Wanna go somewhere amazing without coming home broke? Same. After bouncing around a bunch of countries over the years, I’ve got some solid cheap places to travel picks where your cash goes WAY further.
These aren’t just cheap spots—they’re legit awesome places that won’t drain your bank account. Beaches, mountains, old temples, crazy markets… all the good stuff without the painful price tags.
So grab a drink and let’s chat about ten cheap places to travel that’ll give you those killer Insta pics without maxing out your credit cards!
1. India, Asia: A Top Choice for Cheap Places to Travel
Daily damage: $15-40
India throws so much at you for so little money it’s almost ridiculous. Like, where else can you have a full day of wild experiences for the cost of a fancy coffee back home?
People go nuts for spots like Varanasi with all its spiritual stuff happening on the Ganges, or that gorgeous Golden Temple in Amritsar where they feed thousands of people for free. The whole spiritual vibe runs deep here.
Munnar’s tea plantations blew my mind. Spent a few nights in this rickety treehouse thing, waking up to crazy birds and distant animal sounds. Like camping but way cooler.
The food situation is insane—every region does completely different stuff.
You can literally eat street food all day for a few bucks and try completely different things every meal. Pani puri in Mumbai, parathas in Delhi, samosas in Jaipur—all crazy good and dirt cheap.
You’ve got all these ancient temples and palaces scattered everywhere. The Taj Mahal, Mysore Palace, Hawa Mahal in Jaipur, the Gateway of India in Mumbai—it’s endless.
Then when you’re totally wiped out from all the chaos, you can crash on Goa’s beaches for cheap and just recover. Your wallet stays happy the whole time.
2. Indonesia, Asia
Daily damage: $20-60
“You can’t see Indonesia in one trip,” my hotel guy laughed in Yogyakarta. No kidding—thousands of islands means endless options.
Dragging myself up Mount Batur at stupid-o’clock in the morning nearly killed me. But that sunrise? Holy crap. When the sky lit up all pink and gold over the volcanoes, I legit got teary. Some things are worth the pain.
Everyone does Bali (and yeah, it’s cool), but go beyond! Borobudur temple knocked my socks off—planned to cruise through in an hour and ended up staying all day, just staring at all the crazy stone carvings.
The massive Prambanan temple complex is also worth checking out.
Splurged on a beachfront hotel on Gili Trawangan for $35/night. Falling asleep with waves basically at your door, for less than a hostel dorm in Paris? That’s the Indonesia magic right there.
Don’t even get me started on the food. Did this cooking class in Ubud where we picked stuff straight from the garden. Cost like $15 and taught me cooking tricks I still use.
And those $1 street nasi goreng dishes? Better than the fancy restaurant versions half the time! Don’t miss trying proper char kway teow either.
3. Malaysia, Asia
Daily damage: $30-80
Malaysia flies under the radar on budget lists, but it seriously delivers.
Kuala Lumpur’s got this wild mix of super modern and old–school traditional.
You’ve got those massive Petronas Towers, then these colorful little neighborhoods where different cultures have been doing their thing for generations.
The Batu Caves with those bright rainbow stairs are all over social media these days. Big Hindu temples inside limestone caves, monkeys running around everywhere—it’s a whole scene.
I still dream about roti canai—this flaky, buttery flatbread they serve with curry dipping sauce that costs like 80 cents.
Malaysian food is this perfect mashup of Chinese, Indian, and Malay stuff that just works. Nasi lemak for breakfast? Yes please.
Did this overnight jungle trek through Taman Negara that I still think about. Basic shelter, mysterious animal noises all night, our guide showing us these mushrooms that literally glow in the dark. Wild stuff.
And man, those Perhentian Islands? Extended my stay three times.
Snorkeling with turtles and sharks in water so clear it looks fake, then beach BBQs with random new friends from all over. All while spending less than $40 a day all-in. Nuts.
4. Thailand, Asia
Daily damage: $40-110
Yeah, Thailand’s totally on the tourist track now, but for good reason—it nails that sweet spot of easy travel and crazy affordability.
Bangkok hit me like a truck at first—the heat, traffic, just the sheer intensity of it all.
But then I found those magic moments: watching sunrise at Wat Pho before the tour buses, or taking these little canal boats where you see local life that hasn’t changed in forever.
Northern Thailand completely stole my heart. Rented this janky scooter in Chiang Mai for like $5 a day and just cruised around finding these misty mountain temples, stopping for fresh mango sticky rice whenever.
