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Having been to all seven continents and kept our spending low enough to keep traveling for almost three years we have sought out budget destinations.  We each share our favorite low cost stops in the world.

HE SAID…

Give me a plane ticket and $1000 and I know where I’d be heading: China or Sri Lanka.  There is nowhere where you get more for your money, be it high-quality lodging, delicious foods, or comfortable transport for less.  Not only that, but these countries have substantially less of the tourist hassle and gringo invasion of popular “low-cost” destinations such as Thailand and India.  Here’s why budget travelers should go to China or Sri Lanka above all else.

China.  Being a massive country there is something for everyone.  That said, it may take people a while to find their part of the country where the food, people and activities match their interests, but once you do…watch out wallet, you just won’t get the attention you’re used to.  We traveled over 10,000 miles in the world-class trains, ate to our hearts content and finished off each evening with at least half a dozen beers before retiring to comfortable beds for under $50/day for the both of us.  In places such as Shanghai we lived first world luxury, in Southern China we explored the villages, and in the North we took in some of the world’s best Buddhist art.  Click here to read why to travel China over India.

Sri Lanka is the cheapest country we’ve visited.  Spending a whopping $33/day for two people.  We weren’t even scrimping…we lived it up, eating the best foods we could find, and splurging for fancy private rooms with fantastic views.  We still don’t understand why, but Sri Lanka was cheap, yet clean, safe, and friendly.  From it’s beautiful beaches to it’s must-eats, it surpassed all our expectations.

These were two favorites for me, but if you want to see head-to-head comparasions of budget destinations, see our 2011 cost summary for a year in Asia or our 2012 summary for costs from Australia through the Middle East.

SHE SAID…

When we set out on this adventure our goal was to do the “hard travel” that we might not be as keen to do later in life.  We wanted to visit developing countries and off the beaten track travel destinations.  This criteria made most of our stops pretty affordable, third world travel is what we were seeking and the price point in these locations has kept us on the road for years.  But, if you don’t have years to explore these countries here are my favorite budget destinations:

India tops the list for me and while thinkCHUA claims he will never return I can’t think of a better place to visit on a tight budget.  You can eat lunch for free in Amritsar, you can enjoy the Buddhist highlights in Leh without paying the high costs of a tour to Tibet and you can live on less than $10 a day if you choose.  I will say that Indian travel, especially on a budget is not for the faint of heart, but it will be an experience you won’t soon forget.

The reflection of the Himalayas in a tea house window in Nepal

Nepal, if neighboring India offers more difficult travel than you are looking for I would recommend laid back Nepal to the North.  And if you are into hiking at all this is the best budget destination for you.  The people are friendly, the scenery is incredible and tea house trekking through the Himalayas can be done for less than $10 a day per person.

Bolivia is the budget destination in South America that seemingly has it all.  The food is cheap, you can visit the jungle, climb mountains or explore colonial cities for half the price you could in any of the neighboring countries.

While budget is not always the determining factor for picking your next travel destinations, the above recommendations are sure to give you more bang for your buck.

Share your favorite budget destination is in the comments.

The Middle Eastern version of the free market is the modern day souq. A visit to Dubai wouldn’t be complete without a stroll through the covered alleyways in search of exotic treasures and fine jewelry and silks.  While these markets don’t offer the luxurious shopping experience of the Mall of the Emirates or the Dubai Mall they give visitors a glimpse into the origins of Dubai’s trade.

The Dubai Creek where many of the historic and still active souq’s are located is the foundation of modern Dubai.  It originally served as a port for trading vessels plying to and from India, Africa and the Middle East.  You can still see some of the old custom houses, but the creek is frequented more by local shoppers and tourists than by shipping vessels these days.  Take a step back in time with me and take a peek into Dubai’s souq’s:

Gold Souq

The dazzling gold souk, located at the mouth of the Dubai Creek is a must vist for any visitor to the gold-obsessed UAE.  The small shops are packed with large quantities of gold and shop-owners ready to bargain.  Most of the gold is 22 carat and sold by weight with an additional charge for craftsmanship.  The window shopping is excellent, but prices are high for prospective buyers.

