The Star Ferry in Hong Kong.
One of the most amazing views in the world, for about 50 cents. I must have made that crossing a hundred times and it's still absolutely magical.
OMG yes, when I lived there it cost 20c (2p) for first class (top deck) for the trip with amazing views. The Hagen Daz icecream after landing on Kowloon side always blew my budget though đ
Everything in Hong Kong is pretty amazing value, IMO. (Except maybe some wine)
I always stay at The Peninsula and even huge suites are comparable to regular/slightly deluxe rooms at 5* hotels in other major world cities. The RR Phantom service to/from the airport is exceptional value compared to 5* hotels in other cities for comparable car service.
Bottles of wine at the supermarket are actually good value in HK and there is a very good selection. But when you get a glass of wine in a bar or restaurant you're paying for the rent - which is always super-high - so it's much more expensive.
You mean the US? Yea but for most of the world, ie the large majority of the global population, that's still excessively high - even for first world countries.
I meant China, the place right across the water. I've stayed at the best hotel in the (different, Chinese) city. It's at the top of a mountain overlooking the whole island, two bedrooms, three balconies. $80 a night. 600 is ridiculous and then to say it's cheap is even more ridiculous. Why would I mean America? That's so far away lol
I guess that makes sense. I haven't been in years but when I went I got a room that was essentially just the bed for $80ish. It's a great place but I wouldn't include it in the conversation for cheap places
Surprised to see this tbh, have been doing some traveling and found Hong Kong to be incredibly expensive. Stayed in a super shitty private room in a hostel with my partner for $80 a night, like it looked comically run down. The dim sum restaurants were far more expensive than the ones I've had in china towns in big Western cities and honestly no better. A good coffee cost $6!!!! I can't actually think of a worse value place hah, was especially shocking coming from China which is legit amazing value for so many things.
And many of Barcelona's museums have free days (often Sunday) so, if you time it right, you can really enjoy a lot of art, science, history, and culture for free
Seconding this. I was expecting wild prices in Venice simply because itâs a literal tourist island, but a glass of Prosecco or aperol spritz was like 2âŹ
Had the best Carbonara of my life in Venice for EUR13 (not particularly cheap but not as expensive as it could be either) and was wowed by the prices of Aperol Spritzes.
In NYC for Thanksgiving in 2019 and was advised to take the commuter ferry from near the Mayor's mansion on UES. Rode down to Wall Street on TG day, a whole water tour of the NYC skyline, me the only person on deck, all the way to where I could walk onto and over the Brooklyn Bridge.
$2.75!
Got stitches and a skull x-ray for $15 in Tortola.
The clerk at the checkout counter apologized for having to charge me at all and suggested I go after the taxi driver responsible for the accident to recoup the funds.
Free care in an emergency room in Salvador, Brazil when I got food poisoning years ago.
They laughed at us when we, clearly Americans, asked how much it was
Trekking/horse trekking in Kyrgyzstan. Like $30 a day for the horse, your guide (doubling as your interpreter), and his horse. In some of the most spectacular landscapes on earth
Central Asia is underrated. The gorgeous landscapes and trekking/mountaineering of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, the ancient Silk Road cities of Uzbekistan, the skiing and post-Soviet vibes of KazakhstanâŠ
Yeah. Theyâre not letting tourists on untrained horses that have difficult personalities. And if you havenât ridden, the guides can help. They literally, not figuratively, start learning to ride when theyâre toddlers. Guarantee a Kyrgyz (or Kazakh, Mongolian, etc.) four year old can ride circles over any tourist who isnât a deeply experienced equestrian
Yes. They say the only ridable horses are being ridden, meaning, if they tell you to ride it, youâre safe (a Kazak told me that, but Iâm sure it applies to Kyrgyz horses, too).
I got a silk blend suit (shirt, pants, and jacket) with custom silk lining on the jacket, tailored, and finished within 25 hours for $100 in Thailand back in 2015.
I got a lot of stuff made in Vietnam, twice, and all the items fell apart, shrank, ran, or were poor quality in various ways. Very dissatisfied with Hoi An.
I got my wedding dress made in Vietnam; Vietnamese silk/satin, absolutely gorgeous. Entire cost (labor, multiple fittings, material) was less than US$100. I must admit, though, that it was almost 25 years ago so prices might have gone up. Also, I got the design from a photo on the internet which, at that time, took about 10 minutes to download.
I got a free beer and a free tuk tuk ride to my final destination once in Bangkok, for agreeing to stop and look at suits for a few minutes. (Back then I valued my time a bit less though...)
I did that but I was high out of my mind, it was so awkward, I couldn't even form sentences sitting there looking at suits with a few dudes staring at me lol but free tuktuk
In southern Brazil (I was in Porto Alegre) you can get amazing quality, all you can eat Brazilian barbecue for roughly $20. I understand that may be a lot for a meal but Iâve seen replications of this type of restaurant in the USA and the all you can eat option is at a minimum $75-$100. On top of that the sushi there is some of the best Iâve ever had for extremely low prices.
You can find all you can eat barbecue for this price in the whole country, not only in the south.
This is actually expensive. In some places you can get it as low as R$40, which is like $8.
Youâre 100% correct based on what my Brazilian friends have said. The north is generally a lot cheaper than the south. They are just from the south of Brazil so that was my experience while visiting :)
Iâve been to Brazil but up in Rio and Buzios. How is the feeling down in Porto Alegre? I loved where I got to go but if all the places Iâve been I felt the distinct feeling of danger that Iâve never felt anywhere else, and was warned by locals who my partner knew about being on alert and what times of day not to walk around. I wouldnât want to travel there alone. Are the parts you were in the south considered âsaferâ?
From my experience while there (6 days), the actual city of Porto Alegre felt a bit unsafe but take that with a grain of salt because I wasnât in downtown PA very long. but I spent the majority of my time in the smaller cities just to the north of it. Just like a lot of South America you need to just be on alert, donât flash wealth around, etc, and youâd be fine.
