However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission. While there are many factors we take into consideration when vacation planning, it's clear that one reigns supreme: money. But finding cheap places to travel doesn't mean you should be compromising on the value of your trip. In fact, you can and should go to destinations like Madagascar, where you can get the full experience of an Indian Ocean retreat without the Maldives prices, or Albania where you can live out your European mountainside dreams at half the price.
We gathered the countries to travel to in where your dollar will stretch the farthest, based on current exchange rates, plane tickets, and hotel deals.
And while being a part of the global economy means rates can fluctuate at any time, certain places have consistently offered more bang for our buck over the yearsβand, fingers crossed, they should stay that way well into The easy two-to-one conversion rate between the Belize dollar BZD and our US greenbacks means there's no need to whip out your phone calculator when budgeting for your vacation to the Central American country. In fact, don't bother converting any currency or fret over foreign transaction fees as your US dollars are just as good in Belize as they are stateside.
With world-famous archaeological sites, rainforests, reefs, and a culinary scene worth traveling for alone , its easy to see why this Caribbean nation charmed Francis Ford Coppola so much that he established three beach hideaways on its secluded shores. E-visas already allow us to skip much of the bureaucratic hassle of traditional visa applications, and Cambodia's e-visa program just got even sweeter.
Mexico is consistently one of our favorite places to travel on a budget. But make sure to leave some bucks to visit all the cultural wonders the city has to offer, starting with the iconic Museo Jumex. This year, the country is expanding traveler-friendly initiatives launched in , such as more direct US flight and visa-free travel for dozens of nationalities. You can also expect even more offbeat cultural experiences next year: Local operator Breanna Wilson is expanding her tours to include a Gobi Desert excursion to see snow leopards, a women-only retreat in Orkhon Valley, and a three-day archery training session.
