3 cheap countries to travel to
When I start planning to travel I don’t really focus so much on how expensive a country is, but I do try to read as much as I can about the place I’m going and how my budget will work it out around that place. The thing to keep in mind is, having too much money can mean nothing if there’s no planning, and with planning you can have fun and see a lot of things not spending too much. These are 3 countries that I found cheap to travel to (and no, they won’t all be in South East Asia)
Moscow, Russia
Russia
Yes! Russia is cheap, from drinking, to eating to transportation (dirt cheap). Like in most countries, the most known cities and places are always the ones you’ll be spending more of your bucks, but in general Russia was cheap. I’ve been there twice, the first time to the city of Vladivostok in south east Russia.What I liked about the city the most was it is really not well known among tourists so being a tourist there you do sort of stand out like a sore thumb. It didn’t take long until people would literally stop me on the streets to ask me where I was from and if I was enjoying Vladivostok. The hostel I was staying was also pretty cheap, about $10/night and well maintained. I would never spend more than $7 on a meal and drinking was equally as cheap, more so if you’re not drinking at bars and restaurants.
Moscow, Russia
Saint Petersburg, Russia
My second time in Russia I went to Moscow and St. Petersburg. Moscow was more expensive than St. Petersburg, overall 30% more expensive, but still not crazy expensive. I would spend about $6 on a meal in Moscow whereas in St. Petersburg that would cost me $4. Transportation in Moscow was also cheap, RUB50 for a subway ride, about 90 cents! In St. Petersburg even cheaper, RUB35 or 55 cents. I couchsurfed with a really nice couple in Moscow and stayed for a few nights at a hostel in St. Petersburg where I was paying only $7/night.
Gyeongbokgung Palace, Seoul, South Korea
South Korea
This is definitely one of my favourite spots on this planet, not only for being relatively cheap but Koreans are really helpful, friendly and love having visitors. I’ve met a few really nice Koreans in Canada and when I decided to see their home country I couldn’t have had a better treatment.
Gyeongbokgung Palace, Seoul, South Korea
South Korea is what you would expect from it, clean, efficient, with good food and all of that won’t make you broke. While in Seoul I stayed at a really comfortable, cozy and small hostel in the Itaewon neighbourhood. It was paying only $10/night and was meters away from the nearest subway station. Meals were also inexpensive, I would expensive about $8 on a decent meal and let me tell you, there’s a lot to choose from. Food is all over Seoul so you’ll never starve, there’s a 24 hour delivery service of fried chicken, that’s right. I’m not the one who takes taxi often, or better yet i don’t take taxis at all but one night in Seoul one of my friends said I should take a taxi one night I ended up coming back to the hostel late. I so did and a 20 minute ride ended up only being $8, dirt cheap. Public transportation is also a good option to saving since the subway system is all over Seoul and it’s a distance based fare, which means your fare will cost how far you travel. A 10km ride would cost only $1 with a T-Money card, a kind of pre-paid card you can use for transportation and also for paying for groceries, restaurants and etc.
Ubud, Indonesia
Indonesia
This is no surprise for most people. Like a lot of places in South East Asia Indonesia is a cheap destination. I stayed for a couple of nights at a cheap hotel in Bali paying only $5/night. As a rule of thumb always avoid tourist spots when eating, one night a few people from the hostel went to a local night market in Ubud and I had probably never eaten at such a cheap place. I had 3 different kind of snacks and a dish for only $2. What can really add up in Indonesia are the activities, which are almost inevitable once you’re there but like everywhere in South East Asia you have to bargain around if you want to save.
I didn’t use to travel much but once I started, I just can’t stop travelling. On Can I Pack? I try to share how I make my travels work out because travelling shouldn’t be hard.
