Travel StylesBackpacking
Go far on little.
Backpackers
Independent travel on a daily budget: hostels, overland routes, street food and the people you meet on the way.
Where your budget goes furthest
What a backpacker day costs, how long your budget lasts, how easy and sociable each place is, and how long you can stay.
| Destination | A backpacker day | $2,000 lasts | Backpacker friendly | Social scene | Getting around | Visa-free stay | Best months |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kathmandu Nepal |
$23 | 86 days about 12 weeks | 5/5 | 4/5 | 2/5 | 90 days Visa on arrival | Oct, Nov, Mar, Apr |
| Hanoi Vietnam |
$25 | 80 days about 11 weeks | 5/5 | 4/5 | 3/5 | 90 days e-Visa | Oct, Nov, Mar, Apr |
| Pai Thailand |
$25 | 80 days about 11 weeks | 5/5 | 5/5 | 2/5 | 60 days Visa exemption | Nov, Dec, Jan |
| Chiang Mai Thailand |
$26 | 76 days about 11 weeks | 5/5 | 4/5 | 3/5 | 60 days Visa exemption | Nov, Dec, Jan |
| Siem Reap Cambodia |
$27 | 74 days about 11 weeks | 5/5 | 4/5 | 2/5 | 30 days Visa on arrival / e-Visa (T class) | Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb |
| Bangkok Thailand |
$32 | 62 days about 9 weeks | 5/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 60 days Visa exemption | Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb |
| Antigua Guatemala Guatemala |
$33 | 60 days about 9 weeks | 5/5 | 5/5 | 2/5 | 90 days Visa-free (CA-4) | Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr |
| Cusco Peru |
$38 | 52 days about 7 weeks | 5/5 | 4/5 | 2/5 | 90 days Visa-free | May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep |
| Tbilisi Georgia |
$38 | 52 days about 7 weeks | 5/5 | 4/5 | 3/5 | 365 days Visa-free | May, Jun, Sep, Oct |
| Budapest Hungary |
$54 | 37 days about 5 weeks | 5/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 90 days Visa-free (Schengen short stay) | Apr, May, Jun, Sep, Oct |
| Prague Czechia |
$57 | 35 days about 5 weeks | 5/5 | 4/5 | 5/5 | 90 days Visa-free (Schengen short stay) | Apr, May, Jun, Sep, Oct |
| Luang Prabang Laos |
$26 | 76 days about 11 weeks | 4/5 | 3/5 | 2/5 | 30 days Visa on arrival / e-Visa | Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb |
| Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam |
$28 | 71 days about 10 weeks | 4/5 | 4/5 | 3/5 | 90 days e-Visa | Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar |
| Hoi An Vietnam |
$28 | 71 days about 10 weeks | 4/5 | 3/5 | 2/5 | 90 days e-Visa | Feb, Mar, Apr |
| Bali Indonesia |
$35 | 57 days about 8 weeks | 4/5 | 5/5 | 2/5 | 30 days Visa on Arrival (B1) / e-VOA | May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep |
| Marrakech Morocco |
$37 | 54 days about 8 weeks | 4/5 | 3/5 | 2/5 | 90 days Visa-free | Mar, Apr, May, Oct, Nov |
| Medellín Colombia |
$38 | 52 days about 7 weeks | 4/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 | 90 days Visa-free | Dec, Jan, Feb, Jun, Jul, Aug |
| Oaxaca Mexico |
$38 | 52 days about 7 weeks | 4/5 | 4/5 | 2/5 | 180 days Visa-free (FMM) | Oct, Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar |
| Buenos Aires Argentina |
$40 | 50 days about 7 weeks | 4/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 | 90 days Visa-free | Mar, Apr, May, Sep, Oct, Nov |
| Tirana Albania |
$41 | 48 days about 7 weeks | 4/5 | 4/5 | 2/5 | 365 days Visa-free | Apr, May, Jun, Sep, Oct |
| Cartagena Colombia |
$43 | 46 days about 7 weeks | 4/5 | 4/5 | 2/5 | 90 days Visa-free | Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr |
| Mexico City Mexico |
$43 | 46 days about 7 weeks | 4/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 | 180 days Visa-free (FMM) | Oct, Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar |
| Rio de Janeiro Brazil |
$45 | 44 days about 6 weeks | 4/5 | 5/5 | 3/5 | 90 days e-Visa | Apr, May, Jun, Sep, Oct, Nov |
| Cape Town South Africa |
$47 | 42 days about 6 weeks | 4/5 | 4/5 | 2/5 | 90 days Visa-free | Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr |
| Istanbul Türkiye (Turkey) |
$49 | 40 days about 6 weeks | 4/5 | 4/5 | 5/5 | 90 days Visa-free | Apr, May, Jun, Sep, Oct |
| Porto Portugal |
$62 | 32 days about 5 weeks | 4/5 | 4/5 | 4/5 | 90 days Visa-free (Schengen short stay) | May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep |
| Athens Greece |
$64 | 31 days about 4 weeks | 4/5 | 4/5 | 4/5 | 90 days Visa-free (Schengen short stay) | Apr, May, Jun, Sep, Oct |
| Lisbon Portugal |
$69 | 28 days about 4 weeks | 4/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 | 90 days Visa-free (Schengen short stay) | Apr, May, Jun, Sep, Oct |
| Split Croatia |
$70 | 28 days about 4 weeks | 4/5 | 4/5 | 3/5 | 90 days Visa-free (Schengen short stay) | May, Jun, Sep |
| Barcelona Spain |
$76 | 26 days about 4 weeks | 4/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 90 days Visa-free (Schengen short stay) | May, Jun, Sep, Oct |
A backpacker day = our backpacker-tier daily estimate (dorm bed, street food, local transport, a few sights), before flights and insurance. Backpacker-friendly, social scene and getting-around are editorial scores out of 5. Costs are editorial estimates, dated on each destination page (October 2026). Visa-free stays are research summaries for the selected passport; Schengen countries share one 90-days-in-180 allowance. Check the official source in the Visa & Work Finder before you plan around them. Listed: destinations our editors rate 4 or 5 out of 5 for this travel style.
What we cover
Backpacking routesAffordable destinationsHostelsTransportDaily budgetsPackingSolo travelSafetySocial destinationsMulti-country itinerariesFirst-time advice
Routes
Two Weeks in Thailand
Temples, mountains and an island, in the order that makes sense.
Three Weeks in Morocco
Medinas, the High Atlas and a night in the Sahara, Marrakech to Tangier.
Three Weeks in Egypt and Jordan
Pyramids, the Nile by felucca, the Red Sea and the rose-red city of Petra.
Three Weeks in Ecuador and the Galapagos
Andean markets and crater lakes, then a land-based week in the Galapagos.
Three Weeks in Cuba
From Havana to Baracoa by colectivo, with nights in family-run casas.
Three Weeks in Sri Lanka
Rock fortresses, the hill-country train, leopards and a colonial fort town.
