The Best Deals of the Year

We took many steps to stay within a budget this year and utilized good deals throughout our travels. Below are some of our favorites. We could recommend cheap places to stay, or public transportation hints, or even where we found inexpensive groceries. The list below is a little more colorful than that, and more importantly has fun memories attached.

Mc Donald’s milkshakes for 1 Euro – While not usual Mc Donald’s frequenters, we found this little affordable treat to be one of our favorites of the year. Throughout Europe, these small milkshakes come in fun flavors like cappuccino and banana, and always hit the spot after a long day of walking. It was also surprising just how nice the Mc Donald’s restaurants were in Europe. They were like little hip cafes, and were very popular with the locals.

Pueblo Ingles – By far the best deal of the year. One week at a three-star mountain resort in La Alberca, Spain and another in a four-star Mediterranean resort in Pals, Spain, with all meals covered and not a penny from our pockets the entire week. All we had to do was devote our days and evenings to non-stop conversations with Spaniards in English. That may sound like a big time commitment, but the activities planned and people we met made the weeks unforgettable.

Las Peñitas, Nicaragua - Nicaragua has a beautiful Pacific coastline, and the stretch called Las Peñitas is particularly nice. Trisha and I stayed at a beachfront hostel/hotel (don’t remember the name), had our own little cabana, and watched the sunset each night for only $20. We could have gone cheaper if we didn’t want the cabana or a perfect view. You only live once!

Pubs in Slovenia - These pubs were nothing special, just a bar and some outside seating (Although the surrounding scenery in Slovenia was always beautiful). The real deal was the cost of beer and wine, which usually totaled about 3 Euros for a large glass of both. As most places in Europe charge about 3 for a small, these bars were where a steal (except in the capital Ljubljana, which generally had higher prices).

Pan dulce (sweet bread) and bananas - In both Guatemala and Nicaragua, 1 cent living is easy as far as food is concerned. The yummy homemade breads that came in numerous shapes and sizes and were always sweet, and the plentiful yellow bananas, were never priced over a nickel. It was not a challenge to eat breakfast on less than 50 cents day.

Opera Tickets -Vienna is fairly expensive and museums and concert halls are no exception. The secret: standing room only in the Opera House. Trisha and I arrived about two hours early the night we saw a ballet there. We stood in line for about 15 minutes and secured tickets for 4 Euros apiece, killed the remaining time outside with Mc Donald’s milkshakes, roamed the streets near the building for awhile, and returned 10 minutes before the concert began. I’m not sure how much the people in the seats in front of me spent to sit (likely 70-90 Euros), but my standing view was just as good and I was able to lean most of the time on the nice padded railing provided.

Flor de Caña Rum and Toña - Both Nicaraguan specialties and both are incredibly cheap. The Flor De Caña is rum produced in Nicaragua and sold throughout the country. You can purchase this high quality rum for a $1 a shot. The Toña, which is one of the two national Nica beers, also costs about a $1 a bottle and is extremely tasty and refreshing.

English book exchanges - There were many of these second-hand bookstores throughout Central America and Europe. Most had large selections of books in English and offered fair trade-ins. Nuff said.

Eskimo Popsicles – The choice brand for ice confectionery treats in Nicaragua. The guys pushing the Eskimo carts were always roaming the streets of all the bigger cities and carted around big varieties of treats. Trisha’s favorite was Nacites, which was a type of tropical fruit, I think.

Cheap Espresso - Who would have guessed that the country with the best coffee also charged the best prices? Rarely was a shot of espresso over 1 Euro and Cappuccinos (only in the morning of course) were never that much higher. Capri, Sorrento, Amalfi and other posh cities however, didn’t seem to get this price setting from the other cities and towns we visited.

Free concerts - They exist all over Europe. The key is doing a lot of research when you arrive in a city, never passing a church or concert hall without reading the signs. We frequented as many as we could find. Most were classical or choral, although there was the occasional jazz or rock.

Shoe shines in Central America – Probably too cheap, as the guys (and sometimes children) shining the shoes definitely needed more than they were charging. Fortunately in some cities getting your shoes shined in the central park was a very popular social event. Most of the shoe shine guys seemed busy throughout the day.

Orange shirt tapas bar in Madrid – We have no recollection of the name of this bar, but it was close to where we lived in Sol and the people working there always wore orange shirts. Like most of the tapas bars in Madrid, the prices were not that outrageous and you were usually guaranteed some type of snack for free with your drink. We particular loved this one because the last time we visited (on our anniversary) they gave us a free round of drinks, extra tapas, and a huge portion of Spanish tortilla on-the-house. Nice folks.