While some of the destinations they include will be no surprise to the well-traveled group here on Travel Gumbo, I was interested in some of the places mentioned. Samoa, for instance, I wouldn’t have expected, or South Africa. And I’d always heard that Taiwan was an expensive place to visit but, not so, says Tom Hall, author of the list, Best Value Destinations for 2015.
Ganesh in Bali
Several of the places on the list have appeared on Travel Gumbo pages during the past year. PHeymont’s and NonstopFromJFK’s Portugal, Travel Rob’s and Andre Pur’s Romania and my own Bali. Gumbo does tend to be ahead of the pack. Now, if we can encourage our Low-Fare Specialist, Travel Rob, to find us some astonishingly low fares, TG travelers can get busy and bring us back the rest of the story. I, for one, plan to follow in PHeymont’s footsteps on my next trip, maybe find some corners of my own, in Portugal.
Click here for the complete list.
For more of PortMoresby’s contributions, click here.
Lists like this are always interesting to study, but I sometimes find myself wondering what their criteria area (besides being controversial). South Africa is not a budget destination, even with a devalued Rand, at least not if you want to be assured of a safe environment. I doubt Taiwan would be that cheap to visit either. Lots of other places I can think of would cost much less, like rural Thailand or other places in SE Asia, or the Latin American countries.
But if putting a name on a list makes folks interesting in visiting it, the list has worked in my view.
My view of the list is suggestions of moderately priced options that many travelers may not have considered. It doesn’t say cheapest. Taiwan, for instance, was offered as a less expensive alternative to Hong Kong, a place I’ve been several times and is far from a budget destination. I have to say, after reading the comparison, I’ll consider Taiwan, rather than another visit to HKG, which I love. I think that was the point and why I chose to post it here.
It’s an interesting list .I’d love to travel to Taiwan and Samoa.
For short trips ,airfare is such a factor, it sometimes trumps the bargain prices of daily life.
Right now I’m curious about Russia because of whats going on with the Ruble.Hopefully someone will post.
Poland has been a great value for years and has some good airfares. Japan’s weak yen has changed it and is now a good value destination also.
Everything on the list PortMoresby posted has some interest to me.
I was almost at the point of arranging a trip to Russia, Rob, until they invaded Crimea and the Ukraine. I’m sorry, but with all the places in the world one might travel, I will in no way provide any support to the Putin regime. Collectively we as travelers can send important messages to governments by withholding our monies from their economy. It won’t shake the world, but it is a message that may or may not listen to them.