Each year I publish a long post on the cheapest places to live in the world. I’ll do another this summer. Invariably people stumble upon it through a search and start asking variations of “Where should I go live when I move?”

The problem is, nobody can answer that question but you.

I’m moving back to Guanajuato, Mexico this August with my family, for two years this time. I’ve traveled all over the world, so why this particular place? What made this one the one? Just like the “How did you meet your wife” answer, this one has a story behind it.

For much of my travel writing career I reviewed hotels in various countries for a trade publication used by travel agents. I did this from Guam to India, Egypt to Argentina, Kentucky to Kathmandu. About five years ago I got an assignment to do the same in three places in Mexico: Mexico City, San Miguel de Allende, and Guanajuato. Within 24 hours of arriving in that last one, I sent an e-mail to my wife saying, “I’ve found the place we should move to.”

See, we’d been talking about moving abroad for a year, but weren’t really sure where. A Spanish-speaking country in Latin America was about as much as we had decided. We had talked about Argentina, Ecuador, Nicaragua, and other places, but I was ready to throw all those out the window.

A few months later we took a two-month vacation during the summer school break, through Mexico and Belize. Once month of that was spent in a rental apartment in Guanajuato, taking Spanish lessons at Escuela Mexicana and seeing if my enthusiasm was shared by the wife and daughter. It was, so the trial run outcome was a plan to move back a year later.

We spent a year living here. We loved it so much we bought a house. I’m getting that ready now and we’re returning for two years. My daughter will go to school in Spanish again and I’ll finally get truly fluent.

So why did this place speak to me, and to my spouse? Data-driven types always want the items they could put on a spreadsheet, which is why International Living does some serious number-crunching each year for its “best places to retire” round-up.

Those things do matter, so here are the ones for where I live, besides the obvious cost of living savings you get almost anywhere in Mexico. It’s a mostly pedestrian city, with traffic going through tunnels first built to divert water. It was founded in the 1500s, as a silver mining city, so there’s lots of great architecture spanning hundreds of years. There are almost no straight lines in the curvy layout, which is unusual for a Spanish colonial city, and colorful houses cascade down the hills, reached by narrow alleys like you see in medieval Europe. The weather is divine, at 6,500 feet it seldom gets too hot or too cold. There’s sunshine around 340 days per year. There’s an international airport 40 minutes away and on a bus ride of five hours or less I can reach Guadalajara or Mexico City for more direct flights.

Put all that together and it looks great on paper. But the real reason we moved here? It just feels right.

You can’t get “feels right” from any number of books, articles, or pros/cons lists. You need to go, to spend some time, to live like a local for a bit.

In other words, to live abroad you first have to travel abroad. There’s no shortcut for that.

As we’ve seen in Turkey this week, a place that’s relatively calm, peaceful, and stable one week can see all hell break loose the next.

So how do you decide if you should change your travel plans or just adjust them to avoid the trouble spots? How do you answer the question, Should I stay or should I go now? The key is to figure out how localized the problem is and how easily it can be avoided.

Is this for real?

Usually you have to ask yourself two questions: “How bad is it really?” and “How widespread is the problem?”

I shouldn’t have to tell you that American TV news is downright horrible. You’ve got four 24-hour news networks (and a few others from abroad) all trying to beat each other out in the ratings by being louder, more sensationalist, and more “of the moment” than the rest. It’s a clown in a business suit: entertainment packaged as news.

By it’s very nature, 24-hour TV news is focused on the story of the day, the more outrageous and powerful the better. What’s going to make you tune in and keep watching? Usually disasters, tragedies, and violence. So if there are protests in the street somewhere, that’s going to be at the top of the hour. If a pretty young woman gets raped in some scary foreign country like India, that’s next. (If she gets raped in the USA, of course, that’s not news unless it’s part of a long-term abduction or something really horrific happens.)

Anger in the Streets

We’ve seen a lot of riots in the streets every year I can remember, going back to when I was a little kid and my parents had the one hour of news on. They’ll still be happening long after I’m dead. Things reach a boiling point, angry people organize, and there are clashes between protesters and police. Sometimes it’s a revolution and the government goes down. Other times there’s either a nasty crackdown or some kind of negotiated settlement. Or it just plays itself out and fizzles.

For travelers, if it’s localized in one place, as it mostly was in Bangkok a few years ago and in Egypt after that, then you don’t have much to worry about. Away from the epicenter, life goes on as usual.

Other times the upheaval is part of a nationwide explosion of anger or desire for change, the kinds of protests that bring down the iron curtain or turn a country we formerly got along with into one that paints giant Death to America murals everywhere. That’s if they succeed. If they don’t you get a violent tit-for-tat or just violent oppression. The first gives us Syria, the second may be what we get in Turkey if things continue on the present course. Neither is a good outcome if you’re there.

