text:
Budget travel

 * See minimum budget travel for more radical advice.

If you want to see the world on the cheap, for necessity, lifestyle or challenge, there are some ways to do that. Basically, they fall into two categories: Either work while you travel or limit your expenses. This article is focused on the latter. For those willing to sacrifice comfort, time and predictability to push expenses down close to zero, see minimum budget travel.

The advice assumes that travellers do not steal, trespass, evade fares, participate in the illegal market, beg, or otherwise exploit other people for their own gain.

Some of the budget travel advice also reduces your environmental impact, using more efficient transportation, and consuming less commodities.

Prepare

"I would rather own a little and see the world than own the world and see a little of it."

- Unknown

Doing research may help you avoid paying more than necessary. This includes finding out-of-way cheap lodgings that don't spend money on advertising, getting a membership card that gives you discounts in hostels and at camping sites, buying the travel card before having to spend on single tickets, being able to use early bird discounts etc.

In the standard case, travel agencies cost more than booking the same service yourself. They can however provide some good deals, at least for resorts. Aggregators can be a good option when you're planning and purchasing the components of your trip, which often makes sense to do well ahead — in most cases, pre-booking transportation, accommodation and attractions is cheaper than last-minute booking. Last-minute deals might be found for selective resort destinations.

When you book transportation, there is a balance between time and money spent; the same can be the case when booking accommodation (near or far from your main destination). See also time management.

Consider joining a group tour. Often there are significant group discounts and you can visit places that would be far more expensive if you visited on your own (especially if you need transport). You might regard the planned itinerary and the guiding as something you need to cope with to get the price cut – or as a bonus.

You will walk a lot, especially if you are going to avoid taxis. If you aren't accustomed to walking all day at home, you may want to do some exercise – especially if you aren't really fit. You may also want a realistic estimate on how much walking you can do and how much you need to rest after a visit to a large museum, to allow better planning.

Get in
Consider where you're going in the first place, especially if you are going to stay a longer time, or are considering travelling far. A "staycation" of day trips around your home area might be a viable alternative. Low-income countries and places that can be easily accessed (overland) are usually better if you are on a tight budget – but in some low-income countries getting the comfort and safety you are used to is anything but cheap. Also – especially if you're flying – getting to a developing country can be considerably more expensive than to a popular tourist destination with more demand and more competition. On the other hand, if you would like to go to a relatively expensive destination such as Norway or Greenland, be prepared to spend: although you can avoid many costs, trying to avoid everything expensive can ruin a visit to such regions.

Currency exchange rates in both your home country and destination countries can change rapidly. If you have the opportunity, choose a time and place where you get more of the local currency.

Within the same country, small towns usually have cheaper accommodation, dining and services than large cities and resorts. In a small town, though, you might be more dependent on a car or other personal transportation, and there probably won't be a suburb or back street with cheaper options.

The timing of the journey is also decisive; transportation and accommodation are expensive during major holidays and a destination's main tourist season, as well as during high-attendance events such as major sporting matches and conventions. For instance, a ski resort might offer bargains in summertime; even without snow, hiking can be enjoyable. Seasonality also matters for associated costs: if you travel to a place where winter is the low-cost off-season, you might find yourself spending more on winter clothes, snow tires, and other cold-weather needs than you will save on the direct travel expenses.

Travellers who are retired or on a long-term leave are less time-dependent, and can find cheaper dates than full-time workers on a short vacation at fixed dates. Mid-week can be cheaper than weekends (or the other way round where business travel outweighs tourism). Local holidays can spike prices.

Overtourism is an issue at some famous destinations, inflating prices for accommodation, food and souvenirs, as well as causing a worse experience for visitors, dissatisfaction among the locals, and destruction of the cultural and natural environment. If you go to an over-touristed destination, it is more important than ever to avoid the high season and holidays. Also, try to prepare so that you get the most out of the visit. Sometimes there are similar sites that just haven't got as much publicity, which you can enjoy without the overtourism problems. Overtourism can turn venues, districts and sometimes whole cities into overpriced and less genuine (see below).

Get around
Travelling slowly can reduce costs. Staying in the same location or region a longer time (several days to several months) reduces transportation costs and gives you time to determine the cheapest places to stay, eat and visit. You can usually also negotiate lower rates for extended stays. Generally, a slow mode of transport allows you to cover a smaller area, but instead of wasting time on getting somewhere (or waiting at an airport), you can use every minute to experience the place where you are at the moment.

Compare all modes of transport and plan your routes strategically. The shortest way isn't always the cheapest way, and if you can include an interesting (perhaps little known) intermediate destination or leave one with an expensive (or time consuming) connection to the next time, all the better.

The way the locals travel is often cheaper than the way the tourists travel.

Many carriers have a discount for categories of travellers, such as youths, students, seniors, soldiers, veterans, or clients of welfare programs. They might need a certificate, and sometimes only a local one counts. Sometimes the discount applies also to foreigners, but they want something they can recognise as the needed certificate. An International Student Card (ISIC) may be recognised even if ordinary cards from your country are not.

By foot

Try to pack light. Buying things as needed and paying for laundry may be cheaper than needing a taxi.

The only cost you incur while walking is new shoes, as they get worn down a little faster when you walk more. It is the cheapest mode of transport hands down. If you are an experienced walker, can carry around the stuff you need and have several weeks or months for your travels, you can cover even long distances by foot only. After all, this is how our ancestors moved around on land before any other kind of transportation was invented – check Long distance walking in Europe for some suggested routes.

Nearly all old towns are compact and walkable almost by definition, and even many younger cities can be explored quite comfortably on foot, giving you a much better feel for the area. The latter is true also in the countryside, and you can choose routes where no bus is available and which may not even be driveable. In some places a car is more hassle than it's worth, and not having to bother with metro-cards that only work in one city, having to pay exact change for the bus, and details of lines and timetables, can leave your mind free for actually seeing the city you're in.

Running is a way to see a new neighborhood and improve physical fitness when allowed by weather and environment. Invest in good track shoes.

By bike
Cycling can be a good and cheap way to explore areas a little (or much) further apart than what is practical to see by walking.

One advantage of a bike is that there are little running or fixed costs once you have the bike. Small repairs or the occasional drop of oil/grease for the chains hardly amount to more than a hundred euros per year even for heavy users, whereas a car costs in excess of two hundred euros per month just for maintenance and fixed costs. Furthermore a bike is a simple enough mechanical system, not needing much technical expertise to understand, and all pieces except the frame are easily replaced and fixed within a couple of hours. In low income countries, you can usually have your bike fixed for quite a low price if you don't want to do it yourself, while big cities in many high income countries have "do it yourself" or "help each other" bike repair shops where tools and experts are provided for free or a nominal fee and you can learn how to do it on your own the next time while you fix your bike together.

In some cases a traveler may be able to bring a bicycle from home; usually the handlebars and pedals need to be turned or removed to fit the bicycle into a "bike box" for transport on intercity bus or rail. Airlines may or may not accommodate bikes; their exact policies vary and change so much that you should rather check with your airline directly. Car ferries usually take bikes without hassle.

Renting a bike can be a good option, for overall transport or shorter tours in the countryside. While the price is not always cheap, it may be cheaper than getting transport for your own bike and is certainly cheaper in most countries than renting a car, and can give you the range you need with little hassle. However, in some countries like the USA or Australia, rental bikes for two people can easily cost more than a rental car for the same period.

For an extended trip it will be much cheaper to buy a used bike rather than rent. Used bikes can usually be purchased for reasonable prices at thrift shops, pawn shops, and garage sales. However, don't count on being able to quickly sell your bike at the end of your trip. Also check the condition of the bike carefully: if it needs repairs you will lose time, and replacement parts can cost as much as the used bike.

Many cities, especially in Europe, have cheap bike share schemes run by (or in cooperation with) urban governments. These can be good value for money and a dirt cheap way of getting around fast. Check them out before you go, as some need advance registration.

While bike-share systems are getting increasingly common, not all of them are a good choice for visitors, as some require a local ID or bank account as proof of identity and the location of their stations may be better for commuting than sightseeing. Furthermore, unsubsidized systems, which are common in North America, can be rather expensive (membership in the range of US$100 per year and day passes for $10 and more plus usage fees for longer hire) and may not compare favorably to public transit after all.