Textile Souq

The textile souq’s alleyways are adorned with luxurious silks, yards of beaded fabrics, pashmina scarves and everything you need to outfit yourselif in traditional Emirati dress.  If you want something special made any of the vendors will be happy to help you, just remember to bargain.

Spice Souq

The colorful spice souq offers a visual and olfactory experience as scents of sandalwood, curry and cardamom waft through the air.  Any of the spice purveyors will be happy to answer your questions, fix you up with a magic elixir or recommend a tea blend for your tastes.

Fish Souq

The bustling fish market is the place to purchase anything from mussels and prize fillets to shark fins. Dubai is the world’s fourth largest shark fin exporter despite the controversy surrounding such trade, it is lucrative for the sellers and sold openly in the fish souq.

While Dubai continues to expand its skyline the historical souq’s offer a different perspective on the Dubai in headlines.  I would encourage any visitor to Dubai to make time for a visit to the Dubai Creek to step back in time to observe the foundation of Dubai.

WHEN YOU GO:

Avoid the heat, its best to start early in the morning before it gets too hot or go late afternoon when it begins to cool. Souqs are open by 9am with most stalls closing between 1 and 4pm during the most intense heat of the day. They stay open until around 9pm.

Dress modestly, as these are the traditonal neighborhoods of Dubai it is recommended that both men and women cover up loosely from neck to past the knees to avoid any staring.

Be prepared for aggressive vendors and be ready to bargain if you plan to purchase anything.

Many people travel in search of a place.  There is an idea among travelers, whether spoken or not, that one day they will come across a place so perfect they’ll lay down roots.  Even among non-travelers there is an idea that there is somewhere that will feel the way home should. The people will like you, the scenery will inspire you, work won’t be work…in short, in the perfect place life will be perfect.  The core of this idea is that a place can make us happy, not that we make a place happy.  Couchsurfing in the Middle East showed me that it is up to us to make a place, a home, spending our energy making a life rather than trying to find one.

Having met and stayed with expats the world over, the people we met in Oman and UAE were different, they had made their lives there.  Most of the young people we’ve met working abroad were abroad because they didn’t know what they wanted to do with their lives.  We even met one person who moved to Asia because they clicked on a facebook ad promoting teaching opportunities.  There is no discounting the amount of work that everyone teaching abroad must do, from visas to physically moving across the planet, but, in general, most of the young expats I met were abroad not because they knew what they wanted to do, rather they were there because they didn’t know what they wanted to do.  At their worst they were killing time, at their best they were hoping to find themselves.  In the UAE and Oman though, the people we met were dynamic, seizing the opportunity to live in a rapidly changing place, who were making a life abroad.

The challenges of living in the Middle East are more than moving there.  While Oman and UAE may be the “liberal” Middle East, there are always reminders that you’re not in Kansas any more. While men may notice the tight liquor laws, women’s daily life can be affected including rules about “proper attire”.  This didn’t stop the Couchsurfers we stayed with.  The excitement of living in a rapidly changing place and being able to be part of the cultural change drew them here.  If teaching English was the only driver, they could have chosen easier cultures.  If experiencing a foreign culture was all they sought, they could have chosen stranger places.  If growth was what they wanted, they could have chosen better cities.  They actively chose the Middle East to be part of something special, to live and learn there…not just anywhere.

What struck me most was that they not only chose to be there, but they have built lives there.  One Couchsurfer wanted to do yoga, but found there were no options in a smaller city…so he started a yoga studio.  One outdoor lover developed a passion for caving, exploring the unexplored caverns of the rugged Omani mountains.  Several runners decided to not let being in the scorching desert confine them…they adjusted to their climates and run races…weather be damned.  An attorney saw an opportunity to do contract law for the Sultan of Oman and seized it.  All of these Couchsurfers are not living abroad just to be there, they are living their life, how they want it, where they want it.

If home is where the heart is, then we can’t forget that our hearts are with us, no matter where we are.  The Couchsurfers of the Middle East taught us that what is important in life isn’t finding a place for you, rather making a place home.

