moneysaver – Somewhere in The World

I was speaking with a friend the other day, and he advised “I can’t travel man, our dollar sucks everywhere i don’t know.. what do you think is the cheapest place to go?” This question stuck with me because it didn’t come down to where was necessarily cheaper, but the concept we were talking about was called ‘currency arbitrage’ which means “making your money go further by using a strong currency in a country with a weaker one“.

Let’s face it.. If you’re Canadian you already know the struggle of our dollar.. IT SUCKS VIRTUALLY/PHYSICALLY EVERYWHERE lmao.. Okay, maybe I am being extra but our dollar really does suck in most places. Thus, I’ve done deep research, and talk amongst my backpacker friends and here are 12 places where Our Canadian Dollar surprisingly goes far. This list is in no particular order.. I am just listing places.

One thing, I wanted to stress is that I don’t believe there is such a thing as, ‘poor’ countries and ‘rich countries’ because CLEARY during this pandemic we have seen big countries do absolutely nothing for their people. So there’s that myth.. BUSTED. That is not to say that there isn’t many people living in poverty. Globally people are facing a myriad of difficulties in their lives however, I just wanted to disclose that identifying a country as ‘poor’ vs ‘rich’ just doesn’t sit well with me.

Below you’ll find a collection of 12 countries that may not be the cheapest in the world, but that represent the best value for our dollar – and thus are worth visiting. I wanted to give a combination of back-packer friendly and travel friendly countries. If you need help finding cheap flights to these places, take a read of my post of finding cheap flights. Surely, it will help.

Please, leave a comment if you’re not sure which country to visit based on your style or send me a email 🙂

1/10

Romania

$1 CAD = 3.13 leu

100 Romanian leu = $31.94 CAD

Romania is an ancient land, full of castles and historical antiquities, and the exchange rate presents some serious bargains for Canadians. For example, a typical meal for two in the capital of Bucharest will run you under $35 Canadian, the cost of living is estimated to be nearly 40 per cent lower than living in Toronto. Imagine that!

2/10

Croatia

1$ CAD = 4.87 Kuna

100 Kuna = $20.53 CAD

Croatia is just a phenomenal and easy country to back-pack for two. Not, to mention how romantic some parts of the country can be. A typical meal for two in the capital will run you about 289.80 kn which is just under $60.00. Keep in mind, Dubrovnik is one of the most expensive cities in Croatia and will double in price for basic things. Thanks to Games of Thrones attractions.

3/10

Cambodia

$1 CAD = 2740.42 riel

100,000 Riel = $36.51 CAD

Asia is a destination hot spot for Canadian travellers and I can see why. The cost of travelling is cheaper in these countries and the people are the most friendliest you’ll ever met. If visiting Phnom Penh, a domestic beer will cost about a buck and a half, while an average dinner for two will run less than $23 CAD.

4/10

Belize

$1 CAD = 1.54 (BZD)

100 BZD = $64.76 CAD

Average Hotel Price: $40

Average Cost of Food for a Day: $23 / for two: $55

Average Daily Cost (Per Person, Per Day): $78

Belize is the only country in (mainland) Central and South America where English is the official language! As such, it’s an easy place to travel to. This may not be the number pick for backpackers, but for travellers alike our money will go far.

5/10

Argentina

$1 CAD = 56.92 ARS

5692.42 ARS = $100 CAD

Average Hostel/Hotel Price: $20-25 / $51

Average Cost of Food for a Day: $12

Average Daily Cost (Per Person, Per Day): $76

6/10

Belarus

$1 CAD = 2.03 BYN

203.36 BYN = $100 CAD

Average Hotel/Hostel Price: $14-$25

Average Cost of Food for a Day: $7

Average Daily Cost (Per Person, Per Day): $25

Belarus is considered one of the gems of Central and Eastern Europe; visiting museum towns like Mir and Nesvizh will take you back in time, and they’re both UNESCO World Heritage sites. Vitebsk is the place to be in the summertime with lots of arts festivals. Trekking fans will love the ancient forests of Belavezhskaya Puscha National Park, which is home to 212 species of birds.

And because Belarus is one of the few European countries that didn’t adopt the Euro, our dollar goes farrr HUNNTYYY.

7/10

Indonesia

$1 CAD = 11307.52 IDR

1130751.62 IDR = $100 CAD

Average Hostel Price: $10-35

Average Cost of Food for a Day: $15

Average Daily Cost (Per Person, Per Day): $30

Honestly: I think people get clouded by ‘instagram photos of lavish life’ and assuming it costs an organ. In Indonesia you can ejoy the finest things because prices are super low and our money goes far !

Also, most people have no idea just how big and diverse Indonesia is as a country. Many also don’t realize that the popular tourist destination of Bali is just one of many (as in, 17,000!) Indonesian islands, each with their own flavour and sometimes culture.