Current news verdict: Yellow alert. If I were in Turkey now, as I was just a month ago, as a backpacker I’d either get out or head somewhere mellow, far away from the big cities. It could get worse before it gets better. The power-grabbing prime minister is not known for compromise and is saying plans to pave paradise and put up a shopping mall will move forward. That was the spark (well, and strict new alcohol rules) that started the whole powder keg…

A High-profile Crime Against a Tourist

The news media loves nothing better than a pretty young woman who has been a crime victim in a scary foreign land. It makes for good films, good books, and yes, good cable news stories. That narrative taps into so many emotional triggers the producers probably get downright giddy when this comes down the newswires.

Recently a woman was raped by three Indian men in a popular area for backpackers between Vashist and Manali while hitchhiking. Alone. In the wee hours after midnight. That’s not a bright thing to do many places on this planet, but India’s not getting any slack since this is on top of a string of other similar high-profile incidents. Still, if this happened in the USA though, where there are some 200,000 reported incidents a year, nobody would have heard about it. Especially if she were not traveling.

Tourism was reportedly already down by 1/3 among women before this happened, so it’s going to add insult to injury. Any woman who’s been groped for weeks on end in India will probably say, “Good, they deserve it.”

I’d say it’s part of a much larger issue of religious sexual oppression that exists across huge swaths of the world. Are there any quick fixes for that? I doubt it. But they can try.

Current news verdict: It’s your call. India has always been a tough place for any woman to travel. I stayed in a hostel with a woman that had been raped two days before when I was first there, and this was 18 years ago. Things haven’t gotten much better. The risk is real, but millions of women have traveled India alone without more than annoyance and frustration. As a BBC story on this case says (italics mine), “Reported cases of sexual assault are on the rise in India, although foreign tourists are rarely targeted.”

Natural Disasters

Hurricane Sandy in New Jersey and New York City, tornadoes in the midwest USA, and now serious floods in Central Europe. One act of God can ruin your whole trip—especially if the fine print on your travel insurance says they don’t cover “acts of God” (true verbage sometimes) or “natural disasters.”

The floods hitting Europe right now are serious business and they are having an impact on the following popular tourist destinations: Bratislava, Prague, Vienna, and Budapest. Plus a bunch of cities in Germany along the Rhine. River cruise boats are docked, with all those passengers up the high creek.

Sometimes the news is overblown: a tornado often only hits a small specific area. It sucks if you’re there, but fine a mile away. Floodwaters are relatively easy to track on a map. Hurricanes are a different story, as are earthquakes and tsunamis nobody saw coming.

Travel verdict: Take your financial lumps and get out. Unless you want to stick around and help. Nobody has time to take care of the tourists, so you’ll need to become a volunteer.

Crime Waves (and War Zones)

There’s seldom any such thing as a crime wave. It’s usually been rising for years, but suddenly people wake up when it makes the news.

Then those viewers have veerrrrryy long memories. It was two decades ago when Mexico City taxicab abductions last happened regularly. More than a decade since Medellin wasn’t safe to walk around at night. Croatia hasn’t been at war since 1995.

In some places though, the violence is a very real threat. The key is knowing where that threat comes from. Guatemala City and Caracas are not places you want to go partying at night if you have a choice. Same for the two main cities in Honduras. Or the border towns/cities in Mexico. But does this mean you shouldn’t go to see the ruins of Tikal, Uxmal, or Copan? Of course not—one has little to do with the other, just as Santa Fe’s homicide rate has nothing to do with the one in New Orleans.

Travel verdict: get the real story. Most crime stories are overblown, but some are not. You only know by doing some real research. You won’t find me spending the night in Tegucigalpa, Ciudad Juarez, or northern Nigeria anytime soon. Go an hour or two away, however, and it’s a different story. Crime is local—where you live and where you’re going.

Each month a webzine where I’m editor puts out some of the best travel stories on the web and we’ve got another great collection ready for you at Perceptive Travel.

The June issue sees the return of great author Rory MacLean, drinking for a month solid in a country that would stump a Jeopardy panel: Transnistria.

Camille Cusumano is taken aback by a strange man in a public bathing pool in Hawaii who is engulfed by visions and shakes. See An Apocalyptic Vision on the Hippy Side of Hawaii.

Michael Buckley visited Sri Lanka, a country once shunned because of a long-running civil war, and learned that it has the oldest nature reserve in the world. Safari tourism in Sri Lanka is still a mixed bag, but you’re sure to catch plenty of colorful birds and lumbering elephants.

As usual, we also dive into new travel books worth reading, from an idyllic Greek island to the slums of Rio. We also run down new world music worth spinning, from several continents.

