The Best Budget Travel Destinations Americans Overlook
I have a theory about how Americans pick travel destinations, and it goes like this: we hear about a place on Instagram, we see that flights exist, and we book a trip without ever asking "is this actually a good deal?" We just assume that international travel is expensive and absorb the cost like it's a law of physics. Seven nights in Cancun for 4,500? That's just the price of culture, baby.
Meanwhile, there are entire countries where you can live like royalty for $50 a day -- good hotels, incredible food, transportation, activities, everything -- and most Americans have never even considered going there. Not because these places aren't amazing. They are. Often more amazing than the "default" destinations we keep flying to. We overlook them because nobody on our Instagram feed is posting about them, and our travel horizons are embarrassingly narrow for a country that issues 160 million passports.
I've spent the last few years deliberately seeking out these overlooked destinations, and some of the best trips of my life happened in places my friends had to Google. Here are the ones I'd book again tomorrow.
Portugal: Europe Without the European Price Tag
Okay, Portugal isn't exactly "overlooked" anymore -- it's been trending for a few years. But compared to how many Americans go to France, Italy, or the UK, it's still massively underrepresented, and it's the best value in Western Europe by a mile.
Lisbon is one of the most beautiful cities I've ever visited. Cobblestone streets, tiled buildings in every color, viewpoints that look like they were designed by a cinematographer, and a food scene that revolves around fresh seafood, custard tarts, and wine that costs three euros a glass. Three euros. In Paris, three euros gets you the right to stand near a restaurant and look at the menu.
I spent a week in Portugal -- three days in Lisbon, two in Porto, two in the Algarve coast -- and my total spending including flights was about 90/night), trains between cities (3,500 minimum.
The Algarve coast in southern Portugal might be the most underrated beach destination for Americans. Dramatic cliffs, golden sand, water that's actually warm enough to swim in during summer, and small fishing towns where a massive grilled fish dinner with a bottle of wine costs $25 for two people. It's the Mediterranean experience without Mediterranean prices.
Colombia: Stop Being Scared of It
I need to address this upfront: yes, Colombia had a rough period. No, it is not the country you're picturing from 1990s news coverage. Modern Colombia is safe, welcoming, gorgeous, and cheap in a way that will make you reconsider every expensive trip you've ever taken.
Medellin is the city that converted me. The weather is 75 degrees and sunny approximately 340 days a year (they call it the "City of Eternal Spring," which sounds like marketing but is basically accurate). The public transit is excellent. The food is incredible -- bandeja paisa, arepas, fresh fruit juices from flavors you've never heard of. A nice dinner for two with drinks costs about 40-60 a night. A round-trip flight from Miami is often under $300.
Cartagena is the beach/history option. Walled old city, Caribbean water, ceviche that'll ruin you for all other ceviche. It's a bit more touristy and therefore more expensive than Medellin, but "more expensive" in Colombian terms still means $80/day for a very comfortable trip.
The coffee region -- Salento, Manizales, the small towns in the hills -- is where you go if you want to feel like you've discovered something. Coffee farm tours, Valle de Cocora with its impossibly tall palm trees, small-town plazas where old men play chess and the only sound is birds. It costs almost nothing to be there. I spent three days in Salento and my total spending was about $120. That is not a typo.
Albania: Europe's Best-Kept Secret
Albania is the answer to the question nobody's asking: "What if I want the Croatian coast experience for one-third the price?"
The Albanian Riviera is genuinely stunning -- turquoise water, rocky coves, small beaches backed by mountains -- and it costs almost nothing compared to Dubrovnik or Santorini. A beachfront hotel room goes for 8-12. A beer at a beach bar is $2.
Tirana, the capital, is weird and wonderful. It was communist until 1991, and the city has this wild mix of brutalist architecture, brightly painted buildings (a former mayor literally had them painted random colors to cheer the place up), and a cafe culture that rivals any city in Europe. Bunk'Art, a museum built in a Cold War bunker, is one of the most memorable museum experiences I've ever had.
Getting there is the main challenge for Americans -- there aren't many direct flights, so you'll usually connect through Rome, Istanbul, or Athens. But once you're there, your money goes absurdly far. I budgeted 50.
Mexico Beyond the Resorts
Most Americans who go to Mexico go to Cancun, Cabo, or Puerto Vallarta. And those places are fine -- if you want to spend $400 a night at an all-inclusive and never leave the resort grounds. But Mexico is enormous, insanely diverse, and some of its best destinations are places most Americans have never heard of.