Did a cooking class with this teacher who laughed at everything I did wrong—absolute trip highlight.
The islands live up to the hype. Found this basic beach hut on Koh Samui for $25 that would be literally hundreds per night in Hawaii.
Railay Beach became my playground for a week—rock climbing during the day, fire shows on the beach at night. And yeah, Maya Bay on Phi Phi Leh is famous for a reason.
Even with all the tourism, Thailand taught me you don’t need to spend big to live good.
Slurping the best pad thai of your life from a street cart for $1.50, then getting a killer hour–long massage for $7 after temple-hopping all day? That’s living your best life right there.
5. Sri Lanka, Asia
Daily damage: $10-30
People call Sri Lanka “India Lite” sometimes, but that’s selling it short. This little island packs in so much variety it’s nuts.
You’ve got these massive ancient ruins scattered all over the place. Apparently Anuradhapura has these crumbling stupas and giant stone pools that are like thousands of years old.
Tourists rent bikes and spend days exploring all the old stuff. The ancient palace on Sigiriya Rock is supposed to be mind-blowing too.
Everyone raves about the train rides from Kandy to Ella. Sounds like for a couple bucks you get these epic views of tea plantations and mountains that would make killer desktop backgrounds.
The wildlife situation is supposed to be bonkers. Their national parks like Yala aren’t huge, but you can apparently spot elephants and even leopards without the crazy prices of African safaris.
After temple-hopping and jungle trekking, there are beaches like Negombo, Mirissa, and Unawatuna all around the island to crash at.
According to basically everyone who goes, you can get beachfront rooms for $20 that would cost a fortune elsewhere.
Seems like one of those places where you keep looking at your bank statements going “wait, that’s it?” while having some of the best experiences of your life.
6. Mexico, North America
Daily damage: $40-120
Mexico feels like gaming the system—you get these incredible experiences without the painful prices.
Nearly fell over when I first saw Chichén Itzá. Even with all the tourists, this ancient Mayan city has this powerful energy.
Our guide showed us how a single clap echoes back as a bird call—these people were engineering geniuses a thousand years ago. Teotihuacán is another must-see if you’re into ancient stuff.
The food changes completely depending where you are. Yucatán has this cochinita pibil (slow-roasted pork) that’s nothing like Oaxaca’s mole sauces or Baja’s fish tacos.
The cenotes completely blew my mind. Swimming in these crystal-clear sinkholes like Dos Ojos and Gran Cenote feels like being on another planet—sunlight filtering through holes in the limestone ceiling, tiny fish nibbling your toes.
Hit seven different ones and each had its own vibe.
Colonial towns, give you serious bang for your buck. Wandering those rainbow streets, popping into little workshops and coffee shops—perfect break from the touristy areas. San Cristóbal de las Casas, Oaxaca, Merida, they’re all fantastic.
Skip Cancún and check out places like Isla Holbox, Puerto Escondido, or Tulum.
Holbox has no cars allowed, random flamingo sightings, and at night? The water lights up blue when you swim in it from some science thing I don’t understand. Pure magic.
7. Egypt, Africa/ Asia
Daily damage: $10-30
Egypt lets you experience stuff straight out of history books without spending much at all.
Those pyramids in Giza, like the Great Pyramid of Cheops and the Pyramid of Khafre, are apparently even more mind-blowing in person.
Like, people say standing next to these massive structures that have been around for thousands of years gives you this weird perspective on how small your problems are.
Luxor sounds like archaeological heaven. The Valley of the Kings, Karnak Temple, tons of places where the paint is still bright after thousands of years. Apparently the sunset views over the Nile are the stuff of desktop wallpapers.
River cruises are way cheaper than you’d think.
Instead of thousands like European river cruises, you can apparently float down the Nile from Luxor to Aswan for a few hundred bucks, seeing ancient sites and village life that hasn’t changed much in centuries.
The Red Sea diving is supposed to be Caribbean–quality at quarter the price. People rave about staying in beach towns like Dahab where rooms go for $15 a night and world-class dive sites are right offshore.
From what everyone says, Egypt makes you work a bit harder as a traveler, but rewards you with experiences you literally can’t have anywhere else on earth.
8. Croatia, Europe
Daily damage:: €40-100
Croatia taught me the best travel hack ever: timing is everything. Hit it in May or September instead of peak summer, and this gorgeous Mediterranean country suddenly becomes totally doable on a budget.
Dubrovnik’s Old Town is straight-up ridiculous.
