Cheaper Vacations: Local Or Abroad?

Discussion in Travel started by ExpertAdvice • Feb 4, 2015.

  1. ExpertAdvice

    ExpertAdviceActive Member

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    The question arose in my mind the other day, as to whether it's cheaper, in some instances, to travel abroad, as opposed to traveling locally.

    More often than not, you'll find that the amount you spend in travelling, say to another state in a country like the US, is comparable, if not more expensive than purchasing the ticket to go to another country, depending on how close it is to your country, and a host of other factors.

    What do you usually do? Do you find traveling abroad or locally to be more economical?

    And furthermore, in the case of wanting to have that special vacation to the Caribbean or some other exotic destination every once in a while, do you find it to a better vacation spent than having frequent local vacations to sites that you're only too used to?

    Let me know!

    vacation.
     
  2. clairebeautiful

    clairebeautifulActive Member

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    I think it is often cheaper to travel abroad WHEN YOU GET THERE. It is the getting there that is so expensive.

    My husband and I (finally!) went on our honeymoon after we'd been married 5 years. We had saved up credit card miles and had two free tickets that would get us anywhere in the continental US and Mexico. So we went to an all inclusive resort in Puerto Vallarta. It was the cheapest option we could find and it was perfect. 5 restaurants to choose from, a super nice room, pools galore, the beach, and alcohol even included.
     
  3. Denis Hard

    Denis HardWell-Known Member

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    Depends on your travel destination.

    If you are traveling locally and you intend to get free accommodation somewhere could because you have a friend in the town you are visiting or even relatives, traveling local can be cheap. However if you want to spend some time in the more expensive cities like San Fransisco, L.A and NYC then I'm sure it [your vacation] will cost a lot more than you'd spend if you traveled to a cheap destination abroad.

    By the way traveling local will only get cheaper since these days you can rent an RV directly from a local RV owner.
     
  4. Corzhens

    CorzhensWell-Known Member

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    We have been to 6 countries this year and 1 domestic travel in Batanes, the northernmost part of our country. In computing the expenses, it appears that we had spent less in our Hongkong trip than that of Batanes trip. We have plans of going to Davao, that's in the southern Philippines but the expenses would be equal to a trip to Singapore. So we were in Singapore last weekend and our Davao trip did not materialize.
     
  5. H.C. Heartland

    H.C. HeartlandActive Member

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    We do both. Travel abroad can be cheaper if you get a good plane flight. If your destination is a 3rd world country and you are not picky about where you sleep, accommodations and food can be relatively inexpensive. However, some places in Europe are outrageous and I have found that most big cities have developed their former 'immigrant sectors' into urban wonderlands. In most big cities you can get the taste, feel, and sounds of other countries without having to pay the money to travel there. In my opinion, country travel in developed countries is more expensive. But big city travel is better done close to home with the same satisfactory results as if you were to travel to Europe.
     
  6. roki123

    roki123Active Member

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    local travelling can be cheaper rather than abroad, but I we plan a good flight in smart options then the abroad travel also prove little bit cheaper. I often go on travelling and will say local travelling is really inexpensive and in range for everyone.
     
  7. evelination

    evelinationMember

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    Well, given the relative little space my country has got for me to visit, I think that I'm situated in the extreme pole from what you're saying... travelling locally is, for me, the best option, if I specifically want to SAVE MONEY. But I if I want to diversify my options, then... I must pay the price and go abroad. And like someone has stated above, it isn't the money you pay on-spot that matters a lot... it's the money you pay to get there. For example, it costs me $1000 to get to Vietnam, but I could live off of $50 a week very, very easily.
     
  8. Theo

    TheoWell-Known Member

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    I don't think it makes a difference, but the cost is where you stay (budget, luxury, or self-catering) and what you want to do when you get there. A vacation should be a time to relax and get away, so while budgeting is a factor, if you can't afford to go and enjoy yourself is it worth it? It's best to go for a shorter period of time that you can afford like a long weekend.
     
  9. gata montes

    gata montesActive Member

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    Makes no odds one way or another for me - as I live in a country where we have year round tourism and although there are certain times in the year when it can sometimes be very slightly cheaper to holiday abroad and at other times visit one of the lesser known areas here - the amount is not significant enough to warrant making a choice between the two - as generally speaking - there really isn't that much of a difference between the overall cost of a holiday taken here to one that is taken abroad - as it all balances out in the end.
     
  10. Ke Gordon

    Ke GordonWell-Known Member

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    Well it depends on the destination...It is certainly more expensive to fly to Europe for sure than nay other time of the year..and if you don't have one or need to renew one...passport costs are also expensive. I think traveling to Mexico or the Bahamas could be cheaper but in most cases you will save more money with domestic travel.
     
  11. isabbbela

    isabbbelaWell-Known Member

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    It really depends on a number of things. For me for example, I live in Brazil but it is cheaper to travel to Argentina than most touristic cities around here - the hotels and flights are cheaper to Buenos Aires!
    I think it depends on the economy of each country, taxes, season, promotions. You need to do some research and find out the best costs and benefits.
     
  12. Moroccanbeauty2266

    Moroccanbeauty2266Active Member

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    I think it is healthy to also spend your vacation in unfamiliar places.
    However, you could definitely find cheap deals for your holidays abroad you just need to make sure you are well informed and that you have everything you need.
    Here where we live, it is very easy to drive a couple hours and be in Holland or Denmark. Another popluar holiday place are the islands in the Northern Sea.
    It all depends on where you live. Maybe you have some interesting places around you that you could go to but I would prefer to go abroad if I were you.