Travel insurance may not cover loss or damage to a bicycle you rent. Check and get the cover if you need it.

By boat
Freighter travel or hitchhiking boats may be an option for transportation between continents. They are usually not cheaper per mile than flying, but if you like the experience and not count food and accommodation aboard as transport expenses, they may be quite cheap nevertheless – especially compared to a cruise. To some less visited destinations they may be the cheapest or only option.

While yachts are expensive, smaller boats or a canoe or kayak need not be. If there are suitable waterways and places to sleep, a boating voyage can work out very cheap – in addition to possibly being a nice alternative way to experience a region. You need to do your research, though; if you need transport for your boat past rapids, dams or otherwise blocked passages, your saving may quickly be gone, and spending may be hard to avoid also on stretches where you cannot camp wild in or near your boat. There may also be hazards on the route. If you are buying a cheap boat instead of renting or bringing your own, there are all the issues with buying a potential lemon away from home.

By thumb

Hitchhiking is an unreliable way to travel. If you are lucky, you will be almost as fast as if you were driving yourself. If you are unlucky you will be mostly waiting or walking for days.

An alternative to hitchhiking is ride sharing, where a ride is arranged in advance with another voyager travelling in the same direction. Typically, ride sharing passengers pay some token amount to defray the cost of the trip, which often is more economical than scheduled bus or train lines. Do not confuse with ride hailing services, where the driver usually drives or shares their car for a profit.

By public transport
Public transportation is usually a reasonably cheap way to travel around an urban area. Some cities even offer some forms of free transport in city centers.

However, in some places, it can be cheaper for three or four people to share a taxi than to take public transport. Shop around and compare. Motorcycle taxis (tuk-tuk, boda-boda etc.; tricycles or plain motorcycles) are common in East African and Asian cities, and cheaper than taxis, but in some countries driving can be reckless, and helmets are seldom provided.

For public transport, look into multi-use tickets. Many systems have tickets that can be used a certain number of times, or over a certain time period, for a considerable discount over buying each ticket individually. Sometimes do-the-town cards include public transport for a day or a few, in addition to free or cheaper entrance to many sights. If you are using them heavily, they are often a bargain, but if you mostly walk and visit just some of the places, they may not be a good deal. Compare with your plans.

Even national and international rail and bus networks may have discount tickets for a month's or several months' travel. You should also check what discounts you're eligible for: Western Europe frequently has blanket discount schemes for people under 26, Great Britain has a youth discount card that you can buy and which pays for itself after three or four journeys (a 'Young Person's Rail Card'), and many countries have discount schemes for students, pensioners and sometimes disabled people. Increasingly train operators sell discount cards offering either 25% or 50% on all or certain types of travel. Though they mostly have a minimum validity of one year, some special offers for short term cards are sometimes available for cheap prices. Though be careful with those offers as you often have to cancel early to avoid being "trapped" in a rather expensive subscription with yearly cancellation. Most discount cards also offer a discount for a trip starting or ending in their country and crossing one or several borders.

Local transport is often considerably cheaper than express or long distance transport. In European countries in the outskirts of a city, the public transport system can often overlap with a neighbouring city, providing a cheaper method of transport than explicitly paying for an inter-city trip. In countries like Japan, local trains are cheaper if you have time on your hands and can manage the connections. Early bird fares (where they exist) for long distance public transport such as trains can still be the cheapest option available – with the downside of limited flexibility and often no possibility for a refund.

By bus

Buses tend to be the cheapest option of getting anywhere and in some places they are the only alternative to a car. The deregulation of intercity buses in Europe has created a dynamic market with several players trying to undercut each other (and the railways) in terms of price. Once more, the key to low prices is booking early and shopping around. Sometimes cobbling together a connection between two different companies works out even cheaper than buying the whole route from one operator, but naturally you are the only person responsible for such connections working out and should you miss your connection due to any type of delay your ticket will almost certainly be worthless.

By train
For distances up to 1,000 km (600 mi), sometimes even for longer routes, trains may be cheaper than flying. Shop around. Sleeper services are usually more expensive than non-sleepers, but you might consider them for the money they save you on accommodation and for the daytime hours you save. On some trains you have the choice between a (small) private sleeper compartment and a cheaper shared couchette. Some railways only charge the sleeper surcharge once per unit of accommodation, thus enabling pairs or small families who share a cabin to get a sleeper at quite an affordable price. If traveling as a couple, this of course also has a certain romanticism to it that is hard to find in other ways of travel. If you still find the sleeper too expensive, you might opt for a seat instead. As there is no high demand for these in nighttime, they are sometimes steeply discounted – but trying to sleep in one is difficult (see Bus travel for some tricks). At some night trains there are reclining seats that give a sporting chance to sleep adequately, still cheaper than real sleepers.

By car
First off: driving is often the most expensive way of getting anywhere, even if gasoline happens to be cheap where you live. Maintenance and fixed costs, tolls and taxes are things that make owning a car expensive, before you have moved it a single inch. If you can at all live without a car, you will usually save big amounts of money, that you could not save while owning a car even if you hardly drive. However, there are some ways to mitigate the costs of car use. In some scenarios it even makes sense to rent a car just for a vacation, instead of having it all year.

Driving might save money in locations where countryside hotels, restaurants and other attractions give better value for your money than those in cities, and when a scenic route with viewpoints is an attraction in its own right.

If you are going overseas or bringing your own car otherwise is difficult and expensive, you may have to rent one. Depending on country, you might want to plan carefully on what legs you need or want the car and where it is more of a costly nuisance. In some countries getting a car with driver can be cheaper than renting a car you would like to drive.

In many parts of the world, especially Europe, it is possible to save money on travel by "ride sharing". There are websites where people post their travel details: where, when, what kind of car they have, how many spare seats, and how much they want you to pay them. It's not just a great way to cut travel costs, it can also be a great way to meet new people! In Germany, this kind of travel is called a "Mitfahrgelegenheit", in Portugal "boleia" and in France "covoiturage". In some countries this is regarded as illegal black taxis, but you may be able to get around that by just sharing costs.

In the United States, you can try a driveaway car service. These most often serve "snowbirds", seasonal travellers who want their vehicles brought south to them in the winter or back north in the spring. In this service, you pay a small fee to an agency to deliver a car to a business or individual in another city, often hundreds or thousands of miles away. The customer wins by reducing their shipping costs, and you win by having a car to drive for cheap – but likely only one way. You are often allowed a certain amount of flexibility in the route and delivery time, allowing you freedom to explore. This is also possible, although not very common, in Canada. HitTheRoad.ca is a Canada-based driveaway service.

Some repairs can be done by laypeople as well. While the increasing number of electronic components and onerous warranty provisions make this more and more difficult, things like changing tires or measuring the amount of oil in the motor can and should be done by yourself. Some other small repairs don't require an expert either, though this may depend on your technical knowledge and the model of the car. Not only does it save you money (particularly in high income countries), it also familiarizes yourself with your vehicle and enables you to detect problems before they cause expensive damage. Furthermore the ability to make a broken down car run again can save you a fortune in remote areas where help may be days out.

In spite of the remarks on costs above, if you own a car, it may nevertheless be good to use it for a trip – and if public transport is sparse where you are going, and you are going with your family, or in a company, renting one may make sense.

The major advantage of a car is that it offers a lot more space than most other modes of transportation, and you can use that space to save money. RVs, vans and large station wagons are suitable for sleeping in (as long as it's reasonably warm outside); if you travel in places where it's safe and legal to do so outside designated camping areas, you may not need to pay for lodging. Even if you can't sleep in your car, you can usually pack a tent in the trunk. It's also comparatively easy — especially in rural areas — to travel to places with affordable lodging. Moreover, self-catering is fairly easy: you can bring cooking equipment and a small refrigerator and shop for larger quantities of foodstuffs where they cost less. If you travel abroad, there may be products from alcohol and tobacco to clothes and home electronics that for various reasons cost a fraction of what you'd need to shell out at home, and a trunk offers much more space for them than a backpack. This also works the other way around: If you travel to an expensive country by car you'll be able to bring inexpensive stuff you'll need on your trip from home. Check customs rules.

If you have a choice of vehicles, you might want to check fuel economy, road tolls and ferry prices, which may be much more expensive if you have anything beyond what is considered a "normal" car locally; capacity for larger vehicles may also be limited on some ferries.