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Answering the questions we’re most often asked, every three weeks we’ll answer a FAQ to share what people want to know when they find out we’ve been traveling for over two years…

LAST MONTH’S QUESTION: What Do You Miss From Home?
NEXT MONTH’S QUESTION (on June 5th): Will Going Home Be Hard?

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WHAT WAS YOUR SCARIEST TRAVEL MOMENT?

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HE SAID…

For reasons yet unknown I found myself quite intoxicated.  Maybe it was the beer with lunch, or the beers between lunch and dinner, certainly the beer at dinner didn’t help, but no matter when and how, I needed to go home.  Home was our friend’s Hong Kong apartment which we had arrived to the day before.  He lived, conveniently for those of us of Chinese descent, above a 24-hour Dim Sum restaurant and a 7-11.  While great neighbors, both of these establishments are as frequent as skyscrapers in Hong Kong, which means it could be anywhere on Hong Kong Island.  If you didn’t know exactly where his street is and where to find his discrete door, you’d never find his place.  Luckily for me, with built-in GPS, even in the state of inebriation I was in, I could found his place after leaving LOCAVORista and Michael to drink the night away.

Hours later I woke to the sound of the door opening I saw Michael enter…alone.  He turned on the light, looked me straight in the eye and said, “I lost Erica.” This was an “oh-shit” moment.  I asked what happened, to which he responded, “last I saw her she jumped over a median and was running.  You wouldn’t believe how fast she is!  I tried to catch her but she was gone…”  She had little money on her, didn’t have a credit card, or any way to contact us.  We had no idea where she could be, how to find her, or if she’d be able to find a safe place for the night.  We thought about going to the police, but realized that was best done in the morning, hoping we would find her before we would need to explain ourselves.

We had lost Erica.  This wasn’t the first time, but definitely the most serious.  Losing Erica on the Macalester College campus at home was one thing, Hong Kong, a city we’d been in for two days, was another matter.  Knowing this was a situation with no resolution we cracked open another beer and watched “Swamp People”, because, you just lost your wife…what else are you going to do?

Suddenly the front door started shaking, someone was trying to get in.  Startled we went to open the door and in pushed Erica.  She fell into the couch like nothing had happened so I asked, “how did you get back here?”  She responded, “I took three taxis and didn’t pay for any of them!”  We’ll never know how she got there, I was just glad she had made it home and I wouldn’t have to explain to Hong Kong police how I lost my wife.

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SHE SAID…

“Swamp People”, that’s what you watch when you’ve lost your wife?!  I guess I found myself in an equally helpless situation during the most scary travel moment I’ve had to date… We had just arrived in the Nairobi airport late at night from a wonderful week in Zanzibar and needed to get to our hostel.  Knowing that Nairobi taxi drivers don’t have the best reputation we used the recommended, and spendy, official airport taxi service.  A decision we would later be more than happy we had paid the extra money for.

Not too long into our ride we got pulled over by the Nairobi police.  Three tall men in uniform, carrying AK-47′s stopped our cab, the driver rolled down the window and soon thereafter opened the glove compartment finding only an empty envelope.  Typically the envelope holds U.S. dollars to be used as bribe money for such situations.  Without the necessary cash to pay off the police, we were the best option for the officers to get what they wanted.

The cab driver instructed us to remain in the taxi no matter what happened.  Not knowing what could happen we simply nodded and promised to follow his instructions. The next couple hours, which seemed more like twelve, was filled with taunts by the police, repeated requests to get out of the car and threats to arrest us for not wearing our seat belts.  All while one of the officers kept an AK-47 pointed at thinkCHUA.  Even though I wasn’t staring down the barrel of a gun I was no more comfortable than him as we tried to communicate to each other quietly, considering our options.

After what seemed like eternity we saw a tall, slender Masai warrior, wearing a red blanket and carrying a spear come into view of the taxi’s headlights. He approached the cab and then took a seat on the hood with the driver.  Soon one of the police came to talk to the two men, leaving us to wonder who was this strange warrior and why was he here?  Within fifteen minutes, again what seemed like forever to us held captive in the back seat, the warrior and the driver got into the car.  The officer with the gun pointed at thinkCHUA stepped back and without explanation, we drove away.  Still terrified and unsure of what was going on we sat silently, shaking in the back seat.

