Looking for the best places to travel in your 20s on a budget? Allow me to assist.
Your 20s are the perfect time to travel. You’re physically fit to adventure. You still have freedom from kids, house payments or peak career obligations. And, you value unforgettable experiences over material possessions. There’s just one problem: money.
Typically, when you’re in your 20s, money is the one thing keeping you from fulfilling all your wildest travel dreams. It’s easy to believe that traveling is inaccessible to you because of limited funds, but this simply isn’t true.
There are tons of way to travel on a budget without sacrificing experiences (which I teach in my ebook, the Budget Travel Bible). So, to get you started, here are the best places to travel in your 20s on a budget.
Is traveling in your 20s worth it?
Traveling in your 20s is absolutely worth it.
Even though society tells us that you should focus on your career in your 20s and wait to travel until retirement, this belief system is totally flawed.
The truth is, if you wait to travel, you will only become more constrained by family obligations, homeownership responsibilities, career duties, as well as the physical limitations that result from aging.
Plus, very few people actually save enough money to travel in retirement. Most retirees barely have enough saved to live without downsizing. So, really, you’re not any financially better off to wait to travel anyway.
When you’re in your 20s, on the other hand, you have independence, fewer responsibilities and peak physique for hiking, walking and long-haul flights.
Although you may be on a budget, traveling in your 20s is definitely worthwhile.
Is 29 too late to travel?
That being said, 29 is not too late to travel. In fact, it’s never too late to travel.
Yes, the older you get, the harder it may be logistically to travel (due to more family and job obligations), but there is never a better age to travel than your current age.
Don’t let fear convince you otherwise.
So, then, where should you travel? Let’s get into the reason you’re reading this article: the best places to travel in your 20s on a budget.
Best Places To Travel In Your 20s On A Budget
- Albania.
- Bali (Indonesia).
- Bosnia-Herzegovina.
- Bulgaria.
- Cambodia.
- China.
- Colombia.
- Costa Rica.
- Cuba.
- Czech Republic.
- Egypt.
- Greece.
- Guatemala.
- Hungary.
- India.
- Laos.
- Mexico.
- Myanmar.
- Nepal.
- Oman.
- Peru.
- Philippines.
- Portugal.
- Romania.
- South Africa.
- Sri Lanka.
- Thailand.
- Turkey.
- Uruguay.
- Vietnam.
Ready to add these countries to your budget travel bucket list?
Here’s a free printable bucket list with all of these cheap destinations (and more) so that you can easily check them off in your 20s.
All of these destinations have iconic tourists spots, stunning landscapes, luxurious accommodations, fantastic food — and all for a cheap price.
Traveling to these places in your 20s means you can experience more, without giving up nice accommodations, while spending less. How? Geoarbitrage.
Geoarbitrage, in simple terms, is taking advantage of favorable currency exchange rates.
Basically, in these destinations, your home currency (such as the dollar, pound or euro) is more valuable.
For instance, in the United States, $500 USD might get you a few nights max in a midrange hotel. Whereas, in Bali, you can easily stay in equally nice accommodations for an entire month for the same price — simply because the dollar is more valuable there.
Best Places To Travel In Your 20s On A Budget In The US
- Arizona.
- Florida.
- Georgia.
- Louisiana.
- Montana.
- New Mexico.
- Oklahoma.
- Pennsylvania.
- Puerto Rico.
- Tennessee.
- Texas.
- Utah.
- Wisconsin.
- Wyoming.
- US National Parks.
Similarly, some states (or territories) within the US are cheaper to travel to than others.
For example, your dollar will get you a lot farther in Tennessee or Wyoming than it will in California.
If you’re hoping to travel within the US on a budget in your 20s, I highly recommend visiting the national parks. Our country’s national parks offer some of the most diverse, epic and otherworldly views in the entire world, and camping can make for cheap accommodations.
You can see all of my US national park guides here.
My personal top-five favorite US national parks to date include:
- Arches National Park.
- Zion National Park.
- Canyonlands National Park.
- Grand Teton National Park.
- Yellowstone National Park.
- Haleakala National Park.
Now that you know all the best places to travel in your 20s on a budget, where will you go first?
Don’t forget to download your free budget travel bucket list so you can check off all your cheap destinations along the way!
More Budget Travel Guides
Cheap Travel Tips That Will Change Your Life
How To Choose The Best Travel Credit Card (Quiz)
How To Start Traveling in 6 Easy Steps
Budget Travel Bible: How To Travel The World More For Less
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