. Although it is a tough place to travel, but if you can hack it, it is worth it. I had a double room with a balcony and en suite in Pushkar for about £2.70! And it’s full of culture and UNESCO heritage sites. Get out of Delhi ASAP and head to some holy places such as Pushkar, Rishikesh or Haridwar.

India

Based on Delhi, here is what I was spending on average in India. Pushkar was even cheaper!

Coffee – £0.90

Beer – £1-£1.50

Meal in a cheap restaurant – £2

Night in a cheap Hostel – £4-5

Local Transport – £0.20

China

China is also an amazing travel destination and extremely cheap. The big cities such as Beijing are quite dirty and overcrowded. I really loved Xian and Chengdu. In Xian, you can see one of the best highlights of China – the Terracotta Army. In Chengdu you can see Pandas in their natural habitat.

In cheap areas of China, you can get a meal in an inexpensive restaurant for less than £2! You can still pick up a local beer for about £0.60.

These costs are based on Chengdu. Beijing is more expensive, especially for accommodation, but dorm rooms in Beijing are still only between £6-£8!.

Coffee – £2.50 (coffee is imported and so quite expensive)

Beer – £0.60 (local)-£1.20 (imported)

Meal in a cheap restaurant – £1.50

Night in a cheap Hostel – £1.50 – £4 (dorm) and privates from £7 per night

Local Transport – £0.20

Thailand is also a beautiful country that is a cheap backpackers paradise. Travellers there report to have spent £0.50 on street meals, £1.50 in cheap restaurants in Chiang Mai. Hostels in Thailand are between £3 (Chiang Mai) and £8 (Bangkok).

Places to Travel that aren’t too Expensive – Africa

Morocco

As for Africa, I highly recommend Morocco. Cheap and exciting, with fabulous food! Marrakech is a bit crazy, so if you are scared of the hustle and bustle, head to a coastal town like Essaouira – very safe and lovely beach. Hostels are less than £7 a night, nice hotel rooms can be found for less than £20 a night and you can get a nice meal 2/3 courses for a tenner! In Essaouira you can get surf lessons for €20.

Morocco travel advice

Based on Essaouira, the average costs of staying in Morocco are…

Coffee – £0.90

Beer – £1.70-£2.00 (Beer is not too cheap in Morocco – it is a Muslim country and fewer people drink)

Meal in a cheap restaurant – £2-3

Night in a cheap Hostel – £3-5 (dorm) £7-10 (private)

Local Transport – £0.35

Uganda

Uganda is also extremely cheap and popular with backpackers. I found Kampala to be rather stressful – we got ripped off a lot and the traffic was crazy! Head to Jinja, a popular destination for backpackers with a cheap cost of living.

These prices are based on the cost of living outside Kampala.

Coffee – £1.10

Beer – £0.80-1.70

Meal in a cheap restaurant – £1.20-£1.50

Night in a cheap Hostel – £6-£13 (hostels are not so cheap here, but food is)

Local Transport – £0.36 (one way ticket)

Places to Travel that aren’t too Expensive – South America

Colombia

Columbia is an up and coming destination with a newfound reputation of a good and cheap place to travel. My Columbian friend Tatiana recommends Cartagena highly recommends Medellin.

These costs are based on Medellin, Colombia and have been researched on www.numbeo.com. If you have personal experience of costs in Columbia, please comment below.

Coffee – £0.75

Beer – £0.40 (local) -£1.10 (imported)

Meal in a cheap restaurant – £1.70-£2

Night in a cheap Hostel – £5-9

Local Transport – £0.40

According to www.priceoftravel.com, that BoliviaEcuadorPeru and  Guatemala are the cheapest places to travel in South America, and you can manage on around £20 ($30) per day if you are travelling on the cheap. These destinations are also recommended by the Huffington Post.

There are plenty of good and cheap places to travel, so get saving and go, go, go! With these accessible prices, there’s no real reason why someone from the UK and USA cannot travel!

Do you know any Good Places to Travel that aren’t too Expensive?

Do you know any good places to travel that aren’t too expensive? If so, I would love to hear from you – please comment below.

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