Finally, the warrior turned around and introduced himself explaing he was from our hostel.  He informed us that everything was fine and that our situation was relatively “typical”, nothing to worry about, we were safe now.  Soon, we pulled into our hostel and as the security gates closed behind us we finally felt like we could breathe again.   Once the taxi was gone and we were checked in I asked the kind Masai warriors name, to which he replied “Justice”.  Somehow it was such a fitting name I just smiled as he walked us to our room.  Needless to say we didn’t take any more taxis in Nairobi and it’s a night I won’t soon forget.

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I love markets!  The palpable excitement of commerce in action and the incessant search for a deal paired with the sights and sounds unique to only that place make markets the place to get a grasp on the local culture. The crowds, colors, and collection of handicrafts and antiques make the San Telmo Sunday Market in beautiful Buenos Aires one of my favorite markets in the world.

As we made our way through the sea of people perusing the wares and the smell of meat wafted through the air, urging you to try a choripan (chorizo sausage sandwich) I declared to thinkCHUA ” I love this place!”  I couldn’t stop taking photos and I wanted to purchase ten of everything in sight.  The market brought the streets of San Telmo alive in a way that I couldn’t resist.  We spent nearly four hours wandering through the market and I could have spent four more.  Below is a sampling of what made the market so great:

The original art is beautiful and you can talk with the artist while you  browse.  If I weren’t so shutter happy myself I could have easily picked up a collection of these prints.

The bohemian feel of the market made me want to grap a blanket and set up shop myself, just to hang with the barefooted vendors peddling their hand made treasures.

Everything is made better with music and there is plenty of live music to entertain you as you shop.  Each corner features a new artist, band or couple dancing to lively tango music.

The setting of the San Telmo Sunday Market is enough to attract hoards of people even without the antiques and art as the buildings are beautiful and the sidewalk cafes some of the best in the city.  I may be a market fanatic, but the San Telmo Sunday Market is not to be missed while you’re in Buenos Aires!

WHEN YOU GO:

Bring only the cash you need, unfortunately pick pockets are everywhere in Buenos Aires and the crowds at the Sunday Market make it an easy place to be relieved of your money

Make a day of it, plan a whole day to wander the streets of San Telmo, there is lots to see and beautiful cafes for people watching

Bring water and a bag for carrying your souvenirs safely home and to stay hydrated while browsing.

The stunning view that greeted us at the end of our eight day trek through Torres del Paine National Park in Chile.  This vista was breathtaking, but it would be hard to pick a favorite during this amazing hike.

To plan your next photo-perfect trip, check out our travel guides from around the world by clicking here.

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There is nothing like Carnival in Rio.  Nothing comes close.  These may seem like overstatements…until you’ve done Carnival in Rio…then you’ll understand it really is the biggest party in the world. Here are the five things you need to know to rock Carnival…

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1.  Book your hotel early…as in NOW. OK, it now may a little too early, but try to book 6-9 months out, even before you have airline tickets…a lot offer free cancellation.  The closer to Carnival the prices spiral upwards to the point that hostel dorm beds in prime locations go for up to $125 each!  Imagine paying $125 each for a bed in a 16-24 bed dorm…it happens.  If you book hotels early though you can stay somewhere nice for the same as hostels.  Look for hotels with free cancellation if you’re uncertain, but book way ahead!

2.  Buy your tickets into and out of Rio as soon as you can. If you are arriving from another city in Brazil make sure you purchase your air/bus tickets at least a week before.  Coming from nearby Paraty tickets were sold out about four days prior to Carnival.  If flying you can get some great inter-Brazil discount flights 2-4 months prior to departure.

3.  Buy your Sambadrome tickets for Sunday or Monday. These days feature the “Special Group” which have the best shows.  These days contain the Champions of the year and many former champs, so you won’t be disappointed.  I highly recommend buying through Green Toad as they offer the cheapest tickets we found online for prime sections.  For more Sambadrome tips, check out our preparation page: here.

