Updated and re-ranked for 2019, the Australia and New Zealand Backpacker Index includes 6 cities that are generally the most popular for foreign visitors. The currencies of both countries weakened a bit in 2018 against the US Dollar, but they are still similar in price to midrange European tourist cities.

Fortunately, 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. Click to read more

Updated for 2019, the Africa and Middle East Backpacker Index once again shows that travel is quite inexpensive to many popular cities, but a few in this area are among the most expensive in the world. This region gets far less tourism than most of the rest of the world and that translates to a lack of budget hotels and hostels in many places, which helps keep prices a bit higher.

The other side of the story is that the lack of package and wholesale tourism means that those who do visit are generally getting far more intimate experiences. We wish we had more cities listed and we are open to suggestions and help to build this list up as time goes on. Click to read more

South and Central America are sometimes forgotten by residents of the rest of the world, but savvy travelers continue to flock to this region for a great variety of reasons. In addition to the cultural and scenic highlights, the entire area is quite cheap by international standards, at least once you are here. Backpacking in South America can be very inexpensive and mid-range travel can be surprisingly affordable as well.

We have completed updated this list for 2019 and re-ranked each destination from cheapest to most expensive. Most currencies in the region were pretty stable in 2018 and inflation was very low in all but a couple of countries, so things remain great value for most travelers. Argentina continues to struggle with runaway inflation, but its currency keep going down so it's actually a very good bargain as of 2019. Venezuela is out of control and probably better saved for a future when things are stable. Click to read more

By the time Easter rolls around, usually in March or as late as mid April, everybody who lives in the north is so sick of the cold that they are dreaming of spending a week on a warm beach. Fortunately, there are warm beaches all over the Tropics, and many of them are very affordable even during peak travel weeks such as Easter and Spring Break.

These days many universities and schools schedule their Spring Break on different weeks, mostly focusing on the middle of March. The second and third full weeks of March tend to be the most popular and the destinations listed below will usually be most crowded during those weeks. Click to read more

Almost all of Asia is a travel bargain once you get there, so finding an affordable flight is often the main obstacle for exotic holidays. In 2019 once again we have updated all of Asia's major destinations and ranked them from cheapest to most expensive for the ninth year running. A few things changed, but most of the ranking will look familiar to someone who has seen any of the previous lists.

Most Asian currencies were fairly stable against the US Dollar and Euro, and it's even better news that inflation hasn't really been a major problem in most of Asia's most popular countries in the last year. Click to read more

Those looking for ideal destinations in Europe for the month of May have nearly endless choices. The May weather is warm enough to be nearly perfect in all but the most northern cities, and yet tourist crowds are still small since many people can't get away until June or later.

Even though it's “warm” in most of Europe in May, the only places warm enough for sunbathing are in the far south and the Mediterranean. Those looking for a hot-weather destination in May should be thinking about Asia or the Caribbean. Click to read more

Anyone looking for an affordable destination with very good weather during the month of May will be happy to know that the list of possibilities is long. There are fascinating cities in most regions of the world that are worth a look, as well as many affordable beach areas for those looking to relax in the sun. Many people are just interested in where is it hot in May, and the list below will answer that question as well.

The list below is broken down by region to help you narrow the choices of holiday destinations in May more efficiently, and there are also links to pages with information about the cheapest beach destinations in the Caribbean and in Europe, which both are loaded with bargains this time of year. Of course for each city mentioned there are plenty of smaller cities nearby that are usually even cheaper, so hopefully this gives you some ideas. Click to read more

April is a wonderful month for a trip to Asia since you have so many great choices. It's still dry in southeast Asia, even if it's extremely hot, and April is warm enough to visit China or some of the other places a bit farther from the equator.

This is also one of the best months of the year for travel bargains since it's low season in the beach areas as well as the bigger cities. April is also the first month of the year when Bali isn't in its rainy season, so you can choose from nearly every good Asia destination and save money in the process.

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Since most of Europe is so far from the equator, most of the famous cities are still a bit chilly in April. Still, April can be one of the best months of the year to visit the busiest and most popular cities here. Temperatures are warm enough for enjoyable sightseeing, yet the crowd sizes are much smaller than you'll see starting in May and June.

Those looking for a warm-weather destination in April should be thinking about Asia or the Caribbean. Even so, Europe (more or less) does have a couple places warm enough for a bit of April sunbathing, and those are listed on top. Click to read more

At least a decade or two ago, the dream of anyone planning to travel around Europe was to buy a Eurail Saver Pass. They were almost certain to save money, plus they allowed for a freewheeling style of travel where you could go anywhere you wanted at a moment's notice. But things have changed, and Eurail Passes have some new restrictions along with fierce price competition from discount airlines, so whether or not to buy a pass is a complicated issue.

You could spend several days hunting down the point-to-point prices and creating a spreadsheet to determine how much your possible routes would cost with each type of travel, but for the majority of people it's possible to ask a few questions and the answer will be clear. Having done extensive pricing research, and having traveled around Europe both with and without Eurail Passes, we have boiled the main decision down to the key elements below. Click to read more