5 travel destinations to escape to on a budget
Spring is coming. While that means your chance to embrace the cold in Canada is coming to a (temporary) end, other vacation options are opening up. During the spring and summer, with kids out of school and the weather so, so beautiful, it’s tempting to want to travel somewhere that you can lie on a beach or walk around for hours. Unfortunately, few of us have unlimited money and are often required to travel long distances just to leave the country. Here are some suggestions for Canadians on where to travel on a budget.
Iceland
Iceland has two competing airlines that are trying incredibly hard to get people from North America to visit Iceland. Icelandair offers free stopovers in Iceland to and from Europe, providing, in essence, a free flight to Iceland. WOW Air specializes in low-cost flights to North America and Europe with stopovers in Iceland. Although accommodation and food costs are relatively high, low airfare allows Canadians the chance to visit The Blue Lagoon and see the Northern Lights at a fraction of what it cost ten years ago.
The United States
An obvious choice for cash-strapped travelers, the United States is a short drive or flight from most Canadian cities. Depending on what part of the country you live in, you could easily visit the bustling metropolises of the New England states, hike through the laidback northwestern states, fly into sunny California or Florida, or simply pick a random state to explore. The U.S. dollar has grown stronger in recent years compared to the Canadian dollar, but when looking for where to travel on a budget, the United States remains one of the top choices, if for no other reason than the cost of transportation.
Cuba
You might have heard by now that Americans can travel to Cuba under certain circumstances. In fact, major U.S. airlines now fly directly to Havana and other Cuban cities daily. Despite the influx of Americans, the island nation is still a great place to find bargains for all-inclusive travel in the Caribbean. If you live in Eastern Canada and have flexible travel dates, last-minute vacation packages present another way to save.
Colombia
Perhaps the most surprising item on this list, Colombia is downright cheap to visit for Canadians. With round-trip flights for under $600 and a large selection of affordable accommodation costs, Colombia is shaping up to be a top travel destination in summer 2017.
China
China is another country primed for Canadian visitors. Chinese airlines are rapidly expanding and now offer dozens of direct flights from Canadian cities. If you find these direct flights to be too expensive, you can connect through Vancouver or the United States to save hundreds of dollars in flight costs. Once in China, there’s no shortage of sites to see or cities to visit. As a bonus, accommodation and food costs are relatively inexpensive.
When deciding where to travel in 2017, Canadians need to stay smart with their dollars. Although you might dream of traveling to Paris or London, exchanging Canadian dollars for Euros or British pounds is a painful exercise. Instead, consider off-the-beaten-path destinations where your money can go further.