Fuel economy
Fuel is often the greatest expense when driving in places like the European Union, where fuel taxes are high. There are many methods to save fuel.
 * With a manual gearbox, favor high gears when safe.
 * Use cruise control, if available.
 * Avoid overtaking.
 * Avoid congested traffic.
 * Use the air conditioner only when necessary.
 * Remove roof racks or a roof box when not in use.

By plane
Riding first or business class is of course expensive, but even seats in economy class can differ significantly, depending on booking time, flight time, and ticket class.

Look for bargains. Budget airlines sometimes offer air tickets for very low prices. With a bit of luck you can fly even for just the price of airport taxes and charges. And check the price for getting to your destination from the airport. Some airports have cheap ordinary public transport, often beside much more expensive airport buses and taxis. Some airports, like Heathrow in London, Sydney Airport, or Queenstown Airport, charge a premium for public transport. That fee doesn't apply if going to or from the next stop along the line – sometimes that stop is within walking distance or you can even take a bus and change onto the train from there. Other airport surcharges are not as easy to avoid, but Denver charges the same rate for a day ticket (including the airport) as for a regular ticket to the airport.

In general the economies of scale tend to work against aviation for "short hops" and in favor of it the longer the distance gets. Once crossing an ocean is involved, aviation is usually your only and almost always your cheapest option. For shorter distances however, and especially for routes that are only served by one or a select few carriers, overland transport may be cheaper, sometimes even by orders of magnitude. This however often comes with a reason. The 300-odd km flight costs $200? Well, that's 'cause the only other option is a 24-hour bus ride (if you get through fast) with no place to sleep and little legroom. The flight to the place you never heard of takes twenty minutes and costs a month's wage? Well maybe that is because the only other option is a boat built under the auspices of the German Kaiser, with little maintenance since, together with a bunch of shady types. On the other hand, on some routes where the plane flies anyway (for mail or whatever) and has difficulty filling the seats, the price on an early bird or last minute ticket may be quite affordable.

Still the pricing structure of aviation does not follow a strict relation between cost and price (often there is none whatsoever) and sometimes cheaper fares can be had by actions that seem to defy logic, such as going hundreds of miles in the "wrong" direction first to go to another airport with cheaper flights or buying a flight A to C via B if you want to go from A to B and never boarding your connection to C. The airlines have tried to crack down on some of those "tricks" while they generally don't care about some others. Conditions may vary wildly locally.

Another option worth considering, especially if you are flexible with your origin or destination airport are air rail alliances, which allow you to for example fly into Frankfurt airport and take a train to Hamburg or the other way around for possibly much cheaper than the flight to the latter city would have been.

See

Many art galleries, museums and other attractions are free, and major sights in cities are virtually always free to see from the outside. Of those that require an entry fee, some have discounted or free days at least once a month, or a time after which admission is discounted or free. Tourist information offices will sometimes be able to tell you about these. In some countries you get a discount if you are a national of that country. Students and elderly people also often get discounts, but a need to prove this status may apply. In Finland there is the Museokortti card, which at a moderate price offers free entrance to most museums all round the country for a week or all the year – a real bargain if you like such venues.

Some national parks and hiking trails charge an entrance fee, but the fee is often lower for hikers, cyclists or skiers, than for visitors with a car. There may be year passes for national parks in a country, which can be worth considering if you'd like to visit several parks. Also, it's possible that a lower or no fee is charged off-season (though remember that the weather may be really awful then).

Religious buildings (churches, mosques etc) are often free to visit (for prayer or otherwise). Visiting for concerts still usually requires a fee, as do religious museum buildings. They might request or expect a gratuity from visitors.

Free public events include ceremonial guards, parades, public concerts, and some street performances. Most cities have an official tourist website with information about these.

Tourist information centres are usually run by the public sector, and provide gratis advice, as well as a wide range of activities. Well-visited cities might have private "tourist information" offices which are an expensive middleman for activity booking.

Getting advice at the hotel can be a gamble. The staff usually knows the city well, but might have a touting scheme for a tourist trap.

Tourist traps
The derogatory term tourist trap is used for a rather expensive venue or resort, purpose-built for distant visitors, which might be of poor quality, overcrowded, without a genuine experience, or bordering a scam. They might be built near well-known destinations such as old towns or archaeological sites, with a stereotypical image of local culture. Even a whole city, such as Las Vegas, can be considered to be a tourist trap.

It can be up to each visitor whether a venue is overpriced or overrated, with respect to cost, travel and waiting effort, overcrowding, and quality of the experience. Some venues built as tourist traps can over time become iconic for their city, or even their country, such as the Big things in Australia. The Moulin Rouge in Paris opened in 1889 with the intention to rip off visitors, and still in 2024 the cheapest ticket is €110. While the Eiffel Tower gives a good view of Paris, other viewpoints (such as the Tour Montparnasse or the Arc de Triomphe) are cheaper and less crowded, and allow you to see a view with the Eiffel Tower itself. Madame Tussaud's in London was sensational in the 19th century, but visitors in the 21st century might disagree whether wax sculptures are worth £35 to see.

While the venues mentioned above are genuinely world famous, advertising with the phrase "world famous" is usually a giveaway for the opposite. Tourist traps might tout themselves as important to history, mythology or fiction. These claims can be far-fetched or false; venues in Nottinghamshire might boast a connection to Robin Hood; though he was probably not a real person. Some genuine scenes of historical events, film sets, celebrity homes or similar are overpriced or disappointing, and better left to your imagination. While museums traditionally have some educational aspirations, the word gives no such warrant, and "museums" on sensational topics such as erotica or torture might be disappointing. Check reviews before going.

Check articles, reviews and pricing for attractions, restaurants and gift shops, to more easily recognize tourist traps and find more genuine venues, perhaps on a nearby back street. The absence of local people is usually a giveaway that a venue costs more than it gives. If you notice that prices for some standard items, such as a can of soda or an umbrella, are inflated, you'd better assume all prices are. The absence of price tags is also a warning sign.

Touts in traditional or stereotypical costumes (who are not ceremonial guards, museum guides, historical re-enactors or similar) are also a warning sign for a tourist trap. Some of them might charge visitors for a group photo.

Do
Gambling is set up so that the house wins in the long run. Still, casinos in places such as Nevada offer food, drinks and entertainment to guests at large discounts (for a reason: you need significant self-control not to lose also on these, by spending more at the table). In less glamorous destinations you may be allowed to gamble with smaller sums, limiting the amount of money you'll likely lose.

Before digital cameras, travel photography including film and development used to be a major part of the budget. Today, however, phone cameras are usually sufficient for all but the serious photographer. Even a cheap (new or used) compact digital camera can provide zooming and some other features absent in regular phone cameras, and are a good option if you travel without a smartphone. A used or cheap camera is also less likely to be stolen or mark you as a "rich foreigner", which can be an advantage over whipping out a €500 smartphone in downtown Mogadishu. Travel writing and urban sketching are cheap options to eternalise travel memories.

Outdoor life experiences such as hiking can be done for free in some national parks and nature reserves, depending on which country you visit. While few places have a general right to access, a relevant government agency could inform where visitors can go, and which fees and permits would be needed. If you are further from the city than you usually live, you have a good chance to look up for some casual astronomy with the naked eye or binoculars.

Buy
"A penny saved is a penny earned."

- English proverb

Countries have different payment systems. In a highly connected country, an international debit card is a good option for major purchases. For some uses a credit card can be better. In cash-dominated countries such as Japan, you need to research where to get the best exchange rate, and get out an adequate sum of money. Some places have no or small fixed costs and are thus better for small sums, while other may give better rates. Banknotes from an exchange office might be redeemed without a fee, if you have the receipt.

Some places, such as border towns and resorts, accept both the local currency, and a foreign hard currency such as US dollars or euros. In most cases, foreign currency rates are inflated.

In the case where more than one currency is involved or you can choose between different packing sizes, you may need to do some arithmetic to find out the cheapest option, or what you pay for more convenient packing. In simple cases and for cheap products, you can round the figures and do the maths in your head, for more complicated cases a calculator, such as a mobile phone calculator app (or paper and pencil), may be needed.

For different packing sizes, many countries require that the price is given also per some basic unit, such as per kg. This helps in most cases, but sometimes the unit given is less relevant.

