10 INSANELY CHEAP Destinations for Budget Travel ($50 per day)

[00:00] One thing you realize when you've traveled a lot is there are some places your money goes bar and others where you pretty much have sticker shock all day long. My wife Allie and I once traveled full time for six months all over the world on a combined total budget of a hundred dollars per day

[00:15] which covered everything but our flights. Easier said than done and one of the keys to pulling that off was choosing places where our money would go farther and some destinations a hundred dollars a day for two people is a dream and others it's kind of tight so in this video I'm going to share 10

[00:33] amazing yet budget friendly places to visit that offer great value and unforgettable experiences. Let's dive in. Okay quick disclaimer affordable cheap expensive pricey these are relative terms

[00:52] right they mean different things to different people depending on your income depending on where you live you can travel reasonably inexpensively anywhere if you know how and possibly if you're willing to make some sacrifices likewise although the places that I'm about to mention are what I

[01:09] as a US citizen would consider reasonably affordable you can easily spend your way into an expensive vacation in any of them trust me they will take your money what this is is a list of 10 trips that

[01:21] we have taken that we loved and we came home relatively financially unscathed you might be surprised by my final recommendation let's kick things off with one of my all time favorite destinations in the entire world Thailand there's so many amazing places to visit in the land of smiles and the 30 days

[01:38] that we spent there were not nearly enough we stayed well under our one hundred dollar per day budget our entire time in Thailand pretty much I was surprised honestly by how much we loved puket we're not big beach people but we loved it we really liked pukets old town visiting monkey hill

[01:56] and we did take a day to go visit several different beaches our favorite though was taking a boat ride out to the pp islands if you're a big beach person you should also look into places like Krabi and Khosamui of course you can't miss Bangkok it's likely you'll transit there but make sure you at least

[02:11] spend a day or two to go explore we loved going to see a moi tie fight and grabbing rooftop drinks with a view our favorite place in Thailand by far and honestly it's where we set up a little bit of a home base for a couple weeks is Chiang Mai Chiang Mai is in the northern part of Thailand and the first

[02:26] thing you'll notice is it's not as scorching hot as Bangkok or some of the other spots further south Chiang Mai is such an amazing place we weren't even trying to travel cheaply here and our daily budget tended to average 50 to 60 dollars we could have spent way less okay this was eating out for

[02:43] every meal staying in a nice house within the city walls getting coffee at the coffee shop next door getting multiple Thai massages all of it we barely had to try the best part in my opinion was being

[02:55] able to eat arguably some of the best food we've ever had in our lives for between 1 and 2 USD per meal alley could eat kowsoi every day for the rest of her life I think I love Chiang Mai because there's

[03:07] so much to do the night markets we took a Thai cooking class visited the nearby sticky waterfalls and we took a day trip out to the elephant nature park highly encourage you to consider Thailand next

[03:19] up one of my all-time favorite places in Europe and if you're a nature lover it's a can't miss just a stone's throw from more popular destinations like Italy Croatia Austria Slovenia is a small country

[03:31] roughly the size of the state of New Jersey but it offers a diverse array of experiences at a terrific price now if you've never been in my opinion you've got to visit the iconic lake bled it's like a fairy tale and if you talk to any Slovenian they'll tell you listen man it's so

[03:48] touristy here skip blood go to lake bohean and they might be right but I still think it's worth it to see lake bled personally I loved running the perimeter of the lake early in the morning and renting a boat to paddle out to the little island make sure to head to the nearby vinkered gorge for a hike it

[04:05] addition to lakes Slovenia has amazing mountains these are the Julian Alps amazing vineyards amazing nature get this Slovenia has more beekeepers per capita than any country in the world and so when

[04:19] you're there be sure to sample some locally produced honey we went to this honey shop called honeyhouse while we were in Libliana and they had all kinds of goodies for us to try I think Libliana is awesome it's extremely walkable and the old town is so cute one of our favorite things about Libliana was

[04:34] the accommodations we stayed in two different places in Libliana and it was quite a range they could not have been more different there's this place called Hostel Celica which is really unique it's a former military prison that's been transformed into a hostel and each of the private rooms are

