Affordable Faraway Paradises

By James Levine

You may have dreamed of surfing in Bali, island-happing in the Philippines or Malaysia, snorkeling in the Maldives or practicing Yoga in and trekking in Nepal, and dismissed these ideas as being unrealistic given your income and budget.  The truth is that you can enjoy all these experiences, and many more, for less money than what it would cost for you to vacation at the nearest beach destination, ski resort, casino, or amusement park.  All that you need to be armed with the knowledge contained in this book, along with a reasonable level of open-mindedness and resourcefulness and you can experience the World's great faraway treasures and save money while doing so!  It is my honor and pleasure to share my personal experiences with you so that you can learn how to identify an exciting faraway travel destination, how to get there inexpensively, how to find a safe and sometimes luxurious place to stay, and how to stay safe and maximize the enjoyment of your experience! 

• Language: English
• Publisher: James Levine
• Release date: Feb 18, 2024
• ISBN: 9798350726749

Book preview

Affordable Faraway Paradises

James Levine

Published by James Levine, 2024.

While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, the publisher assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions, or for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein.

AFFORDABLE FARAWAY PARADISES

First edition. February 18, 2024.

Copyright © 2024 James Levine.

ISBN: 979-8350726749

Written by James Levine.

Copyright © 2024 James Levine

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage or retrieval system, without written permission from the author and the publisher, except for the inclusion of a brief quotation in a review.

ISBN: 979-8-3507-2674-9

Contents

Prologue

The World’s Affordable Faraway Paradises

Traveling To The World’s Affordable Faraway Paradises

Technique 1: Strategic Approaches to Airline Frequent Flyer Programs

Technique 2: Google Flights

Technique 3: Strategies for Credit Card Reward Programs

Technique 4: The Low-Cost Arrival/Departure City Hack

Technique 5: The Fly/Drive Combination Hack

Technique 6: The Multiple Carriers Hack

Technique 8: Two One-way Tickets

Technique 9: The Companion Pass Opportunity

Technique 10: Low-Cost Carrier Utilization

Where To Stay At Your Affordable Faraway Paradise

1. Hotel Chain Loyalty Programs

2. Local Large or Boutique Hotels

3. Airbnb

4. Family, Friends, or Friends of Family or Friends

5. Homestay.com

6. Language Immersion Schools, Yoga Retreats, Guided Treks, Multi-day Cultural Immersion Programs with Lodging

7. Hostels

How To Get Around Once You Arrive

1. Taxis and Rideshares

2. Trains and Metro Rail Systems

3. Buses (Local and Inter-city)

4. Tuk Tuks (Rickshaws), Jeepneys (in the Philippines), Mopeds and Tricycles

5. Local Contacts

6. Renting a Car, Bicycle, or Moped

7. Hiring a Professional Private Driver

Planning Your Trip

Avoiding Scams While In Affordable Faraway Paradises

1. Taxi/Rickshaw/etc Taking You to the Wrong Location

2. The Fake Hospitality or Tea Party Scam

3. The Hotel Security Guard Scam

4. The Bill-Switching Taxi Driver Scam

5. Taxi Drivers Not Using Their Meter, or Claiming that it Doesn’t Work Scam

6. The Hotel Missing Items Scam

7. Romance Scams

Staying Safe

1. Protecting Your Belongings from Pickpockets and Petty Thieves

2. Physical Safety While Traveling Internationally

3. Interacting with Local Law Enforcement while Traveling in a Foreign Country

Navigating Foreign Cultures

Bargaining And Tipping

Reviews Of Some Of The Affordable Faraway Paradises That Have Visited

Conclusion

About the Author

Prologue

The hotel room was the size of a penthouse suite. From its location on the 14th floor, you could see the northern outskirts of Tbilisi, Georgia, with the snow-capped peaks of the Caucasus Mountains in the background. It was still dark when my alarm sounded. When I initially woke up, I almost had trouble remembering where I was and why I was in such a luxurious pad. Then I remembered: I had arrived in the Eastern European nation just the day before. My plan was to get a good night’s rest, work out early in the hotel gym, then spend the day exploring 4th-century castles, palaces, and monasteries close to the Russian border.

After a brief morning workout, I packed a few essentials and found the taxi driver waiting for me in a comfortable, modern vehicle.

You must be Mr. Levine, the well-dressed, middle-aged taxi driver stated with a heavy accent. Welcome to Tbilisi, and where would you like to go?

I had been reluctant to take a taxi for fear of what the fare was going to be for a cross-town trip. When we arrived at the tour company office, the driver requested four Georgian lari, or about $1.50 in U.S. dollars. I almost felt bad about paying so little for a considerable taxi ride in a comfortable car with an honest, well-dressed driver. I paid the fare plus a tip and said my farewells. At a bakery across the street, I purchased a small bag of pastries to take on my tour. When I inquired about the price the tall, slender, fifty-something clerk responded, Thirty-five. I assumed that she meant thirty-five lari. When I handed her a 50 lari bill, she laughed and simply stated, No, thirty-five cents! (The equivalent of ten U.S. cents).