Tourists often have the option of duty-free shopping, on certain terms. This can be at airports and on ships, or in normal shops with tourists a significant clientèle. Usually the duty-free goods are expensive to begin with, and many of them are the same around the world. If you do want to buy these, they are heavily taxed were you live, and the absence of taxes and duties really shows in the prices, some of them may be good deals. Otherwise, feel free to take advantage of what is cheap in normal local shops instead.

Legacy department stores have notoriously expensive goods, but many of them have affordable souvenirs.

Retail prices differ a lot between countries. If you find travel equipment, clothes, electronics or other commodities much cheaper than at home, you would buy them anyway and, for electronics, they conform to the same standards as at home, you might save a lot; in a few cases a shopping journey might give you a net earning. You can buy things for a friend at home, and split the savings.

However, you risk damaging or losing things, or paying customs duties or overweight fees. Repairs and refunds for products bought abroad can be difficult. Packing and carrying excess baggage takes effort in itself, and it may be more difficult to assess features and quality away from home. If the price difference is only marginal, trying to save money on cheap purchases is not worth the effort.

Plan shopping for one of your last days on the destination. You will know more available shops and their price levels, and how much money you can spare. Retailers frequented by the locals are usually cheaper than shops in hotels, resorts, and airports.

Bargaining can save money; in some countries, it is expected.

Commercial services can be cheap in low-income countries, including hairdressing, hygiene and body care, spa treatments, clothing and shoe repairs, etc.

In many places in Western Europe, and possibly also in other parts of the world, you can find give-away shops, shops where you can take things you want for free (as long as you don't take too much), and where you can leave stuff you don't need anymore. Flea markets run by charities sometimes have perfectly good items for ridiculous prices.

BookCrossing is a book exchange network. Books are travelling through the world, looking for people to read them! You might have encountered books with BookCrossing stickers already, but on the website you can look for places to find them. There are also exchange shelves not part of the network, where you can leave books you no longer need or take ones you find interesting, e.g. at some libraries, student union offices and accommodations. In Australia and New Zealand, there may be local "community cupboards" or "street libraries" where you can donate or take what you need.

Mass-produced souvenirs differ a lot in price. Prefer items that will be useful on the journey or back home, such as souvenir clothing. While handicraft items from low-income countries are usually worth their price, those made in high-income countries are rather expensive.

Eat

The cheapest places to buy food are usually traditional markets, supermarkets and street vendors. In expensive countries traditional markets may be relatively expensive, while supermarkets may be relatively expensive in some cheap countries. Markets and street vendors may be less regulated than fixed indoor venues, so some care is needed.

In some cities there are very cheap restaurants in squats, usually selling vegetarian or vegan food for the price of the ingredients; for example Germany's Volksküchen. Some countries also have heavily subsidized university restaurants sometimes open to foreign students as well. Germany for instance has Mensas, offering famously tasteless (but in modern times more often than not surprisingly edible) small-sized meals for (for non-students a substantially higher price may be charged, making the fast food chains cheaper, but e.g. in Finland also the outsider price is great value); in large cities, there are also restaurants run by immigrants offering food for ; restaurants offering German cuisine tend to be cheaper in districts with a high unemployment rate and in rural areas. As with hotels one of the most important things for a restaurant is its location, and if you dine in an out of the way location with low property values this may be reflected in the price.

Hotel restaurants, and other restaurants with a captive market (theme parks, museums, etc) might be overpriced. If you have the chance, compare price to a local restaurant.

Self-catering, buying your own ingredients and preparing your own meals, is a great way to stay on a budget. Many hostels provide kitchens where you can cook your meals. When camping, outdoor cooking comes in handy.

For restaurants, avoid eating in the main tourist thoroughfares, including airports, resorts, international hotels, business districts, and famous landmarks. If you get into the side streets and back alleys, you'll find cheaper restaurants that often serve tastier, more authentic meals. In some places, though, there are few restaurants outside those thoroughfares – and sometimes they are too authentic for your taste. The ratio of locals to tourists generally correlates well with an eatery's value vs. cost. Pricing information at restaurants vary between countries; the check can get inflated by side orders, taxes and tips.

Food in airports can be notoriously overpriced due to the captive audience. Buy or prepare some food to bring with you to the airport: sandwiches, fruit, nuts, and energy bars generally travel well, or a more substantive meal in a small container. For a lightweight but not very healthy option, you could bring a cup of instant noodles – some airports provide free hot water. Remember that large containers of liquids or gels can't usually be brought through security, but you can carry an empty water bottle and refill it after security, as there are often free water dispensers. Check whether there are import restrictions on the food you intend to bring. Chain fast food stores at an airport usually have the same price as elsewhere in the country.

Some hotels provide a breakfast buffet at no extra charge. If you let the breakfast be your main meal, you can eat lighter the rest of the day.

Many restaurants have a lunch menu cheaper than their dinner menu, or with beverages and other side orders included with the main dish.

Fine dining is usually the most expensive food. With good research, you might be able to find similar dishes in a more casual restaurant.

Many supermarkets have pre-mixed salads, pre-rolled burritos, or similar. While they are usually cheaper than at restaurants or street stalls, they still charge a huge premium over the basic ingredients. If you can prepare your own meals, do so. Also away from kitchen facilities, you can eat food you prepared and packed yourself (but be careful with food getting spoiled in hot weather). Have suitable bottles, boxes and cutlery, so that you do not have to buy food by the portion. A knife will come in handy for cutting fruit and bread (but carrying one may be regulated).

Drink

Abstaining from alcoholic beverages is good for your health and your wallet in more ways than one, since intoxication might cause poor judgement and reckless spending.

A good drink does not always need to be expensive, though. In general, the cheapest beverages are found in supermarkets and dive bars, and the costliest ones in hotel bars, airports, and nightclubs. In Japan, you can buy an alcoholic drink from a convenience store and drink it out the front or in a nearby park. The locals call this practice vendo. Visitors who enjoy strong beverages should consider bringing alcohol from a low-cost country, or duty-free shopping – which may not be that cheap – within legal limits.

In places where alcohol is heavily taxed, such as the Nordic countries, there is hardly such a thing as a cheap drink, but a drink in a night club will be yet more expensive.

Many bars and nightclubs have happy hour offers for the early night. While some nightlife venues take hefty cover charges just to let you through the door, others offer free entrance, or free entrance during the first hours. When it comes to finding a good party without spending a fortune, local know-how might be more valuable than ever.

Water is another concern. While tap water is safe and subject to stricter standards than bottled water in much of the European Union, this is sadly not the case worldwide. Even in rich and developed countries like the USA high profile cases of unsafe tap water have occurred.

If you have to buy bottled water, buy in the quantity that's cheapest per liter, in the local supermarket. Usually that's the biggest containers (which means you also reduce waste). Then, at your accommodation, fill the smaller bottles you brought (or got locally when buying the last round) and carry those. Opt for the cheapest brand (among those you trust, if that's an issue) – do a blind taste test if you aren't convinced cheap water can have adequate taste. You could also boil your water (where this is sufficient treatment) and use it to refill bottles.

On the road you should mostly carry at least as much water as you'll need for the day, and refill from a safe source whenever possible. You don't want to be caught without water in a place where a bottle costs ten times the usual price – or water is not available at all.

Sleep

Camping is an obvious choice for cheap accommodation, and it's often the closest accommodation to lots of natural attractions. This will mean burdening yourself with whatever camping equipment is necessary to protect you from the weather at your destination. Also, many popular sites like national parks limit camping to particular spots and often have you pay for a site. This is still almost always cheaper than hostels, except in very very popular camping spots.

Consider the cost of travel to the sights you want to see, if you're staying outside town (or anywhere in a big city). You could stop where there is cheap accommodation (camping or otherwise) and continue to the destination only in the morning. This is usually easy to do if you travel by foot, bike or car. Using buses you have to be more careful; if there is a stop where you want to sleep, with the city in reach by local bus, possibly with a 24-hour ticket available, this works perfectly, but if you find no place to camp where you got off you may have a problem.

Sweden, Norway, Iceland and Finland have the right to access principle allowing you to camp wild on most undeveloped land. This is also the case in Oman. Similar but more restricted rights exist in many other countries. In Japan you can participate in the nojuku tradition.

