Cheapest Places To Travel From Canada: Make Your Vacations Count

Travelling around the world is one of the best ways to treat yourself to an enjoyable time. You gain knowledge of various cultures, develop fresh perspectives, and discover more about yourself.

Unfortunately, travelling abroad usually comes with a hefty high price tag. Avoiding this comes down to choosing the right destination. The cost of living varies substantially from one location to the next, and so does the cost of lodging, food, and entertainment. In this post, you’ll learn about seven tourist destinations that are accessible to the average Canadian.

The 7 Cheapest Places To Travel From Canada

There are 193 officially recognized nations in the globe (along with many others that aren't), and many of them offer excellent tourist destinations with a very low cost of living. In this section, we'll discuss the cheapest places to travel from Canada on a low budget.

#1 Romania’s Capital City, Bucharest

Visiting Bucharest from Canada isn’t cheap, with tickets from Toronto costing about $850. However, once you arrive, living costs are low. You’ll spend a minimum of about $26.54 every day. The world's largest parliament building is one of the attractions in Romania's capital. The small hamlet of Snagov, which can be reached on a day trip from Bucharest, is where Vlad the Impaler, better known as Count Dracula, is buried on an island in a lake.

#2 Santiago De Chile

Flights to Santiago are cheaper than Bucharest, but living costs are slightly higher, so both destinations can offer similar total expenses, depending on how long you stay. You can easily survive in Santiago with a daily budget of $27.32, while flights from Toronto to the Chilean capital cost about $730. Although downtown Santiago has many charms of its own, a major perk of Santiago's strategic location is that you can go skiing on the mountain and then visit the beach on the same day. The adjacent Chilean Winelands are also among the most tranquil vacation destinations for stress relief.

#3 Cartagena De Indias, Colombia

Colombia was one of the world’s least expensive countries to travel to in 2018 and will likely remain so in 2023.

We discovered flights from Toronto to Cartagena for only $570, and living expenses tend to vary. While you can end up spending upwards of $45 daily, you can also get away with closer to $20–$25 per day on the historic city of Cartagena. There are many Spanish colonial treasures in the city, but if the oppressive heat becomes unbearable, there are also some stunning beaches.

#4 San Jose, Costa Rica

Although the capital city of Costa Rica has many interesting museums and other attractions, it serves primarily as a headquarters for eco-adventures across the remainder of the nation. One of the most incredible places to visit in June is Limón Province, which is only a few hours away by bus and where sea turtles come to nest. You'll need at least $32.86 every day to survive in San José, but flights from Toronto cost only about $430.

#5 Nicaragua’s Granada

Granada, a colonial metropolis, is arguably Nicaragua's most beautiful city. It has charming historic churches, cobbled alleyways, and a gorgeous location on the banks of Lake Nicaragua. You just need $20.30 a day to survive here and $567 for a round-trip flight from Toronto to Managua, which is just over an hour away from Granada.

#6 Beijing, China

Beijing isn't the cheapest place to visit, with a suggested daily minimum spending of $39 and flights from Toronto costing around $700. Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City are just two of the many must-see attractions in the Chinese capital, while a day's journey will take you to the Great Wall of China, one of the eight wonders of the world.

#7 Cancun, Mexico

Cancun is a location that is not only cheap to survive in but also cheap to get to if you need to get away from the Canadian cities with the worst winters.

Flights from Toronto to Cancun are very cheap, costing just $300. You can find even better all-inclusive package deals if you time your visit to avoid the spring break crowd.

How To Reduce Travel Expenses

Travel expenses are a big part of anyone’s budget, so keeping them as low as possible is important. In this section, we’ll lead you through some best practices for keeping your travel expenses low and under control while ensuring you have a good time.

Let’s look at how to manage and reduce travel expenses when travelling by air and on the ground.

Travelling By Air

Travelling by air can be expensive, although sometimes it’s the only choice available to reach your desired destination. When planning for a trip, you should exercise caution when making flight reservations because they can get pretty costly. Avoiding first-class flights is a no-brainer, but there are other strategies to cut your airline costs as well:

#1 Make Reservations In Advance

This is the most obvious and well-known tip for lowering travel expenses. Last-minute reservations are usually more expensive than booking a flight one or two months in advance. Most airlines offer affordable fares and rewards for booking early.

#2 Don't Rely Exclusively On Your Preferred Booking Site

Access various airline prices and locate the cheapest flights using websites like Expedia, Travelocity, and Kayak. Most travellers neglect to visit airline websites, but that's a grave mistake. Various airlines offer pretty decent bargains on their website.

#3 Keep An Eye On The Luggage

You should prioritize packing light bags while travelling away from Canada. Smart travellers pack lightly and avoid bringing too much luggage that they might have to pay more for. Make sure you follow the guidelines in your travel policy and confirm the number, size, and weight of bags permitted on your journey to avoid potential fees and other surcharges.

Ground Transportation

Once you land at your destination, there are ground transportation and gas costs to consider. Here are some ways to lower these costs:

#1 Do Your Research Before Leaving Your Vehicle In The Airport's Parking Area

Let's start by travelling to the airport. Some people choose to take their own cars to the airport and leave them there. They end up spending a lot of money on parking, which may or may not be covered by your travel insurance. You may be much better off just paying for a cab to and from the airport.

#2 Combine Taxi And Flight Bookings

You should try to combine airfare with cab rental services that will take you from the airport to the hotel and vice versa. You can find these discounted deals on travel websites and the websites of the relevant airlines. Regarding domestic transportation at your destination, you can choose to rent a car for the duration of your trip or take cabs at regular intervals.

Saving On Accommodations

Making reservations in advance is helpful and cost-effective. Once you check in, you can save money by limiting your use of room service and staying away from hotel restaurants since these are almost always more expensive than other options.

It’s also a good idea to stick to well-established hotel chains and join their loyalty rewards programs. If you're a regular customer, you’re likely to get discounts and better terms for your stay, or you may even get free nights and complimentary services. In any case, you should always shop around before making a reservation to ensure you’re getting the best possible deal.

Contact a few hotels and provide them with a price to compete with before making your final bookings. The discounts some hotels are likely to provide will surprise you.

Saving On Food

As mentioned before, if you’re on a budget, you should steer clear of your hotel’s restaurant. Instead, research the city you will be visiting and scout around for good prices. Also, review restaurant menus and prices before heading out to eat to determine which ones are within your price range.

A Summary Of The Cheapest Places To Travel From Canada

This post’s main objective is to help you reduce wasteful spending and save money while travelling away from Canada and enjoying a good time. You can get the finest travel experience at a lower cost with careful preparation. Also, choosing between one of the several cheapest places to travel from Canada, like Cancun, Granada or Santo Domingo, will go a long way in helping you save more.

Cheapest Places To Travel From Canada FAQs

Which month has the cheapest travel cost?

Travelling from late August through mid-October and May to early June is often less expensive than the rest f the year. During this season, the temperature is still quite warm in the northern hemisphere, and you'll avoid the crazy summer crowds. At this time, you can usually find great deals on international flights.

Why are flights from Canada not cheap?

Canadian airlines have greater cost structures than American airlines, for instance, with higher labour expenses, higher fuel prices, taxes, and higher administrative expenditures. Another factor driving up the price of airlines is the size and dispersion of the population centers across Canada.

Are flights less expensive in the morning or at night?

On average, flights departing before 9 a.m. are less expensive than those departing at other times of the day.

Do flight costs ever drop as the departure date approaches?

No, the cost of airline tickets rarely decreases as the departure dates approach. Booking between four months and three weeks before your departure date usually results in the lowest airfare, and prices tend to increase after that.