Worldwide travel is on the rebound and is expected to increase even more in 2023; but so are some of the costs associated with travelling. If you’re itching to go on an adventure but you’re also concerned about reconciling your desire to travel and your budget, we’ve put together a list of 5 destinations, for all types of travellers, that aren’t going to break the bank.
Note: The suggestions in this post only consider the cost at destination, as air fares will vary depending on where you’re flying from and whether you’re able to secure a bargain.
1. Yukon, Canada, is for the adventure seeker
Yukon is a Canadian territory full of opportunities for those who love outdoor adventures. Plus, if you’re looking to save on your vacation, all the excursions listed below are within an hour’s drive of Whitehorse. If you’re open to taking a shuttle bus instead of renting a vehicle, you could save a bundle!
Take in the great outdoors
If you’re up for an adventurous and intense hike, the Millenium trail starts in Whitehorse and goes through Miles Canyon. This 15-km loop will take you through the forest, along the water and over a suspension bridge. And if that’s not enough of a challenge for you, explore the extensive trail system—but make sure to follow safety guidelines and bring all the essentials for an outdoor adventure with you.
Emerald Lake is another natural wonder that you should check out. The lake, surrounded by a range of mountains, gets its name from its intense turquoise-green colour caused by deposits of marl, clay and calcium carbonate at the bottom of the water. Take advantage of the many hiking trails around it, or even take a dip if you don’t mind chilly water (which usually remains frozen until May!).
Explore wildlife in the Yukon Wildlife Preserve
The Yukon Wildlife Preserve is a beautiful 700-acre park only 25 minutes away from Whitehorse, Yukon, where you can gaze at unique northern Canadian wildlife in their natural habitat, including elks, moose, or arctic foxes, to name a few. If you’re travelling with your family and aren’t keen on spending a fortune on guided tours, you can walk the 5-km loop and discover the park on your own. Tickets are $17 per adult and $10 per child under 18.
Unwind in hot springs
If you want to unwind after a day of exploring, the Takhini Hot Springs are only minutes away from Yukon Wildlife Preserve and should be your next stop! The facilities offer different pricing options based on access to different services and pools. If you want to get the best bang for your buck, while treating yourself to a unique spa experience, go during the time of day when rates are cheaper, and make sure to book online to save an extra $5 on admission.
There’s one more free activity you can enjoy if you visit the Yukon at the right time of year: the midnight sun. Indeed, the sun doesn’t set at all, the closer you get to the Arctic in the summer months. So make the most out of this extra daylight to fill your long days with more adventures!
Have room in your budget to splurge just a little bit?
Take the historical White Pass railroad from Whitehorse to Skagway, Alaska. From the window of your cabin, you’ll enjoy the mind-blowing scenery that the Yukon, Northern BC and Eastern Alaska have to offer. And you don’t need to extend your trip or adjust your itinerary to embark on this unique train adventure. With the one-day pass, you’ll travel to Alaska and back in one day, including a 2-hour stop in Skagway so you have time to do a quick visit of the town. Tickets aren’t cheap ($150 USD per person) but it’s a once in a lifetime experience, and children under 12 can travel for half the price.
2. Taipei, Taiwan is for the foodie
There are over 30 food night markets in the greater Taipei area, making it a paradise for foodies from all around the world. You can spend a full week in the capital city of Taiwan exploring the neighbourhood and free tourist attractions by day, and indulging in delicious and affordable street food by night. Taipei is a culturally diverse city, especially when it comes to food.
Plus, Taiwan is a great destination for travellers who don’t eat meat with over 6,000 vegetarian eateries.
Enjoy culinary adventures in Shilin Night Market
The largest and most renowned market in Taipei is the Shilin Night Market. Inaugurated in 1899, it’s home to countless stalls selling delicious local and international street foods, as well as merchandise. From the infamous stinky tofu to bubble teas, to fried buns, to pineapple cakes, to scallion and daikon pancakes, no doubt you’ll find something that tantalizes your tastebuds. Shilin usually comes alive in the evening, so best to go for dinner.