You could sleep in your car. Although also illegal in many areas, if you have a van or similar-style vehicle with limited rear windows, it is often easy to get away with.

The objective of hospitality exchange networks is to meet new, and local, people. It can be a great way to get a free place to stay the night, but besides that it's a fun and easy way to get acquainted with an area, city or culture. Active users of online hospitality exchange networks also tend to have broadband connections, which you can use while you are staying there.

If you have friends in the area, they might welcome you for a night or two. With today's travel speeds you might very well have a dense enough network of friends to avoid other lodging most nights. You should be sensitive, though, not to abuse their hospitality. In general visiting friends and family has become an ever more popular reason for travel in the last few decades and there is no reason not to make the visits a mutual thing – them staying at your place and you at theirs. Just remember – after three days fish and guests start to stink.

You can stay in hostels or guesthouses, usually the cheapest type of commercial tourist accommodation. Many hostels offer cheap one- to four-person rooms, but the cheapest of all are dorms shared by up to twenty people: you'll usually be given a key to the room and left to choose a bunk bed. Dorms are a great way to meet fellow travellers. There are some international hostel associations, members of which get discounts at participating hostels. Linen is included in most regions, though not everywhere. Especially when traveling long distances it can be very convenient to already have a place to crash, but only book a hotel or hostel for one or two nights – spend the first day at the destination to shop around for cheaper accommodations (which often don't have a web presence). Also, for long term stays: Most web sites don't offer any discounts but when asking at the reception very good deals can be had (sometimes 30% of list prices when staying for a month). However, when travelling during peak season, having reservations for the entirety of your stay can work out both cheaper and easier. Once almost all hotels are booked out and only a handful of rooms remain in a city, the bargaining advantage turns decisively against you and if you don't speak the language and don't know your way around town this becomes even more pronounced.

If you have a long distance train or bus pass, you can often sleep on a train or bus. Ferry passages of suitable length sometimes have affordable cabins (or other places where sleeping is possible) – sleep on board instead of searching for accommodation when you arrive. While bunks usually require paying extra, they are often much cheaper than a hotel.

Earn
The most straightforward way to earn money on the road is obviously to find some work. This is more easily done through contacts, and as a matter of fact hitchhiking may come very handy here. Contacting expatriates may also provide opportunities.

Obvious jobs for travellers include harvesting, teaching English and waiting at restaurants or bars in tourist areas.

Wwoofing is a term for working 5 hours or so a day on a farm in exchange for lodging and food: it stands for World-Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms. See wwoof.org.

If you have a talent for music or other performance arts, you can go busking (performing in public for tips). These activities are however prohibited or regulated in many places.

If you are travelling in your home country then working is usually straightforward, and may have no more paperwork complications than working at home. If you are travelling abroad, then things can be more complicated, and you may need a work visa, which may need to be applied for months before you leave home. If you are a citizen of the European Union you can work in any country of the EU without any need for visas or permits, but language and qualification certificates may be issues.

Volunteer
Conservation organisations sometimes want volunteers to spend some time, maybe one week, helping on their projects in exchange for accommodation and maybe food or travel. This can give you a cheaper time away than a normal trip and may give "behind the scenes" access to places that would be hard to access otherwise.

Before signing up, research what is being offered, and how much of what sort of work is required. General research on the organisation and what is being conserved is also useful – learn to recognise some of the birds in a nature reserve, or some of the history of an old building. A two-night weekend trip may be intense working on both Saturday and Sunday, while a two-week trip is more likely to allow time off each day. If you are joining a project in a foreign country, volunteering may be considered work, or may be permitted on a tourist visa.

As part of your research you should make sure the offer is not a scam or otherwise ill advised. Is the project effective in what it is trying to accomplish? How is the local community involved? There are lots of good organisations, make sure you choose one of them.

Stay healthy
Don't get thrifty when it comes to health. Paying to see a doctor in the first instance can prevent a lengthy stay in hospital if your illness progressed. And as always, if you can't afford travel insurance, you can't afford to travel.

Self-care

Take a travel health kit with you, suited to your expected needs. In addition to anything you need regularly, consider taking a few things that would help you deal with minor problems, like sunscreen, painkillers, or bandages. Not only may it be cheaper to grab a bottle of aspirin off the shelf at home and toss it into your bag than to buy it at a convenience store later, but it's also better to have it with you, in case you need it after all the stores closed for the night or don't speak the language to find the medicine – but watch out for substances not allowed across the border; also for allowed medicines, keep the original packaging, and the prescription for prescription medicines, to convince customs.

Health insurance
Countries with universal health coverage with free or heavily subsidized fees often have bilateral arrangements with some other countries. For the European Union and EEA the reciprocal arrangement covers all residents of the area. Likewise do Australia and New Zealand have a reciprocal healthcare agreement for their citizens.

Healthcare in low-income countries is usually much cheaper than in high-income countries, especially for services not covered by universal healthcare, such as dentistry or optometry. Medical tourism can save you a significant amount of money.

It is always a good idea to get medical travel insurance. Your insurance from back home may cover some stuff in some other countries, but unless it's travel within the EU (and you are covered) you should check details carefully. Insurance that covers medical repatriation is advisable when going to places you wouldn't trust with life threatening conditions, or where you don't want to or cannot afford to get stuck. Even if you don't have insurance back home, you should get one for your travels as there's a higher risk of getting injured a catching some bug that doesn't exist in your home country. On a related note, ensure your vaccinations are up to date.

Connect
Fees for mobile telephones and Internet connections can be hefty, especially when you are in a foreign country. If you are in a foreign country with plenty of Wi-Fi hotspots, you might do well without mobile Internet. Inside the European Union there should be no roaming charges, but there is often fine print regarding territories such as the Channel Islands, which have a special status and may or may not be included in the "roaming free" area, depending on your provider (and Finnish providers have an exception, with free roaming in EU depending on the contract). In other countries, notably Mexico or the US, you may even be charged roaming even if you do not cross any international borders, simply for being in a different "zone" of the same country.

If for some reason you cannot or don't want to use voice over IP services (some countries block them), there are apps and SIM card providers that specialize in giving migrants the possibility to call home. Those will usually have better rates than the mainstream providers and often be available as a prepaid plan.

Save
Many discounts for senior citizens are available to people as young as 55, or even younger people in welfare programs.

Youths and students can also get discounts. If you have a student card, bring it with you. If you forgot to bring it, just ask if you can get the discount. The worst they can say is 'no'.

title: Budget travel


text:
Budleigh Salterton

Budleigh Salterton is a town in East Devon.

Understand
Budleigh Salterton is a small town on East Devon's Jurassic Coast, in the East Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

By road
Budleigh Salterton is about from the M5 Motorway (Junction 30): follow the A376 towards Exmouth, then the B3179 to Budleigh Salterton. From the east, take the A3052 then the B3178.

By bus
Budleigh Salterton is served by buses from Sidmouth (Route 157) and Exmouth (Routes 157 & 357). There are also two services a day from Exeter (Route 58) timed for workers in the city.

By train
The nearest rail station is Exmouth, approximately 5 miles away.

By plane
The nearest airport is Exeter Airport.

Get around
The town is relatively compact, though there are some steep hills. The 357 bus operates a loop around the town every hour during the day.

Do

 * The South West Coast Path runs through the town offering spectacular cliff-top views, and connects Budleigh to nearby Exmouth and Sidmouth.

Connect
The village is down the hill out of sight of the mobile transmitters, so as of Sept 2023 there is 4G from all UK carriers on the approach road, but reception in the village is patchy especially indoors. 5G has not reached this area.

Go next
The nearby town of Exmouth is a flourishing seaside resort town, with plenty to eat, drink, and do, with a long stretch of sandy beach. Exmouth and Budleigh are connected via the South West Coast Path that runs along the picturesque cliffside.

To the north west is another seaside town of Sidmouth.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Budleigh Salterton


text:
Budoni

A seaside resort, Budoni is located on the north-eastern part of Sardinia. It borders the resort of San Teodoro to the north and Posada to the south. Budoni's territory includes 18 km of coastline with marvelous landscapes and sandy beaches. The harbor of Porto Ottiolu is located at no more than 10 km from Budoni. During the summer season, Budoni is a very important resort and it receives 60 000-70 000 tourists.