Surprisingly few readers take the time to enter our monthly gear giveaway, so if you do the odds are a million times better than the Powerball and it’s free. Last month we gave away a whole prize pack of Travelling Light Gear from Sea to Summit. This time we’re giving away a small portable battery pack from Innergie that will keep that fast-dying iPhone charged up when you’re away from an outlet on the move. If you’re not on the newsletter list, follow Perceptive Travel on Facebook and watch for the contest details.

Portugal is part of Western Europe and uses the euro, so it’s never going to be dirt cheap, but compared to any country to the north of it, this destination is a real bargain for travelers. It makes a great value alternative to Spain, France, or Italy.

I just spent 11 gorgeous days in Portugal, first in Lisbon and then biking around the Alentejo region in the central south of the country. This is a rural farming region (think olive groves, vineyards, and cork trees) dotted with small cities often defined by glorious castles on a hill. It’s a fantastic area for cycling because there’s very little traffic and plenty of farm roads where you may go an hour or two without seeing a vehicle. The scenery is stupendous and the picture-perfect towns are inviting, nearly everything painted white with blue accents. Burial sites from a few thousand years ago lead to Roman ruins and castles built by a variety of invaders and reclaimers.

There’s not the huge gulf in prices though from Lisbon to the countryside as you find in some countries. Sure, it’s cheaper when you get out of the city, but for lodging anyway you have fewer choices so there’s not as much competition. It’s also harder to find cheap eats like street food in the countryside. Plan on doing a lot of self-catering if you’re on a budget because the locals don’t really seem to eat out that much. They may hang out at a cafe all day nursing an espresso or a tiny beer (25 CL), but restaurant choices get pretty slim outside of tourist towns like Evora.

Bring a phrase book or good language app! English is not widespread outside of the cities and resort areas on the coast. If you speak Spanish it helps when reading a menu and some people can speak Spanish. While many words are the same, however, the pronunciation of Portuguese is completely different. I was lost trying to comprehend much of anything.

Usually I do these prices in dollars, but this time I’m putting them in euros as that’s what all my notes are in. The exchange rate has long been in a range between $1.29 and $1.35 dollars to the euro. As in if something in here is €10, that’s around $13.50.

Food & Drink Prices in Portugal

I was thrilled when it was time to order a drink in Portugal. I found the proverbial $1 beer in one cafe, a 2-euro large carafe of house wine, and many places where your drink order with a set meal was “water, soda, or wine.” Nice, especially since what you get in Portugal is uniformly good.

One oddity here is that nothing placed on your table is complimentary. If you don’t want to be charged for bread, butter, soft cheese, or olives, you have to ask the waiter to take them back or push them over to the side so you won’t get charged. We rarely did that though as it was generally €0.50 to €1 for local olives or a big basket of freshly made bread.

Restaurant/cafe set meal prices: €5 – 10 with several courses and a drink
Typical main dishes, basic restaurant: €2.50 – 10
Typical main dishes, nice restaurant: €5 – 18
Pastry and an espresso: €1.50 – 3
Coffee: €0.50 – 1.50
House wine: €1 – 2.50 per glass
Better wine: €2 – 5 per glass, €5 – 15 per bottle in a restaurant
Wine in a store: €1 (really!) – 12 for most, “Reserve” brands €12 and up
Beer in a store/restaurant: o.50-0.75 each in store, .75 – €2 in restaurants (liter draft €3-4)
200 grams of cheese: 0.79 – €3
200 grams of dry sausage/pepperoni: €0.89 – 3.50
Baguettes: €0.30 – 0.60
Can of tuna or pate: €0.59 – 1.50
Seasonal fruit and vegetables: €1 – 2 per kilo for most, €3 berries
Oranges in season: €0.50 – 0.80 per kilo

Hotel and Hostel Prices in Portugal

Outside of the capital, in this country you’re often better off getting a hotel room than staying in a hostel if you’re traveling with someone else. Prices for hotels are a deal and the higher up you go, the better value they are compared to the rest of Western Europe. We stayed in two palaces—literally—that were included in our package but would be €108 and €145 respectively with breakfast if you booked direct. See the Pousadas of Portugal site to check out these interesting historic lodging options.

Hostel bed in small city: €14 – 25
Hostel bed Lisbon: €10 – 21
Pension (Pensão) in Lisbon: €20 – 50
3-star hotel: €22 – 60
4-star hotel: €59 – 99

Transportation Costs in Portugal

I saw all of three inter-city buses in a week’s time when I got into the countryside and two of those were parked, without a soul around. I only saw one person ever waiting at a bus stop. I get the impression that people without cars don’t move around very much except between major junctions.

Fuel is expensive and highways have heavy tolls, so transportation will be one of the biggest expenses. Don’t try to do it all!