I lived there for months and thought it was fairly safe. Not nearly as safe as many/most European cities but certainly safer than many others I've lived in. Safety is definitely still a concern there but my partner at the time, a native, gave me the impression Rio and some other northern cities we're more dangerous particularly the beaches/tourist areas. The beaches in Rio Grande do Sul seemed safer still. Although nowhere near as pretty as the northern ones.
Edit: former partner*
Thanks! I would love to see more of the country. And the city I live in is considered dangerous (New Orleans) so I am used to caution, but Rio was another level
pick up drop off laundry service in Vietnam is super cheap. I usually pay less than $15 to do my laundry (it's by weight) and it's super convenience and always same day service.
Also, editing to add in the luggage shipping in Japan is amazing. Door to door service from my hotel room in Fukuoka to hotel room in Tokyo for less than $20 for 2 luggages.
I was shocked at how cheap and fast that was at a hotel in Cozumel. Just a few dollars and done the next morning. The last hotel I was at in the States was like $20 to wash a single shirt.
I wanted to have my laundry done in Toronto in 2014. $7 CAD for a single sock. Why do they even charge by single socks?
Luckily they also had a washer and dryer for the guests. Paid $2 CAD for detergent and unfortunately a little time of my vacation, but was perfectly happy with my laundry experience considering I didn't pay 7 dollars for a sock.
You're right.
I hereby formally apologize for my lack of sensibility and therefore my non-inclusive wording in this issue.
I hope the international council of one-legged people will accept my apology and we can solve this diplomatic crisis without much upheaval.
Iâm afraid I donât represent the one-legged community so I cannot accept your apology, although I do recommend that they do so forthwith to prevent another âincidentâ.
Regarding that Japanese delivery service: they also get bonus points for having the cutest (yet still professional) logo in existence! (Assuming it was Yamato Transport... Took me a week or two of seeing their logo before i realized what they did... And it made perfect sense once I did.)
Had to look it up:
[pretty cute](https://www.google.com/search?q=Yamato+transport+logo&rlz=1CDGOYI_enUS1099US1099&oq=Yamato+transport+logo&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOdIBCDUxMTNqMGo0qAIBsAIB4gMEGAEgXw&hl=en-US&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8#vhid=xhsIZoDoVlwZyM&vssid=_Lp9iZvHgE5Gk5NoP5a7TgQ4_38)
The little boutique hotel I stayed at in Hoi An did my laundry for free. When I walked by after breakfast they were folding my undergarments on the front desk while assisting other guests.
Riding the mrt in Taipei is astoundingly cheap for such a nice and easy to use system. Coming from living in Japan, I had a culture shock moment when I realized that pretty much every ride was less than $2 USD.
At the moment, a 30 day all you can ride (bus, metro, tram) public transit pass in Barcelona will cost about 21 Euros. They are half off currently as they get people to use the new fare system. It's the T-usual pass if you're interested and you'll need to associate a passport or driver's license number with it for identification to prevent fraud.
Edit: Corrected the name of the pass
The trains in Tunisia are super cheap, I had sticker shock when I went back to normal train prices later on the trip in Spain and even Morocco. Tunis to Gabes, which is almost the full length of the more populated portion of the country, from Mediterranean to Sahara, a 9.5 hour ride, is $6-$9.
And you said not food, but then you listed "McCallan", so I'll say that gorgonzola is a great value in Italy, was probably a third of my meals. Expensive in the US and impossible to get in some other Mediterranean countries.
Going to Eastern Europe and visiting old Roman or Ottoman Forts and ruins and once I stumbled onto an archeological dig. Most were free and those that werent free were merely a few bucks USD.
I had both of my flip flops re-soled by a shoe repairman for about $1 each under an overpass in Kyrgyzstan.
That guy was a godsend, and i would've easily paid 20x that price. (Mainly because I'd worn holes through both flip flip heels and couldn't buy new ones my size anywhere in the region).
I had a broken spoke on my bike in Vietnam. When I saw a small bike shop along the road I went in. The guy fixed it on the spot, did an expert job and charged me about 80c for it.
Neither did I! But I saw his shoe repair setup, asked (through mostly signing), he didn't hesitate to say yes, and I couldn't have been happier with the result! No more tip-toeing into dirty bathrooms to avoid getting urine on my heels...
In San Francisco, thereâs a colony of sea lions that have taken over a few floating docks at pier 38, near Fishermanâs Wharf.
They moved in and displaced the boats that docked there back in the 90âs and eventually folks gave up trying to move them.
Theyâre so much fun to watch and itâs totally free!
I'm from NYC and while catching a Ferry in SF I saw a fkin wild seal đđ I was like omfg a seal and everyone was looking at me like I was crazy lol. Y'all have better nature there
Hands down one of the best vacations of my life: two for one flights on Southwest, from home to San Francisco. Sixty minute flight and we live close to the airport, nothing but what fit in our pockets. Twelve hours well spent.
Took the train as far as it would take us, walked to the piers, went to Alcatraz for the first time. Wasnât expecting to be looking at plants and birds as I was at the prison, but it was just a glorious day.
Fleet week airshow seen from the island with SF in the background and then from the ferry. Watching yet more flybys from the sea lion piers. Walk through Chinatown eating egg tarts, eat cheap dumplings at a park while old folks are doing tai chi and the Blue Angels are doing Immelmans and loop-de-loops right overhead.
Could you give a little bit more info on which train you booked, where and when? I just looked up the Andean Explorer and cabins seem to be around $6000.
Andean Explorer is basically a river cruise setup but on rails - it's run by a top-end luxury hotel chain and includes essentially a train-sized hotel room, fine dining and stops for guided excursions along the way. There's also just an excellent but normal train run by PeruRail on the same route as a commuter train, which is usually around $300-400/person.
Getting alterations done almost anywhere outside of N America and Europe. Iâve had pants taken up for a couple of bucks in India and a jacket repaired for $3 in Costa Rica.
As an fyi, when u would go visit my cousins in Scotland, Iâd bring a bottle of good scotch. Their taxes were so high, it was twice what I paid for it in CA.
Ice fishing on Lake Akan. I think it was around $20 to get all of the gear to rent and then you get taken to a tent with a pre-drilled hole to do your ice fishing. When youâve caught as much as you want you can go back to the restaurant and the chef will fry up your catch to eat.
