Traveller Awards: The 10 best-value travel experiences

Traveller Awards: Bang for Buck

Leave your tent at the door – this ain’t your typical value-for-money travel list. From a Michelin-starred hawker shop to an affordable (relatively speaking) high-end hotel, we’ve traversed the globe for the best bargains in travel so you don’t have to. Read on for our Traveller Awards 2024 winners in the Bang for Buck category.

Star RV motorhomes

The epic Polaris 6 features a hot shower, air-con, double beds, dining area, full kitchen and a fridge.

An outback holiday need not involve the punish of pitching a tent, drop toilets or the feeling that you’ve been left on the set of Alone thanks to the rollout of Star RV campers for hire across Australia, most recently in the Northern Territory. The Polaris 6, the largest vehicle in a fleet that sleeps from two to six adults, offers tiny home comfort on four wheels right down to its hot shower, air-con, double beds made up with quality linen, dining area, full kitchen and a fridge big enough for both food and your tipple of choice. See starrv.com.au

Alaska Cruise, Cunard

Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth explores Alaska’s Glacier Bay.Credit: Cunard

This is a wonderful experience in an extraordinary environment aboard a classic ship, the Queen Elizabeth. Given the nature of the vessel and remote location, plus the lectures by the excellent on-board naturalist, the theatre performances and the shore excursions and dining experiences, it’s incredible value. Sure, it’s not wholly adventurous, nor entirely educationally focused, nor solely about partying. But that’s why it’s so special. It manages to offer something for everyone at accessible prices, and gives an opportunity to many travellers to enjoy what was once an “exclusive experience.” See cunard.com

Budget digs with flair

Lylo Auckland’s wallet-friendly sleeping pods.

It wasn’t long ago that booking a budget hotel pretty much guaranteed having a budget experience. But in the last decade affordable sub-brands from the big hotel chains have really taken off. Marriott’s Moxy Hotels led the way and now has more than 120 funky, lifestyle-focused properties all over the world. The obvious next step was upmarket hostels and having debuted in Auckland, EVT now has outposts of its upscale backpacker brand, Lylo, in Queenstown, Christchurch, Auckland and Brisbane. You’ll find Accor’s hostel-inspired Jo&Joe chain in Europe and Brazil plus Hilton’s wallet-friendly Motto hotels in New York, Rotterdam and Cusco. See moxy-hotels.marriott.com; lylo.com; joandjoe.com; hilton.com

Scoot

Scoot’s all-economy cabin.

We’re in a cost of living crisis, which means long-haul overseas travel is off the cards, right? Well, yes and no. Travel has, certainly, become even more of a luxury. However, there are ways to travel far on the cheap, and one of those is Scoot. The budget-friendly offshoot of Singapore Airlines flies from Australia to South-East Asia, of course, but it can then get you all the way to Europe, flying from Singapore to Berlin and Athens (not to mention ports in Japan and India). The on-board experience is basic though there are perks: 10 kilograms of carry-on luggage included plus quiet, Scoot-In-Silence sections of the cabin. Sign us up. See flyscoot.com

Vietnam

Stays at baroque-style luxury property Reverie Saigon start from $300 a night.

You could make a case for Vietnam being the best-value destination on the planet. That’s how highly we rate this country for the tourism experience, and how affordable everything is. Let’s begin with hotels: you can stay at the Reverie Saigon, a baroque-style luxury property in the middle of Ho Chi Minh City, for less than $300 a night (a three-star hotel can be less than $50 a night). The greatest sandwich on the planet, found at Madam Khanh the Banh Mi Queen in Hoi An, costs about $2. A bowl of pho in Hanoi costs about $3. And every experience in Vietnam, from attraction entry to transport to tours and more, is similarly inexpensive. See vietnam.travel

Singapore’s hawker centres

The famed Michelin starred Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice and Noodle in Chinatown.Credit: Getty Images

It almost doesn’t seem right. Like, there must be some mistake here; you must have the currency conversion wrong. Because how is it possible to be eating some of the world’s finest Hainanese chicken rice for $5 a plate? How can you be dining on Michelin-recommended pork noodles for the same price? How is lor mee, a soupy dish of noodles and a variety of additions ranging from fish cakes to meat dumplings and a boiled egg, only $3? But this is the Singapore hawker centre experience. It’s a little rough around the edges, with free-for-all seating and long queues, but the quality of cuisine is sky-high, and the prices shockingly low. See visitsingapore.com

AirAsia X

Flat out at a budget price in AirAsia X business class.

You can’t lump all budget airlines into one box. You might have had a nightmare with Ryanair, or troubles with Jetstar. But how about AirAsia X? This is an airline with consistently positive reviews on Skytrax – at 7/10 it’s higher than, say, Qantas or Emirates – and a solid product that includes friendly, professional service and some of the best food served in the air. Granted, you have to pay extra for that food, you won’t get entertainment and the cabin is very basic, but that’s the budget airline experience. And when everything else is good, you can easily put up with it. See airasia.com

ASAI Bangkok Chinatown

A comfortably stylish stay without the hefty price tag at ASAI Bangkok Chinatown.

Thailand’s capital is fast becoming crowded with ritzy hotels that favour those with fat wallets. But at around $100 a night, guests can enjoy a comfortably stylish stay at ASAI Bangkok Chinatown without the hefty price tag. The boutique hotel sits atop a shopping centre in the thick of Chinatown, walking distance from street food and Bangkok train station, making it an ideal overnighter for onward travel. Inside, the hotel is smartly furnished and designed for professionals, with a communal bar and restaurant in the lobby and regular social events – movie nights and bike tours – to encourage mingling. See dusit.com/asai-bangkok-chinatown

Sunnymead Hotel, Aireys Inlet

Sunnymead Hotel’s joyfully retro colour palette is inspired by India.

Once daggy and tired, a pitstop on the road to elsewhere, motels across the country are being given a fresh lease on life – and not just with a new coat of paint. Formerly known as The Lightkeepers Inn, Sunnymead Hotel – about two hours’ drive from Melbourne on the Great Ocean Road – relaunched last year as a vibrant destination stay sporting a new curvaceous look and a joyfully retro colour palette inspired by India. The former manager’s residence and conference room have also been converted into a rasul bathhouse and Indian-Australian restaurant. Stay in and enjoy the communal wood-fired pizza oven, lounge by the pool and outdoor bar, or request a private coastal tour in Daisy, the yellow kombi. See sunnymeadhotel.com.au

YHA

Million-dollar views at YHA Sydney Harbour in The Rocks.

The YHA is updating its hostels throughout Australia – think coffee machines and flat screen TVs in luxury rooms – as well as keeping the faith by maintaining bottom-line affordability for families and bunches of mates, the latter in share dorms rebranded “co-living”. Top of the tree is YHA Sydney Harbour in The Rocks with its million-dollar views of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge, its cafe, shared kitchen and sleek new rooms. Then there’s YHA Sydney Central with its own bar. YHA Darwin, also known as MoM Darwin, has a vast sun deck and two pools. See yha.com.au

Traveller Awards contributors: Kate Armstrong, John Borthwick, Jim Darby, Anthony Dennis, Ben Groundwater, Julietta Jameson, Trudi Jenkins, Brian Johnston, Ute Junker, Katrina Lobley, Catherine Marshall, Rob McFarland, Justin Meneguzzi, Craig Platt, Jane Reddy, Jane Richards, Tim Richards, Craig Tansley, Lee Tulloch, Kerry van der Jagt, Penny Watson, Sue Williams