The Most Affordable Countries to Travel to Right Now

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As a frugal college student, I stretched my dollar in budget-friendly backpacker hot spots like India, Mexico, and Bali, where the dollar has traditionally had strong buying power. While those destinations are still affordable for many American travelers, that list has grown. This year the dollar has surged against many foreign currencies, including the South African rand and Japanese yen.

The bottom line: 2024 is the best year in quite some time to consider international travel, especially as prices in the U.S. have been on a steady rise since the pandemic waned. Although domestic airfare and hotel prices are slightly lower than last year (according to NerdWallet’s June 2024 travel-inflation report), restaurant meals in this country are up nearly 30 percent compared to May 2019, and movie, theater, and concert tickets have bumped up 3.4 percent year over year. The Telegraph even recently published a story titled “How America Became the World’s Costliest Holiday Destination.”

Airfares to Asia, Canada, and Africa are higher than last year, according to travel site Hopper, but you can still find deals by booking three to five months ahead or flying with low-cost carriers. Once you’re on the ground, the dollar goes far. When I visited Cape Town, South Africa, in May, I never paid more than $8 for an Uber ride across the city, and a wood-fired pizza and glass of local Pinotage cost less than $10 at the cool enoteca Openwine.

When I traveled to Japan last fall, lunch never cost more than $5. My go-to order: cheap onigiri (Japanese rice balls filled with pickled plums or spicy cod roe) and a bottle of Kirin Ichiban beer.

Here are some of my favorite countries where a weaker currency against the dollar will give you serious bang for your buck.

Argentina

Exchange rate: $1 = 927 Argentine pesos
One year ago: $1 = 271 Argentine pesos

Soaring inflation in the country hasn’t helped citizens, but it has made Argentina one of the best bargains for American travelers in recent years. On a recent trip to the Patagonian hiking mecca of El Chaltén, a friend and I split a hearty steak dinner and bottle of Malbec at La Tapera for less than $25. Senderos Hostería (from $130) is a homey wooden chalet in the center of town with friendly staff, views of the iconic Fitz Roy, and a delicious complimentary breakfast buffet. Chaltén Mountain Guides runs instructional climbing and mountaineering clinics and also leads one-to-six-day treks in Los Glaciares National Park (from $300).

If climbing isn’t your thing, head northeast to the wetlands of Iberá National Park. A partnership between Tompkins Conservation and the NGO Rewilding Argentina have brought back several species, including the jaguar, ocelot, giant otter, tapir, and giant anteater. El Transito hotel (from $368, including all meals) is located within the park and staff can help arrange adventures such as horseback rides and kayak excursions.

Japan

Exchange rate: $1 = 153 Japanese yen
One year ago: $1 = 141 Japanese yen

The Adventure Travel Trade Association chose Japan to host its 2023 World Summit, a testament to the country’s outdoor cred. After the conference, I explored Yakushima, a Unesco-listed subtropical island off the southern coast of Japan’s southernmost main island, Kyushu. Multiple daily ferry services connect from the seaside city of Kagoshima. I paid $138 for a round-trip ticket on the high-speed Toppy and Rocket hydrofoil ferry, which took two and a half hours.

Over a long weekend, I paddled the jade-hued Anbo River with SUP tour operator Green Mount (half day from $54) and hiked the well-marked trails of the Shiratani Unsuikyo Ravine, a mystical nature park filled with moss forests, ancient cedars, and macaque monkeys. Another local outfitter, Yakushima Experience, leads guided treks to places like Kuromidake, an alpine part of the island that delivers 360-degree views (from $80). The owner also operates a guesthouse (from $174) just 12 miles east of Hirauchi Kaichu Onsen, a sulfur-rich hot spring carved into the rock on the southern shore ($1, paid on an honor system). Note that the baths are only accessible during low tide, so time your visit accordingly.

Canada

Exchange rate: $1 = 1.37 Canadian dollars
One year ago: $1 = 1.31 Canadian dollars

When it comes to wilderness bragging rights, Canada is hard to beat. America’s northern neighbor has it all, from temperate coastal rainforest to 14,000-foot peaks to gorgeous national parks. One word of advice: even with the stronger U.S. dollar, Canadian gas prices range from 25 to 50 percent higher than the American average, so perhaps skip the road trip and consider a trip to the Shearwater Resort, an eco-retreat in the Great Bear Rainforest of British Columbia.

Owned by the Heiltsuk Nation, this 63-acre Denny Island property can be reached by ferry from Port Hardy ($84 round trip) or Bella Coola ($53 round trip) and offers accommodations suited to all budgets, from campsites ($15) to cozy lodge rooms with oceanfront balconies ($335). The draw: incredible salmon fishing, intimate cultural tours, extraordinary wildlife viewing—notably grizzly and black bears, as well as the rare white spirit bear and humpback whales and orcas—plus kayak and SUP activities.

In the eastern province of Quebec, Montreal is an urban playground worth your time and money. From downtown it’s an hour bus ride ($2.30) or 20-minute taxi ($22) to Boucherville Islands National Park ($7), a series of five small islands laced with more than 20 miles of trails. Rent kayaks or paddleboards (from $25 for four hours) to explore the bird-filled wetlands. The park also offers 50 riverside tent campsites (from $25).

