After a lot of travel research the past years I’ve finally concluded a study abroad program is the most economical and rewarding means to live abroad for an extended period of time.  After hours of research and introspection I’m happy to say that I’ll [hopefully] be studying abroad this Fall 2009 in Asia.

I just finished applying for my desired program(s) which go through my business school and are somewhat competitive from what I hear.  My business school has a multitude of programs, mostly of which are based in Europe and are not affordable for me.  However, fortunately they offer some great Asian programs too, and in my application I’m applying for three and ranking each one by preference.  Here are the possibilities:

Bangkok Thailand

Leading my favorite programs my miles is a program in Bangkok Thailand. I would be able to study at Thammasat University, which is the best university in the country and is well known throughout Southeast Asia.

I looked at it first for its great affordability and access to cheap travel everywhere, like Laos, Cambodia, and (more…)

Whether you’ve been directly affected by the economic problems in the US or not, you’re probably concerned about the situation.  With every major media outlet focusing on the ‘crisis’ it’s impossible not to take your uncertain future into consideration when making your future plans and personal budget.

So making that impulse decision to jump on a flight for a week to escape the frigid cold this winter is all that more unlikely (or just more guilt filled) for most Americans. Whether it’s Super Bowl weekend in Tampa, Cancun beaches, or Hawaiian resorts, they’re all struggling even with this terribly cold winter.

Namely, Las Vegas profits are down a whopping 69%, to a level of that 7 years ago.  (And you thought your portfolio’s returns were bad.) Fortunately for the budget traveler, the pain Vegas is feeling has lead to major travel promotions all over the place in Vegas to lure in visitors. Currently, some Las Vegas Promotions peg the Mirage at $72, MGM Grand at $55, and the Luxur at $42.  Some other Excalibur Promotions start at only $31.

You won’t find a more promo filled period of time for awhile.  With large varieties of show packages available to see highly touted entertainment like Cirque Du Soleil, Neil Diamond, and Billy Joel, this might just be the best time to visit if your comfortable spending the money. Besides, it is really cold out

(This post does contained paid links, but I accept these at my discretion based on an advertiser’s relevancy and legitimacy.)

As I’m planning a little jaunt to somewhere in Latin America to be covered extensively here later, I ran across a very interesting and possibly free travel opportunity to Central America, and it is actually legitimate.  The travel opportunity is the Trek Research Study Program.  The program offers research participants up to $1500, depending on trip duration and completion, to travel to almost anywhere in Mexico or Guatemala.

So Free travel to Mexico or Guatemala. Got your attention yet? (more…)

I’m pleased to bring you a new, exciting budget travel and backpacking website that I think could become a timeless reference for all prospective travelers researching their destinations and making their travel budgets.

The site is BackpackAbility.com. What is it? It can be described in a multitude of ways, the following being my favorite:

• World Travel and Living cost index
• Comprehensive listing of travel and living costs for destinations worldwide

I’ve been developing the site off and on the past month or so, and it will initially be a simple listing of prices and costs for as many international travel destinations as possible, with part of this hopefully due to YOUR INVOLVEMENT. I’d love for the site to become a massive compilation of travel costs based on the recent experiences of budget travelers. So I really really encourage you to spend 35 seconds to submit some travel and living expenses to help the community.

So what are these travel costs listed? Initially, just the consumer staples + whatever else you submit. Including beer, hostels, transportation, hotels, cheap meals, apartments, and internet access. Other things that would be great would be visa costs, nice meals, cover charges at clubs, and major attraction/entertainment expenses.

There will be more…

Really, the site won’t too special right away - just handy price index reference that is easy to navigate and quick to use. But the future, I hope for two other features:

• Simple, definitive travel guides outlining good, relevant attractions for budget travelers and backpackers
• A credible and authoritative rating system that takes price, fun, and enjoyability into account to create an objective rating for a country’s backpackability

What there is now:

Roosh has kindly allowed me to use his South American living costs from his travel guides, but the rest of the world is struggling. Here are some examples of finished cost indexes, amongst some other destinations:

• Israel travel living costs
• Ecuador travel living costs
• Argentina living, traveling costs
• New Zealand cost of travel and living

Plus you get something in return.

So check out the site, spread the word, and submit travel costs if you can. If you have a travel site you’ll get a free link back as well in the post. If you don’t have a site, I can still give credit to you or give you a good ole shoutout of whatever in the post.

If you could care less about this cost index jazz, you can always check out the best budget travel and backpacking resources list I compiled.

The topic of Europe getting expensive for budget travelers is getting beat to death with the Euros gains versus the US monopoly dollar. With political biases aside Ron Paul not in office and a weak dollar trend seemingly endless, finding rational reasons to visit Europe for fun is nearly impossible to do when more budget friendly options exist in Latin America and Southeast Asia.

But for those who just need to go to Europe and need to rationalize their decision, here are some excuses you can use to travel to Europe:

“I’m advancing my career” or “I’m furthering my education”- Take a very part time language course in Europe - German, French, Italian, Spanish, Dutch?? Slap your 1 week course name and description on your resume and there ya go.

“I’m considering a European business acquisition” - Buffet recently went on a tour of Europe searching for businesses to acquire under Berkshire Hathaway, so that’s a legit excuse, right?

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As the rest of the world’s growth is finally starting to outpace the US economy’s growth, most of the new huge building projects are happening overseas and we tend not to hear about them, at all. Well these projects are massive, elaborate, beautiful, gaudy, and seem to be a fixture in future urban landscapes and urban tourism internationally.

So are these projects sustainable? And will they be budget friendly? Well probably not too nice on the pocket book, but that is yet to really be determined. But for theses massive building projects going on…

Kazakhstan - Entertainment Center

Norman Foster is bringing Kazakhstan (yes, the Borat kazakhstan) up to speed amongst it’s Asian neighbors with this entertainment center meant to show off the country a bit. Featuring retail space, a massive park, and some “entertainment center” Kazakhstan is looking to tap into some high end tourism. Maybe they’ll have some budget hostels in the normal part of the city so a day trip wouldn’t be too impossible.

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