Albania, Egypt And Morocco—Vacations Now Offering More For Your Money

These three destinations are currently top value picks for vacations in 2024 offering a nice climate, interesting adventures and great value for money—it’s perfect timing to visit Albania, Egypt and Morocco.

It’s hard to get an average of holiday costs across countries. It depends where you live and if flights (the probable mode of transport) are plentiful and/or long-haul. Is the destination a popular one? It’s also hard to compare countries on a like-for-like basis and currency exchange and inflation play a large role.

Holidays can be expensive. A three-night vacation in the U.S. might cost, for instance, $1,389.09 for an individual and it’s hard to find a destination that costs less than what you might spend at home, but some of these can offer great value. As a comparison, life in the U.K. costs on average £53 ($67) per day (based on an average U.K. three-bedroom rental with utilities).

Visit The New European Hotspot, Albania

1 USD = 95.70 Albanian Lek

Albania has long been a summer haunt for Italians because of its sublime beaches—there are 296 miles of waterfront, stretching from the Adriatic to the Ionion seas. Travel guides have been advocating it as the place to go for the last few years, because it is so much cheaper than the most of its European neighbors and has so much charm.

CNTraveler is selling the food—think, rosemary-scented lamb and blackened sea bass with tart mountain cheeses, for example, while The Times advocates trying the tave kosi (baked chicken or lamb in yoghurt) where even with three courses and a bottle of wine, it can be difficult to spend more than $12.

The Telegraph advocates its lively cafe culture in the capital Tirana, which is home to one fifth of its population. Wander the Ottoman villages, the historic sites, the National parks and Ceraunian Mountains famously mentioned in Lord Byron’s poem, Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage. He lovingly compared these mountain residents to the Scottish Highlanders only living in a better, Mediterranean climate.

Visit The Atlas Mountains And the Souks of Marrakesh

1 USD = 10.06 Moroccan Dirham

Lonely Planet named Morocco on its ‘Best In Travel’ list for 2024 mostly because of how it has taken its place on the world surf circuit and because of its music festival, Mawazine. It advocates climbing the tallest mountain in North Africa (Jebel Toubkal in the High Atlas) to its 4167m summit and camel trekking across the Erg Chebbi dunes in the Merzouga Desert where you can sleep under the stars.

The souks of Marrakesh, Fez and Tétouan are legendary but expect to haggle—it’s not just expected, it’s positively a pastime. The small, bijou riads surrounding the large markets are better value and offer a truly, unique accommodation experience. The Times listed Morocco is one of the best value holiday destinations for 2024 quoting the money-saving website Savoo that named Marrakesh as the cheapest all-inclusive destination outside Europe in 2023.

The Telegraph rated its blue skies in winter and spring and its excellent train network, advocating walks around the medina in the old city of Tangier or making beachside Agadir a base to explore the local area from just $22 per day for a stay.

Incidentally, many people advocate that one of the best ways to aid the country since its devastating earthquake in 2023 is to pay into its tourist economy and visit.

Visit The Pyramids And Cruise The Nile in Egypt

1 USD = 30.90 Egyptian pounds

Both CNTraveler and The Telegraph rate Egypt as one of the cheapest countries to visit in 2024, due to the value of the Egyptian pound. Visit the pyramids, take a trip to the Nile, and visit Cairo where the Grand Egyptian Museum is expected to open in spring 2024 housing the largest ever collection of Tutankhaman relics.

The Telegraph suggest staying at the former fishing village of Hurghada, now a large beach resort on the Red Sea Riviera. Its coral reefs are great for beginner scuba divers and it’s a good base to explore the Nile Valley.

Lonely Planet also named Egypt as one of the best countries to visit in 2024 for value and The Times agrees, so long as you avoid resorts in Sharm el-Sheikh (suggesting Dahab as a more authentic choice) and avoiding the peak season of December to February. For example, the 12-hour Cairo to Aswan train route starts from $46 and an average evening meal out of the resort restaurants can be had for $7.