[04:50] actually in old cells and then we also used iHG points to stay in the intercontinental for our final night you can spend a lot of money in Slovenia just like anywhere else but it's quite affordable next up

[05:02] as a place I had never really planned to visit but now that I've been I cannot wait to go back Poland stretching from spirited Baltic sea towns like Gdansk to the picturesque tattra mountains with

[05:14] plenty of amazing things in between Poland is a gold mine of experiences without the hefty price tag in places like Rocklaw you'll discover colorful market squares and unique attractions each telling

[05:26] the story of Poland's rich cultural tapestry I was blown away by how much I loved Kraków the city itself is beautiful the old town has a well-preserved medieval core great architecture

[05:38] and a vibrant market square the city is also home to profound historical significance I think it's well worth a visit to the Schindler Factory Museum and Kraków is only about an hour from the Auschwitz concentration camp which if you're up for it I think would be very important to

[05:54] make a visit Poland's food scene is amazing the portions are huge and the prices are remarkably low some dishes that we loved were begos which is a hardy meat and cabbage stew

[06:06] crispy potato pancakes and of course you cannot forget pierogi we even took a cooking class to learn how to make our own pierogi which was awesome we were in Warsaw over Thanksgiving in 2021 and we decided to create our own little Polish feast to celebrate even though we couldn't be at home with our families

[06:21] a great way to save money on food in Poland is to visit a traditional milk bar I found a accommodation prices in Poland to be very reasonable and we pretty much like to walk everywhere but if you need public transportation the cost of trams and buses was not painful hey real quick if you're

[06:37] getting value out of this video I would love it if you'd hit that like button so that YouTube will know to suggest it to other travelers like you thank you one of my favorite destinations that's a little bit closer to home well my home is Costa Rica Costa Rica is a traveler's dream come true

[06:52] with lush jungles and breathtaking beaches Costa Rica has an abundance of natural beauty well it might be slightly pricier than some of its central american neighbors it's still a steal for the experiences that you can get we found our trip here to be incredibly budget friendly

[07:08] one spot that truly captured our hearts was Porto Viejo which is on the Caribbean coast Porto Viejo's laid back vibe and the beautiful surroundings were absolutely enchanting it's a place where you can soak up the sun on a wide array of different beaches walk around the cute little town

[07:24] and even catch some adrenaline pumping adventure thrill seekers cannot miss whitewater rafting it is epic i'm pretty sure they filmed parts of Jurassic Park here we also went zip lining make sure to watch out for bullet ants and a few of us toured a cacao farm the great thing about Costa Rica is

[07:41] it caters to all types of travelers whether you're looking for adrenaline packed adventure or more relaxing pursuits Costa Rica has it all we split a house with some friends of ours there was a couple of nights where we cooked for ourselves but we enjoyed several meals out and you can definitely

[07:57] do Costa Rica for less than a hundred dollars a day often overlooked by other countries in the region Cambodia is vastly underappreciated in my opinion and an extremely affordable place to visit now you have to visit sea and reap during our time there we were blown away by the majesty and just

[08:14] the size of anchor what we set aside basically a day and a half to explore all the temples in this area and for a little extra you can do what we did which was hire a local guide we made friends with this

[08:26] tucker driver named song and he was our guide both days he was an awesome dude and honestly our entire time in Cambodia we were blown away by how friendly warm welcoming and hospitable the locals were

[08:39] now it's gonna be hard not to visit Cambodia's capital but not pin as that's where most flights in and out will be but don't just gloss over this one while you're there you should definitely take at least a day to learn more about Cambodia's history and the not too distant past the 1970s

[08:55] Cambodia went through a brutal genocide at the hands of the Khmer Rouge and it wiped out somewhere between 1.5 and 3 million people couple of helpful notes for your time in Cambodia Cambodia actually

[09:07] uses the US dollar as a result of the Khmer Rouge Cambodia's monetary system collapsed and so it's likely that you pay for things in US dollars but you'll get your change in Cambodian

[09:19] reels what that change is going to be in the millions all in all Cambodia is a lovely place to visit I think it's incredibly underrated and if you're in Southeast Asia I definitely think it's worth it pound for pound you can get great bang for your buck in Greece even in the crowded city like Athens