The beauty of its landscapes, and its transparent, colored sea make this village one of the most desired holiday Sardinian destinations.

Get in
You can arrive in Budoni by following the famous SS 125 road known as "Orientale Sarda" which follows the eastern coastline from Cagliari to Olbia.

The nearest airport is Olbia and has around a 40 minute transfer time via car.

title: Budoni


text:
Budva

Budva is a coastal tourist resort in Montenegro. It is often called "Montenegrin Miami", because it is the most crowded and most popular tourist resort in Montenegro, with beaches and vibrant nightlife.

Understand
Budva is on the central part of Montenegrin coast, called "Budvanska Rivijera". It has developed around a small peninsula, on which the old town is situated. It is by far most visited destination in Montenegro, attracting mostly domestic, Russian, Serbian and other Eastern European tourists with an old town, bars and nightclubs, and beaches mostly consisting of small rocks. It is base for mass tourism, while in its near vicinity there are luxury resorts such as Sveti Stefan and Miločer.

There are as many as 35 beaches in the Budva area, mostly rock and a little sand (8 beaches are marked with blue flags).

During the summer in particular, the day and night-life offers opportunities to enjoy theatre plays and performances, music events and entertainment programs.

Many nightclubs use go-go dancers to attract customers, and families might be offended by the open display of almost-naked girls in the street. There is mainly one street, the main promenade, where all the action happens.

Budva appears to be undergoing poorly planned, unchecked growth with towering unattractive apartment buildings and hotels being built wherever there is open space - which includes building directly on the beach.

Some tourists may find Budva disappointing and cheesy because of the over-crowded beaches filled with chairs, umbrellas and loud music in some places. Prices for food and accommodation are also well above what can be found in less popular resorts.

The old town is adjacent to the marina, where the wealthy come to moor their luxury yachts. The old town is small but beautiful, with restaurants and boutiques selling luxury goods at high prices.

By plane

 * Tivat Airport is 20 km away.

 * Podgorica airport is 65 km away. Buses between Podgorica and Budva cost €7, and a taxi from Podgorica airport to Budva cost €50–100. Agree on a fixed price (per ride not person) beforehand, do not just accept the meter!

 * Dubrovnik airport in Croatia is 80 km away, and maintains flights from many European destinations throughout the year, providing an alternative to the Montenegrin airports. A taxi to Budva will cost €90.

By bus
Budva is very well connected by bus with cities within Montenegro and major cities in neighboring countries. Check the online bus schedule. Buses are usually on schedule though the schedules vary from season to season, with more buses running during the summer. +382 33 456 000.

The bus station is a 20-minute walk from the old town.

 * Buses from Skopje operate 3 times a week, take around 12 hours, leave at 20:00, stopping at Podgorica and cost around €17. Check schedule at Skopje Autobuska Stanica.
 * Buses to Sarajevo run daily at 08:10 (Balkan Express minibus) and the journey takes about 7 hours, stopping at Podgorica and other cities. €16.5 one-way. To Belgrade, there are around 4-5 buses a day and the trip takes 12 hours (€27).
 * Buses to Herceg Novi (and vice-versa) run daily approximately every 30 minutes. The journey takes 1½ hours and costs around €6 one-way.
 * Buses to Dubrovnik continuing to Split run 3 times a week. There are daily buses during the summer in the morning (check current bus schedule for accurate time) which can get full quickly so arrive early to get a ticket. The journey takes around 3 hours. There is a spectacular view from the bus during this route.
 * In the summer, Olimpia Express runs reasonably-priced shuttle buses from just outside old town to Jaz beach (every 2–3 hours), Petrovac (every 2 hours for €2 one-way), and Sveti Stefan (every 30 minutes or less for €1.50 one-way):

By car
Budva can be reached by car using the coast road, which is in good condition. Travelling from Dubrovnik, this can take less than 2 hours depending on traffic. A short €5 ferry journey saves the drive around the bay of Kotor.

By foot
Important area of Budva is roughly 2 km² and most of people just walk. There is an amazing promenade that stretches throughout coast of municipality but end to end of the city can be reached within 20 minutes, and it would be a shame to miss walking down the promenade and all of its surrounding beauties. Promenade has two "lines" and the one near sea is quieter.

By car
If you came to Budva with your own car, use it inside the city only when you have to. Traffic is terribly congested during the summer, and parking spaces around the old town are almost impossible to find, and very expensive when you do.

By taxi
Taxis are abundant in Budva, but are not cheap—a ride anywhere within Budva will cost you around €5. Prices vary depending on which taxi company you happen to get. Try to choose a taxi that has a rate card displayed and a meter visible on the dash—and then watch to insure the meter is set appropriately when starting—to avoid getting ripped off.

By boat
There are many tourist boats that dock in Budva harbor which offer rides to nearby beaches, Sv. Nikola island, or one-day trips to various destinations on Montenegrin coast, but these are also expensive. Unlike other seaside cities, there are no €1 water taxis here.

Buy
ATMs (locally referred to as Bancomats) in Budva are rare in the old town, but plentiful outside of its walls.

Old town is packed primarily with little boutiques, such as Prestige, selling costume made dresses. There are other boutiques selling everything from expensive shoes to clothing and jewellery, but ALWAYS beware of counterfeited variants of world famous brands.

The main Budva promenade has a long string of stands with very cheap - in quality, not always in price - clothing, sunglasses, souvenirs, etc.

Friendly service in Budva shops is not the norm. Service people usually do not smile or make eye contact and are often brusque; however, this is slowly changing.

Eat
There is a wide choice of places to eat at in Budva. In old town you will find almost anything: from pizza-places, bakeries to seafood and Chinese restaurants. Across the harbour, at the very coast, there are some premium fresh seafood restaurants, notably "Jadran" and "Donna".

Along the entire promenade there are many fast food places, offering barbecue, giros, pancakes, slices of pizza, and ice cream, with affordable prices.

Drink
Budva is full of cafes, bars and nightclubs. During the high season it is hard to find a place to sit. Espresso will cost from €1 to €1.50. Coke and other soft drinks and juices will cost from €1.50 up to €3.50. Local beer costs an average of €2.50 and mixed drinks can go from €7 and up.

Bars are allowed to play music until 01:00, when the crowds move to some of the nightclubs.

Always ask for a bill, as they must provide it by law. If you don't - it's likely that they'll overcharge your drinks, especially if they see you are a foreigner!

A form of tourist scam in Budva bars and restaurants is that you give the waiter, for example, a €20 banknote and expect him to bring back the change in a while. He does not, and when you ask him to come over, he will tell you that you did not give him €20, but a smaller banknote. He will also show you that in his wallet he only has €5 and €10 banknotes, so there simply could not have been a €20 banknote on your table. To avoid this, your only solution is to say out loud the amount of money when you are giving it and if you are in a group, make sure the others see and hear this as well. Try to learn the numbers in local language as saying the amount in English does not help you much - the waiter will pretend he does not understand.

Nightlife
There are a variety of bars and clubs to go out in Budva. There are many outdoor bars and cafes just outside the walls outside of Stari Grad. Most play loud club style music.

Sleep
Accommodation in Budva is abundant, and varies from renting a room for €10-15 to handsomely priced five-star hotels.

There are big differences in prices of accommodation - not only between types of accommodation but for same accommodation during different times of the year. For example, a hostel-like room that rents for €7 per person/per night during the off-season can rent for €20 and up per person/per night during July and August.

There are at least 25 hotels and 105 hostels (capacity of over 13,000 beds), about 100 private villas and bed and breakfast inns and private accommodation (60,000 beds) of various options.

Budget
During the summer it is easy just to come to the bus station and find local people offering rooms. There is a problem with water in Budva, however, and you should confirm that the accommodation you choose has running water.

The prices range from €7 to €15 for a person/night/private room, with the cheaper rooms requiring a shared bathroom and/or kitchen.

Splurge
There are at least eleven 4-star hotels. Prices always over €100.

 * Aman Sveti Stefan, 5-star hotel.
 * Aman Sveti Stefan, 5-star hotel.

Connect
As of Sept 2021, Budva has 4G from Mtel and T-Mobile, but a poor signal from Telenor. 5G has not rolled out in Montenegro.

Wifi is widely available in public places.

