Five\rAffordable World Travel Destinations\r\r\r

Locations\rThat Offer More But Cost Less\r\r\r\r

So you want to travel the world but you have a tight\rbudget? Are you tired of reading\rabout everyone else¡¯s exotic adventures and ready to have some of your own? \rHave you always wanted to take an international vacation but thought you\rcouldn¡¯t afford it? There are\rnumerous travel destinations across the world that are both exciting and\raffordable. Five of them are\rdescribed here to give you ideas and get you started planning your own getaway.

There are two ways to approach affordable vacations to\rdistant destinations. Either you\rwill save money getting there or the savings will occur once you arrive at your\rselected spot. If you want the trip\rthere to be affordable, many travel consolidators recommend choosing well-known\rdestinations that are served by numerous airlines and receive millions of\rtravelers each year. The\rcompetition for customers usually drives costs down for everything from lodging\rto tour packages. Airfares between\rmajor hubs tend to be more affordable and there are often plenty of discounts\rand last minute travel deals.

London\r\r

In Europe, London is a top pick for affordable vacation\rdestinations, for these exact reasons. Not\ronly do you have more flights to choose from, they are cheaper than if you flew\rto a more remote location. On\raverage, staying in London may be a bit more expensive than other European\rdestinations, but the seemingly endless choices in hotels, restaurants,\rtransportation, tours, and other travel essentials gives travels opportunities\rto mold their vacation to fit their budgets. \rAnd you can use London as your home base to set out on day trips to other\rmore exotic locations or buy a Eurorail pass and see those more remote countries\rwithout the expense of flying there.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico\r\r

This theory also works well for traveling in the Caribbean. \rBelize is an appealing destination, with wonderful Caribbean beaches and\ra lush tropic setting, but since it has only recently emerged as a popular\rtravel destination, it is more expensive than Cancun, Jamaica or other\rwell-traveled locations along the Mayan Riviera. \rWith fewer flights, getting there is more expensive, and there are few\rmoderate lodging options. Development\rof larger luxury resorts have begun to boom, but the only real alternative for\rthose on a budget is staying in local facilities that may be hard to locate from\rhome and may be more rustic than most travelers are willing to try.

Although there are many options for affordable vacations in\rthe Caribbean, an excellent pick is Playa del Carmen, Mexico. \rAccessible via flights to Cancun, which are often some of the cheapest in\rthe region, Playa is just a half hour away. \rIt is filled with a multitude of lodging choices, from expansive luxury\rresorts on the ocean to quaint but clean hotels downtown. \rFrom Playa, travelers can branch out and visit Tulum and other locations\ron the Mayan Riviera or take the ferry across to the island of Cozumel where\rsnorkeling is prime and the attractions are many.

For Asian destinations, travelers often do better to focus\ron saving money once they get to their destination. Depending on your country of origin, getting to just about\rany spot in Asia is going to be a sizable chunk of your travel budget. \rThe difference will come from the cost of lodging, food, entertainment\rand other travel expenditures once you arrive. \rBy choosing destinations where you get the most for your money, you can\rsave a great deal on your international vacation. \rA drink or dinner in Tokyo will costs you many times more than what it\rwould in Saigon. The key here is to\rgo where you dollars buy you more and where the local cost of living is low.

Tioman Island\r\r

An affordable yet\rexotic choice for Asia is Malaysia and specifically Tioman Island, knows as the mythical\r'Bali Hai' from the film 'South Pacific.¡¯ \rTioman Island is located at the southern end of the east coast of\rMalaysia on the South China Sea. It¡¯s sandy beaches, bordered by lush jungles\rand stunning mountains make it a relaxing yet intriguing destination, ideal for\rsun lovers, snorkelers and divers. The\risland also has many villages for exploring and shopping. \rEnglish is widely spoken and the\rrates are amazingly affordable, with a two night lodging package for a suite at\ra lovely oceanside resort averaging around 100 U.S. dollars. Typically visitors reach the island via the speed ferry from\rthe mainland. Although the trip can\rtake over two hours, it is enjoyable and provides opportunities for dolphin\rwatching along the way.\r\r

Buenos Aires\r\r

South American also\rhas many destinations that are affordable because of the savings once you\rarrive. Locales like Rio\rde Janeiro in Brazil, the areas top destination, are coming down in price but\rare still more expensive than cities such as Buenos Aires in Argentina, where\rthe rates are lower and the U.S. dollar goes further.\r

\r\r

A huge metropolis that is more\rEuropean than South American, the city has much to offer including cultural\revents, thriving nightlife, shopping, local sports, and a host of tours and\rexcursions. La Boca, with its\rstreet performers, shops, and unique architecture is a big tourist draw. \rThe large number of choices for lodging, restaurants, and activities\rprovides opportunities for budget travel and savings. \rAirfare to the city is relatively reasonable for an international\rdestination, with discount fares from the U.S. averaging around $500 round trip. Buenos Aires might not be one of the most exotic or inspiring\rdestinations in South America, but it is a city that everyone should see at\rleast once, and with some of the most affordable rates and fares around, it\rmakes the list as a top South American destination.\r\r

Las\rVegas\r\r

The list would not be complete\rwithout a North American destination, and the champ of all affordable locales is\rLas Vegas. It too is a city that\rshould be seen at least once, and many world travelers return again and again\rfor the gaming, art, shows and people watching that just can¡¯t be found\ranywhere else. Close enough to\rother top U.S. attractions like the Grand Canyon, Vegas provides other options\rfor those who have had their fill of casinos.\r\r\r\r

The city has long been known for its\rcheap vacation packages with hotels and resorts that offer discount rates for\rrooms, meals and entertainment in hopes of attracting people to their gaming\rtables. Airfare rates into Vegas\rare some of the most reasonable in the United States, no matter the origination\rdestination. And with more than\r100,000 hotel rooms to choose from, there is sure to be a lodging choice that\rfits your budget.

The world provides hundreds of affordable travel\rdestinations. With all the options\ravailable, there is no excuse to put off that life-long desire to travel to\rexotic places at the far ends of the earth. \rDestinations can be researched on the Internet or your travel\rconsolidator can make recommendations and help with locating discount\rflights and hotel deals that fit your budget. So\rwhat are you waiting for? Get out\rthere and explore the world.

About\rthe Author\r\r

C.J. Gustafson is a freelance\rwriter and photographer who travels extensively for work and family\rvacations. A cheapskate by nature and necessity, she is always on the\rlookout for bargain travel deals and affordable vacation destinations.\r\r

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