India, from 348 dollars round trip

Useful information

• Price of a pint of beer: 1,05 $.
• Price of a meal in a cheap restaurant: $1.93
• Price of a taxi ride: 0,64 $ + 0,19 $/km
• Price of a double room (3* hotel): 23$/night (160$/week)
• Daily budget for an average trip: 27$/day
• Best time to go: Winter

Shopping in the luxury shops in Mumbai or staying in an international hotel in Delhi will cost you as much as if you were in Dubai, but outside of these enclaves, the cost of living is extremely low in India, so it’s ideal for a cheap vacation. Even if you only travel first class in the trains (“The Rajdhani” or “The Shatabdi Express” are the most comfortable of them), they are air-conditioned and meals are included in the ticket price) and you take a taxi in a hurry, the money will leave very slowly, so India is a great place for a cheap stay.

A budget of 1500 rupees (about 19 dollars) per day is enough to live like a maharadja. India is the 7th largest country in the world. Unless you plan to stay in India for 6 months, you will have to plan your trip to choose which of the 29 states you will visit.

If you are looking for a change of scenery, go to Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan (a state located in the west of the country). Nicknamed the “pink city”, you can visit the magnificent Hawa Mahal (palace of the winds). If you need to relax, go to Kerala, a state in the south of India with many white sandy beaches.

Finally, don’t miss the unmissable Taj Mahal. Located in Agra, in the north of India, this palace was built by a Mughal emperor as a gift to one of his wives he was madly in love with. Please note: do not come on Friday, as the Taj Mahal is closed on Fridays.

In Delhi, you will find many stalls selling delicious street food in the narrow streets or boulevards around Connaught Square in the city centre. Choose the place where you go to eat carefully. If the vendor’s stall is clean and full of customers, it’s a good sign: when there’s a flow, the food is usually fresh. But if you have a weak stomach, don’t forget to take a box of Immodium with you just in case. Welcome to a cheap country to travel.

 

Cambodia, from 387 dollars round trip

Useful information

• Price of a pint of beer: 0,74 $.
• Price of a meal in a cheap restaurant: $3.14
• Price of a taxi ride: 0,90 $ + 0,67 $/km
• Price of a double room (3* hotel): 24$/night (167$/week)
• Daily budget for an average trip: 24$/day
• Best time to go: Winter

Cambodia is one of the cheapest countries, certainly one of the cheapest in the world: you can find a bed in a dormitory for less than 3$ and eat a meal in the street for one or two dollars. If travelers were hesitant to visit this country a decade or two ago, Cambodia is now one of the most fashionable countries in Southeast Asia. Cambodia is very popular with backpackers and tourists looking for luxury and relatively cheap five-star palaces.

Take two or three days to visit the temples of Angkor, preferably at dawn to watch the sun rise behind Angkor Wat, a soothing and spectacular sight. The entrance ticket to visit this UNESCO World Heritage site costs $37 ($33) for one day, $62 ($56) for three days or $72 ($64) for a week. We recommend that you take a three-day ticket – one day is not enough to admire all the temples and seven days may be a bit long, especially towards the end. This will certainly be the most important expense of your cheap stay in Cambodia.

 

Vietnam, from 380 dollars return

Useful information

• Price of a pint of beer: 0,53 $.
• Price of a meal in a cheap restaurant: $1.91
• Price of a taxi ride: 0,42 $ + 0,46 $/km
• Price of a double room (3* hotel): 16$/night (114$/week)
• Daily budget for an average trip: 25$/day
• Best seasons to go: Spring – Autumn – Winter

Although Vietnam has gained in popularity in recent years, this beautiful and cheap country is still untouched by the horrors of mass tourism. 20-25$ per day is enough to afford a bed in a guesthouse, eat local food, pay for transport and a few drinks – a pint of Bia Hoi, Vietnam’s most popular beer, costs 10,000 dongs, or about 40 dollarcents!

Hanoi, the former seat of French Indochina which later became the administrative centre of communist North Vietnam, became the official capital of Vietnam again in 1976 when the country was reunited. The city still retains a French atmosphere: you can find pastries that produce croissants as delicious as those found in France and a few meters away you can find a vendor selling pho, the Vietnamese national dish (soup made of rice noodle, herbs and beef). Old Hanoi – built around Hoan Kiem Lake – is the best place to go to admire the city’s postcolonial charm. It is also one of the few slipway oases in this chaotic city, where locals go every morning at sunrise to practice tai chi. A must-see place during your cheap trip to Vietnam.

To admire the Vietnamese rural life, go to Dalat, a health resort located on the high plateaus built by the French at the beginning of the 20th century to escape the great heat of the plains. Although the city is invaded by tourists (it is the main starting point for motorcycle tours organized by Easy Rider), the flower fields, tofu factories, cashew nut plantations are worth a visit. Once your visit is over, continue south towards Ho Chi Minh City, the economic capital and the largest city of the country (13 million inhabitants) for your cheap holidays.

Sri Lanka, from 404 dollars return

Useful information

• Price of a pint of beer: 1,38 $.
• Price of a meal in a cheap restaurant: $1.34
• Price of a taxi ride: 0,31 $ + 0,25 $/km
• Price of a double room (3* hotel): 37$/night (260$/week)
• Daily budget for an average trip: 30$/day
• Best time to go: Winter

 

In the words of the tourist brochure, “With its many sandy beaches, cloud-wrapped mountains, waterfalls, tea plantations and palm trees that seem to float in the breeze, Sri Lanka will make you feel like you’re in paradise”.

In Sri Lanka you can taste delicious fish curries, go jungle trekking or relax in beachside hotels for a bite to eat – in this country, 30-35$ a day is enough to live like a king, it’s still a nice cheap holiday destination. Although modern tourism began to develop on this idyllic island as early as the 1960s, Sri Lanka has remained somewhat off the beaten track of the great tourist trails of Southeast Asia, which means that it is still possible to enjoy a cheap… but luxurious holiday!

Stay at Cinnamon Lodge, a 5-star hotel located in Habarana, the epicentre of the ‘cultural triangle’ encompassing Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa and Kandy, three UNESCO World Heritage Sites. From your suite, you will have a breathtaking view of the tropical lake Habarana, you will be able to swim in a magnificent pool, you will have access to a private Jacuzzi and you can also call a butler to serve you a glass of champagne for only 70$ per night.

If you can get away from your luxurious air-conditioned room, you can explore the temples, monasteries and many stupas dotted throughout the Sri Lankan countryside and learn more about the Buddhist culture – 70% of Sri Lankans are Buddhists.

If you were to visit only two temples, be sure to visit the Sri Maha Bodhiya temple in Anuradhapura as well as Sri Dhalada Maligawa (Temple of the Tooth) located in Kandy, which is undoubtedly one of the most sacred places on the island. For your information, the entrance fees to tourist sites are generally higher for foreign tourists than for locals, although some tuk-tuk drivers may offer you to “sneak in” for free for a cheap stay!