Notes

The Cheapest Awesome Places to Travel
International travel doesn't ought to be expensive. In fact, in the event that you pick your destination properly you'll be able to live at a higher standard of living than you can Stateside without spending any more money than you'd fork out for the average weekend of forgettable nonsense at your usual low-rent haunts.

If you are in the mood for some low-cost travelling that will not leave you broke, consider the following awesome cheap places to go to.

Berlin, Germany

Berlin has held the title as Europe's premier low-cost capital for nearly 2 decades now. Despite being the administrative centre city of the world's third largest industrial power, the fall of the wall back the late 1980's set the stage for an affordable international party hub. During Berlin's half-century of schism the Soviets just couldn't stop building unnecessary new neighborhoods and utility buildings in the East and which means to this day East Berlin continues to stretch out in a nearly endless sprawl of city blocks slowly being transformed by artists, immigrants, and anyone with a dream and too little capital to make it happen elsewhere. Cheap housing = cheap everything, and it's easy to have a world-class night on the town for $30 USD (?23 euros, �18.50 British pounds) or less.

Porto, Portugal

Lisbon is cheap, but Porto puts Portugal's capital to shame, particularly if you go through the off-season. You can get great lodging in Porto for $10-$15 (?8-?12, �4.50-�9) a night, a fantastic lunch of seafood caught right outside town for $5 and massive dinners of grilled octopus, heaps of salt cod and all the vegetables and buttered potatoes it is possible to eat for no more than $10 a head. Cheap tours of the local Port cellars (complete with buzz-inducing tastings), trips up the Douro river to go to a few of the world's most gorgeous vineyards and the natural splendor of the city's rocky terrain and expansive beach make Porto among Europe's hidden treasures.

Greece

It is important to note, very quickly, that economic instability in safe, developed countries is every budget traveller's dream. The larger a country's overall economy the cheaper and cheaper it becomes to invest some quality time exploring its shores. This is true both when it comes to daily living also to actually reaching countries suffering from hard times, as locales taking a beating tend to bend over backwards on airfare to obtain people to continue steadily to visit them (i.e. Japan post-Tsunami).

It isn't exploitative to call home it up in a country like Greece while they're experiencing some economic turmoil. In fact, there are few more positive actions you can take for these countries than going to them and spending a lot of money on local services and products. Assisting to stimulate local economies while living like (polite) royalty is the definition of a win-win.

Buenos Aires, Argentina

A perennial favorite, Buenos Aires (a.k.a. BsAs) houses more travellers and ex-pats than any other city in SOUTH USA, and once and for all reason. Modern BsAs is the result of a variety of in regards to a half-dozen different European and South American cultures meaning the meals, architecture, attitude, and vibe of the city strikes the proper chord between your foreign and the familiar. Want another positive benefit of the city's mixed pedigree? You can find almost anything you could ever want there, including plenty of English speakers to find your way around. Add on other positives like the city's love of dance and a resident daily diet consisting mainly of gelato (ice cream) and the world's best grass-fed beef and BsAs would be a steal at any price. The actual fact you'll get the same worth of $4 for each one US dollar you spend makes visiting BsAs a no-brainer for the wise budget-conscious traveller.

Central America

As great as Buenos Aires may be when you're seeking to live large on the cheap, the city has one daunting downside that may prevent you from living up your tango-dancing dreams. This is the fact BsAs sits at the absolute end of the world, down at the southern part of the South American continent. It might as well be considered a short boat ride from the glaciers of the South Pole. BsAs' distance means it can be a bit expensive to fly to, and spending $1,000-$2,000 US for a round trip ticket won't strike the common individual as a cheap trip, no matter how cost-effective the end destination may be.

But Panama, in addition to other relatively stable and safe Central American countries like Costa Rica, Guatemala, and Honduras are inexpensive to enjoy and inexpensive to fly to, even from the northern USA. A two-second explore Kayak just revealed I possibly could purchase a round-trip ticket from NEW YORK to Panama City, leaving in a few days no less, for $301. Unlike Costa Rica and Guatemala, Panama remains a hidden treasure, offering inexpensive amenities and entertainment, endless natural splendor, and a decidedly welcome insufficient tourists.

Thailand

If there's one budget travel destination more famous and well-trafficked than Buenos Aires it's Thailand. Bangkok has long been considered the spot to traveller to live just like a little prince without breaking the lender, providing easy access to every sensual pleasure you could ever want at a bargain. And when I say every sensual pleasure I really do mean every. Great local food for under $1 US a plate, hour-long massages on the beach for $12 US, and yes, whatever sex you could ever dream of. You don't have to look for sexual experiences when you visit Bangkok to get a good time, not in the least, but it's impossible to mention Thailand's best-known destination without at the very least tipping your hat to its status because the world capital of sex tourism.

If you're interested in a lower-key, but still inexpensive and traveller-friendly corner of Thailand, you should visit Chiang Mai. At Chiang Mai you will discover an abundance of travellers and ex-pats more interested in living a less wild expression of the good life while still getting an authentically Thai experience.

And if Thailand is too popular for your desires, nearby Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Indonesia offer their own unique low-cost traveller-friendly pleasures.

Think North American

You don't always need to travel overseas to open yourself around new experiences, to regain a little perspective on your life and to rewire your perspective on the planet. I currently live in North America and while I've been fortunate enough to go to various far-off corners of the planet, I've stumbled upon a few of my most crucial revelations and enjoyed some of my most life-changing experiences travelling in this continent.

website of a bank teller in Knoxville, Tennessee, once dissolved my encrusted cynicism as powerfully as the kindness of strangers located half the world away. Visiting the West Coast for a few months was a more impressive culture shock than visiting Berlin, and spending a few days at my friend's cabin in Central Pennsylvania always acts as a robust system-reset and never costs me a lot more than an all-inclusive $60 (?48 euros, �27 pounds).

International travel does offer its own unique set of circumstance and environmental cues that sets off personal growth in a way domestic travel doesn't always achieve, but don't assume you should jet away to get the break from everyday activity you crave.

Allen Routledge is really a backpacking travel veteran with extensive experience 'on the road' in Europe, Australasia, and the Americas. Read other articles about his personal experiences and practical travel information at http://omnitraveller.com.
Here's my website: https://www.openlearning.com/u/palmhansen-rtaict/blog/TheCheapestAwesomePlacesToTravel