Undiscovered places, important events and tumbling foreign currencies helped define Budget Travel Magazine’s list of the top 10 budget destinations for 2009.
Austin, Texas, made the list as a venue for affordable and free cultural events like the annual South By Southwest festival. Washington was included because of the presidential inauguration, but also because so many of the museums and monuments are free to visit. The magazine also lauded Hawaii because a drop in visitors last year has led to discounts this year.
Abroad, Budget Travel recommends Mexico, Hungary and Iceland as places where the U.S. dollar goes farther than it used to.
Destinations getting ready for big events include Berlin, which marks the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall this year, and Vancouver, which will host the Winter Olympics in 2010.
Finally, the magazine’s list includes Cambodia for its affordable guesthouses and must-see temples, and Panama, for its eco-tourism and wildlife.
See the list at www.budgettravel.com.