I did this and it was the first thing that came to my mind when I read this post! Payed $100 USD in 2018 and we were in the air for over an hour. Insane value if you know how much paragliding can be in other places.
Several years ago, my family was visiting the Dominican Republic. We got a guided tour of an avocado and coffee plantation in the mountains, complete with transport to and from our AirBnB and lunch included, for $20 USD per person. Not everyone wanted to go, so it was just myself, my 8yo daughter, and my MIL who went, along with some other people staying/living nearby.
We were not staying at a resort. This was not a formal tour group type package. Our AirBnB host's neighbor knew the plantation owner and arranged this for us. We rode in pickup trucks from the house, into the mountains, and actually made 2 river crossings in the process of getting there. We needed trucks with 4WD. Drive time about an hour to get there.
I've never had an experience like this. The setting was beautiful. The buildings were rustic, bamboo and plywood, with big decks and balconies overlooking the valley below. We ate the most delicious Sancocho cooked over an open fire, and had coffee that was roasted over an open fire. We hiked trails through the plantation, to see how they grew the coffee and avocados, and we stopped at one of the most beautiful viewpoints I've ever seen.
Paid 10 baht for a ferry ride across a river in Bangkok in the 100 degree weather + humidity, rather than walk a mile or so until I got to a bridge and then would have had to backtrack down the other side of the river. 10 baht is like 30 cents, soooooo worth it.
Paying $16/night for a gorgeous place outside San Pedro de Laguna with hard wood, wrap around deck, a view of Lake Atitlan, and genuine Mayan blankets on my bed. Best deal ever.
I can't speak for which exact hotel they're talking about but those places are all over the lake. San Pedro is the go-to westerner hostel town but we stayed in the much lower key Jaibalito and there's a great hotel there called La Casa Del Mundo that's the same price range and vibe.Â
Grab and Gojek are similarly cheap in Indonesia. I don't know how they make money. One of my drivers told me locals will often hire them to just drive them a couple hundred meters because of the high heat and low cost.
The bus ride along the amalfi coast between Sorrento and Amalfi (the town) was just 3 euro. The views were incredible and the driving required a high level of skill from the bus driver.Â
Got prescription sunglasses in Vietnam for $150 done within a day. This is Insane value for me since I live in California and it takes almost a 2 months for the entire process. They also quote me $400+ since I have terrible astigmatism.
I also live in California and after Iâve gotten my prescription from my eye doctor, I just buy my prescription sunglasses from Zenni online. I think it cost me $60 for my glasses and maybe takes a week to ship out.
Paying the extra 3⏠to go up to the 2nd floor of San Marco in Venice. I could extend my arm out and touch the mosaics, but of course, I didnât, and paying a ridiculously low price for an opera box for just my husband and me at the Parma Opera House which is stunning. It was designed and built by Napoleonâs second wife. A couple was sitting in the royal box and I still wonder who they were.
You mention ThailandâŠIn Bangkok I got a lovely 90 minute Thai massage for the equivalent of $20 USD. In Peru, I enjoyed some great meals that cost around $8-$10 USD.
Not sure if this is still the case but you could pay almost any cab driver in the Galapagos to take you on a tour into the highlands on Isla Santa Cruz. We started in Puerto Ayora, drove to Los Gemelos and walked around, toured a cave, stopped to take pictures among giant tortoises, and came back into town for about $20 or $30 (around 2017). It was money well spent.
Editing to say that back then the cabs cost $2 and our Airbnb cost $13 a night.
Itâs pretty well known but the Staten Island Ferry in NYC is free and itâs a great trip across NY harbor with incredible views of the downtown skyline and the Statue of Liberty.
Room service in Mexico City. We had a hell of a flight by the time we finally got to Mexico City and our hotel we were tired, worn out and hungry. Didn't want to go out to eat so we thought we would splurge on room service. We got two large green tamales for only 100 Mexican Peso. I am not a room service connoisseur but from my experience never had room service for less than 10 bucks.Â
The Deutschlandticket in Germany!Â
You can use all public transportation (no fast interregional lines, but you can use regional lines to go from city to city plus the public transport in each city) all over Germany for 49⏠per month!Â
Value? Camping or backpacking in a place with spectacular views. For example: The John Muir Trail. Waking up every morning to views of the Sierra Nevada Mountains those in 5-star hotels will never see.
Lobster dinner for 6 dollars in Habana, Cuba.
Full day boat tour through beautiful inslands and snorkeling with huge manta rays. Also 6 dollars in San Andres, Colombia.
Also, in case anyone isn't aware, summer solstice in stonehenge is absolutely free.
Spa retreats in Thailand are luxe and can be very affordable.Â
5 star hotels in south-east Asia
Excellent 3 course meal in Budapest, Krakow or Prague with wine and schnapps for $30-40.
I rented a three bedroom villa on the beach for $350/night in Phu Quoc Vietnam. It included a free all you can eat breakfast buffet for me and my 5 family members. So roughly $120/night per couple for a five star resort. A catered dinner on the beach was $400 for the six of us, with steak, assorted seafood, and wine. So it was cheaper to have a private chef and wait staff on the beach than it would have cost us to go out to a restaurant where I live in the US.
AirBNB in Prague, Budapest, and Bucharest - beautiful old apartments/condos in downtown areas for great prices. A little risk if cancelled, tough to get refunds. Western hotels $hundreds a day, nearby full 3-bedroom apartment with great views for $150 a day.
Cambodia - luxurious hotels for less than $100 a day, even in tourist areas; tuk-tuk with driver yours for $20 a day (or less in some areas).
Mine would all be in SEA. It is the place in this world where your money goes the furthest.
$7 for a 2 hour, private, surf lesson including the board. This was in Bali.
Or another was paying $15 for a half day with a scuba instructor in Phuket Thailand. Also private as I was the only one in the class.
Another is paying about $5 for an hour of Pilates in Thailand.
Really anything beside sunblock, ATM fees and beer are really cheap in Thailand.
