12 People Share Their Favorite Cheap Places to Travel That Are Perfect for Your Next Vacation

I’ve been traveling for years and so much has changed. Places that were budget friendly aren’t cheap destinations anymore. But now you can also do budget travel in locations like Japan and actually save money.

And if you’re planning out a trip this year and looking for cheap places to travel, then I’ve gathered some budget options. These come from me and Reddit users who aren’t just sharing budget destinations, but also their own personal travel tips.

So if you’re traveling on a budget and you want explore on the cheap, then these might be the perfect spots to book tickets for.

1. Penang, Malaysia

“Malaysia is extremely underrated. Beautiful country with very kind and friendly people. The food is phenomenal and everything is very affordable. Would recommend Penang if you are ever in Southeast Asia.” – gasspasser

“Penang is basically Singapore without the glitz and glamour. It’s basically half the price with the same, or even better, cultural offerings.” – darkraivscresselia

I haven’t personally been to Penang yet (it’s on my list), but I have been to Kuala Lumpur and loved it! Definitely recommend Malaysia as a good place for your next vacation if you’re headed to Asia and looking for a place that’s worth exploring!

2. Osaka, Japan

“Yes, Japan can be crowded BUT if you’re willing to get out of Tokyo and Kyoto (or explore out-of-the-way neighborhoods in those cities) it’s not bad at all.

Truth be told, I like Osaka more than Tokyo. It’s got a more laid-back vibe and just seems more manageable. Yes, Dotonbori feels like Times Square, but once you’ve seen it, there is plenty else to explore. Plus, there are wonderful okonomiyaki places all over town.” – hushpuppy212

3. Tbilisi, Georgia

“Georgia is great! I can’t speak to most of the other locations you mentioned but Georgia is an absolute blast and I felt very safe as a solo female traveller. Tbilisi is really cool and you can easily spend a few days there as it’s nice just to chill out with friends you make and drink wine and eat kinkhali. There’s great hikes you can do, and you can travel by minivan or train to other regions, or do what I did and join a bunch of tours for the day out of Tbilisi. Super easy way to see a lot of the country, meet cool locals, and meet other travellers. Easily in my top 3 destinations, and one of the cheapest places I’ve been. It easily fits the vibe you are after as well, the type of traveller you are etc.” – eriikaa1992

I second this! I lived in Tbilisi for over a year of my life and the prices were amazing. Also the people, the food, the architecture, the sulfur baths, and the beautiful nature were all amazing.

So if you’re looking for a unique destination that’s a cheap place to travel, then definitely don’t skip this one!

4. Yerevan, Armenia

“Armenia! Currently airfare is so inexpensive compared to how it typically is I fly out of LAX. I was just looking at prices and to go to Yuvan Armenia in March and return early April round-trip was $743 on Lufthansa, which is half the price or less of typical prices from there. You can travel to neighboring countries very easily if you should want to, but Armenia is very inexpensive and very hospitable And easily to get around. I would recommend an Airbnb or something similar but make sure you read reviews and look at pictures. I was there two years ago and had an Airbnb for two weeks at $23 a night and it was close to city center and had a laundry machine, beautiful balcony with the view of the city and all the lights surrounding. Taxis around town and Yerevan never costed me more than a dollar and money conversion. I suggest using your credit card because the conversion rates tend to be better towards US dollars that way. You can easily get to turkey from Armenia too, and it’s something you can mark off your list of visiting the Armenia is more warm in hospitality and more affordable in every aspect.” – Mtn_Sky

5. Romania

“I’m from Romania, living in the US now. I can confirm you’re gonna have a blast in Romania. Food is amazing, lots of outdoors places to see, history and culture. Depending on what part of the country you’ll visit people are open to foreigners, we’re known for welcoming strangers to our table and giving them a good meal. If you stay out of the big cities like Bucharest and Cluj you’ll get some decent housing for good pricing. I’d recommend looking on Booking.com or Airbnb and rent a place for a few days in each part of the country and you’ll be able to visit everything. Let me know if you have any questions!” – Necessary_Handle_851

I loved staying in Bucharest so I would highly recommend making this apart of your Europe trip! It really is one of the best cheap travel destinations. Also, here are a few of my top tips for fun things to do in Bucharest if you’re curious.

6. Portugal

“Portugal was my favorite place I ever visited. I second that my trips outside of Lisbon were the highlights. Sintras, Cascais, Porto were all amazing and it was very affordable there.” – Otherwise_Lychee_33

“Seconding PORTUGAL. 🇵🇹 Possibly my favorite European country I’ve traveled to date, and I’ve traveled to a lot of them. Incredibly cheap (and delicious) food and wine, reasonably priced accommodations, friendly people, stunning scenery. Agree the Algarve is lovely but don’t sleep on the incredible and beautiful Porto, or Douro Valley if you’re a wine lover. Absolutely surreal, feels like a painting, makes Napa Valley in the US look like a joke.” – Friendly_Bee3792

“I really liked Cascais. I went to the beach and splashed around in the water, walked down the tourist street with all the little shops, then walked down the nice beachside promenade to Estoril and took the train back to Lisbon. If I had had more time, I would have had lunch there and gone to the casino in Estoril before or after dinner.” – misterbluesky8

This is one of my favorite cheap European destinations!

I personally loved my time in Porto in the north. The architecture, small shops, artisanal foods, kind people, winding streets, beautiful churches, and the Douro River were just some of the things that made my experience so much more memorable!

So if you’re looking for budget adventure, then definitely make plans for Portugal!

7. Peru

“Peru! The food is amazing and the US $ goes a long way. It is safe and clean. Macchu Pichu is very crowded and expensive but there are a lot of other hikes that are amazing!!” – zenden030510

Yes! Peru is such a sleeper of a country. My husband and I stayed in the neighborhood of Miraflores in Lima and loved it! It’s an amazing oceanside city with incredibly kind people, amazing food, and beautiful architecture. It really is one of the best cheapest places to travel that I’d go back to in a heartbeat.

Also, if you want to learn more about their food, then here are some of the Peruvian dishes I tried and personally recommend!

8. Albania

“We went to Albania, and absolutely loved it – Korça was lovely, and Lake Ohrid is magnificent, in the mountains on the Macedonian border. Very cheap, but also not very easy to travel in – it’s got almost no tourism. They’ve only had drivers licenses for the public for 20 years, so its not easy to get around compared to other countries, but the people were wonderful and it was one of the most unusual countries we’ve ever been to out of 37 so far.

Albanian was the one that’s super cheap – there are ferries that run between Greece and Albania, and Italy and so there might be a way to pick up a bonus country – they’re very slow though and it’s a full day on the ferry, like 8 hours.” – Coronado92118

9. Philippines

“I’m surprised The Philippines hasn’t been mentioned as an affordable travel destination from Socal. Currently here for the past 2 weeks. Most people speak English, the dollar goes really far and the food is really delicious. Using Grab in Cebu was really easy and very affordable. The rideshare from Mactan to our hotel in Mandaue City was around 400php. It’s around 58php to the $ right now.

December/January – March is the best time to go. The summer is just as hot as the rest of southeast Asia. Palawan has gorgeous beaches, Baguio is great especially in the summer months and Bohol has beautiful wilderness. Hopefully you’re into seafood, shellfish and pork because a lot of food has that as either a seasoning even in vegetable dishes.

Cebu is known for their Lechon and seafood. The city is really affordable with USD. We spent about $310 for a 4night stay at the Bai Hotel and most of our meals were roughly $20 for two people with drinks and seafood. Except for maybe street food places, everywhere takes credit cards too.” – ajcolberg

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