You can have the richest experiences by going on the cheap. Actually, I pretty much guarantee it.

Case in point. l LOVED Cuba.

In addition to it making my list of top 5 places that I would go back to, everyone else I know who has been there has loved it too. That includes my parents who went 10 years ago; my friend who went 20 years ago; and my art teacher who moved there recently, started an art and tourism business, met a Cuban man, and had a baby all in one year! Last month, my aunt and uncle went and did not like it at all. Wha??! They took a cruise. I have written about cruises already. The ship stopped in three principal cities and a guide told them that the government embeds spies in the neighborhoods who watch everyone. And THAT is what they remembered. I told them I was in cities, villages, and on farms and met dozens of Cubans. I spoke to them in Spanish and we had a few English-speaking (Cuban) tour guides. Not one of them mentioned a plague of neighborhood spies. What did we talk about? The politics of Cuba, the political positions of the U.S., racism in Cuba, Russia, Venezuela, art, health, sports, food, music,… You get the idea. I loved it. You can draw your own conclusions, but if you are considering going, just DO. I should apologize though, as the theme of this post is “on the cheap” and it is not easy to go there cheaply. To do that, you will need to go on your own (not on a tour). This process is too detailed to write about here and the U.S. government regulations change fast, so research this thoroughly before attempting it.

Money Magazine publishes a great list of 20 affordable spots you can check out. I will comment on some of their choices. Of course, there are many more than 20 wonderful affordable spots. If you do a little research on, say, Central Asia, you will find spectacular sites with relatively few tourists. Here is one such example:

Samarkand (photo credit: TripAdvisor)

On to Money Magazine’s list… I am going to skip their U.S. destinations, as it’s not my expertise. Here are my selected comments on their international destinations:

1. Meknes, Morocco – My group of four did not love it. However, another friend did. Go figure. Nearby Roman ruins of Volubilus are totally worth a visit. Fez, with the largest medina in the world, is fascinating. I call Fez a MUST do, though overwhelming.
2. Cozumel – I dunno. I’ve been to Cancun, Tulum, and Playa del Carmen, but not Cozumel, so I’ll pass on this one.
3. Havana – see the first half of this post.
4. Montreal – not sure why it’s on this list. Your call.
5. Nanjing, China – I’ve been to Beijing and Xian and they blew my mind in a good way. I’ve mentioned that Shanghai is on my places to go next list, but mostly because I have a friend who is moving there, so maybe I’ll put this one on my list with it. See #10 below. However, the photos of Nanjing look promising.
6. Monteverde, Costa Rica – I would recommend just about anywhere in Costa Rica. One of my top 5 of all time.
7. Medellin, Colombia – never been.
8. Crete, Greece – I’ll give this one a mildly interesting. The weather was not great when we were there, so we did not go to the beaches. However, would not have changed my reaction to the ruins at Knossos. Just ok.
9. Prague – As I have such a deep love for Prague, I find this one difficult to talk about. From an architecture perspective, there is no place like it. However, it is overrun with tourists at all times of the year.
10. Tainan, Taiwan – I have not been there. However, Hong Kong’s night markets and Bangkok’s flower markets get at least two thumbs up. One therefore might assume that Tainan’s night flower market is a wonderful cultural immersion experience. But I have a no-assumptions rule. The photos I looked at online appear carnival-kitschy rather than authentic, so proceed at your own risk. And please comment below if you have been!