8 exotic but cheap vacations

By Liz Pulliam Weston

The weak dollar has made travel abroad increasingly painful for most U.S. travelers, who tend to herd to a small number of European destinations: typically the United Kingdom, France, Italy and Germany.

Budget-minded tourists can cope by scouring the Internet for bargain flights, squeezing into no-star hotels and subsisting on cheese and crackers eaten on a park bench. Or they could consider getting a little more adventurous and traveling to where their dollars still go a long, long way.

Where we went in 2005

Country
Europe	42%
Caribbean	20%
Asia	19%
South America	8%
Central America	6%
Middle East	4%
Africa	2%
Australia	2%

Source: U.S. Office of Travel and Tourism Industries. Percentages add up to more than 100% because some travelers visited more than one area.

How does a beachfront bungalow for $10 to $20 sound? Or a seafood dinner for $2? Or admission for two to a museum for less than a buck? Or (if you like luxury) one of the finest hotel rooms in the world, for less than $300 a night?

All of this is possible if you break out of the Grand Tour circuit and consider some of the many great travel bargains in other parts of the world.

I asked Tim Leffel, author of "The World's Cheapest Travel Destinations," to pick out eight dollar-stretching countries, including some that would be good for school-age kids. (We agreed that traveling to developing nations with infants and preschoolers is a bit dicey, both for the kids' health and the parents' sanity, although people certainly do it.)

Airfares to these countries from U.S. cities range from a few hundred bucks to $1,000 or more. (You can get an idea of current fares at MSN Travel.) Once you're there, though, you'll spend far less than you would in more developed nations, and often less than you'd spend feeding, entertaining and sheltering yourself at home.

The possibilities are endless

Argentina: Imagine a country with stunning scenery, exciting nightlife, world-class food and wine -- and now imagine it on sale for two-thirds off. Once the most-expensive country in South America, Argentina's economic collapse and subsequent currency devaluation in 2001 created bargains whose effects continue to linger. The economy is now on a robust rebound, but the dollar still goes a long way. Leffel said budget travelers can get by on $25 to $35 a day, but those willing to spend a bit more -- say, $75 to $150 for a couple -- can feast on gourmet meals and stay in great hotels. Dinner, by the way, is typically served at 10 p.m. and signals the start of partying into the wee hours, which is why Leffel sees Argentina, and especially Buenos Aires, as a better bet for singles and couples than families.

Honduras' Roatan Island: This coastal island has "postcard perfect" beaches and plenty of expatriates (American and otherwise), which means it's more expensive than the mainland, Leffel said. Still, it's a good value by Caribbean standards, and it isn't plagued by the street crime and violence that characterize much of the rest of the country.

"The mainland of Honduras has a reputation of being unsafe," Leffel said, "but the island of Roatan is much calmer and is one of the most reasonable places on the planet to get certified as a scuba diver."

Rooms run anywhere from $10 to $200, and a gourmet meal might set you back $15. In the off-season, you may be able to find a dive package that includes steeply discounted or even free hotel rooms.

Malaysia: Malaysia is more westernized than other bargain Asian countries and is, in Leffel's view, "one of the best choices in Asia" for traveling with children. "It's easy to get around, there are plenty of cuisines to pick from, and you can usually drink the water," he says. "A lot of people speak English, and there are also a lot of attractions in a relatively small area."

Malaysia offers beautiful beaches, exotic jungles, colorful temples and some lovely train rides (although "comfortable and efficient buses go almost everywhere," Leffel said). The daily price tag for a bamboo bungalow, meals and snorkeling equipment might be as little as $30 for a couple, with daily costs for food and lodging about twice that in the cities.

Mexico: If you stay away from the overpriced resort towns -- Acapulco, Cancun, Los Cabos, Mazatlan, Puerto Vallarta -- Mexico can still offer great value for your money. A budget-minded couple can travel comfortably on $50 to $75 a day, while midrange travelers might spend $80 to $150. "There are plenty of beach options for kids and, alternatively, most will enjoy the Copper Canyon train trip (in north central Mexico)," Leffel said. "For couples or adult groups, I would advise people to spend some time in the pretty colonial cities: Guanajuato, Guadalajara, Oaxaca, Merida or San Miguel de Allende.

The latter gets a lot of tourists, and prices are higher because of all the expats, but the others are more mellow, and hotel rates are excellent. All are in the middle interior except for Merida, which is in the Yucatan, four hours west of Cancun."

Continued: More exotic locales

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