5 luxury vacations everyone can afford
Everybody needs a break, but with limited funds and the vacation days piling up, it’s tough to find a place you can travel to! In this article, we’re going to explore 5 luxury destinations that cost much less than you might think!
When picking these destinations, we wanted to find something that’s perfect for everyone. So, we’re ranking each destination on accessibility from the USA, freedom , budget and activities. This will give you a great overview of each luxury hotspot, so you can be sure it’s the right place for you.
British Virgin Islands
Accessibility from USA: 4 Stars
Freedom: 5 stars
Budget: 4 stars
Activities: 4 stars
If you want to experience luxury travel, you can’t go wrong with the BVI. You can charter a yacht relatively inexpensively and explore the gentle waters across the archipelago.
Getting to the BVI is really easy, with many US airports flying directly to the US Virgin Islands. Once you’re there, you can take a quick ferry to either Tortola or Road Town to pick up your yacht & provisions.
The British Virgin Islands were the only location we gave 5 stars for freedom for. There’s no limitations to a single city or location unlike our other destinations. The only thing stopping you from travelling to each island is a little bit of sailing knowledge! If you’re from the US, most large lakes and bays will have an area to offer you training.
Budget wise, the bulk of your expenditure is going to be on getting to the BVI and chartering your boat. After that, most of your time will be spent on the sea! If you’re doing the islands on a budget, you don’t need to spend a fortune on meals every night. In fact, most provisioning costs are about the same as using a supermarket in the city! You’ll also save a fortune on currency exchanges, as the BVI uses the US Dollar.
The only real downside to your choice of activities is that if you don’t like being in the hot sun or around water, this isn’t going to be the place for you! Otherwise, enjoy sunning yourself in the tropical climate, lapping up some prosecco, and basking on the deck of your catamaran.
Reykjavik, Iceland
Accessibility from USA: 5 stars
Freedom: 3 stars
Budget: 3 stars
Activities: 5 stars
An interesting counter pick to the BVI, Reykjavik offers a fantastic experience in a pristine winter wonderland. Although you’ll be tempted to visit in winter, the area offers a wide range of things to do across the year!
Iceland is very accessible from the US- almost every US airport on the east coast routes to Europe via Iceland. Almost all flights will land at Keflavík too, so you’ll be right outside of the capital city to start your vacation.
One of the biggest difficulties, with it being a sparsely populated country, is that you can’t just travel anywhere. Most of the time you’ll be taking designated roads to various hotspots. This won’t be tedious, though! Almost every road travels past scenic tundra, so you’ll have no troubles with long travel times.
There’s no other way to put it- Iceland is an expensive country. Expect to pay much more for groceries and accomodation than in America. It’s a good thing you saved on the flight! All in all, it’s still a cheap luxury location that’s almost on your doorstep.
Iceland is an adventure and hiking wonderland. Once you hit the trails, you’ll see vista after vista almost everywhere you go. The glacier waterfalls beat Niagara falls easily! Once you’re back, settle into a geothermal heated sauna and steam your night away.
Riviera Maya, Mexico
Accessibility: 4 stars
Freedom: 2 stars
Budget: 5 stars
Activities: 3 stars
If you want some sun, and you want it for as cheaply as possible, look to your neighbors down south! There’s many luxury hotspots across Mexico, but our choice is the Riviera Maya.
Of all the places you can go in Mexico, Riviera Maya is pretty easy to reach. Some US airports offer direct flights, but you can go via Mexico City Airport to save money.
The biggest downfall of travelling here in Mexico is that it’s a fairly small place to travel around. That’s fine if you’re not one for adventure, but if you love to see the sights you’ll see them all within a long weekend.
The Maya is the king of the all-inclusive. There’s very little that isn’t included in a full package trip, so you don’t need to budget much spending money into the trip. That being said, you’re going to want to shell out to enjoy some of the premium activities across the peninsula.
There’s a lot to do, but it has the same drawback of the BVI that you have to love relaxing in the sun. That being said, the calm beaches of the Riviera make way to plenty of fun coastal activities including sailing and diving! Many places across the Caribbean are blessed with clear waters and shallow oceans, so diving in the area is very safe and great for beginners.
Puerto Rico
Accessibility: 5 Stars
Freedom: 3 stars
Budget: 3 stars
Activities: 4 stars
If you’re happy to stay native, why not try our own slice of paradise- Puerto Rico!
The biggest benefit to our local spot in the Caribbean is that you don’t need a passport to visit. It’s a US territory after all, so accessibility is no issue at all.
Again, the biggest downfall to Puerto Rico is it’s size. You can travel around on the island trouble free, but a long stay location might start being more boring than relaxing. Yet, there’s much more natural beauty to explore than in the Riviera.
Let’s talk budget. Like the BVI, you’re going to be using all USD. However, everything in Puerto Rico is very expensive because it’s built to be the height of luxury. Staying on the hotel strip is only workable on a budget if you go in the off-season, so plan ahead to get the best deals! Otherwise, there’s a surprising amount of prestige to be had in the more affordable tours and hidden beaches across the island.
For one island, there’s a fantastic amount of variety to be had. Because of the income disparity on the island, you have both the ritzy heights of the strip and the down to earth areas away from it. This makes Puerto Rico a great place to go exploring and really see another side to America that you’ve never seen before!
Havana, Cuba
Accessibility: 2 stars
Freedom: 3 stars
Budget: 5 stars
Activities: 4 stars
Ever since Cuba opened itself up to the United States, it’s slowly become a premium destination for American travellers. If you’re looking for a unique vacation, maybe Cuba is right for you?
Flights to Cuba are relatively frequent, the real issue is the extra documentation needed to travel to the country. You’ll have to keep your reciepts for 5 years from date of travel, as well as pick a designated reason for travel. This means you can’t take a cruise to Cuba, for example.
This comes with a few limits to your personal freedom, but if you can look past it you’ll find amazing times across the country. Across Havana, cheap taxis will ferry you to each hotspot, so you can travel freely.
Taxis aren’t the only cheap part of Havana! Everything in Havana is extremely cheap, with prices half the price of American food of the same quality.
There’s plenty of fun activities for the luxury traveller- it’s the home of the Cuban cigar after all! Cruise around in vintage cars, take in the history of Cuba, and bask in the sun.
In Conclusion
Look! There’s so many great places to travel it’s hard to recommend just five. Use this as a jumping off point to figure out what you want in a luxury vacation, and then start planning! Some of the best trips take that bit of work, but they will be the best vacation you’ll have in a lifetime.