What is the real secret to cheap international travel? It is the same as the secret to doing anything for less. Learn to be an opportunist. Opportunistic travelers get to travel more, see more and do more. Of course, you can ignore this advice if you have unlimited funds.

I went to Ecuador because it was cheap. Honestly, aren’t there many interesting places in this world? Why not choose one you can travel to inexpensively? The other places will be there in the future, and you may have an opportunity to go to those places cheaply at some point.

Cheap Countries

Ecuador is my favorite international destination. You can still get a decent meal for two dollars. U.S. dollars, by the way, since that’s conveniently the official currency of Ecuador now. From the beautiful snow-capped Andes Mountains, to the Galapagos Islands, you’ll never run out of places to explore in Ecuador. Travel there is safe and inexpensive.

South America in general is inexpensive, and the most affordable countries are, in my opinion, the most beautiful. These are the countries along the Andes mountains; Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia. Argentina, thanks to its recent economic troubles, is once again a cheap place for travelers as well.

In Central America, it costs very little to travel and vacation in both Nicaragua and Guatemala. Nicaragua, in particular, has become more stable and safe for travelers in recent years. Costa Rica is a wonderful too, and though it is one of more expensive counties of Central America, that probably still leaves it cheaper than Europe.

In Asia, India is still low-cost, especially if you stay in the numerous hostels and boarding houses. Thailand and Indonesia are also very cheap. With all international destinations, the plane tickets will be your single biggest travel expense. This is especially true with the Asian countries. Being there is cheap, but getting there may not be.

Cheap International Travel Tips

Wherever you go; there are things you can do to keep it cheap. Eat where locals eat, for example, instead of at the tourist restaurants. To keep it really cheap, eat fruit from street markets (wash it well) and packaged snacks from grocery stores.

Visit the free and cheap attractions first. It’s possible you’ll have so much fun that you’ll never get around to doing the expensive things. A higher price means better quality with travel bags, but not with travel experiences.

Busses are cheaper than taxis in any country, but be careful of crowded city busses, where pickpockets hang out. Walking is even cheaper, and it’s a great way to learn about a city. Just ask the locals where the dangerous parts are before you wander too far.

For cheap accommodations find out where local visitors from within the country stay. Negotiating room charges is common in some areas. In Banos, Ecuador, we negotiated our room rate down from $12 to $6 per night, by paying for several nights in advance. Consider hostels, if you don’t mind sharing a room. They’re much more common overseas.

Cheap international travel is often only as cheap as your plane tickets. Use the techniques outlined on our site to save big on tickets, or search the fares to several interesting countries. If one is $500 less than the others, consider going there. $500 can buy a few extra days, or an extra mini-vacation some other time.

1. Keep Them Busy

Chances are, unless you are going to a very kid-centric location, your children will be very bored. Try purchasing travel games such as tiny versions of chess or checkers. There are also plenty of low cost games you can play in a car like eye spy or 20 questions. Having a variety of games and activities to keep their children occupied and keep their minds off of the journey is always a good idea.

2. For Long Car Rides

Keep in mind when designing an itinerary of games that children typically get tired of playing the same game twice. For your benefit, you can design games that take a long time to complete. For example, you can play the ABC game. In this game, you have to find all the letters of the alphabet from signs, licence plates, etc. Letters can only be found outside the car and must be verified by others in the car to make sure that they are not just making up signs. As an added challenge and to prevent cheating, you can remove licence plates from the possible things you can get letters from. It can be quite difficult to find the letters Q,U,V,X,Y and Z. To keep things interesting you can make it a race and whoever finishes the alphabet first wins. This is a great game for small children as it reinforces their learning the alphabet.

3. Keep Things Novel

You might want to buy some new toys or games for your children. A new book, especially, can last an entire trip if your child loves to read. Just be careful, however, as reading while in a car can, for some people, make them feel nauseous.

4. Babies & Flights

Lot’s of parents wonder whether or not they should bring their baby’s car seat with them when they go on a plane. The question to ask is are you going to be travelling by car at your destination? If so they you’ll need to bring the car seat anyway. If you are not travelling by car and forget or decide not to bring your car seats, you can sometimes rent them. In general however it’s a better idea to take the car seat with you. Another tip is to give your baby a bottle while the plane is taking off to calm them down and prevent your baby’s ears from popping.

5. Strollers

Let’s face it even tiny babies feel heavy after a while in your arms, and don’t forget about toddlers who all of the sudden tell you they can’t walk any longer (often they tell you this at the most inconvenient times). A baby stroller solves these problems. The great thing is that most infant car seats snap onto a travel system stroller. This makes it both simple and easy to take both the stroller and the baby seat along on trips. The other option is a lightweight stroller that has a built in carrying strap, that’s comfortable and easy to haul around.