The Best Value Destinations
February, 2021
With the world slowly reopening, we can all start to think about the next international destination we want to travel to. Here, I have provided the 5 best places in the world where your money goes farther than it would in other places. For example, $500 goes much farther in Colombia than it does in France. Each place I have chosen here has an abundant selection of accommodations from low budget to extravagant.
1. Thailand
I obviously have a little bias here with Thailand as I lived in the country for over a year, but hear me out. First of all, Thailand truly has something for everyone. You can go to some of the most spectacular beaches in the world, such as Maya Bay, where Leonardo DiCaprio’s “The Beach” was filmed. You can also go to one of the most amazing cities in the world, Bangkok, which is the transport hub of SE Asia and the most visited city in the world. Finally, there is also the north of Thailand where one can explore the vast abundant wildlife (Thailand is home to 10% of the world’s animals) in addition to one of my favorite towns in the whole wide world: Chiang Mai. The best part about Thailand is there is truly an accommodation option for everyone at a great price. You can stay in $20 hostels such as the Yard Hostel or five star hotels such as the St. Regis Bangkok for $120 per night. Finally, transportation throughout the country is amazing as there are several domestic and international flights available each day.
2. Bali
Bali is an amazing place where you can surf, swim, party, and see monkeys. This is quite the combination. While Bali has plenty of activities, like Thailand, there are many different regions for everyone’s taste. If you’d like to eat, pray, and love (movie reference) you can head to Ubud where yoga, meditation, and vegan establishments are everywhere. If you’d like privacy, head to Uluwatu where excellent villas such as Alila offer unparalleled cliff-top ocean views. Finally, if you want to party, look no further than Seminyak which has plenty of luxury hotels such as The Legion and excellent beach clubs such as Potato Head Beach Club.
3. Portugal
Portugal is Europe’s version of California. Like the other places on this list, accommodation is plentiful and your money goes farther than in most other countries in Europe. Start your trip down south in Faro and explore the beautiful beaches. You can then fly or train to Lisbon and explore all that this wonderful city has to offer such as the wonderful castles of Sintra, only a 45-minute train ride away from the city. Finally, take an amazing 2 hour train ride from Lisbon to Porto, the birth place of Port wine, and continue your explorations in the beautiful region of the Douro Valley while drinking Douro Blanco at the Six Senses Resort.
4. Colombia
Colombia is often a country people assume is unsafe, but fear not, fellow travelers — Colombia is now considered the one of the safest countries in South America for travelers.
Explore the wonderful city of Bogota while staying at a homey accommodation such as Casa Legado; Salsa dance at one of my favorite clubs in the world, Andres Carne de Res; and finally, finish your trip by exploring the wonderful cities of Medellin and Cartagena where one can explore the beaches and national parks around the two cities such as Tayrona National Park.
5. South Africa
South Africa is one of the only places in the world where you can see the Big 7: which include the iconic Big Five on safari (rhino, elephant, leopard, lion and buffalo) plus the ocean's southern right whales and great white sharks which can be spotted off of South Africa's Cape. In addition to seeing all of these magnificent animals, accessing safari in South Africa is easier than any other country on the continent. This is because of the massive Kruger National Park and its significant amount of accommodation. You can choose from a luxurious 5 star lodge such as Singita in Sabi Sand for $2000 per person per night or spend as little as $200 per person per night depending on your budget. Finally, the amazing town of Cape Town has lovely Airbnb’s for less than $100 per night, or luxurious hotels that can cost more than $1000 per night such as the Ellerman House.