I'm Lexi and I've traveled to every country in the world by 21 years old.
Growing up in a travel agency and funding all of my travels around the world has taught me everything there is to know about extreme budget backpacking and travel hacking.
After all these crazy experiences, I've learned tons of financial lessons the hard way as a solo female traveler, and I'm excited to start teaching you guys more about everything I've learned along the way.
No matter what continent you can always find places to visit on a budget.
One of the best things you can do right from the start is realizing that no destination is ever really too expensive.
You just have to get creative with it.
A few things to look for when you're just getting started seeing the world is 1 budget-friendly destinations.
2 safe and easy places to navigate and 3 places filled with once-in-a-lifetime experiences.
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Okay, now moving on to give you guys an idea of how much i personally budget when i'm traveling.
I have lived on anywhere from 15 to 60 us dollars per day, depending on what area of the world i was traveling in, and i've been able to fully experience what each destination has to offer.
Speaking from my experiences, I would say that roughly 75 of the world can be done on a budget, but it does take time to develop these money saving hacks and habits.
So if you're just getting started, it's good to get a few easy, budget friendly countries under your belt first,
The 12 or so countries that I'm going to be talking about in this video are a rite of passage for any avid traveler, and they may be touristy, but you'll come to find out that they're all touristy for very good reasons.
So, after traveling to every country, here is my list of the best budget destinations for first-time travelers.
The Southeast Asia triangle of Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia is one of the most affordable areas in the entire world.
You can get away with cheap guest houses, local food, transportation and a bit of drinking, all for less than 10 to 20 US dollars per day if you're savvy and still be able to see amazing places like Bangkok, Hanoi and Angkor Wat.
Cambodia could be considered the most affordable.
It's also beautiful and the locals are incredibly hospitable.
You can get a private air-conditioned room for 20, street food for 2 and transportation across the country for 20.
It's even cheaper than Thailand.
Up next in Asia is the Philippines.
The Philippines is home to unbelievable beaches and diving and the cheapest massages I've ever gotten in Asia.
But keep in mind that the only aspect that makes the Philippines more expensive than mainland Asia is the additional domestic flights to get to different islands, where in Thailand, in Vietnam, for example, you could take an extremely cheap bus.
Overall, Southeast Asia is ideal for first time travelers and solo travelers because it's incredibly cheap and you're guaranteed to make new friends.
Next on this list is another affordable bucket list destination, Central America.
Guatemala is home to the cheapest hostel I have ever stayed at in my life for $3 USD per night.
I'm not gonna lie that it wasn't the most comfortable experience I've ever had.
But if you're like me, I would rather see Guatemala on an extremely low budget than to not see it at all.
These low prices make this one of the best destinations to study Spanish and, once you can speak enough to get around, I highly recommend you jump on one of the country's famous chicken buses to explore.
Next up is Nicaragua.
Beachside hostels are still just a few dollars a day, and you can get delicious street food for under 4 USD.
If you visit most Central American countries, you can get by on less than 40 a day as a backpacker, and if you splurge for 60 a day, you can live in luxury.
Your money goes really far in this part of the world, but keep in mind that Costa Rica and Panama are the more expensive countries in Central America.
Mexico is also notably affordable, and there are so many beautiful places and delicious foods to choose from.
Despite its reputation in most of the United States, Mexico is a very safe place for tourism, especially if you stick around most of the popular places for tourists.
Different African countries in general aren't exactly the most budget-friendly destinations in the world because of a few different reasons, like expensive visas.
There are a lot of very remote places that are hard to get to, so that can really add up with your transportation costs.
And things like safari lodges, Nile cruises, and gorilla trekking can definitely break the bank.
But one exception to this rule is Morocco.
The sky is the limit with how much you can spend traveling in Morocco, but if you eat street food, stay in small, affordable riads or even couch surf, you can get by on a budget between 50 and 60 US dollars per day.
I believe that every person should go on a backpacking trip across Europe at some point in their life, especially if they want to travel solo.
One of the best places to start is Italy.
Italy has an expensive reputation but trust me, it can be done dirt cheap.
I stayed in Italy for weeks, living luxuriously for less than $40 per day.
And it was even less when I avoided restaurants and started picking up fresh food from markets.
On the other side of Europe is another bucket list backpacking gem, Hungary.
Traveling in Europe can add up quickly, so in countries like Hungary or similar, you can pick up different money-saving hacks like ride sharing, cooking your own meals in the hostels, staying with locals on couch surfing, and start walking everywhere, which is the best way to see new cities.
Traveling in the Middle East can be intimidating for first-time travelers, but I highly recommend it because some of the most unique once-in-a-lifetime travel experiences I've had are in this area of the world.
And even though traveling in the Middle East isn't the most affordable in the world, it can definitely be done on a shoestring budget if you do your research.
One of my all-time favorite budget destinations is Turkey, where the East meets the West.
Turkey can be expensive or cheap, depending on what you want to do and how deeply you want to travel through the country.
A hot air balloon ride costs between two or three hundred dollars, for example, but the country has a ton of other bucket list worthy items that cost way less and if you plan your route well, it can be very easy to travel through Turkey on a budget.
Another gem in this area of the world is Israel.
The rich history in Jerusalem and amazing hostels in Tel Aviv make it a paradise for first-time travelers who are eager to learn more about the world.
Travel prices in Israel are comparable to most cities in Europe, so don't expect the same as you would in Asia or Central America.
During my trip to Israel, everything costs roughly $20 per day.
$20 for food, $20-30 for accommodation, $20 for a car rental, etc.
This adds up to being the most expensive destination on this list, but it's also an extremely unique place, so I highly recommend it.
Overall, these places are the best for dipping your toes into travel for the first time, especially if you want to go by yourself.
I hope that you get to scratch some of these different destinations off of your bucket list this year and remember that no destination is ever really too expensive if you know how to play your cards right.
This list was genuinely hard to make, because there are so many places around the world that are becoming more and more accessible to budget travelers every year.
I'm going to be creating so much more in-depth content to help you guys achieve your travel dreams, so make sure to sign up for my newsletter at lexielimitlesscom slash newsletter so that you never miss out on any once-in-a-lifetime travel opportunities.
Thank you guys, so much for watching this video.
I hope you enjoyed it.
If so, don't forget to subscribe and I will catch you next week.
