The 10 cheapest countries to visit from India

Snow-dusted Himalayan peaks, prayer flags fluttering above hilltop temples and lakeside yoga make Nepal feel like a proper adventure without requiring a long journey from India. Even a few days can take you from busy city streets to Himalayan landscapes, making the trip feel far bigger than the distance travelled. From trekking the trails around Pokhara to soaking up the ancient temples and buzzing squares of Kathmandu, there's plenty to fill an itinerary whatever your pace.

Vietnam is the kind of place where travelling on a budget doesn’t feel like settling. Whether it’s slurping down a bowl of phở in Hanoi, exploring the lantern-lit Hoi An, or diving into the waters around Da Nang, some of the country’s best experiences are also among its most affordable.

Few destinations this close to India pack in quite as much variety as Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka gives budget-conscious travellers breadth without requiring a complicated itinerary; you can watch elephants in a national park, ride the train through misty tea country, and explore centuries-old temples all in the same trip.

Thailand is one of the easiest places to build a luxury-holiday dupe for less. The turquoise bays, long-tail boats, island sunsets and seafood dinners that sell the five-star version of Thailand aren't reserved for resort guests, they're simply part of the destination. Stay in a simple guesthouse, book local boat trips and eat by the beach, and you can recreate much of the same holiday for a fraction of the price.

In Kuala Lumpur, futuristic towers like the Petronas Twin Towers rise above buzzing street markets and hawker stalls, where a bowl of laksa or plate of char kway teow costs next to nothing. An efficient, affordable metro network makes getting around easy without relying on taxis. From there you can head north to Penang, where the UNESCO-listed streets of George Town serve up one of Asia's great food scenes, all fragrant curries, colonial architecture and vivid street art.

With more than 17,000 islands to choose from, Indonesia lets your budget stretch remarkably far. Bali remains the gateway for most first-time visitors, where guesthouses, warungs serving nasi goreng for a few hundred rupiah and cheap scooter hire keep daily costs low. Venture beyond to Lombok, the Gili Islands or Java and prices drop further still, with ferries and local transport making island-hopping affordable. Between the volcanic landscapes, temples, rice terraces and world-class diving, you can fill weeks of travel here without stretching to a premium budget.

Watching first light hit Angkor Wat or cycling between jungle-covered temple ruins is the kind of experience that makes a cheap international trip feel anything but. Beyond the famous sunrise, the sprawling Angkor complex rewards slow exploration, from the tree-strangled ruins of Ta Prohm to the enigmatic stone faces of Bayon. Siem Reap, the gateway town, offers a broad range of guesthouses, local restaurants and inexpensive transport, which means you can build a genuinely affordable trip around one of the world's great archaeological sites.

Looking for a hidden gem among tourism hotspots? Welcome to Laos, home to amazing natural beauty, in the form of Kuang Si Falls and limestone landscapes around Vang Vieng, best admired from the heights of a hot air balloon ride. There’s also Luang Prabang’s gilded temples, morning markets and inviting Mekong sunsets you’ll want to repeat over and over…

Uzbekistan is where your travel budget buys some of the most spectacular sights in Central Asia. The Silk Road cities of Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva are the draw, with their turquoise-tiled madrasas, soaring minarets and UNESCO-listed old towns that feel straight out of the Arabian Nights. A fast, high-speed train links the main cities, guesthouses are and a plate of plov or a bowl of lagman is incredible value. Add warm local hospitality and a relative lack of crowds and you have a memorable trip.

Kazakhstan rewards off-the-beaten-path travellers with dramatic landscapes at modest prices. Almaty, the laid-back former capital, makes an ideal base, with tree-lined streets, buzzing bazaars and a cable car up to the mountains on its doorstep. From here, affordable shared day trips reach the country's natural showpieces: the red rock formations of Charyn Canyon, the turquoise Kolsai Lakes and the eerie sunken forest of Lake Kaindy. Hostels, local eateries and shared transport keep this vast, underrated country a genuine budget adventure.