Yeah, Game of Thrones made it super famous, but walking those ancient walls at sunset, watching the Adriatic turn all gold while the orange rooftops glow underneath—no TV show needed to make that special.
Island–hopping by ferry is both cheap and easy. Brač is an awesome choice—you’ll find affordable places to stay, hiking trails through olive groves, and Zlatni Rat, a cool beach that changes shape with the currents.
Also check out Hvar with its lavender fields and Krk for more beachy goodness.
The Istrian Peninsula feels like Italy but costs way less. Rovinj’s little streets completely charmed me. Pula’s got this amazing Roman amphitheater.
Went truffle hunting around Motovun with this local family and their super excited dogs—one of my core travel memories, especially the farm dinner afterward where they shaved our finds over fresh pasta.
Plitvice Lakes National Park is seriously gorgeous. These 16 lakes spill into each other through waterfalls, with wooden walkways so you can get right up close to water that’s this impossible blue–green color.
Go super early to avoid crowds and catch the morning mist rising from the water.
Even the wine scene surprised me—great quality at half what you’d pay in France or Italy. Tiny wineries will often do tastings with local cheese and prosciutto just for buying a bottle.
9. Georgia, Europe/ Asia: One of the Cheap Places to Travel
Daily damage: €10-30
Georgia’s still flying under the radar, but that’s changing fast. This tiny country packs in so much diversity it’s crazy.
Tbilisi apparently wins everyone over with its mix of super old and ultra–new. You’ve got ancient thermal baths next to Soviet buildings next to these wild modern designs.
The food gets massive praise—especially khachapuri (cheese-filled bread) and khinkali (soup dumplings) that cost next to nothing.
The wine culture here is supposedly older than France’s by thousands of years. People rave about staying with families in Kakheti who make wine the ancient way—fermenting in clay vessels buried in the ground.
For like €15 a night, you apparently get endless wine, home cooking, and sometimes impromptu music performances.
The Caucasus mountains rival the Alps at a fraction of the cost. Trekking through places like Svaneti where they have these medieval defense towers in villages supposedly costs a tiny fraction of similar experiences in Western Europe.
Mount Kazbek and the Gergeti Trinity Church sound epic too.
Everyone mentions the hospitality as next-level. Apparently it’s super common for strangers to invite travelers home for meals or just hand them homemade wine on the street.
There’s some saying about guests being gifts from God that people take seriously.
With how much buzz Georgia’s getting lately, it probably won’t stay this affordable forever. Seems like one of those places to hit now, while you can still have an epic day of experiences for what a single dinner costs back home.
10. Czech Republic, Europe
Daily damage: €40-100
Beyond Prague is a Czech Republic most people never see—and where your money goes way further.
Prague deserves its pretty reputation, especially at dawn when Charles Bridge is empty and fog rises off the river. Don’t miss Prague Castle and that famous Astronomical Clock either.
But I saved major cash by staying in Vinohrady neighborhood, just 15 minutes by tram from Old Town. Half the room price, and restaurants serving actual locals, not just tourists.
Český Krumlov stole two days I had planned elsewhere. This fairytale town with its 13th–century castle, winding river, and red rooftops feels like you stepped into some medieval movie set.
South Moravia’s wine country was my trip’s biggest shock.
Spent a day biking along the Moravian Wine Trails, stopping in Znojmo and other spots, trying glasses for €1-2 while chatting with winemakers whose families have been doing this for generations and seemed genuinely pumped to share their knowledge. Brno’s worth exploring too.
The beer reputation is 100% legit. Even in Prague, half-liters of pilsner cost €1-2 in neighborhood pubs, often with hearty meals of knedlíky (dumplings) at equally gentle prices.
Once you get out of Prague, those prices drop even more while the quality stays top-notch.
Nature stuff is solid too. A day hike to Pravčická Brána—that huge sandstone arch in České Švýcarsko National Park—costs just €25 with transport from Prague. You get the same epic views as on the German side, but with fewer crowds and friendlier prices.
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Cheap Places to Travel in 2025: Final Thoughts
The best travel memories usually have zero connection to how much you spent. Some of my all-time favorite moments happened in places where I spent less per day than I do on coffee and lunch at home.
These ten spots prove you can have mind–blowing experiences without painful price tags.
With a bit of planning, learning a few local words, and using local transport and guesthouses, you can have incredible adventures without financial stress.
Plus, budget travel usually means better connections with locals and other travelers.
When you’re not wrapped in a luxury bubble, you end up having those random authentic exchanges that turn good trips into stories you’ll bore your friends with forever.
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