Explore note-worthy Ningxia Night Market
Another market worth visiting is the Ningxia Night Market. Much smaller than Shilin Night Market, Ningxia is nevertheless very popular among locals and tourists alike for it has a reputation of providing friendly service and delicious food. Three of its stalls are even listed in the Michelin Guide. One of them is the Yuan Huan Pien Oyster Egg Omelet. This gentleman has been relentlessly making omelets every night at the same stall since 1965! And if you need to quench your thirst after all the sampling of savoury and sweet delicacies, Lian Beverage Shop has been serving juices there for six decades. Sugar cane juice and starfruit are two of their most popular flavours.
Dig in at Raohe Night Market
Raohe Night Market is another pin to put on your map. It has many unique dishes, with more than 400 stalls. To enter, you’ll go through the beautiful Ciyou Temple entrance. The first stall on the right is none other than Michelin-and-Anthony-Bourdain-recommended Fuzhou Black Pepper Bun.
Tip: The EasyCard is a great way to save on transportation. Some of their bundle options also include phone data. Their cheapest plan is $20/person and will last 3 days. It’s worth it if you’re planning on travelling a lot within the city by public transit.
Have room in your budget to splurge just a little bit?
Extend your stay and stay overnight in Jiufen, Taiwan. Formerly a gold mining village built by the Japanese, this beautiful seaside mountainous town is an hour away from Taipei by train. It has beautiful architecture and its own food market. It comes alive at night as the lanterns light the streets to create a magical experience resembling scenes of the classic movie “Spirited Away.”
3. Bocas del Toro, Panama, is for the beach lover
Bocas del Toro is an archipelago off the northwest coast of Panama. It boasts breathtaking scenery: beautiful vegetation and wildlife, a multicultural and colourful town, and of course amazing beaches. Bed & breakfast options start at $60 CAD per night, and hotels at $120 CAD. If you just want to sunbathe on the sand and go for walks along the rainforest without spending a lot of money everyday, then look no further than this idyllic destination!
Beach and bask away
There are six main islands in the area, all with beautiful beaches. You can get around by boat taxi (the cost ranges from $1 to $7 CAD depending on the distance covered). The months of September and October are traditionally less busy.
Playa Estrella, also called Starfish Beach, is a good place to start your vacation. The water is clear, the sand is white, and as the name suggests, starfish are everywhere. These beautiful orange creatures populate the area. Watch your step as you find a spot to nest on your towel and be careful not to move them or touch them; their survival depends on it. If you look up, you may even see sloths napping in the trees! There are restaurant options and vendors around the beach, or you can pack some snacks and water for a picnic.
You must absolutely make time for Cayos Zapatilla, a natural wonder composed of two uninhabited islands! The coral reefs attract spectacular marine life, and the powdery white sand surrounded by palm and coconut trees will make you want to camp at the beach for days. On certain parts of the islands, you can watch turtles laying their eggs from March to September.
And if you feel like squeezing in a bit of exercise during your stay, there are many trails that will take you through the jungle or to more remote beaches. They can be explored by foot or by bike (you can rent one for $6/day).
Have room in your budget to splurge just a little bit?
Take a boat tour to explore the most remote islands, such as Bird Island, a protected rare bird habitat. The price will vary depending on the tour company and your destination.
4. Monemvasia, Greece is for the romantic traveller
Europe is a popular destination for travellers all around the world. But due to the value of the Euro against our Canadian dollar, it can be expensive to vacation there. Still, there are lots of places where you can experience the best of what the continent has to offer without breaking the bank. Monemvasia, Greece, is one of those exceptions.
Delight in the simple pleasures of a medieval town
Situated on a small island off the east coast of the Peloponnese and founded by the Byzantines in the sixth century, Monemvasia is a breathtaking medieval town nestled at the edge of a big rock by the Myrtoan Sea. The island is connected to the mainland by a causeway, and it takes about four hours by car and six hours by bus to get there from Athens. The town is perfect for a romantic trip, with lots of things to do. There are plenty of boutique hotels that cost $50-$100 CAD in and around the village, and many reasonably priced eateries and restaurants.
