Ever Thought of Traveling Around the World? Here Are 10 Pocket-Friendly Destinations to Start With (2019)

Your group of friends or family members are all excited and geared up for that much-required vacation. But, what should you do? Head towards a hill station for that 'nirvana' feeling, get onboard adventure sports in a raging river or simply chill on a beach sipping your favourite drink? Or, should it be a shopping vacation? What about budget though? If you are looking for something low cost and don’t want the vacay to burn a hole in your pocket; then you are surely going to like this comprehensive guide for cheap places to travel.

Be very sure about your budget beforehand and keep some buffer amount, just in case you come across a really attractive shopping deal or funds required for some emergency during the trip. The next important step is to jot down the different expenses; right from air/railway tickets to hotel booking, expenditure on meals, different activities (scuba diving or skiing etc.) and for recreational activities and shopping as well. Sum up the total amount and that would give you a fair idea about the required budget. Keeping a margin of 10% extra will keep you worry-free during your travel.

To have an impeccable vacation, it is important that you pack accordingly. In order to ensure that you don't forget anything, imagine yourself in the settings you have planned for the trip and put down all the things which are essential for a certain setting. Say, if you are going to a beach, few of the essential things would be flip-flops, swimwear, and such. So, pack the essentials and keep it light, avoid keeping things which you'd rarely use or things which are heavy unless they are important.

Located on the eastern part of the Indochina Peninsula, the Socialist Republic of Vietnam shares its borders with China in the north and Cambodia and Laos on the west. Spread in an area of 331,212 sq. km, this ‘Dragon Shaped’ country is surrounded by the South China Sea along a large part of its maritime border. Hanoi is the capital of Vietnam and Halong Bay, Sapa, Hoi An and Mekong Delta region are the other popular tourist destinations.

Vietnamese currency is Dong and with its value hovering close to 0.000045 USD, it’s pretty cheap. Vietnam is a big country in terms of size and is the 15th most populous country in the world. So, travellers have a plethora of options to visit and experience. Though, it’s a growing economy; yet has a good infrastructure of buses, trains and flights and a lot of street food options are available to gorge on. Few travellers have shared stories of scams, pushy vendors and bad roads; so it’s better to be a bit alert while shopping or travelling. Vietnamese are friendly people and generally, speak broken English, so if you will speak slowly and smile often; then more chances to get the required help. For booking taxis, opt out of the two major companies i.e., Mai Linh and Vinasun (both have apps) to avoid being duped after getting the wrong bill from the local taxi vendors. In larger cities, Uber and Grab are operational. Feb to April and August to Oct are the best months to explore Vietnam.

Laos is another Southeast Asian country and with a vast area of 237,955 sq. km.; it definitely has a lot of tourist destinations. Kip is the official currency and Vientiane is the capital of Laos, while other major cities are Luang Prabang, Savannakhet, and Pakse. Laos is a landlocked country bordered by Myanmar (Burma), China, Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand on different sides. Laos is surrounded by picturesque mountains and though it doesn’t have beaches like Vietnam, but adventure junkies can do zip-lining, kayaking, hiking, and cave tubing activities. With Laos Kip (LAK) to USD conversion rate at around 0.00011, planning a trip to Laos is definitely an economical one.

Few ‘must visit’ mentions while travelling to Laos are - Vieng Xai Cave City (Vieng Xai Cave City served as living quarters for Laotian soldiers in the 1960s and one can still witness the living quarters as they were), the Great Stupa {Pha That Luang} (a 148-foot gold-covered stupa which is considered the greatest monument in the country), Vientiane (lot of national monuments, temples and Buddha Park), Bolaven Plateau (part of a crater that is formed due to an ancient volcano and has several natural waterfalls), Elephant Conservation Center, Mekong River (slow boat is one popular activity among tourists). Everyday expenses including, accommodation, food, transport and sightseeing will cost you around $65 to $70 for an average hotel and good food.

India is the world’s largest democracy and second most populated with 1.35 billion people living in this country. Covering a vast area of 3,287, 263 sq. km and neighbouring countries as China, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Sri Lanka; India is surrounded by sea on three sides. The Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the southwest, and the Bay of Bengal on the southeast; India has vast maritime boundaries and thus treasures of beautiful beaches and ports. New Delhi is the capital of India and Mumbai is the biggest city and economic capital. Both the cities have several beautiful modern and historic marvels to watch. Except this, few major cities are Chennai (Capital of Tamilnadu), Kolkata (capital of West Bengal), Bangalore (IT hub), Hyderabad and Indore (cleanest city of India). Few popular destinations are Goa, Pune, Kashmir, Sikkim (state), Kerala (state) and Gujarat (state).

It is impossible to cover the entire country in a single visit due to its cultural and regional enormity. Twenty-nine States, Nine Union Territories, four official metropolitan cities, 22 official languages and various religions, tribes and cultures accumulated in one country and still woven by a single constitution is miraculous. The different regions have different food habits, dialects, language, dance, music, couture and even distinct facial features. There is so much to experience in this country while you travel from Eastern part to Western coasts or from Southern part to North in the Himalayas. A decent day including hotel, food and transport can be easily managed in $50 to $60 and a luxury trip may cost just double the amount.

