Ticking the budget holiday box is about more than cheap flights. To truly experience good-value travel, you need affordable accommodation, a lot of free sightseeing and a great deal of street-food dining to boot.
With that in mind, we’ve narrowed down our list to eight recommendations that promise adventure on a shoestring.
1. Nicaragua
Top of our list of good-value travel destinations is the largest country in Central America. Nicaragua is known for its untouched beaches, wild Pacific waves, beautifully preserved towns, idyllic islands and no fewer than 19 volcanoes. Then there are its brilliant hotel bargains, such as Eco-Lodge La Chiponga, which costs around ₹ 2,381 a night.
Much of the country’s 550 miles of coastline is delightfully quiet year-round and, with the calm Caribbean shores to the east and the surfable swells of the Pacific to the west, there’s something to suit every type of beach lover. And there’s plenty to see beyond the pristine sandy stretches of this perfect, great-value escape.
Discover the immaculately preserved Spanish colonial architecture in the capital city Granada, and the colourful murals of Nicuragua’s second-largest city, Léon. Dive with hammerhead sharks off Little Corn Island and hike up the twin volcanoes of Isla de Ometepe in Lake Cocibolca (its cheeky local name is ‘The Lady’s Breasts’). You can even try ash surfing down a crater like Cerro Negro – beat that for a holiday anecdote.
Meal in a local restaurant: ₹ 300
Local beer: ₹ 100
Taxis: ₹ 100 per km
Budget hotel or hostel: from ₹ 500 per night
Midrange hotel near airport: from ₹ 4,000 per night
Car hire: from ₹ 3,200 per day
2. Morocco
This North African country is bursting with Berber culture, desert landscapes and bustling bazaars. Casablanca and Marrakech offer a mix of ornate architecture and crafts markets, while Essaouira on the west coast is a beautifully faded seaside resort (Jimi Hendrix famously holidayed there in the summer of 1969).
Hotels in Morocco are great value, wherever you go. The four-star Riad Ghali & Spa in Marrakech has rooms from ₹ 6,400 per night, while ₹ 1,500 per night is all you’ll be charged at The House by Riad Inna in Essaouira.
Elsewhere in the country, you can see the Atlas Mountains – said to be the falling place of the Greek god Atlas, when the weight of the world got too much for his shoulders – or head down to the ochre swathes of the Sahara Desert and book a camel ride.
Meal in a local restaurant: ₹ 300
Meal in a fancy restaurant: ₹ 1,500
Local beer: ₹ 200
Taxis: ₹ 40 per km
Budget hotel or hostel: from ₹ 500 per night
Midrange hotel or a riad in Marrakech: ₹ 3,000-4,000 per night
3. Cambodia
In recent years, Cambodia has been growing in popularity – not only with gap-year backpackers, but also grown-ups seeking good-value travel. Here, five-star digs can cost less than a budget hotel back home. Take eOcambo Village in Siem Reap, where rooms with a pool view cost around ₹ 7,200 a night.
Cambodians are famously friendly and you’ll be welcomed with wide smiles at the country’s cafés and eateries. And you can dig into steaming bowls of chicken broth and noodles for just a few rupees – win.
For a touristy but essential Cambodian experience, set your alarm and don your elephant-motif trousers to watch the sunrise behind the world-famous Angkor Wat temple – the most iconic sight at the vast Archaeological Park. With 72 temples to see there, it might be worth getting the ₹ 5,000 three-day ticket rather than the ₹ 3,000 one-day pass.
Meal in a local restaurant or street food: from ₹ 100
Meal in a nice restaurant: ₹ 500-1,000
Local beer: ₹ 100
Tuktuks or taxis: from ₹ 80 per km, but drivers are open to haggling.
Busses: ₹ 1,500-2,000 for a long, overnight journey
Budget hotel or hostel: less than ₹ 500 per night
Midrange hotel: ₹ 1,500-2,000 per night
Car hire: from ₹ 3,800 per day
4. Nepal
With the snow-capped Himalayas providing the backdrop to rugged mountain scenery, dense jungle plains, hilltop villages and no fewer than 10 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, it’s hard to believe that neighbouring Nepal is also one of the cheapest countries to visit in the world.
Nepal is brilliantly set up for independent travellers. Organised hikes, such as the famous Annapurna Circuit, offer a once-in-a-lifetime adventure alongside hot meals and beds at traditional tea houses. Wildlife lovers should head to Chitwan National Park to see tigers and elephants up close, but avoid the luxury lodges and stay at nearby Sauraha, where a private double room can cost just ₹ 900 a night.
Bustling capital Kathmandu can be a shock to the system after the serenity of the mountains, but once you’ve readjusted, stroll around the historic centre with its pavilions and pagodas, feast on delicious street food for about a fiver a day, and stay in perfectly lovely hotels, such as the two-star Famous House from £13 a night. Don’t mind if we do.