8/10

Philippines

$1 CAD = 37.30 PHP

3729.58 PHP = $100 CAD

Average Hostel Price: $20

Average Cost of Food for a Day: $12

Average Daily Cost (Per Person, Per Day): $20

9/10

Thailand

$1 CAD = 24.00 Baht

2400.22 Baht = $100 CAD

Average Hostel Price: $14

Average Cost of Food for a Day: $10

Average Daily Cost (Per Person, Per Day): $25

Thailand is a very easy place to visit, and has been a backpacker haven for decades. It’s easy not only because it’s cheap (Chiang Mai, Bangkok, and Phuket all made the 2016 Price of Travel Index’s list of cheapest Asian cities), but also because it’s incredibly friendly it’s the ‘land of smiles’ thats for sure. I survived in Thailand for one month with $300 CAD!! Cant you believe that!

10/10

Chile

$1 CAD = 591.05 CL

59104.95 Chilean Peso = $100

Average price of dinner for two is 35,000 CL

If hiking through Patagonia is on your bucket list, now could be the time to go as every dollar is worth 18% more. Peak season in Patagonia lasts from November until March, when temperatures are perfect for exploring the wonderlands of Torres del Paine, Laguna San Rafael and Bernardo O’Higgins National Parks. Of course when your travelling it is always recommended you download apps, just to help you situate yourself in countries that are more spread apart in terms of activities in different cities.

Thank you so much for reading, and I’ll see you in my next post, xoxo.

I always wondered what were the tricks to cheap flights? Was it having a buddy pass? Working as a flight attendant? or COVID (you know before, anyone knew what would happen). While, those are all things that could get you cheap flights. I’ve found over time these hacks Im sharing today have helped me get some steals to get away.

In this post i’m giving you all my hacks I use, to get cheap flights. Through my experience with my brothers ‘last minute’ flights to my ‘get me out this country flights’ and ‘I just need to save coin’ moments . I’ve found all these tricks have helped me secure flights for the low low.

Apps

SkyScanner

If you haven’t read ‘My Favourite Travel Apps’, I talk about this app here. Basically, it’s a great tool to have to secure cheap flights. The only con is: You will typically get flights with layovers.

2. Hopper

This App is basically a two-for one, I love Hopper! I use this religiously and i mean RELIGIOUSLY. This app predicts prices for flights and hotels, with 95% accuracy up to 1 year in advance. It also shows you the dates where flights are the most expensive. This helps me with my planning process which I talk about in this post (See Number #1) on “How to Start a Solo Adventure’

General Hacks

Fly Budget

Honestly, a lot of people are afraid to fly budget but to me the risks are equal in comparison to bigger airlines.

Below is a list of budget Airlines:

2. Don’t Always Fly Direct

Not only does it help to be flexible with dates and destinations but being flexible with the route you take is another way to get a cheap flights. For example, sometimes it’s cheaper to fly to a major city than search for another flight. See an example below

I did precisely this when I was going to Bali. The flight from the CA was $1300 CAD, but I could fly to Thailand for $700 and get a $60 flight to Bali (round-trip). It meant more flying time, but savings were added to food and activities that my girl Alexis made me do lol.

To use this method, send me a comment or email and I’ll help you through the process.

3. Newsletters

Before you start looking for specific lights, make sure you’ve signed up for some newsletters. As annoying as it can be, when you know you’re going to be travelling soon I recommend signing up so that you don’t miss any deals.

**HACK – Secret Flying is a great tool I use to find cheap flights and deals. You can also catch nice 5-day specials from time to time.

4. Search Multiple Sites

Honestly, not all sites are the same and sometimes they can search you over. Below are my top three for flight searching:

Skyscanner

Momondo

Flighthub

5. Search Incognito

Now, some people say this is a myth but honestly, not for me! It has taken me a long time to figure this out but I realized the longer you use the same browser, same sites they track your interest. Much like an Algorithm therefore, they KNOW you want this flight and when time is ticking eventually you’ll select whatever is available.

By using Incognito, I’ve been able to snag some cheap flights without the computer jacking up the price.

6. Take Advantage of Discounts

Typically, companies/ employeers may have a ‘discount’ for their employee’s. Dont pass this up, as a Teacher I commonly look at the discounts and monitor what is available to me.

For Students, (or if you’re under 26) here are many, many discounts available to you. You can usually find prices 20-30% off the standard fare. Travel agencies usually offer this at times. So just take a quick look at those options.

7. Use Points and Miles

I rarely use this (Credit Card Point Wise), but it is worth mentioning to check your Airmiles card. The KEY to this I found is making sure your Air-miles card is set-up to add points to your *Travel* points verses Free Items, etc.

8. Book Early But Not Too Early

Play it smart! I like to think of finding flights as playing Russian roulette. Airline fares will keep rising the closer you get to departure, but there is a sweet spot when the airlines begin to either lower or increase fares based on demand. Don’t wait until the last second but don’t book far, far in advance either.

9. Book between Monday-Wednesday

Airlines post new prices on Monday. Book your flight Monday-Wednesday because price changes come after Wednesday into the weekend. Usually for the worse, lol.

10. Check your fly out dates.

Flying out Tuesday/Thursday and returning Sunday, Tuesday, or Wednesday are the cheapest days to fly, typically.

Thank you so much for reading, and I’ll see you in my next post.

Don’t forget to leave a comment, xoxo.

Tag: moneysaver

8 Places That the Canadian Dollar Goes Far