Go next

 * Dubrovnik, 2 hours and 15 minutes by car direction Kotor
 * Sveti Stefan can be reached by bus (€2) or by a 10 km hike.
 * Nearby beaches: Bečići, Miločer, Pržno, Kamenovo
 * Kotor, 30 minutes by car
 * Bar, 50 minutes by car direction south
 * Ulcinj most southern coastal town - Several buses leaving early morning around 7, schedule changes frequently so inquire at the bus station for specifics.

title: Budva


text:
Budva Riviera

The Budva Riviera is the main tourist drag in Montenegro.

Cities

 * – A beach town with a 2 km long fine sandy beach, and home to numerous resorts and hotels.
 * – The most popular resort with great beaches and vibrant nightlife.
 * – A small family-friendly town with great beaches.

Other destinations

 * – A picturesque town-hotel, a former fishing town on the small peninsula near Budva.

By bus
Buses connect all places along the coast and to/from Podgorica.

By car
A rental car could be an option.

title: Budva Riviera


text:
Buea

Buea is a city in Coastal Cameroon.

Understand
Buea is the capital of the Southwest Region of Cameroon. It was the seat of German Cameroon in the beginning of the 20th century and still has some colonial buildings of interest. The city is at the foot of Cameroon Mountain (Mongo ma Ndemi). Separatists consider Buea to be the capital of Ambazonia.

Get in
You can get into Buea by land with the use of transport buses or private cars or the local transport cars commonly called Clandos. By land, you can enter the town using the Mutengene-Buea road. The first areas you will meet are the suburbs of Mile 14 and Mile 16.

Get around
The main means of transportation are taxis. Motorbikes are allowed to circulate only within quarters.

See

 * The Golden Jubilee Monument.

 * Buea Town Stadium.

 * Molyko Omnisport Stadium.

Do

 * Amphi750, this recreational area is known on amphitheater.

Buy

 * Covenant Plaza, General store.

 * Njieforbi Supermarket, supermarket.

 * Lamires Shopping, fashion accessories store.

Eat

 * Silver Back.

 * Mountain Ice Cream, an ice cream shop.

 * Setup Restaurent.

Drink

 * Marina Lounge and Dining, bar.

 * Resort 89 Hotel.

 * Game and Ice cream center.

Sleep

 * Mountain Hotel, this hotel has a swimming pool and is in were situated area where it helps its attendants to relax and as well they provide easily mean of internet connectivity by provodong free Wi-Fi.

 * Parliamentarian Flats Hotel.

 * Mariton Hotel.

 * Mermoz Hotel.

 * Capitol Hotel Residence.

 * Executive Hotel.

 * Saga City Hostel Buea.

 * Rhema Guest House.

 * HollyKen Hotel.

 * WDC Aparthotel.

 * Miss Bright Hotel.

 * Hotel Saint Claire.

 * G12:2 Guest House.

 * Presbyterian Guest House.

 * Prestige Lounge Guest House.

title: Buea


text:
Buellton

Buellton is in the Santa Ynez Valley of Santa Barbara County in Southern California. Located where US Route 101 crosses the otherwise inaccessible Santa Ynez Valley, most travellers to the wineries of the valley pass through Buellton. Solvang and Santa Ynez are nearby, also on Highway 246, and Los Olivos is another nearby city in the valley.

See
The wineries and vineyards are world class, so call the Santa Barbara County Vintners Association in Santa Ynez for a touring map (805) 688-0881. See for individual businesses.

There are ubiquitous horse ranches who sell their foals to Middle East sheiks but you would have to call them to visit whereas the wineries love for you to come in and taste the juice.

Eat
Ostrich burgers are featured on many local menus; the meat, while red, is very lean and a great favorite among the health-conscious.

Go next
Buellton, Solvang and Santa Ynez are all located along Highway 246 and flow into each other.

 * Solvang - Located four miles east of Buellton, nearly one million visitors travel to this small town each year to see its Danish architecture and experience its (mostly) authentic Danish culture. Visitors can enjoy Danish food, a replica of the Little Mermaid sculpture, windmills, and the horse-drawn Hønen for sightseeing.  The Danish Days festival lasts through the weekend during September and has been held almost every year since 1936.
 * Lompoc - Eighteen miles west of Buellton, Lompoc is nicknamed the "City of Arts and Flowers", with more than half the world's flower seeds grown in the fields around the town. The city celebrates its association with flowers every June during the Lompoc Valley Flower festival. The area is also home to Vandenberg Air Force Base, America's west coast spaceport, where rocket launches can sometimes be seen.
 * Goleta - 36 miles southeast of Buellton, Goleta is adjacent to Santa Barbara and offers similar beaches and resorts to its neighbor. It is also home to a grove of trees that is an overwintering area for monarch butterflies, with the insects gathering in huge numbers each year from mid-November until mid-February.
 * Los Olivos - Located nine miles southwest of Buellton, this town has more than its share of wineries and tasting rooms, with around a dozen such businesses despite its tiny population of just over 1,000. The town also draws visitors wishing to pay their respects at Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch, which is located five miles north of town but not open to visitors.

title: Buellton


text:
Buena Park

Buena Park is a city in Orange County in Southern California. Buena Park is nestled between Los Angeles and San Diego, and is best known for a Knott's Berry Farm on what used to be Walter and Cordelia Knott's farm.

Understand
European settlement of the area dates to the Spanish "ranchos", which were huge land grants in the late 1700s. A rail connection to Los Angeles was established in 1875. Buena Park was established as a community in 1877 (in conjunction with the railway development) and incorporated as a city in 1953. There has been some industrial activity in the area (such as a Nabisco factory which closed in 2006).

By car

 * I-5 (Santa Ana Freeway) or CA-91 (Riverside Freeway) takes you directly to Buena Park. Take the Knott Ave, Beach Blvd, or any of the other Buena Park exits. Anaheim is just south of Buena Park, with Fullerton to the east, so both of those cities can serve as an entry as well.

By plane

 * Fullerton Municipal Airport only accepts private airplanes and is 3 miles (4.8 km) from Buena Park.
 * Long Beach Airport is about 15 miles (24 km) from Buena Park. JetBlue Airways serves it nonstop from 14 destinations. It is also served by Alaska Airlines, American, and Delta.
 * Orange County/John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana, is about 16 miles (25 km)/24 minutes from Buena Park. It is served by Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Frontier Airlines, Southwest Airlines, United Airlines, and Virgin America
 * Los Angeles International Airport is served by a wide array of foreign carriers as well as most US airlines.

By rail

 * Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner runs from Paso Robles to San Diego; the closest station is Fullerton.

By foot

 * The main tourism corridor in Buena Park is located along Beach Boulevard. Most of the main attractions, including Knott's Berry Farm, are located here and are within walking distance of each other. Additional attractions include Pirates Dinner Adventure, Beach Boulevard Club, and Medieval Times.

By transit

 * Many Orange County Transit Authority (OCTA) lines come together in Buena Park. Route 29 (Beach Blvd.) runs north-south, from the Brea Mall to downtown Huntington Beach and the Pacific Coast Highway, straight through downtown BP. Route 38 (La Palma Ave.) runs east-west, from Lakewood to the Anaheim Shopping Center, serving the Buena Park Promenade. Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transit Authority Route 460 connects BP with downtown Los Angeles, Norwalk, Fullerton, and Disneyland. All three routes serve Knott's Berry Farm.
 * The Knott's Berry Farm Resort Hotel and other hotels in Buena Park provide a shuttle to Disneyland.

By car

 * Buena Park is small enough for driving, but most attractions are on Beach Boulevard.

Knott's Berry Farm
Knott's Berry Farm is America's oldest theme park. In 1920, it was a working farm selling berries, with Mrs. Knott's Chicken Dinner Restaurant serving its first chicken dinners in 1934. Once the restaurant started drawing a crowd, Walter Knott began constructing a replica Ghost Town in 1940; the park's first ride attraction (the Ghost Town & Calico Railroad) opened in 1952. Knott's Berry Farm remained family-owned until late 1997. The park is now owned by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company and the food brand was acquired by the J.M. Smucker Company.

The park has the first, largest or only version of various amusements: the Calico Mine Ride (1960) the world's first themed amusement park attraction, Timber Mountain Log Ride (1969) the first log flume with thematic elements, Corkscrew (1975) the first modern roller coaster to successfully turn riders upside-down, Xcelerator (2002) the world's first hydraulically-launched roller coaster.