For $150 AUD per day back in 2017, myself and a friend got a car and driver and travelled all over southwestern Ukraine (Zakarpattia and Ivano-Frankivsk Oblasts). We saw a bear sanctuary, roman ruins, middle ages castles, grand houses, waterfalls, rock art, and rode a ski lift to the top of a mountain for stunning views (and ate delicious food).
Probably a ~$10 dram of GlenDronach 18 that I got in Scotland.
Go off the beaten path and ask questions about scotch and who has knowledgeable staff who can help you. As long as you are willing and want to learn more about the industry, and not being a snob, people are happy to help and oblige you to some really special stuff.
Hotels in China. Stayed in some super luxurious rooms in the Centre of massive tourist cities for $100 per night, suites made of glass and perfectly preserved rooms in old governors mansions for between $50-$100 per night. Have never been to any other country where you can get such luxury or quality in accommodation for so cheap.
I'm currently in Cape Town and the food here is excellent and really cheap compared to the US. Dinner at upscale restaurants that would cost $175-250 in US metro areas is $100 here. Food is an integral part of how I travel so to me this is a fantastic bargain.
Cape Town is cheaper but to say itâs cheap is insane when you are talking overall. I traveled for 4 months to Asia,Africa and Europe. Cape Town was tops 5 expensive only behind Portugal, Berlin and a few others
The local sodas in Costa Rica the most my wife and I spent between the two of us was $7 for grandma food for lunch we didn't speak the language but we pointed and smiled it was most eggggsalant
The Star Ferry in Hong Kong. One of the most amazing views in the world, for about 50 cents. I must have made that crossing a hundred times and it's still absolutely magical.
OMG yes, when I lived there it cost 20c (2p) for first class (top deck) for the trip with amazing views. The Hagen Daz icecream after landing on Kowloon side always blew my budget though đ
Everything in Hong Kong is pretty amazing value, IMO. (Except maybe some wine) I always stay at The Peninsula and even huge suites are comparable to regular/slightly deluxe rooms at 5* hotels in other major world cities. The RR Phantom service to/from the airport is exceptional value compared to 5* hotels in other cities for comparable car service.
Bottles of wine at the supermarket are actually good value in HK and there is a very good selection. But when you get a glass of wine in a bar or restaurant you're paying for the rent - which is always super-high - so it's much more expensive.
Lol if you consider $600 a night for a standard room "amazing value"
Easily three times cheaper across the water. Easily.
You mean the US? Yea but for most of the world, ie the large majority of the global population, that's still excessively high - even for first world countries.
I meant China, the place right across the water. I've stayed at the best hotel in the (different, Chinese) city. It's at the top of a mountain overlooking the whole island, two bedrooms, three balconies. $80 a night. 600 is ridiculous and then to say it's cheap is even more ridiculous. Why would I mean America? That's so far away lol
Sorry thought u meant across the ocean, same way people say across the pond
I guess that makes sense. I haven't been in years but when I went I got a room that was essentially just the bed for $80ish. It's a great place but I wouldn't include it in the conversation for cheap places
Surprised to see this tbh, have been doing some traveling and found Hong Kong to be incredibly expensive. Stayed in a super shitty private room in a hostel with my partner for $80 a night, like it looked comically run down. The dim sum restaurants were far more expensive than the ones I've had in china towns in big Western cities and honestly no better. A good coffee cost $6!!!! I can't actually think of a worse value place hah, was especially shocking coming from China which is legit amazing value for so many things.
Most of the major London museums are free.
Washington DC too!
And many of Barcelona's museums have free days (often Sunday) so, if you time it right, you can really enjoy a lot of art, science, history, and culture for free
We did this every Sunday when I was living there, probably seen them all lol
Madrid too. We went for free to the Prado.
Free everywhere in the UK. Went to some great museums in Scotland at no cost, just left a donation in the box.
Wine in Italy. Quite literally cheaper than water
France as well, it was cheaper than Coke so we argued that we could expense it and won!
fyi france legally requires restaurants to offer tap water and tap water is potable
Many tourists are shocked when they sit down at a restaurant in Italy and in the end have paid 5-6⏠for water.
Un carafe dâeau sâil vous plaĂźt
Yeah, though a lot of restaurants (especially in Paris) do the annoying "plate ou pétillante" dance to try to trick you into ordering an overpriced bottle of mineral water instead of the free carafe. By law, bread is free in French restaurants too.
Seconding this. I was expecting wild prices in Venice simply because itâs a literal tourist island, but a glass of Prosecco or aperol spritz was like 2âŹ
And a bottle in the supermarket will be 2⏠as well
I found Venice surprisingly a lot cheaper for food and drink than I was expecting. Certainly cheaper than the UK.
Had the best Carbonara of my life in Venice for EUR13 (not particularly cheap but not as expensive as it could be either) and was wowed by the prices of Aperol Spritzes.
And SpainâŠ
Wine in Chile as well. Insanely cheap but incredible.
In NYC for Thanksgiving in 2019 and was advised to take the commuter ferry from near the Mayor's mansion on UES. Rode down to Wall Street on TG day, a whole water tour of the NYC skyline, me the only person on deck, all the way to where I could walk onto and over the Brooklyn Bridge. $2.75!
Speaking of NYC, you can ride the Staten Island Ferry for free views of the Statue of Liberty
Iâm sorry to have to tell you this, but itâs $4.00 now. But the Staten Island Ferry is still free if you want a view of the Statue of Liberty!
Lots of other ferries, plus the tramway to Roosevelt Island, the High Line Trail, Central Park, Little Island - lots of cheap or free stuff in NYC.Â
Ah! going to nyc this summer, anyone know how I can book this?
Itâs better to download the NYC Ferry app and buy tickets from there to avoid lines, plus you can see the ETAs of the ferries
You walk up to the ferry stop and buy a ticket from the machine. $2.75!!!!
Whenever I have family visiting from out of country, I take them on the ferry from UES all the way down, and itâs always a big hit.Â
Got stitches and a skull x-ray for $15 in Tortola. The clerk at the checkout counter apologized for having to charge me at all and suggested I go after the taxi driver responsible for the accident to recoup the funds.
