Do you want to go on a big trip in 2021? Are your finances in a bind? Take a look at the following places to visit.
Yes, there's magic, thrills, and adventure. But, for the budget-conscious traveler, it's also vital to know that these are destinations where your money will go a long way. As a travel journalist, I've been fortunate enough to visit all ten, but as a vacationer, I'd love to go back to each one.
Vietnam
Vietnam's boundaries are densely packed. Misty Halong Bay, with its fairytale seascapes of limestone outcrops and islands; the Mekong delta, with its floating marketplaces; and the historic Vietcong tunnels at Cu-Chi near Saigon—now officially known as Ho Chi Minh City—are just a few of the highlights. (If you are stranded, don't worry: one tunnel has been deliberately expanded for westerners.) Backpacker beds are quite inexpensive, but quality hotels are frequently less than $40. For less than a dollar, you can get a full bowl of pho bo beef noodle soup or six seafood spring rolls. Saigon Export beer costs 40 cents a bottle in local establishments.
Head to Hanoi's old neighborhood for the ideal traffic story to tell your friends back home. Any attempt to cross the road becomes a high-octane adrenaline rush. You're up against not only psycho-cyclos (rickshaw bicycles), but also thousands of motorbikes and scooters whose drivers see a red traffic light as a suggestion rather than an order. A cyclo rickshaw is the best way to experience the full mayhem.
Lithuania is a country in Eastern Europe.
Lithuania is the southernmost of the Baltic states, and most visitors combine it with Latvia and Estonia. Lithuania, on the other hand, may easily be explored on your own for a week. Art, music, and historical curiosities abound in quirky cities like Vilnius and Kaunas... mushroom-scented woods and farmers riding haycarts... mysterious sites rooted in pagan customs... the Curonian Spit's windswept dunes, where you can beachcomb for amber
Mid-June is a fantastic time to visit. The traditional pagan festival of Rasos, which marks the summer solstice and is a national holiday in Lithuania, is a national holiday. Singing, dancing, bonfire-leaping, hunting for "magic" ferns, and floating garlands down rivers are all part of the festivities. Despite some heavy drinking, the majority of individuals manage to stay awake to see the sunrise. For example, three potato pancakes with smoked salmon and sour cream cost $2.54, and a glass of Svyturnys beer costs $1.
Nicaragua, Granada
In a week, you can do a lot in Nicaragua from the laid-back colonial city of Granada: climb volcanoes, take Spanish lessons, visit the Masaya craft market and villages where rocking chairs, hammocks, and pottery are made, explore the Selva Negra's cloud forests and coffee plantations, chat with expats in the beach surfing town of San Juan del Sur, and visit colonial Leon.
Sitting in a rocking chair with a cool Victoria beer is a delight that costs less than $1, and it's difficult to spend more than $7 on a meal. The Alhambra Hotel, located in Granada's main square, is only $30 per night.
Goa is a state in southern India.
India is awe-inspiring, unlike anything you'll ever see or experience elsewhere. The seaside state of Goa provides the most straightforward introduction to this crowded country. This drowsy paradise of Arabian Sea beaches, backwaters, and spice-laden winds is marked by more than a few echoes of Old Portugal, baking beneath a tropical canopy of banana, coconut, and mango trees. Sunrise yoga on the beach, complete massages for $8, dolphin expeditions for $6, and colorful hippy markets are all available.
Two individuals may eat in a beach shack for under $10, including four drinks. If you're on a budget, small beach huts can be found for as little as $8 per night.
Northern Portugal and Porto
Porto, Portugal's second city, is known for its port wine lodges (yes, they do serve free samples). A network of laundry-hung passageways descends to a waterfront of boats, nets, and seafood eateries in this historic Atlantic trading port. Outside grocery stores with an original art nouveau tiled façade, sheets of cod (bacalhau) dangle from the ceilings; the church of Sao Francisco has a gold leaf interior that would make King Midas salivate. The Bolhau food market and the Torre dos Clerigos, Portugal's highest belfry tower, are not to be missed. You'll have a magnificent perspective of the jumbled cityscape of churches, bridges, and red-roofed dwellings from the summit.