While we talked about the major highlights of India in the previous point including the major cities, there are few hidden gems which are popular tourist destinations and people from all over the world visit these places every year.

If you are interested in art, culture, food and music; then you must visit cities like Varanasi, Mathura, Jaipur, Udaipur, Agra, Khajuraho, Bhubaneswar, Puri, Amritsar and Madurai to name a few. All these places have their own set of famous temples, shrines, archaeological beauties, and places of religious importance, beautiful carvings and a lot more to see and believe. For beautiful mountains, one can head to Shimla, Ooty, Mt. Abu, Dehradun, Khajjiar and Darjeeling to name a few. For adventure enthusiasts, Himalayas are calling and Leh and Ladakh are the places to visit. If you are a beach creature, then do visit Rameshwaram in South, Goa and Mumbai in West and Puri in the east. And when you are all tired and exhausted, take a deep breath amid ‘Dal Lake’ in Srinagar and experience heaven on earth. These are a few places which are worth visiting, but these are not the only once. The more you would explore about India, the more longing you will have to know about the diverse culture of this country.

Located in southeast Europe, Bulgaria is a small country spread in 110,994 square kilometers and bordered by Romania in the north, Serbia and North Macedonia in the west, Greece and Turkey in the south, and the Black Sea in the east. Sofia is the largest city and the capital of Bulgaria; other major cities are Plovdiv, Varna and Burgas. Bulgarian Lev (BGN) is the official currency and is close to 0.57 USD.

Bulgaria has several scenic mountains viz. The Balkan, Rila, Pirin and Rhodope mountains to name a few and along the Black Sea coast are lined clean sand beaches which are thronged by international and local tourists. Also, Bulgaria has a rich biodiversity with three national parks, 11 nature parks, 10 biosphere reserves and 565 protected areas which provide a clean air and natural environment to the surrounding areas of cities. Several towns as Burgas, Varna, Koprivshtitsa Sozopole (famous sea beaches), Bansko (skiing hotspot) are few famous places among visitors. Most of the towns are so picturesque, that they look like straight out of a television advertisement. In $80, you can spend an entire day in a comfortable hotel and enjoy hearty meals along with transportation costs. If you are on a tight budget, then a backpacker budget will be around $40 per day.

Turkey is a transcontinental country located in western Asia and a small portion in southeast Europe. Turkey is bordered by Georgia to its northeast; Greece and Bulgaria to its northwest; Iraq and Syria to the south, and Armenia and Iran to the east; Ankara is the capital of Turkey and Istanbul is the largest city. Spread in an area of 783,356 sq. km.; Turkey has a population of 82 million people and Turkish lira (TRY) is the official currency. Apart from Ankara and Istanbul, Cappadocia and Ephesus are also two important cities.

There is plenty of nature’s beauty spread in this country and Turkey is determined to preserve its biodiversity. If you are an animal lover, then you will be pleasantly surprised to watch Eurasian wildlife such as the Eurasian sparrowhawk, eastern imperial eagle, golden eagle, Caucasian black grouse, lesser spotted eagle, red-fronted serin, and wallcreeper. This green country has 40 national parks, 31 nature preserve areas, 80 wildlife protection areas, 189 nature parks, and 109 nature monuments; such as Mount Nemrut National Park, Ancient Troya National Park, Gallipoli Peninsula Historical National Park and Polonezköy Nature Park. Months of April to May and Sep to Oct are the best months to visit Turkey and in $45 per day, you can enjoy a decent trip while living in a normal hotel, eating out well and local transportation included.

Located at intersection of Europe, Asia and Africa; Greece has always been a centre of attraction for historians and archaeologists across the globe. Surrounded by countries like Albania, North Macedonia, Bulgaria and Turkey; and Ionian Sea, Cretan Sea and Mediterranean Sea from three sides, Greece has quite a long coastline and has a large number of Islands surrounding it and out of these, 227 have human population. Out of the total area of 131,957 sq. km.; eighty percent of the land of Greece constitutes of hilly area and Mt. Olympus is the highest peak standing tall at 2,918 meters. Greece considers Euro as its official currency and Athens is the capital.

Greece is famous for its history associated with the Olympic Games. There are a lot of ancient structures in Greece which are marvels of the modern day history and then there are museums, where the ancient signs and facts have been preserved. Not only historical monuments, but serene beaches, enchanting mountains and magnificent views of greeneries are there to welcome you. Best time to visit Greece is between Sep to Nov and per day cost at medium level of stay, food and transport would cost around $80 to $90.

‘Ecuador’ is a Spanish word which means ‘Equator’. Located in northwestern South America and bordered by Peru, Colombia and Pacific Ocean on the west, this region also includes the Galápagos Islands in the Pacific, which is situated about 1,000 km. west from the mainland. Quito is the largest city and capital of Ecuador. The official currency is USD and stretched in an area of 283,561 sq. km.; this is a small country in terms of size.

Galapagos Islands are the main attraction for wildlife lovers, then the world-famous Cotopaxi Mountain which is one of the many volcanoes in that area is an adventurous climb for the cliff mongers. Ecuador has pristine beaches, beautiful cities and even huge molten lava tunnels; which are a delight for the visitors. Advisable to visit in the months between Dec to May and per day average budget would be around $100 which includes staying, meals and local transport.