5 Best Travel Destination Deals 2016

Our Top 5 Picks For Affordable Travel Destinations In 2016

Hats off to Tom Hall (writer for Lonely Planet) for putting together a great list of best value travel destinations in 2016. For those who love traveling the globe, seeking interesting, new places to visit, but don’t want to spend a fortune…check out our top picks from Tom’s article:

Make your hard-earned cash go further with our essential annual hot-list of where to go for wallet-friendly wandering, whether you’re hunting for a bargain or in search of old-school cheapness. Splurgers, look elsewhere.

1. Estonia

The enchanting forests of the Lahemaa National Park. Image by DEA / W. BUSS / De Agostini / Getty

If you’ve just got off the ferry from Stockholm or Helsinki then Estonia can feel like the promised land. Why? That chunk of change in your pocket you’ve had since last leaving the eurozone will buy you a round of drinks. Upsizing from a hostel to hotel might seem like a good – and affordable – idea. Best of all, what you get in exchange for your hard-earned cash is experiencing a gloriously distinctive slice of Europe, where Eastern and Nordic influences mix together.

Beyond the irresistible capital of Tallinn there are little-known Baltic islands and the seashore and forest delights of Lahemaa National Park, which holds the distinction of being the first national park in the old Soviet Union.

3. East Africa

East Africa’s Nilo Azul (Blue Nile). Image by Miguel A. Marti / Getty Images

The outbreak of the Ebola virus in West Africa has, unfortunately for other areas of the continent, had a knock-on effect in terms of bookings for 2015. So listen up: London, Madrid and Paris are hundreds of miles closer to the outbreak in West Africa than East Africa’s tourism heartland. Africa is a massive continent (the United States would fit in the Sahara Desert) so you’ll be doing yourself and tourism in East Africa a favour if you take advantage of the cracking deals on offer to Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and the rest of the region. And in the process experience some of the world’s great wonders, from gorilla encounters to Rift Valley scenery to squeaky-sanded beaches.

4. New Mexico

Mountain biking in New Mexico. Image by amygdala_imagery / Lonely Planet

Looking for a beautiful, affordable, active, foodie corner of America’s southwest? Look no further. New Mexico powers your budget further. Dry, sunny weather is a near constant. Albuquerque’s Breaking Bad sights can be explored for the price of a trolley ride and washed down with a cheap eat from a hole-in-the-wall taqueria. Elsewhere, the winter sports are good and cheap and the outdoors is outstanding (and free): hiking in Alpine forests, petroglyph sites to track down and free wild hot springs. Given the richness of attractions all found within one state, New Mexico offers value from a time as well as monetary perspective.

8. Costa Rica’s Caribbean Coast

Hang out with a furry friend at the Sloth Sanctuary in San Jose. Image by Rodrigo Arangua / AFP / Getty

Looking for a Costa Rica that’s more Tico than tourist, but with everything that makes the country such a big draw? Get to the country’s Caribbean coast and you’ll find a still-evolving destination that’s likely to become a big noise over the next few years. Here you’ll find nesting turtles at Tortuguero, rafting on the Río Pacuare and diving in the reefs of Manzanillo. Surfers and fans of laid-back black-sand beaches should aim for the southern coast. For now, this is a land mostly visited by independent travellers and those seeking out birdlife. Not sold? Two words: sloth sanctuary.

9. Timor-Leste

Futucama in Timor-Leste. Image by Lonely Planet

If you’re pondering a little-known and highly affordable destination then Timor-Leste (rather than East Timor, if you please) might just be the budget destination for you. Away from the pricey hotels of the internationally-influenced capital of Dili, you’ll find bargain beach shacks on the beaches of Atauro Island, and welcoming homestays in the misty hill country. Despite ongoing security concerns, traveling round Timor-Leste can be an old-fashioned adventure, complete with bumpy roads and packed local transport. As an added bonus, you will be able to stare down any travel bore with Asia’s newest country added to your roster.

If you lack a huge travel budget, these are just some of the places you can explore without going broke. Yes…we know the numbers are not in consecutive order. That’s because we picked our favorites from Tom’s top 10 list.
Read the original article at: www.LonelyPlanet.com

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