Martin

I am after a bit of help please. Me and my partner are considering where to go this summer for a weeks break. We want to try somewhere that is a bit different than the usual Spain, Portugal, France etc (no offence to those places of course), but we are both students and are on a bit of a shoestring budget. Can anyone suggest somewhere that will make people say "WHERE?" , but that is also cheap. I know this is asking alot but any help would be greatly appreciated. <BR>Thankyou !!!!!!

Maira

Morocco. You could fly into Madrid to Malaga and ferry over to Tangier or Fez. I heard that it is very, very affordable. <BR> <BR>There are a number of good posts on Morocco. Do a search and keep us posted. I wish I had your dilemma!!!

elvira

You can fly to Morocco (Casablanca) from JFK (Royal Air Maroc). It's a very nice airline, with really good food, and the niftiest little package of booties and eyemask (similar to BA's). There are US airlines that fly to Morocco, usually connecting through Paris or somewhere in Spain. <BR>Don't bother with Tangier (ugly port city) or Casa (big dirty city). Fez, Meknes, Marrakesh, the Sahara, Chefchouean are wonderful. See posts under africa/middle east forum. Cheap. <BR> <BR>Malta is another choice - it has to be experienced (especially the buses) to be believed. Ancient ANCIENT sites and sights; cheap. Most everyone speaks English. Good beaches. <BR> <BR>Never been to them, but the Canary Islands are supposed to be wonderful. Volcanoes and beaches. <BR>

bo_jack

Turkey -- certainly as cheap as Spain or Portugal -- much more exotic.

anne

How about eastern Europe? We spent a few days in Budapest this summer - an exotic, beautiful setting, and great value as well.

Dave

I agree with Bo_jack on Turkey. It's both inexpensive and exotic. Even if you don't leave Istanbul you could easily spend a week without exhausting the sights. Here are more than a few of my favorites in random order: <BR>1) Haggia Sofia Cathedral <BR>2) Suleimaniye, Sultanahmet and Yani Mosques <BR>3) Topkapi Palace <BR>3) the Grand and Egyptian Bazaars <BR>4) Byzantine ruins (Aquaduct, "Basilica" cistern) <BR>5) Galata and Lysander Towers <BR>6) A cruise up the Bosphorus to see Dolmabahce Palace and the twin Rumeli and Anadolu Fortresses <BR>7) Best of all: lots of BAKLAVA! <BR> <BR>I was there in June of '98 and found an en-suite single for $35US in the Sultanahmet area (a couple blocks from Haggia Sophia, Sultanahmet, Topkapi Palace, etc) without shopping around - there are probably even better deals if you look for them. <BR> <BR>If you have enough time, a trip to the Cappadoccia region is definitely worthwhile. There are several agencies which offer overnight coaches to the region with 2-day minibus tours of the area - underground cities, churches, monasteries, and lots of great scenery. I don't remember what I paid, but coach fare was quite inexpensive, although it makes for a LONG night (an interesting cultural experience, though). <BR> <BR>Another possibility would be to visit some of the Greek ruins on the Aegean coast. I visited Pergamon and Ephesus and would recommend both (get to Ephesus very early - it gets hot and crowded by mid-morning). <BR> <BR>One of the best features of Turkey is the friendliness of the people. I'm generally a pretty reserved person, but it's imposssible not to open up among the Turks. The tradition of hospitality to strangers still runs deep, even in carpet shops and restaurants. A few people I met on the streets started conversations which quickly led to "Would you like to buy ...", but most were just interested in speaking to a foreigner. (As an American it was a real joy to visit a country where I was treated as an honored guest and valued ally rather than a colonial buffoon or servant of the Great Satan.) <BR> <BR>In my limited experience, English is not spoken quite as commonly as it is in Western Europe, but I had no trouble making my way around (a bit of German or French could be useful, but not essential). <BR> <BR>If you're traveling from the UK, I suspect you can find some decent airfares, and food, lodging and coach travel are all pretty inexpensive compared to costs in Western Europe or the US. Considering the low cost and vast opportunities, I think Turkey must be one of the best budget vacation spots around.

Jo

I also say Turkey. Turkey made the Greek Islands look boring. Another place worth considering, although its not Europe would be Zanzibar. Zanzibar invented the work exotic. It is cheap, has fantistic beaches, excellent diving and lots of history. Its not as safe as Turkey, but totally safe if you look after yourself. Zanzibar will definitely make people say "where?"!!! <BR>

alan

Hi! Just returned several weeks ago fro Czech Rep. Very inexpensive. We spent as little as USD $1 for breakfast each in a town called Telc. we avoided Prague and Brno and stayed with the nicer and smaller cities. We visited Kutna Hora, Telc and Csesky Krumlov which is a UNESCO site. While we didn't stay in hostels, there were hostels in the cities we stayed in. We were paying again USD $25-35 per night. Our most expensive meal, also one of the best was in a Chinese Rest. in Kutna Hora. For the both of us, a complete meal was $11 total. Czech Rep was wonderful saw many students there and we stayed near a hostel in Csesky Krumlov. alan