Most of the best things to do in Monemvasia involve simple pleasures. Take a stroll through the town’s cobblestone streets. The town is split into two halves: the upper town and the lower town. The lower town, at the bottom of the hill, is an easy walk where you can spend hours exploring the local cafes, eateries, and stores. The upper town can be a bit of a climb, but you’ll be rewarded by scenic views. The best time to go is in the evening, when you can admire the sunset. And if you’re up for climbing a bit farther, the Church of Agia Sofia sits at the highest point of Monemvasia. It’s one of the oldest Byzantine churches in Greece, where the view is even more spectacular.
Cool down at a local beach
To cool off a bit during the hot afternoons, take a dip in the little cove of Portelo right at the bottom of the fortified walls of the town. There are other beautiful beaches that are walking distance from Monemvasia, such as Pori Beach or Mandraki Beach. Grab a saytes (a local cheese pie) and a bottle of Malvasia (a local sweet wine known as ‘nectar of the nobles’) and enjoy a romantic picnic on the sand.
Have room in your budget to splurge just a little bit?
Go on an olive oil or wine-tasting tour, two of the staples of the local cuisine. There are usually more options during the high season (May to September) and prices range from $30 to $200 CAD per person. Be sure to do some research before booking to secure a good deal.
5. Cairo, Egypt, is for the history buff
The Greater Cairo metropolitan area is the largest urban agglomeration in the Arab world and the Middle East, with almost 22 million inhabitants, and is a hub of World Heritage sites. The abundance of affordable hotels, eateries, historical sites and museums to visit make it an ideal destination for cultural travellers on a budget. But before booking a trip to Cairo, Egypt, be sure to check the Canadian Government’s Egypt travel advisory page, because it can be a volatile country.
Venture back in time
Start your tour of the Egyptian capital by taking a stroll in Coptic Cairo – the stronghold of Christianity in Egypt since the 7th century – in the heart of the old town. The twisted laneways of this historic World Heritage area are full of very old churches, such as the Hanging Church founded in the 4th century and built over the Roman Gate Tower, and are boarded by the wall of the Babylon Fortress.
Haven’t had enough wandering? Go on a unique shopping spree in Khan el-Khalili, a bazaar and souk in the historical centre of Cairo. This shopping district, established in 1400, is made of small alleyways and is full of Egyptian workshops and artisans selling a range of traditional crafts and souvenirs.
Appreciate beautiful monuments
The city is also home to countless mosques. While it’s hard to estimate how many – experts think it’s close to a thousand – one thing is for sure, they are beautiful monuments. Most mosques are open to visitors; but before visiting, ensure you’re being respectful of Muslim traditions by doing some research. For example, prayers are observed five times a day and it’s best not to visit during those times. Shoes must be removed before entering and other dress codes may be enforced depending on the mosque. Two mosques worth visiting, among many others, are the Mosque of Muhammed Ali and the Al-Azhar Mosque. The latter was completed in 972 and is the second oldest continuously run university in the world and the leading theological centre in the Islamic World.
Another stop on your historical tour should be Cairo’s Egyptian Museum. With over 17,000 artefacts dating as far back as 5500 BC, the museum is home to one of the world’s largest collections of its kind, and one of the oldest in the Middle East. Admission is only $10 CAD per adult and kids under 6 get in for free.
Finally, if you want to see some world-renowned sites such as the pyramids or the Sphynx but don’t want to splurge on a guided tour that could easily break the bank, most sites let you explore on your own at a very reasonable price. General admissions for an adult to visit the Pyramids of Giza or the Sphynx are $10 CAD each (or $5 CAD if you’re a student). And you can even visit one of the three pyramids of the Queens of Cheops for free.
Have room in your budget to splurge just a little bit?
Take a cruise on the Nile and visit even more astonishing sites! I know what you’re thinking: a cruise on the Nile doesn’t sound very affordable. But some of them are reasonably priced, all things considered, if you do a bit of research and buy at the right time. They can start as low as $300 CAD per person for three days including meals. They will take you on a journey of a lifetime, from Aswan to Luxor, making stops for guided tours of archeological sites along the way.
I’m looking forward to a new year of travel and I hope you are too! There are so many destinations to consider, but we hope that these 5 have given you some inspiration. Wishing you a happy year of travel ahead!
Happy travels,
Thomas
