The Cost of Travel

What to expect:

Big Mac Index

In the United States a Big Mac burger is $5.67 in 2020. This price varies on each country due to currency and economic differences. In comparison to the United States, a Big Mac in Switzerland cost the most at $6.71 while in South Africa the cheapest Big Mac cost $2.15.

Ten common countries in the cheapest countries listings

My Personal Top Ten Cheapest Countries For Travel:

Least expencive place in the Eastern Hemisphere

The cheapest travel place in the Eastern Hemisphere is Thailand. This country was picked based on the currency comparison to the United States Dollar, along with any safety threat that could concern the traveler. Through a bunch of trial and error searches, I found the cheapest round trip flights to Bangkok for $923.42 and then to Surat Thani for $36. In Surat Thani there is a place called Kanjana Resort that has lodging for $6 a night or a total of $134 for a three week/21 night stay. When traveling and eating similar to a local, the cost of food for the whole trip would be $200. In total the whole trip would cost $1,294 for the essentials.

Least expencive place in the Western Hemisphere

The cheapest travel place in the Western Hemishere is Peru. With the beautiful landforms, history and culture this country was an easy pick. The pricing and overall currency difference was also a big factor when choosing this country. The cheapest round trip flight to Lima, Peru would cost $983. In Huaraz there is lodging for $4 a night at Wayra Hotel, so in total for the three weeks/21 nights it would cost $84. While traveling the cost of food based on local pricing will be $450 for the trip. In total the trip will cost $1,517.

Safety Factor

According to the Global Peace Index Rating, the safest place to be is in Iceland. The United States stands with a medium risk of safety and 121/163. Thailand has a medium risk of safety stan ding at 113/163, while Peru has a low risk of safety standing at 74/163.

Thoughts on the Leffel quote

"You'll learn far more than you ever did at a university.

Remember the old days when people got a liberal arts education? They went to Oxford or Princeton to learn about history, politics, social studies, geography, religion, foreign languages, and economics. Well you'll learn far more about all those things by traveling than you ever can in college. Ask anyone in their 30's how much they remember about these subjects from their university classes. "Not much" will usually sum it up."

This quote has two distinct sides that contradict each other heavily. If agreeing, then that means people should drop out or never get an education and travel the world to learn. If negating, then that means that people should never travel and would have only read the knowledge they have and will gain. I would have to agree with this quote. I believe that traveling will teach people far more than whatever a teacher in a classroom can talk about. However, this does not mean that people should leave their homes and travel at an early age. In school there is not only education lecture being taught to students but also real-world interaction training and people skills. At an early age kids learn a lot of valuable life lessons in school that help them figure out themselves, their interests and how they interact with people or objects around them. With these new skills and the few things that people do remember from class, then they should go out and travel the world to learn new things and meet new people before settling down and focusing on the future and what it has to bring. Travel can teach one more about the world’s different cultures and their histories, but school teaches them how to acquire or seek out the knowledge from the people around the world.