What countries offer the best bargains for travelers these days?

[Rodgers01]

@Scribble

Are you dead set on Europe and North America? Would you be willing to consider Asia or South America?

And how much roughing it are you willing to do? If you’re OK with staying in youth hostels and can deal with local infrastructural quirks (less-than-constant availability of running water, for example), that broadens your range of potential travel destinations considerably. On the other hand, if you really want a 5-star hotel, you’ll find that many countries you’d expect to be cheap actually aren’t a bargain at all.

I’m definitely open to more than just Europe and North America. Re. roughing it, youth hostels are no problem; inconstant running water might be. I’m not into adventure travel, or wild nature destinations - i.e. beaches are cool, but no safaris or camping, please. The ideal would be some country with interesting, historic cities and towns where you can relax, get some good, cheap meals, and explore for a couple weeks without going broke.

Thanks for all the suggestions so far.

[Nava]

@Zsofia

We went to “real” Mexico with my cousin who’s living there now (we saw Mexico City, Queretaro, and San Luis Potosi) and it was very cheap indeed - no beaches, but Queretaro is absolutely beautiful. We stayed in a hotel so historic it was in our guidebook and it cost what the Holiday Inn costs here.

BAD SOFI! No Puebla?

My experience in Mexico was that the “glass and metal, built to be a hotel” hotels were on the expensive side and nothing to write home about; the ones in normal housing, converted old houses… damn, it’s nowhere near lunch and the memory of those huevos rancheros at El Ángel is making me salivate, and it’s been almost ten years!

[Zsofia]

We wanted to see where my cousin is living, so we had to go in a different direction. I definitely want to go back to Mexico - there’s at least another three major trips just to see all the most important stuff!

Of all the museums I’ve ever seen in my life, and please note that I have seen a LOT of them, the Anthropological Museum in Mexico City was the one that most blew me away.

[MPB_in_Salt_Lake]

@GreasyJack

I don’t know about the rest of Eastern Europe, but I was recently in Prague and some of the Bohemian hinterland and didn’t find it to be any cheaper than, say, touring around Germany. Lodging in the countryside was a tad cheaper, but food and drink wasn’t especially cheap and Prague itself was just as expensive as any big European city.

For an American to claim that the cost of a week’s visit in Prague is the currently the same as a week’s visit to Paris after comparable lodging, dining and transportation costs are factored in is laughable.

Yes, Prague is much more expensive than it used to be, compared to other major cities in Europe 15 or 20 years ago, but it’s still a relative bargain when judged against most other Western European cities of a similar size and importance.

(You might currently find prices in Lisbon or Seville comparable to prices in Prague, but when stacked up against cities like Brussels, Munich, Venice or Vienna, Prague is still a bargain hunter’s destination)

[kayaker]

I love the Caribbean (though not much in the way of history or big cities). Many places will accept US dollars as equal to Euros (1 US dollar = 1 Euro) which gives you more purchasing power.

When I commented positively about this, a shopkeeper told me she wanted to help Americans during their troubles.

[Rodgers01]

@kayaker

I love the Caribbean (though not much in the way of history or big cities). Many places will accept US dollars as equal to Euros (1 US dollar = 1 Euro) which gives you more purchasing power.

When I commented positively about this, a shopkeeper told me she wanted to help Americans during their troubles.

Everyone should be so kind!