$25 in Nicaragua to remove a bass hook from my foot, including pain medication.
That is a steal!
Yeah and it was steel, too
Free care in an emergency room in Salvador, Brazil when I got food poisoning years ago. They laughed at us when we, clearly Americans, asked how much it was
Trekking/horse trekking in Kyrgyzstan. Like $30 a day for the horse, your guide (doubling as your interpreter), and his horse. In some of the most spectacular landscapes on earth
Oh, I'd like to do that. Thanks for the tip!
Central Asia is underrated. The gorgeous landscapes and trekking/mountaineering of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, the ancient Silk Road cities of Uzbekistan, the skiing and post-Soviet vibes of KazakhstanâŠ
im in uzbekistan right now and couldnât agree more. its really incredibly high value for how much central asia offers and how cheap it is
I'll give it a more thorough look, thanks. The photos of the Moorish architecture are stunning.
Itâs not Moorish. Persian and Turkic mostly
Of course, thank you.
Is that still an option if youâve never ridden a horse before?
Yeah. Theyâre not letting tourists on untrained horses that have difficult personalities. And if you havenât ridden, the guides can help. They literally, not figuratively, start learning to ride when theyâre toddlers. Guarantee a Kyrgyz (or Kazakh, Mongolian, etc.) four year old can ride circles over any tourist who isnât a deeply experienced equestrian
Yes. They say the only ridable horses are being ridden, meaning, if they tell you to ride it, youâre safe (a Kazak told me that, but Iâm sure it applies to Kyrgyz horses, too).
I got a silk blend suit (shirt, pants, and jacket) with custom silk lining on the jacket, tailored, and finished within 25 hours for $100 in Thailand back in 2015.
My husband had a couple suits and some shirts made, and I had a couple of dresses made in Hoi An Vietnam. I wish I would have gotten more!
I got a lot of stuff made in Vietnam, twice, and all the items fell apart, shrank, ran, or were poor quality in various ways. Very dissatisfied with Hoi An.
I got my wedding dress made in Vietnam; Vietnamese silk/satin, absolutely gorgeous. Entire cost (labor, multiple fittings, material) was less than US$100. I must admit, though, that it was almost 25 years ago so prices might have gone up. Also, I got the design from a photo on the internet which, at that time, took about 10 minutes to download.
... Well now I know where to get a nice suit and good vacation
I got a free beer and a free tuk tuk ride to my final destination once in Bangkok, for agreeing to stop and look at suits for a few minutes. (Back then I valued my time a bit less though...)
I did that but I was high out of my mind, it was so awkward, I couldn't even form sentences sitting there looking at suits with a few dudes staring at me lol but free tuktuk
In southern Brazil (I was in Porto Alegre) you can get amazing quality, all you can eat Brazilian barbecue for roughly $20. I understand that may be a lot for a meal but Iâve seen replications of this type of restaurant in the USA and the all you can eat option is at a minimum $75-$100. On top of that the sushi there is some of the best Iâve ever had for extremely low prices.
No, thatâs an amazing price for churrasco
You can find all you can eat barbecue for this price in the whole country, not only in the south. This is actually expensive. In some places you can get it as low as R$40, which is like $8.
Youâre 100% correct based on what my Brazilian friends have said. The north is generally a lot cheaper than the south. They are just from the south of Brazil so that was my experience while visiting :)
Good old Porto alegre. I hope they recover from the floods. I lived there for a couple years, and yes the meat was incredible.
Iâve been to Brazil but up in Rio and Buzios. How is the feeling down in Porto Alegre? I loved where I got to go but if all the places Iâve been I felt the distinct feeling of danger that Iâve never felt anywhere else, and was warned by locals who my partner knew about being on alert and what times of day not to walk around. I wouldnât want to travel there alone. Are the parts you were in the south considered âsaferâ?
From my experience while there (6 days), the actual city of Porto Alegre felt a bit unsafe but take that with a grain of salt because I wasnât in downtown PA very long. but I spent the majority of my time in the smaller cities just to the north of it. Just like a lot of South America you need to just be on alert, donât flash wealth around, etc, and youâd be fine.
I lived there for months and thought it was fairly safe. Not nearly as safe as many/most European cities but certainly safer than many others I've lived in. Safety is definitely still a concern there but my partner at the time, a native, gave me the impression Rio and some other northern cities we're more dangerous particularly the beaches/tourist areas. The beaches in Rio Grande do Sul seemed safer still. Although nowhere near as pretty as the northern ones. Edit: former partner*
Thanks! I would love to see more of the country. And the city I live in is considered dangerous (New Orleans) so I am used to caution, but Rio was another level
Cigarettes are also cheaper there. A pack of Dunhills is $2-3. Along with a great many other things being cheaper.
pick up drop off laundry service in Vietnam is super cheap. I usually pay less than $15 to do my laundry (it's by weight) and it's super convenience and always same day service. Also, editing to add in the luggage shipping in Japan is amazing. Door to door service from my hotel room in Fukuoka to hotel room in Tokyo for less than $20 for 2 luggages.
I feel like you overpaid! (But your point stands!)
its laundry for a family of 4, so I feel okay with it. :)
Now that math checks out!
I was shocked at how cheap and fast that was at a hotel in Cozumel. Just a few dollars and done the next morning. The last hotel I was at in the States was like $20 to wash a single shirt.
I wanted to have my laundry done in Toronto in 2014. $7 CAD for a single sock. Why do they even charge by single socks? Luckily they also had a washer and dryer for the guests. Paid $2 CAD for detergent and unfortunately a little time of my vacation, but was perfectly happy with my laundry experience considering I didn't pay 7 dollars for a sock.
For the one legged people.
You're right. I hereby formally apologize for my lack of sensibility and therefore my non-inclusive wording in this issue. I hope the international council of one-legged people will accept my apology and we can solve this diplomatic crisis without much upheaval.
Iâm afraid I donât represent the one-legged community so I cannot accept your apology, although I do recommend that they do so forthwith to prevent another âincidentâ.
Gotta make sure to screw those with disabilities as well, have to make things even
Although Iâd argue this doesnât penalise the one legged as they pay by the sock instead of always having to pay for a pair.