[09:36] and here's why Athens is extremely accessible it is not hard to find an affordable flight to Athens many not all but many of the major sites are free to see or very cheap to enter and if you buy a

[09:50] multi-day pass you can get access to all of them for one pretty reasonable price can touristy places still charge touristy prices to tourists and get away with it because tourists don't know any

[10:02] better absolutely but you can still find incredibly uncrowded parts of these cities and eat authentic local food at amazing prices do amazing things at amazing prices speaking of food pound for pound the food in Greece is affordable and delicious mmm sovlaki sovlaki sovlaki sovlaki if you're

[10:23] a meat and rice kind of person which I very much am you will also be in heaven because the grilled meat in Greece is just incredible we were more than able to get by on a hundred dollars a day as a couple for all of our expenses in Greece now the islands and places like Santorini are gonna be more

[10:40] expensive but they can still be done on a budget your dollar is gonna go farther elsewhere but it can be done just remember you may not be able to stay at the most luxurious accommodations don't sleep on

[10:53] Greece next up the Philippines an archipelago nation of over 7,000 islands offers a unique blend of breathtaking natural beauty and incredible affordability for beach lovers and scuba divers it's an

[11:06] absolute paradise while Manila the bustling capital serves as the usual gateway for international travelers it's the islands that really capture the essence of the Philippines the views in El Nido were unforgettable the town is known for its stunning limestone cliffs and crystal clear waters

[11:23] we're normally not big hostile people you have now seen the two hostels that we've stayed at but here in El Nido we've stayed at Spin Hostel not only did we love the accommodations we did a private room but we made great friends we also loved renting a scooter for a couple of days to explore

[11:39] the island we had entire beaches to ourselves I highly recommend taking at least one island hopping tour I got some of my favorite drone shots ever that day what you're looking at now there's so many

[11:51] other places we planned to visit but due to covid and some bad weather we didn't get to so some other places you should definitely check out shargow suboo and behold the Philippines is not only visual

[12:04] stunning but also incredibly budget friendly it's an ideal destination for budget travelers and it was easy for us to stay under our budget there some of the places on this list are entire countries but some are specific regions of countries the next place I want to mention is part of a country that's

[12:20] been really rising in popularity the last few years Croatia parts of Croatia are really expensive I'm looking at you Dalmatian coast but other parts are way less touristy and significantly less

[12:33] expensive we spent an entire month in Croatia in 2021 we explored so much and although we enjoyed the coast we really fell in love with Croatia's interior and its history and peninsula I've already

[12:45] waxed poetic in other videos about Croatia's capital city zagreb and you know I think I'll do it again a lot of people skip zagreb several you commented on that other video I made and said zagreb is lame

[12:58] you know what I love zagreb zagreb is such a break from the tourist trope it's a real city I felt like okay there's more than just tourism here in terms of the city and the architecture zagreb blends that sort of austro-hungarian grandeur with a distinct Slavic feel zagreb is also a really great

[13:15] value the food scene here is great couple highlights to culturechevastry so many great food stops there and then our all-time favorite heritage Croatia it's this incredible little shot that specializes in

[13:27] local artisan food from makers all over Croatia and then another place we really loved is the museum of broken relationships honestly it's the most unique museum I've ever been to a couple of hours down the road is a great spot for any nature lovers watching but Vise lake's national park this

[13:44] place is nothing short of an outdoor enthusiast's dream it's a UNESCO World Heritage site where 16 terrorist lakes are joined by waterfalls that cascade down rock formations creating just a stunning

[13:56] visual spectacle walking through Plut Vise is like stepping into a real life postcard the park's paths and boardwalks take you in and through lush greenery and alongside the clear turquoise waters of the lakes we visited in the fall and the colors were explosive finally you have to visit ishtria

[14:15] Croatia's ishtria and peninsula is kind of like a little slice of italy but without the huge crowds it's got rolling hills charming hilltop towns vineyards all of groves and of course the beautiful Adriatic coast the towns in ishtria are picturesque and full of history big fan of roving which