Meal in a local restaurant or street food: From ₹ 100
Meal in a nice restaurant: Often less than ₹ 1,000
Local beer: ₹ 150
Taxis or rickshaws: ₹ 100 per km, but try to barter
Budget hotel or hostel: from ₹ 500 per night
Midrange hotel on the Annapurna Circuit: ₹ 1,500-3,000 per night
Car hire: from ₹ 4,500 per day
5. Kenya
Once you’ve factored in the flight cost, Kenya is a surprisingly affordable safari destination that will offer unforgettable landscape views and interactions with local culture and wildlife.
While there’s plenty to see and do in Nairobi and Mombasa – like the Karen Village art centre and Fort Jesus national park, respectively – the most popular attractions are deep in the bush, outside the cities.
National parks, giraffe centres and thundering waterfalls all make good day trips, but it’s the safari options that are the most tantalising in Kenya. Book in to see Maasai Mara from as little as ₹ 6,000 per day and watch lions, cheetahs and elephants up close in their natural habitat.
Get into safari mode early on by booking into one of the large luxury tents at the Wildebeest Eco Camp in Nairobi for around ₹ 2,500 per night.
Meal in a local restaurant: from ₹ 300
Meal in a nice hotel restaurant: ₹ 3,000
Local beer: ₹ 150
Taxis: ₹ 150 per km
Budget lodgings: ₹ 2,000-4,000 per night
Midrange hotel: ₹ 7,000-10,000 per night
Safari passes: Budget around £100 per day of safari to be safe, depending on which park you visit.
Car hire: from £40 per day
6. Bolivia
The cheapest country in South America, Bolivia is a budget traveller’s dream. High-energy capital La Paz is a whirlwind experience. Hop on the ‘subway in the sky’ cable car for dizzying views, then wander along Calle Jaen, home to some of the city’s best-preserved architecture. You can find good-value accommodation here for around ₹ 1,500 a night, or try something like the cosy four-star Casa Fusion Hotel Boutique, which has rooms starting from ₹ 5,000 a night.
From La Paz, head to Lake Titicaca where you can dine on the freshest trout, cooked in kiosks along the shore on Copacabana, for less than ₹ 300. Or take a boat to Isla Del Sol and hike across the island to take in the views over the lake.
Food in Bolivia costs next to nothing. Look out for almuerzo (set lunch), which includes soup, a main course and dessert for as little as ₹ 100. If you’re going to treat yourself to one expensive excursion, tour the world’s largest salt flat, Salar de Uyuni. This amazing sight, nicknamed the world’s largest mirror, is not to be missed.
Local meal or street food: ₹ 100-200
Meal in a midrange restaurant: ₹ 500-1,000
Local beer: ₹ 200
Taxis: ₹150 per km
Budget lodgings: ₹ 500-2,000 per night
Midrange hotel: ₹ 3,000 per night
Car hire: from ₹ 3,800 per day
7. Honduras
If you’ve always wanted to go to the Maldives but don’t fancy remortgaging, fret not. Honduras has swathes of white sand beaches without the honeymooners’ price hike. In fact, travelling here will set you back less than ₹ 2,500 a day, with mega cheap eats and hotel rooms averaging at ₹ 1,000. Consider staying in the capital city of Tegucigalpa, otherwise known as Tegus. Book a room at Hotel Alsacia from ₹ 3,554 a night.
Honduras is a fantastic choice for learning to scuba dive on the cheap, with courses offered at competitive rates. Head for the pristine beaches along Honduras’s northern coast, splendid for some isolation and ideal for snorkelling, too.
On dry land, check out the bustling port at Puerto Cortes, then get out to the picture-postcard seaside town of Omoa and the beautiful city of Comayagua, with its quaint Spanish houses and packed historic plazas. Bag a traditional bistek (steak) sandwich from a nearby cafe for less than ₹ 400 and have a picnic in nearby Parque Central.
Meal in a local restaurant: ₹ 300-500
Local beer: ₹ 100
Taxis: ₹ 200 per km
Budget hotel or hostel: from ₹ 500 per night
Midrange hotel: ₹ 2,000-4,000 per night
Car hire: from ₹ 1,200 per day
8. Jamaica
Jamaica is less expensive than other Caribbean islands. It’s relatively cheap to eat and drink out there, particularly around the chilled-out, north coast hub of Montego Bay – also home to one of the largest (and best-value) airports in the Caribbean.
Some of the island’s most memorable experiences are free – like plonking yourself on one of its serene, white-sand public beaches, walking Negril’s Seven Mile Beach or listening to a live reggae set, while watching the sunset in Montego Bay.
As for accommodation, all-inclusive can sometimes be your best bet here (and you can supplement your hotel meals with cheap street food snacks, like spicy meat patties or jerk chicken). Montego bay’s Mobay Kotch hotel doesn’t include food in its low average price of ₹ 3,800, but with such great-value rooms, you can afford to venture out to the nextdoor Hip Strip neighbourhood – the bustling tourist centre of the city, where some of the best-value drinks and meals can be found.
Meal in a local restaurant: ₹ 400
Meal in a fancy restaurant: ₹ 1,800
Local beer: ₹ 150
Taxis: ₹ 500 per km
Budget hotel: ₹ 3,000 per night
Midrange hotel: ₹ 4,000-8,000 per night
Car hire: from ₹ 3,000 per day
All prices and details are subject to change and availability.
