Using the formula in the Big Mac Index interactive site, how much is the Big Mac overvalued in the most expensive country, and how much is it undervalued in the least expensive? Which countries would be the cheapest for travel, and which would be the most expensive based on this index?
The Big Mac is overvalued in several European countries. Switzerland was the highest, where the sandwich would cost $6.71, where as in the United States it would cost $5.67. The cheapeast was South Africa where it was just over $2 for a Big Mac. According to this, the most expensive countries to travel would be Switzerland, Norway, and Canada, and the cheapest would be South Africa, Russia, and Romania.
Read the Leffel chapter and the other links provided to derive a list of the 10 cheapest countries for travel. Compare this with a more modern assessment at Indie Traveller.
1. Thailand
2. Costa Rica
3. Vietnam
4. Nepal
5. Morocco
6. Mexico
7. Peru
8. Gutemala
9. Bolivia
10. Colombia
Many websites I looked at had simillar result of countires that are cheapest to travel to. For me, it was a combination of cheapeast and intrest. Countires in Southeast Asia were the cheapest, and the bigger the city, the smaller the price. I chose Bangkok, Thailand. The Hostel I found was called Hide Bangkok, and costs $10 a night. 21 nights total equal $210 dollars for three weeks. I used Kiwi to find cheap airfare. This totaled $798. The dates of the trip are March 24 to April 15. The total cost will be $1,008 dollars for a 21-day vacation.
The same style was used to find my location in the Western Hempisphere as well. I chose San Jose, Costa Rica. The Hostel was conviently called Best Hostel San Jose, and costs $11 per night. The total cost would be $231. The airplane tickets cost $421. The total trip cost would be $652.
According to the World Peace Index, the most peaceful place to live/visit would be Iceland, New Zealand, and Austria. The United States was surprisingly ranked in the bottom third of countries polled, at 121. I chose to visit Thailand, ranked at 113, and Costa Rica, ranked at 40. Both countries were more peaceful than the United States according to the Global Peace Index.
"You'll learn far more than you ever did at a university.
I somewhat agree with this quote. There are situations where it is true and situations where it is not. I can learn more about the American people and western society by leaving my house and just going to the grocery store. If I wanted to learn more about Iraq, Somalia, or Afghanistan, I would steer towards academic strategies I learned about in classes. These are place where I would not travel due to safety concerns. In all honesty, I think this quote is quite stubborn as most people do not get to experience both.
Submitted by Reggie W. on 2/28.