There are a few clusters of cheap destinations around the world where you can travel overland from country to country on a low budget for weeks, months, or a year. For Americans, starting in Mexico and going down to Panama is a pretty reliable way to travel well without spending a fortune—especially since the initial flight won’t set you back too much.

There are major variations of course, which is why Nicaragua is a screaming bargain, Mexico is an “honorable mention” in my book, and Costa Rica isn’t in there at all. Even that last one and Belize will cost you less than home if you pick the where and how carefully, however, so all in all it’s a good block for long-term travel.

A month ago I updated my old article for Transitions Abroad on Budget Travel in Mexico and Central America. It’s an article, not a book, so it’s just going to give you a quick overview. It does give you a quick overview for the region though on sleeping, transportation, and eating/drinking. Plus there are ample links at the end to resources to find out more.

I like Mexico so much I have two houses there. (Though I’d like to bring that down to one. Beach house for sale – $68,500.) It’s no bargain if you go to Los Cabos or the Riviera Maya, but in the interior and many off-the-radar beaches, it’s a whole different story. In Nicaragua, Honduras, and Guatemala, it’s a bargain throughout.

So do a little planning, but follow the article to decide if it sounds like a region where the price is right.

It’s time for another collection of the best travel stories on the web, from the award-winning webzine Perceptive Travel.

One of the features is mine this time, a piece on getting to the roots of good coffee by visiting farms where the beans are grown. Come along for the ride to Guatemala, Costa Rica, Panama, and Colombia in Alert in the Americas.

On Ontario’s remote Moose Factory Island, where the Cree First Nation is cautiously courting tourism, Carolyn Heller learns that there’s more to see than the “sights.” See Going Where No Roads Go in Ontario.

Lea Aschkenas heads into the Amazon jungle of Ecuador and fights discomfort and insects to appreciate the teeming life around her.

Graham Reid checks out some new and noteworthy world music. Afro-soul, Indo-jazz, desert blues, and “Autotune goes to Africa.”

Travel book reviews from William Caverlee include Encounters from a Kayak, Food Lover’s Guide to the World, and On This Earth, A Shadow Falls.

As usual, we’re giving away some cool travel gear as well. Last month someone scored a new pair of hiking shoes from Wolverine. This month we’re giving away a whole Travelling Light package from Sea to Summit. The winner will take home a daypack that compresses down into a tiny pouch, a mesh laundry bag, Travelling Light See Pouches, and a travel wallet. If you’re on our newsletter list already, check your inbox or bulk folder. If not, sign up here to get in on the action next time. You can also follow Perceptive Travel on Facebook and watch for the contest questions.

The February issue of Perceptive Travel is out, with more of the best travel stories from book authors on the move.

Once again it’s fair to say “best travel stories” because for the third year in a row, the publication I edit placed for “Best Travel Journalism Site” in the annual awards from the North American Travel Journalists Association. We got the Bronze this time, but first was National Geographic Traveler’s website and I think theirs is actually produced in a real office with a water cooler. (Two of our stories won too—see the home page for details.)

This month we travel to three distinct places and go beyond the usual tourism brochure fluff.

Chris Epting has a story on where the Rolling Stones spent their early years while touring around the U.S. David Lee Drotar finds the dark side in Costa Rica, looking at what all that tourism and real estate development is doing to howler monkey habitats. I’ve got a piece on a place few people seem to visit, but should get onto their radar: the eastern half of Slovakia.

Susan Griffith highlights new and noteworthy travel books, including a biography of legendary travel writer and adventurer Redmond O’Hanlon. Laurence Mitchell is back to spin some new world music albums worth checking out from troubled Mali; Persia via India; and Bollywood and Havana via Canada.

As usual, one of our readers will get something new by entering the monthly gear contest and winning. Last month’s winner is getting decked out in a travel clothing outfit from Mountain Khakis. This month we’re giving away a small portable battery pack for your quick-dying iPhone or other gadgets. If you’re on the monthly newsletter list, you already got your chance to enter. If not, sign up here for next time and get a shot at this month’s by following Perceptive Travel on Facebook.

And between new issues, don’t forget to check out the cool PT blog!

My current home - 40% less expensive than the last one

I used to get this question every month or so. Now that I’ve broadcast on a regular basis that I am living in Mexico, I get it every week or so. We’re living it up and spending 40% less than we did at home, so I can’t blame anyone for asking how they can move to a foreign country and do the same.

Many people seem to want to move abroad to lower their expenses or escape the hectic life of always-on connections and 24-hour bickering on TV. But the idea is so daunting they don’t even know how to take the first steps.

So here goes.

First of all, change any prevailing mindset that everything you need to know can be gathered up for free online. Good information, solid information that’s reliable, costs money. Not a fortune, but not free either. If you’re going to ask where and how you can live on a few thousand dollars less a month than you’re spending now, be willing to invest a hundred or two to get you there. Spend a little, save a lot.

1) Get International Living magazine.

The following is not an affiliate link and it’s been years since I wrote anything for them. They’re just the best resource, period: International Living. That takes you to the order form, where it’s $49 a year or $89 for two. The best investment you’ll make in living abroad for less. If you need a stronger hard sell though, browse around their site and they’ll pour it on thick: they’ve obviously got a few direct-mail copywriters on staff. Hype aside though, what’s in the magazine is well-researched info with real prices on the ground, usually from writers who are living in the places they’re writing about.