4.  Plan your costume…or not… We didn’t do costumes, but many people do.  In the end you won’t be judged no matter how you show up…even if you decide to paint yourself silver and only wear underwear…

5.  When you arrive in Rio get the schedule of Blocos. The official Rio tourism board materials are the best, pick up one of their Carnival magazines at a tourist information center or check it out online here.

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It’s that easy to rock Carnival.  Months ahead book your hotel and Sambadrome tickets.  Weeks to months before have your transport arranged.  Days before get your rest.  This will make you primed to rock it all night long…

Have you been to Carnival?  Tell us in the comments what you recommend to Carnival first-timers.

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Part 3 of 4: FINDING A HOME. When left home, we left with the hope that we’d find the city for us.  We’d walk the streets and feel comfortable.  We’d savor the foods and feel fine if we got fat there.  We’d see the homes and picture ourselves in the future.  It would feel like home.  After visiting more than 200 cities, where have we decided to settle? Follow us on the second Wednesday of each month to discover what traveling the world taught us about where we want to call home.

Click here to read Part I of Finding a Home: Living in a Developing or Developed Country

Click here to read Part II of Finding a Home: Living Abroad vs USA

Having decided last month that living in the USA provides us the best opportunities to work, live and play, what is it we want in a home? Do we want to live in a crowded city or vast space?  Do we want to be surrounded by mountains or oceans?  Do we want a house or a downtown condo?

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HE SAID…

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The biggest benefit of traveling the world is getting to see how other people live.  We get to peek into people’s lives from afar, ask them about how they live, and when Couchsurfing get to actually stay in people’s homes.  Being young enough to get to define how we live the majority of our lives, yet old enough to have actual independent living experience, the trip gave us an opportunity to really think about how we want to live, where, and what we value.  For me, as it often does, it comes down to economics and health.  I want to call a place home that I can earn good pay, have a selection of places to work, yet have a cost of living that allows us to save money and enjoy life.

Enjoying life for me is about how I spend my time.  The reality is that there is only one completely limited quantity in life: time.  I don’t want to waste my limited time driving in traffic, I would like to spend no time driving myself.  I love cars and motorcycles, but if I have to commute I’d like to be able to do it on public transportation where I can use the time productively.  Instead of spending time behind the wheel I’d rather be able to use the time to read, work, or just relax.  Be it train or bus, I want the time I have to spend commuting on the things I want, not shuffling my foot from brake to gas pedal.  The commuting time and options are important to me as they will serve as bookends to my working day.

That brings me to “work” a word that doesn’t appear in my life much these days.  Since I will most likely have to work again I want to live in a place that has a strong, diverse economy with a variety of options: companies big and small of many industries.  This will allow us to earn more, do interesting work, and interact with a diverse set of people.  If we have children I don’t want to have to move much, so I want to make sure that our community can support us now and into the future.  For this I think it will need to be a larger city to provide opportunities for decades to come.

Getting to/from work and what I am doing is important, realistically life outside work is more important.  I want to live somewhere I can be active outdoors.  Primarily I want bike and running paths near my home as I’m not a gym person.  As much as I wish I had the ability to go to a gym and work out, I know that I don’t like gyms.  Ideally these outdoor activities would allow for hiking and camping near my city.  This trip has taught me that I love the mountains, they get me to be active not simply to work out, rather to be active exploring and taking photos, activities I love.

If I hadn’t gone on this trip I don’t think I would have had these realizations.  It is because of this trip that I believe we’ll make choices that make us healthier and happier people by choosing a place that best provides for the lives we want to live.

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SHE SAID…

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Despite our differences, as evidenced in using travel as marital counseling for the last two years, we’re looking for the same things in the place we settle.  Economics and health are high on my list of priorities, but with a little bit of a different take on them.  Public transport, good pay, affordable cost of living and access to outdoor activities are all key factors in choosing a home.  I look at health in terms of availability of fresh foods, nearby parks and a strong sense of community.  When I consider economics an affordable cost of living is important, I don’t want to have to take out a 90 year mortgage to have a place to call my own or be feel the need to pay for private education instead of sending my kids to public school.

