Hello everyone, welcome to Dad Post #7. Angelina is on her way to Hawaii for some sun and relaxation (yes, I know…again), and she bribed me into posting by saying I had fans that were dying for more Dad Posts. She’s something else, isn’t she? Looking back, when I was 25, all I did was work, work, work. Who said life was fair?
Anyway, Angelina posted a list of 80+ free walking tours around the world yesterday, so I’d figured it would be appropriate to stay on the topic of budget travel (my favorite). With that said, if you’re looking for some budget-friendly vacation ideas, I would like to introduce you to an index that I have found to be very useful in inspiring and planning vacations: The Backpacker Index for 2012.
The Backpacker Index is a fairly new measure of budget travel, established just last year in 2011, which allows you to compare cities by price based on a “backpacker budget”. The list includes a total of 116 global cities, ranked the from cheapest to most expensive, by considering the estimated daily cost of visiting (all translated into US Dollars), and taking the following 5 factors into account:
- A dorm bed and a good cheap hostel
- 3 budget meals
- 2 public transportation rides
- 1 paid cultural attraction
- 3 cheap beers (aka as an “entertainment fund”)
Aside from the master list of 116 cities, there’s also more specific and detailed information by region available:
If you take a look at the European Backpacker Index, you’ll find that things may be slightly cheaper than last year since the dollar has gained about 4% in value over the Euro. But there are a few standouts as well. For example, in Hungary, Poland and Turkey, the dollar is up about 10%. The Backpacker Index ranks Eastern European cities as the top ten choices in terms of cost, with Istanbul following as #11.
For those who have backpacked before, do you agree with the lists? What places do you personally feel you have gotten the most “bang for your buck?” when traveling on a budget? I’d love to hear your stories.
Happy Travels,
The Dad
Thailand has to be #1. Where else can you get a 16oz bottle of water for 25 cents, 90 minute massages for $15, and dinner for 2 for $10.
The Czech Republic is #2 on my list.
This dad says keep em coming.
Great post Angelina’s Dad! :)
Great post- I was particularly interested in Europe for seniors-I am in my 50’s in great shape and wonder if Dad could find some great posts about senior hostels in France, Italy, or Germany? Thanks again, great post!
@Dan-Thanks for your post.Never been to Thailand.It is on my bucket list.I am doing my first Asian trip in Sept Hong Kong and Bali.
@Debbie- Thanks.
@karen-Keep on traveling..Keeps you young.I found below link that you may like.
http://seniors.lovetoknow.com/Senior_Travel
I’m surprised Yangon is not on this list at all. I spent 34 days there and didn’t break $100 usd
*4 days