PlanetEye

April 2nd, 2008

Getting the Best Bang for Your Travel Buck

Mark Evans

Director, Community

It’s great to get away but getting away without spending an arm and a leg is even better.

For people looking for bargain destinations, FoxBusiness has compiled a list of places where travelers can find great deals. These destinations include: the Caribbean, Mexico, China, Indonesia, Eastern Europe, Argentina, Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands.

My good friend, Arthur Frommer (who I’ve actually yet to meet), also weighs in with a list of “20 Travel Bargains for 2008″.

Here’s Arthur’s top-five:

1. China. Despite a slowly strengthening currency, China remains available at unbeatable rates (including airfare) from Chinafocus.com, Chinaspree.com, Rim-Pac.com, RitzTours.com, PacificDelightTravel.com, China-Discovery.com (Champion Holidays), ChinaTravelService.com and many others.

2. Vietnam. Its touristic cost of living is remarkably low, and its shopping prices are minor miracles (like custom-tailored suits made in Hoi An). A great many independent travelers simply book a direct United Airlines flight from San Francisco to Ho Chi Minh City (via Hong Kong), and then pick up accommodations as they tour the country.

3. Panama. It’s the fastest-developing country in Central America, receiving ever-growing numbers of cost-conscious vacationers, as well as U.S. retirees looking for a cheap second home. The skyline of Panama City is beginning to resemble Hong Kong or New York’s financial district — except that those skyscrapers are residential condos.

4. Nicaragua and Honduras. Both are coming up fast as favorites for adventurous tourists. Honduras’ offshore island of Utila (for scuba diving) is the latest discovery. Nicaragua’s prices for lodgings and meals surely are among the lowest in the area.

5. Costa Rica. It remains immensely popular, and though it’s gaining swanky accommodations, it remains inexpensive for the tourist who searches out low-cost lodgings, like those available from Bells’ Home Hospitality in San Jose.

If you’re looking for beautiful photographs of any of the destinations above, check out PlanetEye.com.

Technorati Tags: Arthur Frommer, Argentina, Bargains, China, PlanetEye

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