One of the biggest enjoyments in life for me is food, cooking great meals and enjoying fabulous restaurants.  I want to have access to farm fresh produce and meat, we were spoiled in Minneapolis with weekly deliveries of fresh vegetables, and that’s not something I want to give up.  I like knowing where my food came from and I love connecting with the producer, so an active farmers market is a must.  If you have these things, innovative restaurants are usually quick to follow, which makes life better.

While food is a big part of health, so is community.  I want to live close to family and friends, have a supportive and tight knit group of people to lean on.  I also want to have community programs and parks near my home.  I want to know my neighbors and have places where we can gather and activities to meet new people.  It takes a village to raise a child, so living in a place with other young families is something that I want to seek out when considering where to lay down roots.

Finally, an affordable cost of living is important to give us more options when it comes to owning a home, sending our children to school and being able to afford to still fund our travels as this travel bug isn’t going away any time soon.  While earning a good salary helps, I don’t want to have to spend all that we make to enjoy life and provide for ourselves.  This journey through different countries and cultures has taught me that there are many different ways to live a life that reflect your values.  Having seen so many places and met so many people we both have a better idea of what we want and I know we will make better decisions about everything from how we live to where we live.

Do you know of a place that fulfills our requirements?  We are open to ideas and would love to hear why you’ve chosen where you live.

I have a bucket list as many travelers do, but I’ve done things on this trip that I could never have even dreamed up to add it to a bucket list.  One of those things is camping on Antarctica, while going to the “7th continent” has been on the list for a long time I never even knew it was possible to camp there.  I certainly didn’t expect to be able to sleep under the stars sans tent in one of the coldest places in the world.  But it seems this trip really has been what dreams are made of.

As we hopped in our zodiac at sunset, watching the sun disappear and the moon illuminate the sky I knew that it was going to be a special night.  The zodiacs had a hard time finding a good spot for our landing, making our trip to Dawrian Island feel even more remote.  Navigating through the floating icebergs and attempting to pull up on shore without disturbing the penguin colony made the trip all the more unique.

Once on shore we all scattered to find our own piece of the Antarctic peninsula to sleep on for the night.  We set up our bivy sack to keep the moisture out, tucked the sleep pad in to separate us from the icy ground and then stuffed our two sleeping bags on top and zipped everything up.  Each part did it’s job amazingly well and we stayed dry and warm all night.  Comfort wasn’t part of my expectation when I signed up to camp on Antarctica, but it sure made the star gazing more amazing to not be shivering.

If you really want to experience the magic and wonder of Antarctica first hand there is no better way than camping in silence on ice while icebergs float by.  Maybe that sounds a bit idealistic and even crazy when you have a wonderful, warm room on a luxury ship.  But, this was the highlight of my Antarctica tour, not only because it was much more comfy than I expected, but because of the adventure of it all.  When will I ever have the chance to fall asleep to penguin calls again in my life?

Of course the pristine condition of this magical and wondorous place make camping here a little more difficult and preserving that for others is part of the rules of engagement.  This wasn’t your typical camping experience for a lot of reasons, first of all no campfires, which means no s’mores since no food or drink is allowed on the continent.  In addition no amateurs are allowed, which simply means you have to have an expert to oversee the entire experience.  But don’t worry these rules not only preserve this amazing landscape and the wildlife, but add to the experience instead of detract.  It was true “leave no trace” camping.

As we sped away from Dawrian Island in our zodiacs I got the above shot and felt a whole new appreciation for what it took for Shackleton and Ross to survive their Antarctic expeditions.  After all they didn’t have the technology that kept me warm nor did they have a zodiac waiting to pick them up, after just one night in the unforgiving conditions of Antarctica, to take them to a warm breakfast and hot shower.  I can cross Antarctic Explorer off the list of possible future professions, but I will still always have fond memories of my one night sleeping at the end of the world.

The colorful houses of Cerro Bellavista in Valpraiso, Chile one of the best places to view street art in Latin America.

To plan your next colorful vacation, check out our travel guides from around the world by clicking here.