Customer Reviews

The World's Cheapest Destinations: 21 Countries Where Your Money is Worth a Fortune, 3rd Edition

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book is as valuable as a passport: - in that it can make the difference between exploring the world and staying at home. It enables the reader to make choices among affordable destinations. Because it focuses on costs, it is highly relevant in today's gloomy economy. But it does more. The countries Tim has included meet two other important criteria. First, each has an infrastructure able to serve travelers. Second, each has attractions and adventures that make it worth visiting. In fact, most of the countries that meet Tim's standards excel in terms of attractions regardless of price. (I've visited all but four of them). This practical, easy-to-read book is the absolute best in its niche.

I recently received my copy of the 3rd edition of Tim Leffel's World's Cheapest Destinations and I must say that I am impressed. This is the only book I have come across that gives you a real global breakdown of the countries to travel to where you will get the best value for your money. By best value for your money, I mean that they are relatively easy to get around and have many attractions or activities while still having rock bottom prices. The book mainly provides suggestions on where you should travel and why, along with the relative prices you will encounter in the various destinations. Having traveled to a number of countries discussed in the book and being in the middle of planning another large trip, I can say from experience that the information provided is highly accurate. This would be an invaluable resource for anyone wanting to travel the world on the cheap or someone who simply wants to find a great place to travel for a little while.

I would highly recommend this book as a starting point for planning any trip if you are interested in getting the most for your money.

This is one of the best travel books I have found. It is perfect for the person who wants to travel the world using the path less traveled. Though not in depth, it nicely overviews 21 countries where a traveler can expect not to go broke visiting. It provides hints and warnings along the way which provide valuable insite and pleanty of fuel for dreams. Would definately recommend this book!

I read "The World's Cheapest Destinations" while I was traveling around the world for eight months. In total, I visited over 25 countries, many of which are reviewed by the author in this book. I was able to test whether or not his recommendations were accurate.

This is a great guide to buy before you go on a trip, and you're contemplating where to go on a budget. It's a quick read and as complete as it can be, and only covers destinations that the author has personally visited.

Although the prices may not be 100% accurate, as long as you don't rely on dollar amounts, you will find the recommendations in this book particularly useful on deciding which places to visit.

Funny thing, the author said that there was only one country he would never go back to, and it's the Philippines. I found this tip particularly offensive when I first arrived in the Philippines and had a generally good impression of the country. However, after three weeks visiting the islands, I couldn't agree more! (Although truth be told, I would go back to specific islands for scuba diving only).

It's impossible to keep track of different prices around the world accurately in a book, no matter how many editions are printed. Many countries experience inflation in the teen numbers, therefore most likely prices will be different by the time you get there. However, relative to other countries, you will find that the 25 countries listed in this book are a good starting point for destinations to visit on the cheap.

This is a nice book for a much-needed niche. As "currency leveraging" becomes more popular, both with businesses and individual travelers, I expect this book to become more popular. I bought it just for the section on India but found myself daydreaming about other areas in the book that I hadn't previously seriously considered. The measly $14 will pay for itself within minutes of arriving at your destination. As others have said, you'll probably want a more detailed guide for the specific areas you'll be visiting, but if you're watching your money this book fills the much-needed niche of quickly narrowing your choices and giving you a nice general orientation to your chosen country.

If you're brand new to travel and don't know much about the world, this book will help you create a short list of countries to learn more about. However, the author lost credibility for me as early as the introduction, when he said that Hugo Chavez is the president of Argentina (p. xv). While I didn't notice other glaring errors in my skim through the rest of the book, I'd be hesitant to put a lot of faith in less easily confirmed facts, such as specific costs.

The book is mostly intended for backpackers. If you have a business that you run from the road, you won't get much information from this book about the speed or availability of internet access.

Follow Tim Leffel as he travels and writes about a wide range of topics, from the best places to buy souvenirs to interacting with natives. He has spanned the world three times over to obtain the most pertinent information so the reader can get the most "bang for their buck." If you're into food, he can be your personal guide some of the most diverse foods from Memphis rib to Thai tofu while making his way across many cultural regions.

This is a perfect guidebook, The World's Cheapest Destinations; the author throughout the book shares his thought that "it is not how you go, but where." Traveling overseas may be expensive, but, as Leffel states, "only to get there."
Dividing up travel destinations into four sections, Asia, Africa & Middle East, Europe and the Americas, Leffel is watching out for the most wonderful spectacular deals.

Each chapter begins with a general description of the country, accommodations, food & drink, transportation and then general comments about the locations including information about enjoyable activities such as visiting museums or snorkeling. He also shares what the deal-seeking population or penny pinchers (which I like to call them) think is a blessing.

For someone that enjoys the thrilling adventure of traveling and desiring to expand his or her horizons with what the world can offer. Pick up the book today and start planning your next trip without having to break the bank.

I read Tim's first edition a few years back and was very pleased. I was so happy to find that he had updated the book, as the globe certainly changes a lot in a few years' time. This edition is even more informative (and up to date) than the previous. I unfortunately now have an even bigger wishlist of places to go. Tim provides very good detail on what you can actually spend in certain places if you do it correctly. I've had some e-mail correspondence with Tim and he seems to be a great person - very helpful. I highly recommend this book for cheap travel.

This is a good book for the novice traveler. The information is well presented and written. I already knew that Europe is mostly expensive and developed countries will cost more than less developed countries. Good for comparing locations and for expanding travel horizons.

Written clearly, and to the point. It made some of the countries sound attractive to me, and some like real health menaces. It's not always accurate(see prior complaints in other reviews) but gave me a general picture of the culture and points of interest. Worth the price but not a lot more.