2) Buy the right books.

Sure, The World’s Cheapest Destinations is a nice start, but that’s mainly a travel book, not a living book. Before I moved to Mexico with a daughter, both my wife and I read The Family Sabbatical Handbook and found it helpful. I’ve since met a dozen other parents who have used it as well. Follow the Amazon recommendations that pop up along with that and you’ll get to books like Getting Out, How to Retire Overseas, and Escape 101.

If you already know where you want to go, dive into a book for that country, if it’s available. Moon Handbooks puts out a lot of good Living Abroad guides, like Living Abroad in Panama or Thailand. Do an Amazon search for the country you’re interested in and you’ll probably find more. Naturally you’re going to find more info on living in Costa Rica or the Dominican Republic than you will on some obscure country where you’re the only expat, but if there’s a sizable number there’s probably a book on moving there.

If you come up empty on physical books, start trolling for e-books. Often you’ll find something on International Living or EscapeArtist.com, but if not keep looking. Often a locally run website or expat message board can point you in the right direction. Sometimes these e-books are pricey: the author is giving away insider information to the few who really want it and can charge a higher price. Again though, if investing 40 bucks saves you $400 a month on rent or $4,000 on closing costs, isn’t that worth it?

3) Read Reliable Web Resources

Anybody can post anything on the web without getting called out on it, so there’s a lot of misinformation and just plain misleading advice that will take you down the wrong path. I’ve found EscapeArtist.com to be more reliable than most overall, though you can stumble across things that are way out of date. Also look to living abroad articles from Transitions Abroad.

If you can find a local expert who really knows his/her stuff, like Lan Sluder for Belize, then embrace their site and use it as your main guide.  Most countries have at least one really good authoritative site you can trust, like Mexperience for Mexico or Travelfish.org for Thailand and its neighbors.

Sometimes you might have to pay a little for “special reports” with all the dirty details, but usually they’re worth it.

4) Travel

You can ask a hundred questions and read a hundred books, but there’s no substitute for getting out there and giving a place a trial run. Think you might want to live in Central America but you’re not sure where? Get a one-way flight to Guatemala and start moving. You’ll get a real sense of prices and you’ll find out where you would truly be comfortable.

I spent a month in Guanajuato with my family a year before we moved here for our sabbatical. I knew from my travels which places I definitely did not want to live in, even when they were cheap and looked great on paper. They just didn’t have the right feel. The only way you’ll know that is if you pack a bag and go.

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Costa Rica is just a little dot on the map in Central America, smaller than many U.S. states, but it’s one of the most popular international destinations for Americans, getting nearly a million and a half of them each year. If you’re a budget traveler though, that’s not a good thing: this is easily the most expensive country in Central America.

Here’s a quick Costa Rica prices for travelers post I did after my first visit three years ago. The good news is that these are basically the same, plus the exchange rate is virtually unchanged from three years ago, at 500 to the dollar. The bad news is, prices were already about 1/3 higher than those in Panama or Belize and about double those in Nicaragua and Guatemala. The roads have improved considerably in some areas, there are more internal flight options (I’ve been zipping around on carbon-neutral Nature Air), and there are now more international flights into Liberia in the north—at more convenient times of the day as well.

To answer the question in that headline, if you’ve got enough money, Costa Rica can definitely be a fantastic experience. The concentration of wildlife is simply staggering (see my last post for a few days of photos). The jungle here is really jungle. Nearly everyone working in tourism speaks English. The service in hotels is friendly and accommodating. This is by far the cleanest and most ec0-friendly country in the region. Universal health care, universal primary education, high literacy, no army, a female president, real democracy—this is no sad and corrupt dictatorship.

At the backpacker level, it can be quite tough though. It’s hard to get a decent hotel for under $30 outside of the rainiest part of the year and the further you get off the standard tourist route, the tougher it gets. Getting off that main tourist route is not all that easy either without flying. The local bus system is lousy, so most travelers get from place to place by private shuttle van or prop plane. That can get expensive fast. If I were on a strict budget here, I’d be grumpy. For all these reasons, it’s actually cheaper to go on a group tour with someone like Adventure Life or GAP Adventures than to go independently.

As with other worthwhile but not cheap places (like most of Europe), in my opinion it’s better to come here when your budget is $100 or $200 a day (or higher) instead of $25 to $50 a day. If you live here instead, renting out an apartment and eating where the locals eat, things get far cheaper of course—this is still a developing country after all.

Be advised that there are really only five months when you can count on good weather outside of the dry Guanacaste region: mid-December through mid-May. After that, you’d better pack a deck of cards and a few good books (or a loaded Kindle) because you’ll be spending a lot of time indoors waiting for the rain to stop.

As for guidance, the Moon Handbook for the country is quite good and that’s what I was carrying my first time in the country. The author, Christopher Baker, has a good Costa Rica mobile app out that’s worth the $2.99 to have a basic overview and a good wildlife guide in your pocket.

But this time I took the newly revised Lonely Planet guide for Costa Rica. I found it to be solid and reliable, answering all my questions, providing good background, and having the usual useful maps. Naturally if you use if for accommodation and restaurant recommendations you’ll be joining the hordes all staying and eating at the same places though, so put in down sometimes and just wander. But in a country with this much to know, do, and see, traveling without a guidebook means you’re only scratching the surface unless you have a really great guide.

Related story: Fear on the Menu in Costa Rica