Southeast Asia remains the gold standard for budget wanderlust. In northern Vietnam, $15 secures a clean private room with balcony views of emerald rice terraces in Sapa, while $2 bowls of aromatic pho provide world-class nourishment.
The Slow Boat to Luang Prabang
Boarding a traditional wooden slow boat down the Mekong River from the Thai border to Luang Prabang costs less than $30 for two full days of gliding past mist-shrouded jungle hills, staying overnight in peaceful riverside villages.
