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World taxi prices: What a 3-kilometer ride costs in 72 big cities
The cost of a short taxi ride can be incredibly cheap in some places and amazingly expensive in others. Check out our global list to see how things compare.
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The 11 best-value cities in Europe for budget travelers
Some European cities are very cheap, but still not really worth going to. Here are 11 you should definitely visit.
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12 best-value cities in Asia for budget travelers
Here's our list of the best of Asia's cheapest cities.
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107 World cities by latitude: Things line up in surprising ways
Compare all the popular cities around the world from north to south to see which ones line up.
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List of free walking tours around the world
Free walking tours are now found in cities all over the world. Here's a list of all of them.
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16 Cheapest overwater bungalow resorts in the world
Show a person a photo of an overwater bungalow or water villa and suddenly they have a new goal in life. Unfortunately, most of the 130 or so resorts that feature overwater rooms are quite expensive, usually over US$400 per night, even in the off season.
Well, there is a bit of good news then as it turns out that not all of them are priced only for the super-rich. Thanks to the overwater bungalows and water villas guide, which lists every overwater resort in the world, we know that there are some affordable options out there.
116 World cities by price: Backpacker Index for 2012
Being able to compare cities by price within a region can be helpful for those who are figuring out where to visit on an upcoming trip, but for people in the earliest stages of planning it might be even more interesting to see the whole world on the same list. Having been completely updated for 2012, the World Backpacker Index now includes 116 cities and destinations, ranked below from cheapest to most expensive.
Through most of the world prices went up only modestly during 2011, though currency shifts did scramble the order from last year in some cases as well. Unsurprisingly, the world’s cheapest destinations tend to be in Asia and Latin America, but some fantastic bargains can be found in the former-East zone in Europe as well.
4 Australia and New Zealand cities by price: Backpacker Index for 2012
Our second-year update to the four major tourist destinations in Australia and New Zealand sees things basically the same as the past year or two. New Zealand is cheaper than Australia by a noticeable amount, but both are more expensive than they have been for most of the past decade due to abnormally strong currencies compared to the USD, Euro, and GBP.
The good news is that both countries have a robust infrastructure for budget travelers, with more hostels (called ‘backpackers’ usually) than almost anywhere else in the world. Self-catering will cut costs in both countries since even fast-food restaurants tend to be quite expensive. Camping or going with a group in a campervan is another good way of seeing a lot while spending less money.
The free-walking-tour business is exploding in popularity
In 2004 Sandemans New Europe Tours launched its new “free walking tour” concept in Berlin, and they’ve been so successful that they’ve continued to expand ever since, now on the verge of adding their 13th and 14th cities across Europe and Israel. When something works there will be others ready to copy the concept in their own market, and by late 2011 it turns out that similar free walking tours are available in about 50 cities around the world.
On a long research trip to Europe in 2008 I had the pleasure of going on 5 different New Europe walking tours, in Berlin, London, Amsterdam, Edinburgh, and Paris, and I can honestly say they were all excellent so this seems like an exciting new trend that is good news for everybody but the high-price walking tour outfits that are probably struggling a bit.
List of free walking tours around the world
The trend of ‘free’ walking tours appears to have started in Berlin in 2004 and has now spread to over 40 cities around the world, including nearly every major tourist destination in Europe. Fad or not, free walking tours seem to be here to stay, so we thought it would be helpful to collect a list of them all in one place.
The fine people at Free Sofia Tour compiled this original list and with their permission I’m including it here as well so value-oriented travelers have more chances of finding these tours and even planning their trips around them.
The tour guides work on tips and participants are free to tip as much or little as they think is appropriate, so they are a great first activity and orientation in a city on literally any budget.
The world’s 14 best-value destinations
Let’s face it, there are plenty of cheap destinations in the world, and some of them deserve to be cheap. But there are also gems out there which are lovely and interesting as well as very easy on the budget. These ‘best-value’ places are ones where you have an excellent time and you’re continually shocked at how cheap things are there too.
Not long ago we published lists of our picks for the best-value cities in Europe, and the best-value cities in Asia. For both of those we ranked destinations for people traveling just to a specific region, but it’s time to open it up and collect our best-value recommendations from the entire world.
Australia & New Zealand cities by price: Backpacker Index for 2011
As of early 2011 Price of Travel covers over 110 cities around the world, making it easy for travelers to figure out a budget as well as normal weather for every major tourist city on the planet. Here we continue with our Backpacker Index for 2011 series, highlighting Australia and New Zealand.
Admittedly, with only four total cities in this region right now, the coverage is spotty, but fortunately these examples should provide a good range for each country as prices are generally consistent in the main tourist areas. The most dramatic factor to consider lately is the exchange rate, which, as you’ll see below, has made Australia nearly as expensive as Scandinavia at the moment.