As travellers look ahead to their spring or summer holidays, an analysis published by HelloSafe could prove useful for choosing this year’s destinations. The travel insurance comparison site studied no fewer than 136 countries to determine which are the least and most expensive in terms of daily expenses for a single traveller.
Specifically, this includes everything you need when visiting somewhere: a place to sleep, food and drinks, getting around and, of course, the cost of tourist attractions. (Meanwhile, which country tops the list of best destinations for digital nomads?)
The only detail that cannot be integrated into the methodology is the cost of transportation from the traveller’s country of departure, which obviously varies according to distance, the availability of air, rail or sea connections, and so on.
The findings show that it’s better to look to Asia for a lower-cost getaway. For the cheapest option, look to Laos where, according to this study, the daily budget amounts to just €14.80, or about RM71.
Kazakhstan comes in second place with a budget of €18.20 (RM87), while Rwanda completes the podium with estimated daily expenses of €20 (RM96). The African country can be visited independently, but many agencies offer trips and tours tailored to experiencing the African country’s exceptional wildlife.
In Europe, this research names Moldova as the most economical choice among the 40 destinations studied, with a daily budget of just €34. Other options include Serbia (€40) Kosovo (€45), Poland (€56) and Bulgaria (€58).
This ranking also highlights the most expensive countries, which may serve to confirm – or refute – travellers’ intuitions. As such, the Caribbean is home to a collection of countries that are unlikely to help you make savings while travelling.
Barbados, for example, requires a budget of €318 per day for travellers, compared with €299 for Antigua and Barbuda, and €262 for Saint Kitts and Nevis.
At these rates, a trip to the Maldives seems almost more affordable (€258) even for Europeans. Note that Switzerland is not very far behind in sixth place (€241), just ahead of the United States (€239).
The 10 cheapest countries in the world to visit are:
1. Laos
2. Kazakhstan
3. Rwanda
4. Ghana
5. Mongolia
6. Armenia
7. Burkina Faso
8. Georgia
9. Mali
10. Myanmar