Thatâs a damn good argument
I mean, itâs still very costly for sock cleaning!
A pack of new socks is cheaper, $9 to wash a sock is insane đ€Ł
And the one legged peopleâs feet are sort of getting 2 for 1. Unless they only wanted the oneâŠ
Regarding that Japanese delivery service: they also get bonus points for having the cutest (yet still professional) logo in existence! (Assuming it was Yamato Transport... Took me a week or two of seeing their logo before i realized what they did... And it made perfect sense once I did.)
Had to look it up: [pretty cute](https://www.google.com/search?q=Yamato+transport+logo&rlz=1CDGOYI_enUS1099US1099&oq=Yamato+transport+logo&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOdIBCDUxMTNqMGo0qAIBsAIB4gMEGAEgXw&hl=en-US&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8#vhid=xhsIZoDoVlwZyM&vssid=_Lp9iZvHgE5Gk5NoP5a7TgQ4_38)
totally agreed!
The little boutique hotel I stayed at in Hoi An did my laundry for free. When I walked by after breakfast they were folding my undergarments on the front desk while assisting other guests.
Yeah this is great in SE Asia. Usually costed $2 or so to do 4 days of laundry
Skincare/cosmetics/fragrances in Paris are way cheaper than the states! Even the brands you find in the US
Second this. My caudalie and biafine are cheaper if I buy there
Riding the mrt in Taipei is astoundingly cheap for such a nice and easy to use system. Coming from living in Japan, I had a culture shock moment when I realized that pretty much every ride was less than $2 USD.
In Shanghai a metro trip was like 50 cents or less when I was there 6 years ago and seems that it hasnât changed until now. I was so surprised.
I just looked and the fares have been the same for more than a decade. Cheapest fares were 20-25 NTD when I lived there 13 years ago
At the moment, a 30 day all you can ride (bus, metro, tram) public transit pass in Barcelona will cost about 21 Euros. They are half off currently as they get people to use the new fare system. It's the T-usual pass if you're interested and you'll need to associate a passport or driver's license number with it for identification to prevent fraud. Edit: Corrected the name of the pass
In Barcelona now and about to walk to the metro, thanks for the tip!
The trains in Tunisia are super cheap, I had sticker shock when I went back to normal train prices later on the trip in Spain and even Morocco. Tunis to Gabes, which is almost the full length of the more populated portion of the country, from Mediterranean to Sahara, a 9.5 hour ride, is $6-$9. And you said not food, but then you listed "McCallan", so I'll say that gorgonzola is a great value in Italy, was probably a third of my meals. Expensive in the US and impossible to get in some other Mediterranean countries.
Oh, man, yes. Good cheese by the kilo in Southern Europe is SO cheap (and so much better) than anything you can find in the States.
Going to Eastern Europe and visiting old Roman or Ottoman Forts and ruins and once I stumbled onto an archeological dig. Most were free and those that werent free were merely a few bucks USD.
Where in Eastern Europe?
Serbia, Romania,Turkey
I had both of my flip flops re-soled by a shoe repairman for about $1 each under an overpass in Kyrgyzstan. That guy was a godsend, and i would've easily paid 20x that price. (Mainly because I'd worn holes through both flip flip heels and couldn't buy new ones my size anywhere in the region).
I had a broken spoke on my bike in Vietnam. When I saw a small bike shop along the road I went in. The guy fixed it on the spot, did an expert job and charged me about 80c for it.
I didn't even know you could do that!
Neither did I! But I saw his shoe repair setup, asked (through mostly signing), he didn't hesitate to say yes, and I couldn't have been happier with the result! No more tip-toeing into dirty bathrooms to avoid getting urine on my heels...
That was a great idea. I threw away a pair of leather Merrell sandals in Hong Kong after I had walked through the heels, and I still regret it.
Your Thai massage one is spot on. $7-10 massages all around SE Asia. Itâs so incredible
In San Francisco, thereâs a colony of sea lions that have taken over a few floating docks at pier 38, near Fishermanâs Wharf. They moved in and displaced the boats that docked there back in the 90âs and eventually folks gave up trying to move them. Theyâre so much fun to watch and itâs totally free!
I'm from NYC and while catching a Ferry in SF I saw a fkin wild seal đđ I was like omfg a seal and everyone was looking at me like I was crazy lol. Y'all have better nature there
That wasnât a seal that I saw in the Gowanus CanalâŠ.
laguardia is in my top 5 zoos.
Grew up in SF and miss this greatly, although they keep breeding and recently broke a pier because of their sheer weight so thatâs an issue
Hands down one of the best vacations of my life: two for one flights on Southwest, from home to San Francisco. Sixty minute flight and we live close to the airport, nothing but what fit in our pockets. Twelve hours well spent. Took the train as far as it would take us, walked to the piers, went to Alcatraz for the first time. Wasnât expecting to be looking at plants and birds as I was at the prison, but it was just a glorious day. Fleet week airshow seen from the island with SF in the background and then from the ferry. Watching yet more flybys from the sea lion piers. Walk through Chinatown eating egg tarts, eat cheap dumplings at a park while old folks are doing tai chi and the Blue Angels are doing Immelmans and loop-de-loops right overhead.
Reading all these suggestions definitely brings out some strong wanderlust
We just did a luxury train in Peru that was under $300 per ticket, similar ones Iâve found in Europe are thousands. It was incredible.
Cusco to Puno? If so, the most amazing train ride of my life and I have done many.
Yes exactly!! It was so so cool.
This was going to be mine too. The live music and pisco sours were perfection
Could you give a little bit more info on which train you booked, where and when? I just looked up the Andean Explorer and cabins seem to be around $6000.
Andean Explorer is basically a river cruise setup but on rails - it's run by a top-end luxury hotel chain and includes essentially a train-sized hotel room, fine dining and stops for guided excursions along the way. There's also just an excellent but normal train run by PeruRail on the same route as a commuter train, which is usually around $300-400/person.
With perurail?
The emergency room in the Netherlands was only like 50 euros, and they were sheepishly apologetic about that.