The tour was an all-day, 14-hour trip that took me to some of the most impressive and well-preserved castles, fortresses, and monasteries with majestic views of the Caucasus in the background. The tour cost me the equivalent of approximately $20. It included a driver, a tour guide, admission to all of the sites, and a ride in the special terrain jeeps with the super-sized tires that carried us up the steep, windy slopes to the Gergeti Trinity Church, an impeccably restored monastery. We had a traditional Georgian meal: khinkali – which are Georgian-style dumplings filled with spicy meat. When you eat it, the juice from the meat practically explodes in your mouth. It only cost the equivalent of a couple of dollars. Most of the other tourists were from Russia, with one young man from Kazakhstan and a couple from the Ukraine. (This was a month before Russia attacked Ukraine in February 2022). All of them wanted to practice their English with me. When we returned to Tbilisi that evening the driver dropped me off a short walk from my hotel and everyone wished me a warm farewell.

I departed the following morning. The hotel’s pre-arranged transportation to the airport cost only a few dollars. I spent the remaining lari on breakfast before catching my Turkish Airlines Anadolu Jet flight back to Istanbul. My flight cost about $56. The Pegasus Airlines flight from Istanbul to Tbilisi cost less than $50. I used my International Hotel Group (IHG) rewards points for the four-star Holiday Inn Tbilisi. The entire trip to Georgia cost me less than $200, which is less than one would pay for either a night at a three-star hotel or family dinner at a moderately-priced restaurant in most parts of the developed world.

International travel to exotic destinations is NOT exclusive for the economic elite. If it were, you wouldn’t see me doing it.

Do you long to visit the world’s most exciting, exotic destinations but assume that such travel is reserved exclusively for the most privileged? When you tell others about where you would like to go, do you typically finish by saying, When I can afford it?

Well, I’m here to tell you that regardless of your income or financial situation, you can travel to the faraway corners of the world for a price that is less than taking a weekend getaway in your home state!

I have traveled to 68 countries on six different continents. I’m not a trust fund child. I’m not independently wealthy and do not live a life of leisure. I am the product of a middle-class upbringing. I don’t work in Silicon Valley or on Wall Street. I have a full-time job in the electric utility industry with a non-exceptional income. And I never incur any debt when I travel.

I wrote this book to show you how you can visit some of the world’s most beautiful, interesting, and exotic destinations and spend less money than you would on your nearest beach, ski resort, or weekend in Las Vegas. Most of these destinations are outside of the U.S., Canada, Australia W, and the countries of Western Europe, yet they aren’t any less safe than tourist destinations within those countries.

I will warn you, however, that when you talk about many of these destinations with your neighbors, colleagues, and friends, the responses you’re likely to receive will surprise you.

"Where is that country located?"

"Why would you want to go there?"

That part of the world sounds dangerous.

In life, some of the best-kept secrets are the ones that the fewest people are aware of.

Why go to the same expensive, tried-and-true destinations that are plastered all over social media (i.e. Disney World, Cancun, the Bahamas, Paris, Rome, etc)? I’ve been to all of them, and while none of those trips was particularly bad, the experiences I had in my Affordable Faraway Paradise destinations were incomparable. Although many of these countries are considered by many to be developing or put more colloquially, just poor countries, some have infrastructure that is superior to what one might find in many parts of North America or Western Europe.

In this book, you learn how to find destinations that are exotic, beautiful, and safe places that are culturally and historically rich and often either unheard of or overlooked in lieu of more popular destinations. You will also learn how to travel to them and stay there for a shockingly cheap price.

I’ll share my best and worst experiences with you – country by country. After reading this book you will have the knowledge and tools that you need to enjoy the trip of a lifetime for almost nothing!

Chapter I

The World’s Affordable Faraway Paradises

It was a good problem to have. I didn’t know what to do with all the spare currency that I had left over after passing through security at the airport in Tbilisi. Granted, the total leftover currency could only be converted to a few U.S. dollars. I was regretting having converted as many dollars as I had converted, knowing that most currency exchange kiosks will not accept some currencies, especially currencies that they know they will have difficulty re-selling.

I was the only passenger walking around the mezzanine level of the International Terminal at six in the morning, and most of the restaurants in the food court had not yet opened. I stopped by the lounge (it was an independent lounge that contracted with various airlines to accommodate their elite passengers, and it also offered day passes), and was told that it would be 54 Euro for a day pass. I politely thanked the receptionist and quickly left, realizing that that was more than what I had spent on my one-way airfare between Tbilisi and Istanbul. I returned to the food court just as a young woman was logging on to the cash register and when I asked her if they were open, she responded that they had just opened. I had just enough Georgian currency left over for a cappuccino and a breakfast pastry. I make every effort possible to not keep small change in a foreign currency when I leave the country as that change usually ends up collecting dust in my underwear drawer and is never used again. I wish that I had known just how cheap my trip to Georgia would ultimately be, and I would not have converted as many dollars to Lari.

WHAT IS AN AFFORDABLE FARAWAY PARADISE?

Although there is no technical definition of an Affordable Faraway Paradise, the countries and/or destinations within countries that could be considered Affordable Faraway Paradises are destinations where you will have attractions to explore and opportunities to experience that will create lifelong memories that would either be unavailable or prohibitively expensive in your home country or location. These are the locations that have been buried by geography, and a lack of knowledge of it in most of the developed world. These locations not only offer exciting attractions and experiences at sometimes shockingly affordable prices, but are also safe, geopolitically stable, and relatively easy to explore. You should be able to spend a week traveling in an affordable faraway paradise for less than $1,800.00 U.S, including airfare, per person. This is about what one would spend on a short trip to their nearest beach, ski resort, or gaming destination.

So, this leads to the million-dollar question, "which countries could be considered