The cost of dining, lodging, and public transportation in the region is exorbitant by EU standards. Trains and buses are an inexpensive way to travel along the coast and into the interior among terraced vineyards and lush river valleys on day getaways. Braga and the Bom Jesus church's thousand-step stairs are not to be missed. Some pilgrims walk these steps on their knees on holy days.
Montenegro
Montenegro is Europe's newest vacation hotspot, as well as the world's newest independent republic, following its split from Serbia. You'll find a world of jagged mountains with a switch-backed Adriatic coastline with coves, beaches, and pale gray stone settlements, as well as three-course meals for $7 and rooms in private houses for $10. The water glistens like topaz, and medieval walled cities with decaying towers and palaces are frequently adorned with the Venetian Republic's winged lion emblem.
Now you can see red-tiled rooftops and deep-green shutters in monasteries tucked into mountain nooks and fishing settlements. Olive groves... water-lilied lakes... deep valleys and Europe's southernmost fjord, the enormous Boka Kotorska... the border town of Ulcinj with its minarets and pirate slave-trading tales...
Austria
What are the Alps? Switzerland is, without a doubt, one of the most beautiful countries on the planet. However, unless you have an expense account, I can assure you that touring its mountains, lakes, and medieval villages would devastate your bank account.
Winter or summer, Austria's alpine wonderland has just as much to offer... plus the city splendors of Vienna and Salzburg. It's also much less expensive than you may assume. For example, a furnished apartment for two in a chalet in the Tyrolean village of Fendels may be rented for as little as 175 euros ($230) per week next spring. Fendels village, surrounded by hiking paths, is a good location for exploring the Tyrolean Oberland, which is close to the Swiss and Italian borders. (You can find lots more self-catering accommodation at similar prices on the Austrian Tourist Board's website, http://www.tiscover.at.)
Malaysia's Penang Island
Malaysia, a melting pot of Malay, Chinese, and Indian cultures, offers powder-white beaches and virgin rainforest teeming with wildlife; the bustling capital of Kuala Lumpur and the historic port city of Malacca; inexpensive seafood and inexpensive spa pampering; sailing, snorkeling, diving, fishing, golf, and island hopping; and the bustling capital of Kuala Lumpur and the historic port city of Malacca.
Georgetown, the capital of Penang island, is one of Malaysia's main attractions, with a unique Chinese flair. Snake temples, arcaded shophouses, and small factories dealing in mahjong tiles and dice; Kong-teik craftspeople who produce funerary paper objects; and fish drying out in the open like laundry Around 2,000 fishing families reside on the Clan Quay jetties on the Weld Quay waterfront in decrepit wooden shacks.
Chania is a town on the Greek island of Crete.
Chania is a town on the Greek island of Crete that should not be missed. The former capital of Crete, with a 5,000-year history. Icon workshops, lyres hanging in dusty musical instrument repair shops, bursts of white jasmine cascading from archways, cats snoozing on balconies... the unlikely sights of a pencil-thin minaret above church towers and a mosque squatting on the waterfront can all be found in the Old Town's narrow alleyways.
Chania's old Venetian waterfront at twilight is truly romantic, strung with garlands of colorful lightbulbs. The water glistens in waves of scarlet, sapphire, and emerald, the Venetian lighthouse flashes a beady wink, and pistachio vendors bustle. Locals take the volta, or nighttime stroll, along alleyways that were quiet in the afternoon. Even in July and August, studio flats are available for about $40 per night, and you can dine well for under $10.
The Czech Republic's Bohemia
Tourists abound in Prague, but few are aware of what the remainder of the Czech Republic has to offer. Bohemia is one of them, with a beguiling patchwork of castles, frescoed dwellings, and Rapunzel-style turrets straight out of a sword-and-sorcery story. You may see a medieval bear pit in Cesky Krumlov, replete with bears. Sedlec, a Kutna Hora suburb, contains a chapel that is totally made of human bones, even down to the chandelier.
Stoupas are tall "plague pillars" ornamented with chained devils that may be found in several locations. They celebrate the abolition of the plagues that ravaged Europe throughout the Middle Ages. Karlovy Vary, the oldest of Bohemia's famous spa cities, is another option. It's a lovely area with sugar-plum colored baroque buildings, floral parks, and stores glistening with Bohemian crystal, with spa water flowing all over town that visitors can collect for free.
