The global travel industry is in many ways driven by myth and prejudice and it is good to see someone tackling those prejudices
head on (without ignoring the greatest hits of world travel like the Taj Mahal and Macchu Picchu). I think it strikes a good
balance between a starry-eyed romantic view of spontaneous travel and suspicious attitude that can be crippling to travel
in developing countries. In short its advice is sensible as well as inspiring. It should succeed in persuading its readers
to look again at their bank balance and seriously consider visiting or re-visiting one of the 21 countries covered. Even just
skimming the excellent "What you can get for a buck or less" sections makes you instantly want to book a flight somewhere
exotic.
Susan Griffith
Author of Work Your Way Around the World
Tim Leffel, author of the short volume, The World's Cheapest Destinations, offers helpful savings hints to many
nations that he considers rock bargains. He focuses on 21 countries where your dollar goes far! Some destinations are exotic,
but the book can be an entertaining choice for your favorite frequent traveler. Read more...
Clark Howard's Consumer Action Center
Most of us pick a spot on the globe, and then begin finding low airfares, cheap food, or inexpensive rooms. Tim Leffel
says we've got it backwards.
This book proposes choosing destinations that are known money-savers.
For example, Leffel says Malaysia boasts some of the world's most beautiful beaches, and at a fraction of price for more
frequently visited coastlines. Antiquities in Turkey and Egypt will cost less to visit than those in Greece. The castles of
Hungary are cheaper to see than those of France. Read more...
Mark Kahler, Budget Travel Editor, About.com
For the traveler who enjoys adventure traveling to some of the most exotic places in the world, trying new food and customs,
learning about other religions and traditions, this slim book will prove to be a great tool. Read more...
Norman P. Goldman, BookPleasures.com
A succint, useful guide to the less expensive countries of the world.
Rolf Potts, Author, Vagabonding
"One of the smartest investments the adventurous, budget conscious traveler can make—the book will pay for
itself many times over in money saved while traveling to some of the world's most fascinating destinations. It's obvious the
author knows his subject intimately well and he holds nothing back. Highly recommended!"
Cheri Sicard
Editor, FabulousTravel.com and FabulousFoods.com
"Subtitled 21 Countries Where Your Dollars Are Worth a Fortune, this book purports to give the lowdown on the planet's
most affordable places, and generally delivers.
If you want a cheap bed, a tasty-though-not-fancy meal and transportation that won't deplete your wallet, Leffel is a reliable
guide."
David Armstrong
San Francisco Chronicle
"Dividing up travel destinations into four sections, Asia, Africa & Middle East, Europe and the Americas, Leffel
points out how in each of these geographical locations you can stretch your dollar to the maximum. You may compare this to
the old adage, 'it is not how much one earns, but how your money is managed, that is important.'" Read more...
- BootsnAll
"After giving a short, yet detailed geographical breakdown of each nation, Leffel gives readers practical information on
everything from favorite foods to accommodations, various means of transportation and special sites."
Ron Wynn, Nashville City Paper
Tim Leffel has written a little book that every adventurous traveler will want to buy and read at one sitting, then go
back over the chapters on the countries that most interest them, then start booking their flights to the world's cheapest
destinations. Leffel, a long-time contributor to Transitions Abroad, is a veteran international traveler with at
least three around-the-world trips and four consecutive years of travel and living abroad behind him. He is a reliable authority
on how to get the most for your travel dollar. If you've been to one of the countries he writes about, reading what he has
to say about it is like a conversation with an old traveling buddy. If you haven't been there, Tim will tell you why you should
go, how much you can expect to spend on accommodations, food, and transportation, what to avoid, what not to miss, what to
buy, and things you can get for a buck or less. (In Bangkok, for example, that would include two whole pineapples chopped
up for you at a street stall or a coconut with a straw in it or breakfast or five bus or ferry rides).
Of Leffel's 21 destinations seven are in Asia, seven are in the Americas, four are in Europe, and only three are in Africa
and the Middle East (Morocco, Egypt, and Jordan). Why has he written off African south of the Sahara? His response: "Trying
to navigate through a region of famine, civil war, disease, dictators, and a pitiful infrastructure is not my idea of fun."
You might not agree with the reasons for his omissions—like Burma, Cambodia, and the Philippines—but you know where he's coming from. (Burma's a police state; Cambodia is "a poor and bedraggled
country that happens to hold Ankor Wat"; and as for the Philippines "the word 'trashed' doesn't begin to describe the littered
towns and beaches [where] you could almost have a countrywide scavenger hunt to find a building that's not ugly."
Leffel's book is short on practical details (addresses, phone numbers, etc.). For those he refers you to his web site,
www.worldscheapestdestinations.com, and the other well-chosen web sites and printed resources he recommends. As he says, looking
up the details that used to fill whole chapters of books like his is now easier to do on the Web. We think that's a wise decision.
The specific information he does give you is based on his own experience and the good judgment of a wise and seasoned traveler.
Buy this book.
Clay Hubbs
Publisher, Transitions Abroad magazine
"Nowhere else can budget-conscious travelers find so much concise and well organized information about traveling
costs in foreign lands. This book will also help the frugal traveler determine the best place for their next adventure."
Big Blue Marble
