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If you like to travel without spending a lot, you probably already know that the destination can make or break your budget. In some places, it feels like practically everything costs at least $100. Other places are made for budget travel. Thanks to Skyscanner’s Travel Trends 2024 Report, we have a list of affordable destinations for U.S. travelers.
10 of the most affordable destinations for U.S. travelers
Skyscanner ranked its top 10 cheapest destinations for U.S. travelers based on return flight prices. Here’s the full list and the average return flight price to the United States from each one:
- San Juan, Puerto Rico: $295
- Vancouver, Canada: $300
- Nassau, Bahamas: $347
- Toronto, Canada: $348
- Cancun, Mexico: $422
- Calgary, Canada: $429
- San Jose del Cabo, Mexico: $429
- Bogota, Colombia: $440
- Puerto Vallarta, Mexico: $460
- Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic: $460
It’s not exactly the perfect method. Some of these cities made the list because they’re close to the United States and have major airports. It may be cheap to fly home from Vancouver, Toronto, and Calgary, but they’re not cheap destinations — an important distinction when you’re trying to take care of your finances.
But there are some low-cost destinations on the list. Having been to Bogota and Puerto Vallarta, I can confirm that both are very affordable. San Juan, Cancun, San Jose del Cabo, and Santo Domingo are also popular destinations where the dollar goes further.
Even with the more expensive places on the list, scoring a deal on airfare makes a big difference. Flights tend to be one of the major travel costs. And if you have points on hotel credit cards available, you could use those to cover a place to stay. Between that and a cheap flight, you’d be on your way to a budget-friendly trip.
How to find affordable places to visit
Lists of cheap destinations can help you come up with ideas, but it’s also easy to find them yourself. A popular method, used by 1 in 2 travelers who visit Skyscanner, is an “everywhere” search.
It’s just like a regular flight search, with one key difference: You leave the destination open. Lots of flight booking sites give you this option, including Skyscanner, Google Flights, and Kayak. My favorite is Google Flights, as I think it has the nicest interface.
After you enter all your other trip details, choose the “everywhere” or “anywhere” option for the destination field. The wording varies a bit depending on the flight booking site.
This will get you a list of destinations and the cheapest flight prices for each one. Once again, cheap flights don’t always mean a place is affordable. Flight costs will normally be lower for places close to your departure airport. So if you see a city you like, and you’re not sure if it’s actually affordable, do a quick search online to double-check.
Making the most of your travel budget
You don’t need all kinds of money in your savings account to travel. Plenty of travelers have had amazing experiences on shoestring budgets. An affordable destination helps, but here are a few more ways to travel for less:
- Open travel credit cards and use them for all your regular expenses. These cards earn rewards you can redeem for travel purchases, so they’re an easy way to save.
- Set up deal alerts. Many travel booking sites will alert you when prices drop on the flight you want.
- Keep your travel dates open. If you’re willing to travel whenever, you’re more likely to find a good deal.
No matter how much you spend, travel is always more enjoyable when you’re not stressing about how you’ll pay for it. So if it’s something you love, save money in a travel fund for yourself every month. And when you do travel, make sure you can pay for it without going into debt.
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