Oaxaca is, in my opinion, the single best food city in the Western Hemisphere. The mole here -- seven different varieties, each a complex symphony of chiles, chocolate, spices, and hours of labor -- is unlike anything you've eaten anywhere else. Mezcal is produced in the surrounding hills and you can tour distilleries for free, tasting your way through agave varieties you didn't know existed. Street food is world-class and costs 50-70/night.
Guanajuato is a colonial city built in a valley, with colorful buildings climbing up hillsides like something out of a Wes Anderson movie. There are underground streets (former riverbeds), a world-famous mummy museum (exactly as weird as it sounds), and a music/art scene that draws people from all over Mexico. Tourist infrastructure is minimal, which means prices haven't been inflated by American spending power. Hotel rooms in beautiful colonial buildings go for $40-60.
San Cristobal de las Casas in Chiapas is surrounded by indigenous communities, cloud forests, and waterfalls. It's one of the most affordable destinations in Mexico -- $30-40/day covers food, lodging, and activities. The coffee here is exceptional (Chiapas is a major growing region) and the town has a bohemian energy that's genuinely charming without being performative.
Georgia (the Country): Wine, Mountains, and Dumplings
Not Georgia the state. Georgia the country, wedged between Russia and Turkey on the eastern edge of Europe, and home to one of the most underrated food and wine cultures on the planet.
Georgians have been making wine for 8,000 years -- literally the oldest wine-producing region in the world. They ferment it in clay vessels buried underground called qvevri, and the resulting orange wines are unlike anything you've had. You can tour vineyards and taste extensively for $10-20.
The food is reason enough to visit. Khachapuri -- bread filled with cheese and topped with an egg and butter -- is the national dish and it's basically what would happen if pizza and fondue had a baby. Khinkali are soup dumplings the size of your fist, and you eat them by the dozen for about $3. Every meal feels like a celebration.
Tbilisi, the capital, has this incredible mix of old and new -- ancient churches, Soviet-era buildings, modern glass architecture, all stacked on top of each other along the river. There are sulfur baths that have been operating since the 13th century where you can soak for $5.
A solid daily budget in Georgia is about 3 a bottle. This is not a problem. This is a feature.
Vietnam: The $30-a-Day Country
I know someone who spent a month in Vietnam and his total budget -- flights excluded -- was 30, and he described it as the best month of his life.
Vietnam is the gold standard for budget travel. Pho -- the national soup -- costs $1-2 at street stalls and it's better than any pho you've had in America. Banh mi sandwiches are 50 cents to a dollar. A beer at a sidewalk bar is 30 cents, which means you can literally go out for drinks and spend less than the cost of a domestic beer at an American bar.
Ha Long Bay is one of those landscapes that doesn't look real -- thousands of limestone islands rising out of emerald water. Overnight boat cruises through the bay cost $60-100 for surprisingly comfortable boats with meals included.
Hoi An is a small town with an incredibly preserved old quarter, world-class tailors who'll make you a custom suit in 24 hours for $100-150, and a lantern-lit riverside that's one of the most photogenic places I've ever seen.
The motorbike culture takes some getting used to -- crossing a street in Hanoi is a life experience -- but once you relax into it, Vietnam is one of the most rewarding countries to travel through. The people are warm, the scenery is extraordinary, and your money goes further than almost anywhere on Earth.
How to Actually Book These Trips Without Overpaying
A few principles that saved me thousands:
Fly on budget carriers or use points. Scott's Cheap Flights (now Going) sends deal alerts for mistake fares and sales. I got my Portugal flights for 750. Patience and flexibility on dates save hundreds.
Stay in locally-owned guesthouses and small hotels instead of international chains. They're cheaper, they're usually more interesting, and your money goes to people who actually live there. Booking.com and Hostelworld are good for finding these.
Eat where locals eat. If a restaurant has an English menu posted outside, it's a tourist restaurant and you're paying 2-3x what locals pay around the corner. Follow the crowds of local people. Eat street food. The best meals I've had traveling cost under $5.
Travel slowly. Flying between cities within a country is expensive. Buses and trains are cheap and you see the countryside. An overnight bus also saves you a night of accommodation. Two-for-one.
For more tips on making travel affordable without it feeling like you're sacrificing the experience, I've written about weekend getaways that won't destroy your wallet -- the domestic version of budget travel. And if you want cautionary tales about what NOT to do, read about the travel scams I fell for so you can learn from my expensive mistakes instead of making your own.
The world is cheaper than you think. The hardest part is believing it.