Tram in Lisbon: €2.85 one ride, €6 all day unlimited
Subway in Lisbon: €1.40 one ride, €6 all day unlimited
1.5 hour bus ride (Lisbon-Evora): €12.50 one-way
2.5 hour bus ride (Lisbon-Western Algarve towns): €20 one-way
3-hour train (Porto-Lisbon): €35 – 42 1st class, €24 – 30 2nd class
Taxi in Lisbon, 2 people: €2.25 start, €1.60 per km
Taxi in Evora, 2 people: €3.25 start, €0.80 per km
Rental car booked from home: 210 to 350 dollars per week

Museum and Attraction Prices in Portugal

We didn’t actually spend very much on sightseeing. Many small museums are free, as are nearly all of the castles and churches dotted throughout the country. Popular Lisbon is a different story, however. We paid €7.50 to visit the castle there and €4 to go up into the dome and walk on the roof of the Basilica.

In general, you can figure on paying somewhere between one and eight euros for most attractions and museums. By European standards or even compared to Turkey, that’s quite reasonable.

Other Prices for Travelers

You can see the listing here for the Bike Tours direct tour I did (with Turaventur handling the local logistics). It’s 750 euros per person including nice hotels with breakfast and luggage transfers each day to the next hotel. That’s quite a deal no matter how you look at it, but especially if you compare it to similar tours they run in Burgundy, Bordeaux, or Tuscany.

Souvenirs to bring back home are affordable, the best being cork items, nice pottery (visit the town of São Pedro de Corval if you’re in Alentejo), jewelry, olive oil, and wine. At a local market in Estremoz we bought a wheel of cheese (enough for two) for €2 and a bottle of olive oil for €3 – both from local farmers.

When the 4th edition of The World’s Cheapest Destinations book came out in January, I posted some advance review comments from various other writers and bloggers. Now that a few months have gone by, here’s what people have said in the early reviews.

 

“Even as an experienced traveler, with some 60 countries under my belt (many of them cheapies), I still was able to find the book useful and interesting.

The World’s Cheapest Destinations will be helpful for travelers at different stages: newbies who would like to start traveling to other countries for the first time, individuals with some international travel experience who are looking to push their comfort zone a little bit, and folks just looking for a little more luxury without spending more money. This book tells you where and how to look.”

- Stephen Bugno of GoMad Nomad

“If you’re currently considering traveling to destinations where your ‘travel money is worth a fortune,’ I highly recommend you pick up the fourth edition of Tim Leffel’s well-researched, chock-full-of-details book The World’s Cheapest Destinations.”

- Kara Williams, The Vacation Gals

“If you’re up for a wry sense of humor and aren’t put off by the occasional unabashed assessment, The World’s Cheapest Destinations is not only an easy read and a money-saving Bible, but also a veteran traveler’s look at places that many travelers in the U.S. tend to leave off their dream lists.”

- Kristin Mock, freelance travel writer

“The 4th edition of Tim’s book has totally inspired us to travel even more by visiting cheaper places.”

- Ashley Steele, Wandering Educators

“Leffel wastes no time outlining some of the world’s cheapest destinations in a concise and honest fashion. Refreshingly pointed, this compact guide is an ideal handbook for those looking to stretch their money further.”

- Stuart McDonald, editor of Travelfish.org

“His advice ranges from the common sense (albeit often forgotten) to the wise been-there-done-that genre. The most intriguing reason to pick up this book is its nature to inure interest in destinations that may have been left by the wayside on your travel itinerary, but are an absolute must-see for any global traveler worth his weight in passport stamps.”

- Ramsey Qubein, Examiner.com

“With a little ingenuity, a bit of creativity and this book, you’ll be able to travel many places in the world you never thought possible. The World’s Cheapest Destinations is hands down the best guide to traveling the world on a budget.”

- Beth Whitman, editor of Wanderlust And Lipstick

“The very first step to saving money when on the road is to figure out where you can stretch your money the furthest. Due to the ebb and flow of international finance, wars, and natural disasters… the cheapest places are always changing. Tim offers a great way to hit this moving target.”

- Doug Lansky, author of more than 10 travel books including First Time Around the World

“Tim is correct: where you travel has more to do with saving money then how you travel. The cheapest hostel dorm bunk in Zurich will be more expensive than a large, quality hotel room in Bangkok. I’ve been to most of the countries outlined by Tim and can attest that they are great value destinations. This book is a must for affordable travel planning.”

- Gary Arndt, editor of Everything-Everywhere.com

 

Get Your Copy!

So where can you get this book? Pretty much everywhere online:

Direct from the publisher – paperback ($15,95 plus shipping) or PDF ($8.99, no shipping)

Kindle version from Amazon, Nook version from Barnes & Noble, Apple version from iBookstore – all around $8.99.

Paperback from Barnes & Noble, paperback from Amazon.

If you’re in Australia or New Zealand, you can order a copy from Fishpond.