1) View the world based on the best countries for budget travelers.
2) Hover over countries to view stats in safety, cheapness, 
friendliness, & our World Travel Expert Rank (WTE Rank).
3) Click for travel guides and articles about that country.
*For the most accurate indication of which countries are best for budget travel refer primarily to the WTE Rank.
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25 travel experts rank countries based on good times, cheapness, and overall backpacker friendliness. Together they have backpacking experience spanning over 7 decades and in nearly every country in the world. Click here to view the top 100 world travel experts.
The Best Countries For Backpacking Map’s country ranking is derived from the experience of 25 world travel experts. Expert ranks are averaged to form the final score, 1 being the worst and 5 the best. This is the primary index of the map. The individual country rankings of 1) Safety 2) Cheapness 3) friendliness are derived from data collected from quantitative studies undertaken by the Institute for Economics & Peace, The World Economic Forum, and Numbeo.com.
Safety: is derived from an extensive study undertaken by the Institute For Economics and Peace. In this 2013 study, 10 separate indexes, such s crime, homicides, and internal stability, are used to inform the GPI or global peace index. Click here for a map of the world by how prevalent peace and safety is by country, Global Peace Index 2013. Cheapness: The consumer price index was chosen as the primary indicator. It is a measurement of the average cost of consumer goods, including transport, groceries and restaurants among other things. It best reflects what you can expect to spend while backpacking through that country. Best Countries For Backpacker’s Map’s cheapness ranking is informed from a quantitative study undertaken by Numbeo.com. Click here to see a map of the worlds cheapest countries, CPI Map. Friendliness: refers to the attitude of locals towards foreign tourists. Data for this category is derived from a 2013 study undertaken by the World Economic Forum.
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This is so interesting!
I have to say, I agree with the WTE rankings pretty much across the board – definitely so much more than the quantitative studies numbers (from Economics & Peace, The World Economic Forum, and Numbeo.com)… their numbers make no sense and would be so misleading! Giving Thailand a 1, Cambodia a 2, and Brazil a 3 in terms of safety is insane. I’ve never felt safer than when I was living in Thailand and Southeast Asia… and I’ve never felt more unsafe than when I moved to Brazil, which has one of the highest rates of violent crime and rape in the world.
Thanks for sharing! :)
Hey Steph, thanks! Thanks for reading ranking info too :) Yea, not even sure why I even included that other data in the first place. Yea, Brazil seems way off.
I enjoyed this site!!! Wonder if I could meet a like minded person to travel around with like this? Thanks you brought hope when I was about to give up. Good travels.,
Hey Linda, thanks! Join us on a Runaway Tour!
Hey, awesome map and site. I recommend it to everyone. Just one comment: I went to Indonesia last year for 5 weeks (mostly Java and the Western direction) and the people are the friendlies I ever met! Couch surfed a lot of the time. Extremely accommodating and generous. HIGHLY recommended.
Hey Lydon, thanks a lot! I appreciate the feedback! That’s great to hear because I’m planning on going to Java in Sept 2015. I know, sometimes the friendliness index on the map doesn’t match up with the country especially with countries as large and diverse as Indonesia.
my son , 26 yrs is going to Asia. Alone with his backpack.. I’m freaking out. Am I over reacting? Help.
Sorry for the late reply! Don’t freak out! He’s going to be fine, I can almost guarantee it. Not only that but it’s going to be extremely formative and an incredible experience that he will draw upon throughout any endeavor he undertakes in the future.
Hi! Have you ever been to Portugal? I don’t think so otherwise you wouldn’t have paint it green such as you did with France. Wirthe the money spent on a meal in Farnce you can have 4 meals in Portugal. I have 3 short term rental flats in Lisbon, most of my guests are french and they get completely crazy with the price of meals, accomodation and transports in my country. Portugal is one of the cheapest destinations in Europe. Give it a try :-)
Hey Elsa, I’ve never been! But I always love everyone I meet from Portugal! I will definitely visit one day!
Cool map. You can’t beat Southeast Asia for a backpacking destination. I think I could travel there for the rest of my life :)
I hear ya. SE Asia is one of my favorite spots.