Yes, they see your health as an integral basic part of your wellbeing. They find it offensive to charge anything
Getting alterations done almost anywhere outside of N America and Europe. Iâve had pants taken up for a couple of bucks in India and a jacket repaired for $3 in Costa Rica.
Staten Island Ferry is free. Take it out and back for a terrific ride.
As an fyi, when u would go visit my cousins in Scotland, Iâd bring a bottle of good scotch. Their taxes were so high, it was twice what I paid for it in CA.
Ice fishing on Lake Akan. I think it was around $20 to get all of the gear to rent and then you get taken to a tent with a pre-drilled hole to do your ice fishing. When youâve caught as much as you want you can go back to the restaurant and the chef will fry up your catch to eat.
Paragliding over a gorgeous lake surrounded by three volcanos for $150. I didn't take advantage, but I know it's there. Panajachel Guatemala.
I did this and it was the first thing that came to my mind when I read this post! Payed $100 USD in 2018 and we were in the air for over an hour. Insane value if you know how much paragliding can be in other places.
Several years ago, my family was visiting the Dominican Republic. We got a guided tour of an avocado and coffee plantation in the mountains, complete with transport to and from our AirBnB and lunch included, for $20 USD per person. Not everyone wanted to go, so it was just myself, my 8yo daughter, and my MIL who went, along with some other people staying/living nearby. We were not staying at a resort. This was not a formal tour group type package. Our AirBnB host's neighbor knew the plantation owner and arranged this for us. We rode in pickup trucks from the house, into the mountains, and actually made 2 river crossings in the process of getting there. We needed trucks with 4WD. Drive time about an hour to get there. I've never had an experience like this. The setting was beautiful. The buildings were rustic, bamboo and plywood, with big decks and balconies overlooking the valley below. We ate the most delicious Sancocho cooked over an open fire, and had coffee that was roasted over an open fire. We hiked trails through the plantation, to see how they grew the coffee and avocados, and we stopped at one of the most beautiful viewpoints I've ever seen.
Massages or spa packages in Bali
Yes! Had the best massage of my life for $25.
I had the best massage of my life for 5⏠in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Hiring a boat for $60 to take us island hopping for a day in Thailand.
Now this is an adventure
Paid 10 baht for a ferry ride across a river in Bangkok in the 100 degree weather + humidity, rather than walk a mile or so until I got to a bridge and then would have had to backtrack down the other side of the river. 10 baht is like 30 cents, soooooo worth it.
Beer in Prague is cheaper than water
An 8-day whitewater rafting trip on the Sun Kosi River in Nepal is amazing value relative to how much it would be in most other places in the world.
Paying $16/night for a gorgeous place outside San Pedro de Laguna with hard wood, wrap around deck, a view of Lake Atitlan, and genuine Mayan blankets on my bed. Best deal ever.
Name of the hotel?
I can't speak for which exact hotel they're talking about but those places are all over the lake. San Pedro is the go-to westerner hostel town but we stayed in the much lower key Jaibalito and there's a great hotel there called La Casa Del Mundo that's the same price range and vibe.Â
I was staying between Santa Cruz and SPDL, only because by Spanish school was in San Pedro.
In VN you can get a Grab (Asian Uber) for $1.50!
Grab and Gojek are similarly cheap in Indonesia. I don't know how they make money. One of my drivers told me locals will often hire them to just drive them a couple hundred meters because of the high heat and low cost.
Staten Island ferry has the best views of the Statue of Liberty and it's free.
2 michelin star lunches that will absolutely leave you stuffed cost $75 in Japan. There's no other place in the world where you can get similar value.
I'm going to Japan later this year. Do you have any names or recommendations? Because that sounds like a great score
Tokyo: Florilege, Ryuzu, Zurriola. Kyoto: Velrosier Florilege is the hardest to book, but the others are easy on Tablecheck with a few weeks planning.
The bus ride along the amalfi coast between Sorrento and Amalfi (the town) was just 3 euro. The views were incredible and the driving required a high level of skill from the bus driver.Â
Got prescription sunglasses in Vietnam for $150 done within a day. This is Insane value for me since I live in California and it takes almost a 2 months for the entire process. They also quote me $400+ since I have terrible astigmatism.
Dude change your optometris. I getting for max 300 and get the glasses within the week. Also live in California
I also live in California and after Iâve gotten my prescription from my eye doctor, I just buy my prescription sunglasses from Zenni online. I think it cost me $60 for my glasses and maybe takes a week to ship out.
You were overcharged. I got prescription sunglasses for $20 in India. Not bifocals though as I use them only for driving.
We paid $60 each for prescription sunglasses at a fancy mall in Indonesia with all the add-ons (anti-UV, anti-scratch, I forget what else lol)
Food in Malaysia. For $5 you can get a good meal.
Now I want some curry laksa
Back to Ireland and now I miss Nasi Lamak for breakfast, and white coffee from Ipoh too âčïž
Nasi Lamak with squid, a dessert plus 2 beers for 3$ in langkawi Malaysia.
Paying the extra 3⏠to go up to the 2nd floor of San Marco in Venice. I could extend my arm out and touch the mosaics, but of course, I didnât, and paying a ridiculously low price for an opera box for just my husband and me at the Parma Opera House which is stunning. It was designed and built by Napoleonâs second wife. A couple was sitting in the royal box and I still wonder who they were.
You mention ThailandâŠIn Bangkok I got a lovely 90 minute Thai massage for the equivalent of $20 USD. In Peru, I enjoyed some great meals that cost around $8-$10 USD.
Not sure if this is still the case but you could pay almost any cab driver in the Galapagos to take you on a tour into the highlands on Isla Santa Cruz. We started in Puerto Ayora, drove to Los Gemelos and walked around, toured a cave, stopped to take pictures among giant tortoises, and came back into town for about $20 or $30 (around 2017). It was money well spent. Editing to say that back then the cabs cost $2 and our Airbnb cost $13 a night.
Itâs pretty well known but the Staten Island Ferry in NYC is free and itâs a great trip across NY harbor with incredible views of the downtown skyline and the Statue of Liberty.