Go next

 * Anaheim - the home of the Disneyland Resort - 10 to 20 minutes (travel south on Beach Boulevard then east on Katella Avenue, take LA Metro, Interstate 5, or use the free shuttle from the Knott's Hotel)
 * Long Beach - 20 minutes (travel west on State Route 91 then south on Interstate 710)
 * Los Angeles - 25 minutes (take I-5 or an Amtrak/Metrolink train to LA Union Station)
 * Hollywood - 32 minutes (travel to LA Union Station and transfer to the LACMTA Red Line)
 * Orange County beach cities - 25 to 43 minutes (travel south on Beach Boulevard)
 * Yorba Linda - Richard Nixon's Birthplace, Museum, Library, Burial, and Childhood home - 20 minutes (travel north on Beach Boulevard then east on the Imperial Highway/California State Route 90, or simply take the 91 freeway)
 * San Diego - 2 hours (by train from Fullerton)

title: Buena Park


text:
Buenaventura

Buenaventura is a city in the Valle del Cauca department of Colombia with a population of 432,000 (2019). The most developed part of the city lies on Cascajal Island, while much of the city's land is rural with small villages scattered throughout.

Understand
It is located a few miles from the western cordillera of the Andes mountain range and the major city of Cali, the department's capital. Buenaventura is one of the rainiest cities in the world with 6000-7000 mm precipitation annually.

As a seaport, Buenaventura has attracted criminal gangs seeking to export Colombian cocaine to Mexico.

By bus
There are frequent buses to and from Cali which is a 4 hours ride away for around COP$20,000. Direct buses to Bogota leave at 7AM and 7PM. If you're heading north, avoid going through Cali and catch a bus to Buga instead (COP$16,000). The is close to the city center.

By boat
The docks for cargo boats are on the way in to town. There are boats to most places along the Pacific coast.

Fast boats (lanchas) to Ladrilleros and close destinations leave from the Muelle Turistico in the center of town (COP$4,000 taxi ride from the terminal).

Do
You can catch a boat to nearby towns like Juanchaco and Ladrilleros in Bahia Málaga (Málaga Bay). It is humpback whale season between July and October, there you can get a boat for whale seeing.

Eat
Fruit called Chontaduro.

Lenos y Mariscos and La Casa are recommended restaurants.

Drink
Agua de Coco (coconut water).

Sleep
For the most part, if you have to stay any length of time in Buenaventura then you should head to Calle 1 where there are a number of decent and safe hotels and restaurants in front of the park at reasonable prices

There are also some cheap hotels near the bus station.

Go next
One reason for passing through Buenaventura is to get to the resort areas of Juanchaco and Ladrilleros. These towns found to the north of the city are pleasant places to visit catering to package tourists and those interested in watching the annual marvel of migrating humpback whales in the months of July to late September through the waters of Bahia Malaga. Buenaventura is also the starting point for the Colombian islands Gorgona and Malpelo which are world class diving destinations.

title: Buenaventura


text:
Buena Vista

There's more than one place called Buena Vista:

Paraguay

 * Buena Vista (Paraguay) - a village near Encarnación in Itapúa, in Eastern Paraguay

United States of America

 * Buena Vista (Colorado) - a village in Chaffee County, South Central Colorado
 * Buena Vista (Virginia) - a city in Rockbridge County, in south Shenandoah Valley, Virginia
 * Lake Buena Vista - a city in Orange County in Florida’s Greater Orlando metro area

title: Buena Vista


text:
Buena Vista (Colorado)

Buena Vista is a town in Chaffee County, south central Colorado. Although there's not much to the town, its setting between the Arkansas River and Sawatch Range, highest range of the Rocky Mountains, is magnificent, and it is a good jumping-off point for many kinds of outdoor recreational activities.

Get in
The Chaffee County Regional Airport is located southwest of town. There does not appear to be commercial service into this airport, however. (Note that if you're hiking in the nearby Sawatch Mountains, which are convenient to Buena Vista, there are many viewpoints from which you can watch planes on the approach to this airport below you.)

Buena Vista is located approximately 94 miles west of Colorado Springs and is reached from there via west on Hwy. 24 to Hwy 285 and then north for approximately two miles. It's just a two-hour drive from western metro Denver via US 285.

Get around
Bring your own vehicle, pedals or walking shoes. Also, The Chaffee Shuttle operates by appointment, offering public transportation for the Buena Vista area to appointments, shopping and other destinations. Call for info: 719-395-6231 or neighborsbv@yahoo.com.

Do
Hike, bike, fish, raft, kayak. Base camp and provisioning stop for through-hikers on the Continental Divide Trail and Colorado Trail. Also attracts off-road enthusiasts in the summer and snowmobiles in the winter exploring old mining ghost towns and trails west of town and the Fourmile Recreation Area east of town.

Enjoy soaking in geothermal hot springs at kid-friendly Mount Princeton Resort. Cottowood Hot Springs is clothing optional after dark.

Fishing

 * Fishing: quieter stretches of the Arkansas offer reasonable trout fishing and are accessible via SR 24. Many of the mountain streams entering the Arkansas are also good for trout.

River running
The Arkansas River runs through town and offers white-water experiences ranging from beginner-level to seriously hairy. If you're not equipped to tackle the river on your own, try one of the services in and near town that run rafting trips ranging from a few hours to multiple days in length. Advance reservations are nearly mandatory and are required by some outfitters. Some outfitters (there are others, feel free to add to this list if you have a good experience with one):

Buy
Colorado Kayak Supply, one of the country's top-selling paddlesports shops is on Main Street. The Trailhead has all kinds of land lubber outdoor equipment gear rentals and sales plus outdoor clothing, maps, basically anything you forgot to pack for your trip. Both shops have knowledgeable sales staff who live, eat and breathe a steady diet of outdoor adventure and are happy to share tips and advice.

Eat
There's about a dozen local restaurants and the only fast-food joint is Pizza Hut. Most restaurants are on US 24 or Main Street, the town's two major thoroughfares.

Drink
Don't expect any umbrella drinks or wine tasting bars.

Go next
Buena Vista is in some of the most beautiful landscape anywhere, and outdoor recreational opportunities abound nearby. Note that the high country nearby is seriously high; to avoid altitude sickness, it's wise to spend a night or two in the lowlands for some acclimatization before undertaking something strenuous.

 * Scenic drives: while you're acclimatizing, do some "windshield touring" along Colorado's newest designated scenic route, the Collegiate Peaks Scenic Byway that connects Buena Vista with is sister town and county seat, Salida. If it's open, the road to Independence Pass is a must. Drive north from Buena Vista on US 24, then west on SR 82, which continues over the pass to Aspen. Caution: If you have respiratory problems, get your physician's permission before doing this drive.  The pass is at an elevation above 12,000', and while you won't be at the highest elevation for long, don't jeopardize your health to see it. The scenery at the pass itself is astounding, of course, but there are also beautiful spots along the way that don't require quite as much oxygen deficit. Note that this route closes for extensive periods during the winter, owing to snow on the pass.
 * Hiking, backpacking and climbing: the superb Sawatch Range, with most of Colorado's highest mountains (including 14,432' Mount Elbert, highest of them all), is directly west of town, and many trails lead into the high country from trailheads nearby. Many of these are reached by extremely rough Forest Service roads that will require a high-clearance vehicle -- not just an urban SUV, but something seriously equipped for the roads. Unfortunately, Buena Vista itself is too small for car rentals; you'll have to arrange rental of an SUV closer to your point of origin. ATV and jeep rentals and tours are available through BV Jeeps, Hgh Country Jeep Trous and All Season Adventures.
 * Alpine skiing: perhaps surprisingly, there are no major ski areas in the Sawatch Range itself. The nearest resort is Monarch Mountain southwest of town near Salida and Poncha Springs. It's one of Colorado's more "family"-oriented ski areas, with a number of fairly easy slopes and maybe not as many double-diamond adventures as at some other sites. Bigger destination resorts such as Copper Mountain is an hour north via US 24 over well-maintained Fremont Pass and Vail is just a tad further west on I-70. Breckendridge is 1-1/2 hours away via US 285 to Fairplay then head north over Hoosier Pass. Backcountry ski touring and snowshoeing is also popular.

title: Buena Vista (Colorado)