Though Indonesia is rated very high here, I rarely see travel bloggers covering anything beyond Bali and maybe Mount Bromo, which is quite a shame because Indonesia has a lot to offer.
Yea, I think most travelers only make it too Bali or Borneo. When I go I’m going to travel down from Singapore. Any recommendations?
How in the world is Brazil safer than the US??
Yea, I don’t know. I’m going to be updating the map soon and removing the safety factor.
The guides are definitely helpful and handy for my future travels.Also like the layout of your site. Love the fact you’ve been on the road for so long.
Really glad to hear. Nice blog by the way!
Hi, I am a new traveller. I am looking for a company in India as i will start my journey from there. IF anyone is interested please tell me.
Are you looking for a tour company?
Great work men!!! Thank you for having such a great website!!! Of course it is impossible to make everyone agree on every classification we all speak depending on personal experiences, but the main idea is to share them and this is the result. I hope we all become a little more possitive about it and help other travelers around. I have been packpacking for 2 years and preparing another year starting this january. So I migh suggest to include a part to discuss suggested routes, this might become handy to do some planning, and count me in to share my own experiences.
Safe travels to everyone!!!
Hey Hector, Thanks!! You’re right, it’s hard to objectify the world. Each backpacker has a different kind of understanding of things. Sounds like you’ve had an awesome trip. Definitely let me know! Cheers :)
How can Canada have an average below the USA with higher values?
Hey Lionel, check out the methodology part.
where is Algeria man
Seems no ones been yet unfortunately. But in the next update which will come out in a week or so, Algeria will be on it inshallah!
I will vote for Thailand, Japan and Australia.
Wilson
I hear ya, great countries for backpacking for sure although Japan and Australia are on the pricey side.
I did much of my travel as a merchant seaman. The safety of any place depends on the behavior of the traveler – barring run-ins with the law which put a traveler in grave peril.
What exactly is friendliness? How do you measure that? Friendly people beat and robbed most of the merchant seaman I knew. Friendliness of the natives can disarm you; a very bad thing.
The ranking of cheapest countries changes by the second these days.
What is it that you want? Where is that you are buying it? A beautiful basket purchased in the city may seem cheap until you take a bus into the hills and find the people making them. Then the basket is cheap.
Eating cheap food is always a risk. When I buy food from street vendors, I buy from vendors with many people waiting to buy their food.
Accommodations? I travel with a bed wrap and light sleeping bag so bed bugs, lice, and mites are several layers away from me. This preparation enables me to buy a less expensive bed for the night.
I completely agree. It’s really not possible to quantify or objectively measure friendliness, safety and cheapness. So much depends on the way someone travels. Best to refer to the WTE rank as this score is one derived from the actual experience of highly traveled backpackers.
Everything is wrong about this. Colombia´s friendliness is for sure more than 2.
Hey Silvana, I agree. I think the wef report on friendliness towards foreign visitors might be fabricated. It rarely matches up to my experience.
Morocco was absolutely not friendly being a woman and travelling by myself. I was always wearing loose clothes, long pants and long sleeves, no make up at all and got insulted in the street by men without any reason at least three times.
It only changed when I joined some other travellers to travel with them.
Hey Sharon, North Africa and much of the Arab world is like that. My theory is that they have too much sexual frustration. It’s annoying but you just gotta brush it off and keep going. But I think it is better traveling with people if you’re a girl. It’s a bit safer and a lot less hassle .
Romania Friendliness = 1 ???
Be f#ckin’ serious!
At least 4 it’s a more accurate and real number.
Hey Ovidiu, I totally agree. I think the WEF report is inaccurate for so many countries.
after sixty years of roaming this planet, this has to be the the most ignorant list i have ever read….
Cheers, care to expand? you did read the methodology bit yea?
I am a 20 year old tourist curious person and wanted tips on when to start the trip, preparation, money accumulate, because I know I was put here to explore the world but don’t know how to go about it the smart way. I’m a student/part time worker that wants to be given the opportunity to explore but am totally not fit for travel yet, since money is the problem. Any tips on changing that.
Hey Tiffany, best way to start is to save up a bit of money at first. Then check out sites like helps.net for job/volunteer opportunities. But I find the best way to find work abroad is to show up and ask around.