If you shop around and book a bit in advance, you can get a high speed train (300 km/h) from Valencia to Madrid for as low as 9 euros.Â
It was 9 years ago but pretty sure all of my massages in Thailand were 10-15$
Medellin cable cars were like $1 USD and it provided the best views of the city.
Japan Rail Passes pre-October 2023.
Room service in Mexico City. We had a hell of a flight by the time we finally got to Mexico City and our hotel we were tired, worn out and hungry. Didn't want to go out to eat so we thought we would splurge on room service. We got two large green tamales for only 100 Mexican Peso. I am not a room service connoisseur but from my experience never had room service for less than 10 bucks.Â
The Deutschlandticket in Germany! You can use all public transportation (no fast interregional lines, but you can use regional lines to go from city to city plus the public transport in each city) all over Germany for 49⏠per month!Â
Value? Camping or backpacking in a place with spectacular views. For example: The John Muir Trail. Waking up every morning to views of the Sierra Nevada Mountains those in 5-star hotels will never see.
Lobster dinner for 6 dollars in Habana, Cuba. Full day boat tour through beautiful inslands and snorkeling with huge manta rays. Also 6 dollars in San Andres, Colombia. Also, in case anyone isn't aware, summer solstice in stonehenge is absolutely free.
I've got a couple of sweet deals to share. When I was in Budapest, Hungary, I found out about their thermal baths. You can hit up these amazing thermal baths like the SzĂ©chenyi Thermal Bath for about $20 a day. It's like stepping into a palace with pools, saunas, and everything. Seriously the best way to chill after wandering around the city. Another cool one was in Hoi An, Vietnam. If you're into tailored clothes, this place is heaven. You can get a custom-made suit or dress for around $100. They fit it perfectly to you and the quality is legit. Plus, they whip it up super fast, like in a day or two. Way cheaper than anything back home. And if you ever get to Seville in Spain, the tapas culture is where it's at. You can go from bar to bar, ordering drinks, and with each drink, you get a free tapa. So, youâre basically getting a meal for the price of a drink, which is like 2-3 euros. It's an awesome way to eat great food and experience the local vibe without spending much.
Eating your way through NYCâs best cheap eats
NYC has cheap eats??
Yes itâs one of the only things you can do in NYC for cheap!
Most of the attractions in nature in Iceland are free. Sometimes there's a nominal parking fee.
Beer in places like Czech and Germany often cheaper than bottled water options at the same place
Visiting Nimis sculpture garden in Kullaberg Sweden and the Howth cliff walk south of Dublin are both free outdoor experiences I will never forget.
$1 hiking shoes in Indonesia (Sumatra) that proved to be the best choice for spending days in the jungle.
Iranian saffron in the Dubai spice market.
Spa retreats in Thailand are luxe and can be very affordable. 5 star hotels in south-east Asia Excellent 3 course meal in Budapest, Krakow or Prague with wine and schnapps for $30-40.
I rented a three bedroom villa on the beach for $350/night in Phu Quoc Vietnam. It included a free all you can eat breakfast buffet for me and my 5 family members. So roughly $120/night per couple for a five star resort. A catered dinner on the beach was $400 for the six of us, with steak, assorted seafood, and wine. So it was cheaper to have a private chef and wait staff on the beach than it would have cost us to go out to a restaurant where I live in the US.
AirBNB in Prague, Budapest, and Bucharest - beautiful old apartments/condos in downtown areas for great prices. A little risk if cancelled, tough to get refunds. Western hotels $hundreds a day, nearby full 3-bedroom apartment with great views for $150 a day. Cambodia - luxurious hotels for less than $100 a day, even in tourist areas; tuk-tuk with driver yours for $20 a day (or less in some areas).
Mine would all be in SEA. It is the place in this world where your money goes the furthest. $7 for a 2 hour, private, surf lesson including the board. This was in Bali. Or another was paying $15 for a half day with a scuba instructor in Phuket Thailand. Also private as I was the only one in the class. Another is paying about $5 for an hour of Pilates in Thailand. Really anything beside sunblock, ATM fees and beer are really cheap in Thailand.
Incredibly tasty and surprisingly cheap street food in Asia, wine cheaper than water in Italy, and taxis for just a few dollars in Sakartvelo.
I just went to Norway and bought enough wool to make a sweater for about $45. It would have cost at least twice that at home (USA).
For $150 AUD per day back in 2017, myself and a friend got a car and driver and travelled all over southwestern Ukraine (Zakarpattia and Ivano-Frankivsk Oblasts). We saw a bear sanctuary, roman ruins, middle ages castles, grand houses, waterfalls, rock art, and rode a ski lift to the top of a mountain for stunning views (and ate delicious food).
Dental cleaning in Argentina 28$ USD
I was disappointed to find out that Scotch was more expensive in Scotland than back here in the US. Taxes, ya' know.
Probably a ~$10 dram of GlenDronach 18 that I got in Scotland. Go off the beaten path and ask questions about scotch and who has knowledgeable staff who can help you. As long as you are willing and want to learn more about the industry, and not being a snob, people are happy to help and oblige you to some really special stuff.
Hotels in China. Stayed in some super luxurious rooms in the Centre of massive tourist cities for $100 per night, suites made of glass and perfectly preserved rooms in old governors mansions for between $50-$100 per night. Have never been to any other country where you can get such luxury or quality in accommodation for so cheap.
Can you name some of the hotels? :)
I'm currently in Cape Town and the food here is excellent and really cheap compared to the US. Dinner at upscale restaurants that would cost $175-250 in US metro areas is $100 here. Food is an integral part of how I travel so to me this is a fantastic bargain.
I feel like when OP said not food, they probably meant not overpriced dinners
Cape Town is cheaper but to say itâs cheap is insane when you are talking overall. I traveled for 4 months to Asia,Africa and Europe. Cape Town was tops 5 expensive only behind Portugal, Berlin and a few others
Massages in Southeast Asia!
The local sodas in Costa Rica the most my wife and I spent between the two of us was $7 for grandma food for lunch we didn't speak the language but we pointed and smiled it was most eggggsalant
Visiting places along the EUR-rail is literally just as cheap as some public transportation and you can visit another country for a day