[14:32] almost feels like a smaller more relaxed version of Venice pula with its Roman amphitheater and we also loved staying in hill towns like multivun we stayed in the cutest airbnb there and even when

[14:44] truffle hunting with a member of the family one of the highlights of ishtria is its culinary scene if you can avoid eating truffles at every meal which is a specialty there it's actually quite affordable

[14:56] can you tell that i like Croatia honestly i cannot wait to go back hungry is a treasure trove of experiences for the budget conscious traveler offering a blend of magnificent architecture and vibrant culture at a fraction of the cost of some of its western european counterparts in budapest the

[15:12] grandeur of the hungarian parliament building is a site to behold standing proudly on the peshed side of the danube its neogathic architecture is a symbol of national pride and they must visit for its stunning façade and equally impressive interiors traversing budapest is very

[15:29] easy and affordable thanks to its great public transport system if you're going to be there long enough i would opt for the 72 hour pass for unlimited access to metros buses and trams which makes sightseeing both convenient and cost effective and make sure you dive into the city's unique ambiance

[15:45] by visiting district seven the jewish quarter which is home to the famous ruin pubs these are once abandoned buildings that have been transformed into lively bars and eateries where you can enjoy a drink and mingle with other people without spending too much a quintessential budapest experience

[16:01] is a visit to the thermal baths a tradition dating back to roman times there's so many to visit but the most famous are the say shenny baths europe's largest medicinal bath which offers a variety of pools with different temperatures and settings learned from my experience to save money bring your own

[16:17] outside budapest hungry continues to charm with its affordability visit places like agar for its historical castle and renowned wine sellers or relaxed by lake balaton central europe's largest lake

[16:29] these regions highlight hungry's natural beauty and historical richness offering a tranquil escape from the hustle and bustle of urban life we cannot wait to go back to hungry last on our list might surprise you a bit because for our american viewers it's right here at home and for our

[16:44] non-american viewers be sure to add this one to your list i talked to so many people when they're planning their big first time to america trip all they've got is new york and la don't sleep on this one the grand circle road trip this road trip is a remarkable journey that showcases some

[17:01] of the most iconic and breathtaking landscapes in the united states and it's really affordable so the pandemic changed everyone's travel plans right and this is a trip that alley and i took in 2020

[17:13] while we were trying to scratch the travel itch without being able to take some crazy international trip here's a map of how we did it we flew into phoenix and we were in a car and then we made our way to the grand canyon of course we stopped for some delicious burritos and flagstaff along the way

[17:29] we spent two days in the grand canyon we caught sunrises and sunsets and we hiked several trails next was the longest stretch of driving from the grand canyon to moeb we decided to break that up by

[17:41] stopping for the night in page arizona which is home of lake pal and anilok canyon then we made our way to moeb via monument valley where forest gump and i decided to stop running then we spent a

[17:54] couple of days in moeb where you really get a two for one first arches national park which is filled with natural sandstone arches like the iconic delicate arch and then canyon lands national park with

[18:06] vast canyons and maces next was capital reef national park which was kind of a hidden gem on our route here we enjoyed the less crowded trails and we were fascinated by the ancient petroglyphs and fruit orchards rice canyons who do is which of these unique rock formations were a highlight of our trip

[18:22] the brice amphitheaters sprawling array of red orange and white spires was an incredible site especially at sunset we really appreciated how in it you can be kind of like pleat vise and then

[18:35] we saved the best for last our final stop was in zion national park even the drive in was breathtaking if you're a serious hiker i would consider hiking the narrows we also hiked angels landing and on our last

[18:48] day with only a couple of hours to spare we rented some cheap bikes and rode around the park then we took a quick drive to vegas and flew home we ate very cheaply on this trip we tried to picnic as much as possible and we stayed in local guest houses and bnb's if you're doing a trip like this i recommend

[19:05] checking out hotel tonight which makes it easy to find discounted accommodations day of i really hope you enjoyed this video if you're interested in more info on any of these places i've linked several individual videos below and if you're wondering what to pack for an upcoming trip

[19:18] check out this video thank you so much for watching happy travels