14 Adventures On a Budget

It’s a well worn myth that you need to empty your dollars into a black hole in order to really see the world. Yes, if you want to spend 10 months flying to 12 countries it is going to cost a bit (though not quite as much as you might think), but you’d be genuinely surprised how much you can see of the world in less than 2 weeks on a budget.

It’s important to remember that the prices below* don’t include international flights so you will need to budget for those as well as some meals and optional activities. But with transport, accommodation & loads of other inclusions, these adventures represent a big chunk of your trip budget. They’re also all small group experiences (most with an average of 14 people) so you can really get off the beaten track and into areas it’s very hard to reach solo.

Includes: 14 days, 13 nights in basic bungalows (2 nts), simple hotels (10 nts), sleeper train (1 nt): Orientation to Cameron Highlands: Full-day snorkeling excursion: Two street food crawls: All local transport: 4 breakfasts, 1 lunch

Includes: 14 days, 13 nights in simple hotels: Visit to orangutan feeding platform: Orientation walks of Medan, Berastagi & Bukittinggi: All transport: 13 breakfasts

Includes: 20 days, 19 nights in simple hotels (15 nts), sleeper trains (3 nts) & camping (1 nt): Guided tour of the Taj Mahal (Agra) and the Amber Fort (Jaipur): Orientation walks in Old Delhi, Bikaner, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Pushkar and Jaipur: Overnight camel safari: Ganges River boat trip: All transport: 2 breakfasts, 2 lunches, 2 dinners.;

Includes: 9 days 8 nights Simple hotel (1 nt), participation camping (6 nts), basic bush camping (1 nt): Okavango Delta overnight bush camping: All transport: 8 breakfasts, 6 lunches, 5 dinners

Includes: 8 days, 7 nights participation camping (6 nts), simple hotel (1 nt): Guided rhino walk and open vehicle game drive in Matobo National Park: Kruger National Park entrance and game drives:Visit to a Planeterra-supported community school: All transport: 7 breakfasts, 6 lunches, 5 dinners

Includes: 8 days, 7 nights in hotels/hostels (3 nts, some multi-share), participation camping (4 nts):Entrance fees to all national parks with hiking and walking excursions: Visit the London Bridge in Lake Havasu & secluded hot springs: Sunset at the rim of the Grand Canyon: All transport: 4 breakfasts, 4 lunches, 4 dinners

Includes: 8 days, 7 nights in hostels (2 nts, multi-share), participation camping (5 nts): Entrance fees to all national parks and national monuments with hiking and walking excursions: Orientation to Washington DC: Visit to Arlington Cemetery: All transport: 6 breakfasts, 5 lunches, 3 dinners

Includes: 7 days 6 nights in hotels/hostels (2 nts, some multi-share), participation camping (4 nts):Entrance fees to all state parks: Orientation to New York & Chicago: Maid of the Mist boat tour (Niagara Falls): All transport: 4 breakfasts, 3 lunches, 4 dinners

Includes: 16 days, 15 nights in simple hotels (12 nts), local homestay (1 nt), rustic ecolodge (2 nts):Guided tour of Tikal: Homestay at Lake Atitlan with a local family: Group salsa dancing lesson: All transport: 1 dinner.

Includes: 18 days, 17 nights in simple hotels (12 nts), Amazon community stay (2 nts), overnight bus (1 nt), indigenous community homestay (2 nts, multi-share):Amazon Jungle homestay: Train excursion to Devil’s Nose: Machalilla National Park stay: All transport: 6 breakfasts, 4 lunches, 4 dinners

Includes: 7 days 6 nights in Hotels (3 nts), camping (3 nts): Sacred Valley and Ollantaytambo ruins guided tour: Inca Trail guided hike (inclu. permit) with cooks and porters (4-day): Machu Picchu guided tour: all transport: 6 Breakfasts, 4 Lunches, 3 Dinners

Includes: 15 days, 14 nights in simple hotels (11 nts), overnight buses (2 nts), boat (1 nt, multi-share, Nov-Apr spent in a hotel): Orientation walk of Istanbul: Dinner with a local family in Cappadocia: All transport: 12 breakfasts, 2 dinners

Includes: 9 days, 8 nights in Hotels/hostels: Day trip to Perast (Kotor): Orientation walks in Tirana and Corfu: All transport: 3 Breakfasts

Includes: 8 days, 7 nights in hotels (6 nts), tented desert camp (1 nt, multi-share), Meknes, Volubilis & Fes guided tours: Sahara Desert excursion with camel ride and overnight in a Berber camp: Todra Gorge stay with walk through local villages: Aït Ben Haddou kasbah visit: Marrakech medina guided walk: All transport: 7 breakfasts, 1 dinner

*Some of the above trips may have seasonal variations in pricing – all trips had multiple available departures at the advertised price at the time of publication.