South Africa

Exchange rate: $1 =  18.32 South African rand
One year ago: $1 = 17.74 South African rand

South Africa offers much more than safaris. Cape Town, on the southwest coast, is the ultimate urban adventure base—it reminds me of an affordable San Francisco, with a combination of gorgeous beaches, awesome hiking trails, and wine lands less than 30 minutes away.

In 2019, United Airlines launched North America’s only nonstop flight to Cape Town via Newark, New Jersey. A recent search showed round-trip flights in September for $1,320, which is less than I paid to fly to any city in Europe this summer from the U.S.

The strong dollar goes a long way here. I love staying at the ten-room Noah House, located close to the trails of unforgettable Table Mountain and the buzzy bars and restaurants of Kloof Street. Rooms go for around $165 and include a lovely breakfast. A slightly more affordable sister property, Âmé, will debut nearby in October. Outfitter Escape and Explore can arrange adventures like snorkeling in a kelp forest or surfing at Muizenberg Beach.

The Garden Route, a 124-mile ocean-hugging highway on the Western Cape, boasts some of the best land-based whale-watching on the planet, a season that generally runs from June to December. Accommodations within De Hoop Nature Reserve (from $94) offer easy access to hiking and biking trails along the shore and opportunities to spot ostrich and Cape Mountain zebra from your doorstep.

Romania

Exchange rate: $1 = 4.58 Romanian lei
One year ago: $1 = 4.43 Romanian lei

While many European countries have been battling overtourism, Romania remains largely off the radar of travelers. When I visited in June, I was warmly welcomed by locals, trekked empty trails, and easily booked reservations at popular restaurants with wildly affordable prices. At Soro Lume, one of the top tables in the capital city of Bucharest, a glass of great wine cost just $6, and the most expensive entrée on the menu was $16.

Ringed by the Carpathian Mountains, the forested region of Transylvania is a hiking and biking gem, with 64 miles of mountain-bike trails linking eight Saxon villages. Base yourself in Viscri at the seven-room Bike Check Inn (from $65). The owner was involved in building the trail network and rents bikes (from $20) and e-bikes (from $32) and also offers guided bike trips. Mesendorf Gasthaus, in the central-Romanian village of Mesendorf, is also conveniently located near the bike trail as well as fantastic hiking trails rich with birds like goshawks and hawfinches. (from $86). Take advantage now. Romania’s government is looking to adopt the euro by 2026.

Australia

Exchange rate: $1 = 1.51 Australian dollars
One year ago: $1 = 1.47 Australian dollars

New flight routes are often promoted with deals, so look to score savings when American Airlines introduces new service  from Dallas to Brisbane on October 27 and Delta launches a seasonal route from L.A. to Brisbane on December 4.

The capital city of Queensland, in the country’s northeast, is the perfect jumping-off point to explore the wave-blessed beaches of the Gold Coast, just 40 miles south. Or head to Byron Bay, one of my all-time favorite beach towns, located around 100 miles south. In Byron, check in at the Sunseeker, a revamped motel on the edge of town with 12 rooms, lo-fi vibes, and a kitschy tiki bar (from $180), or hunker down at Sun Ranch, a regenerative farm set on 55 acres in the hinterland, with trails for horseback riding, a pool and badminton club, and a wellness area equipped with a wood-fired sauna and a cold plunge (from $370).

Adventure options range from tandem hang gliding over the Cape Byron Nature Reserve (from $107 for 30 minutes) to paddling to famed surf breaks like Tallow Beach and the Pass. Soul Surf School rents boards (from $18 for two hours) and runs half-day group lessons ($53). Head inland to explore the waterfalls and glow-worm caves within World Heritage–listed Nightcap National Park.

In town, caffeinate with a perfectly poured flat white from Bayleaf Café and carbo-load at Masa Byron Bay, known for its addictive sourdough pizza, doughnuts, and creative croissant flavors, like peanut butter chocolate.

Portugal

Exchange rate: $1 = 0.92 Euro
One year ago: $1 = 0.89 Euro

True, the euro has a slight edge on the dollar, but if you’re like me and can’t resist the pull of Western Europe, consider Portugal as a less expensive option to the rest of the Continent. Surf-swept beaches, scenic trail networks like the Rota Vicentina (Fishermen’s Trail)—check out the video and Gaia GPS map, below— and cycling routes that meander along the dramatic coast and through wine country have put this country on the radar of active travelers who don’t want to spend a fortune.

Portugal feels like a bargain in comparison to Spain, France, or Italy. Its rail system, Comboios de Portugal, conveniently connects the northern and southern regions (a round-trip ticket ffrom Lisbon to Porto cost me $47 last fall), and when I rented a car for ten days last June, it cost half of what I paid to rent a car for a long weekend in Maine this summer.

My recent trip was a surf mission on Portugal’s Silver Coast, and Noah Surf House was a dream stay. Perched above the beach in the sleepy town of Santa Cruz, the family-friendly, sustainable hotel has an in-house surf school, a skate park, trampolines, a gym, sea-to-table food, and a variety of accommodations ranging from sea-view bungalows (from $200) to eight-person bunkhouses (from $60 per person).

After a long morning of surfing, I’d retreat to Plaj, just below the hotel, where the catch of the day, paired with potatoes and fresh vegetables, cost around $15 and was enough to share with a friend. The surf picks up in autumn, right when the price of flights to Europe typically start to fall, so go for it.

Jen Murphy makes her friends ski across the border from Switzerland to Italy to score a more affordable (and equally delicious) lunch on her annual European ski trip.