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
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."
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
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).
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
