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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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What makes a good digital-nomad destination?
I hope this site – Price of Travel – is a useful resource for long-term travelers as well as those looking for value on shorter trips. We’ve included typical costs for over 110 major destinations around the world, in addition to monthly weather information, which should quickly give you ideas of where to go and when. See the World Backpacker Index for 2012 to see all countries ranked from cheapest to most expensive.
But there’s a different kind of traveler out there in increasing numbers, including yours truly. The so-called “digital nomad” earns a living while traveling, or at least never having a permanent home. I’d love to get feedback and ideas from anyone out there on this subject because it seems clear that this lifestyle will only get more popular as time goes on.
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.
17 Cheap destinations with great weather in April
April is the perfect month for cheap vacations in much of the world because most people prefer tropical holidays in the months ending in March, so you can still find perfect weather combined with lower hotel prices in many fantastic destinations.
Much of Latin America has ideal weather this month, while April is (weirdly) the single hottest month in most of Southeast Asia, so that budget-traveler hot spot is really better avoided until autumn.
Those looking for a cheap beach vacation will have many really good options because even places with scorching weather can be quite bearable if all you are doing is sitting under an oversized umbrella sipping cocktails all day long, with breezes always rolling in.
18 Cheap destinations with great weather in March
The month of March is one of the better ones on the calendar for budget travelers since it’s well before the summer season in the Northern Hemisphere and the winter crowds in the tropical areas are starting to thin out at the same time. Through much of Latin America and Asia you can find perfect weather with off-peak hotel prices and reasonable crowds.
For those starting in North America or Europe you’ll find that most of these places will require a fairly long flight to reach, but that’s the price you pay for warm weather this time of year, and those staying for at least two weeks can easily justify the airfare by the cheap prices they pay once they have arrived.
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.
15 South and Central American cities by price: Backpacker Index for 2012
Many of the world’s best travel bargains can be found in Latin America, and this full 2012 update of our Backpacker Index shows which cities are the cheapest. In previous installments we checked the cheapest European cities and cheapest Asian cities, so now we arrive in an area that is often ignored by many due to its remoteness.
Much of Latin America is heavily influenced by Europe, but of course the past centuries have given each destination its own unique flavor and spin. The cheapest cities in the region can only be matched in south Asia for value, while the most expensive are still quite cheap compared to Europe and North America. Most prices have been fairly stable since the 2011 list, except for the more expensive ones, which have crept up quite a bit.
17 Cheap destinations with great weather in February
Those with time for a holiday in February are very much in luck if they are looking for affordable destinations. This is the warm and dry season in most of the world’s cheapest tropical hot spots, and also toward the end of the busy season so prices are already starting to come down after the holidays and finding bargains is simple for those who book in advance.
The one complication for many people is that the flight itself might be quite long and fairly expensive to get to Southeast Asia or Latin America, but you’ll see fare sales and low prices popping up in December and January so don’t give up if they look too expensive at first glance.
17 Cheap destinations with great weather in January
January really begins prime time when it comes to people looking for a cheap getaway to a warm place. Fortunately the weather is pretty much perfect in almost all of the cheapest places on earth this month as well. Latin America and Southeast Asia are mostly warm and dry this time of year.
The two tricky parts are that flights to those areas won’t be cheap in most cases, so it’s less than ideal if you only have 5 to 7 days for your trip. However, if you can get away for 10 days or more then the cost of the flight and the hassle to go to one of these regions will be more than made up by the super cheap prices once you arrive. If you are mostly interested in beaches, scuba diving, and other water sports you should start with our list of the cheapest Caribbean islands to see which ones are in your price range.
It’s worth nothing that even though they don’t celebrate Christmas in most of Asia, it’s still peak season there because they see the highest demand of the year during that week. If you can go the second week of January or after then it’ll be cheaper and easier to find hotel deals.
18 Cheap destinations with great weather in December
The final month of the year marks the time when people in northern climates start looking around for an escape to the sun. Fortunately, there are big parts of the world that have their best weather of the year at this time, and are very cheap as well, once you get there.
Most of the destinations below are in Latin America and Southeast Asia, so depending on where you are starting from it might be a rather long flight to get there. Many of us can take two weeks or even more around this time of year, but that fact means that all of these places do get crowded and raise hotel prices for the weeks around Christmas and New Year’s.
It’s best to book as far in advance as possible for both your flights and hotels, since so many people have the same idea and prices generally just keep going up as it gets closer.
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.