Today’s guest post is from Darcie Connell, co-founder of Trekity.com. She’s been living in Antigua, Guatemala for the past three months and is giving us the lowdown on current prices. While Guatemala gets a bad rap for being dangerous (with a much higher homicide rate than more publicized Mexico), it’s quite safe for tourists if you’re aware of your surroundings and take precautions. Darcie’s never encountered any problems (knock on wood) and feels it’s a great time for adventurous and budget travelers to take advantage of the U.S. dollar’s purchasing power, which is currently equivalent to 7.75 Quetzal. Take it away Darcie!

First, a word on Guatemala.

In my opinion, Central America is the new Southeast Asia. Lively local markets sell everything from tropical fruits to handmade textiles. Beaches feature diving and snorkeling on the Caribbean side, surfing and fishing on the Pacific side.

Central America has most everything a traveler could want: and Guatemala is no exception. Great food, extremely friendly locals, and endless natural wonders – including 37 volcanoes, mountains, lakes and rivers.

All without the well-trampled tourist trails you find in many parts of Southeast Asia.

In short, Guatemala is under-rated. Perhaps it’s because 56.2% of its population lives below the poverty line (making it one of the poorest countries in Latin America). Or maybe it’s due to safety concerns. Or perhaps it’s because travelers haven’t heard much about it.

Whatever the case, those that travel to Guatemala are rewarded with a country rich in cultural history, natural beauty, and budget prices.

Antigua Prices for Travelers

The prices in this article are taken from Antigua, Guatemala (April 2012). Antigua is an affluent tourist town back-dropped by the massive Agua Volcano and sprinkled with Spanish colonial ruins on almost every street corner.

Budget backpackers and vacation value seekers flock to Antigua for several reasons:

1. To get out of Guatemala City ($10 / Q78 shuttle van to Antigua).
2. To book a tour to see the rest of Guatemala such as the ancient Mayan ruins of Tikal ($31 / Q271), Atilan Lake ($10 / Q78), or natural swimming pools of Semuc Champey ($25 / Q194).
3. To study Spanish.  Antigua is regarded as the best place to study Spanish in all of Latin America. It’s common to see a 15 year old student studying in the cubical next to a 50 year old businessman. There are schools on every block and average prices are $85 / Q650 for 20 hours of one-on-one instruction.
4. To eat.  Antigua offers some of the best restaurants and cuisine in all of Central America.  From hand-made Italian pizza ($8 / Q60) to grilled chicken plates ($3 / Q20), there’s something for everyone at every price. And why not wash it down with a high-quality imported Chilean or Argentinian wine ($4 / Q30)?

The prices in Antigua range dramatically for all types of travelers.  Let’s take a closer look.

Accommodations

Antigua has a wide range of accommodations, from five-star hotels with crumbling ruins right outside your balcony to hostels with 3 sets of bunk-beds.

• Upscale Hotel (per night): $100-500 / Q775-3,875 
• Average 3-star level hotel (per night): $40-50 / Q310-390
• Average basic hotel, private room with bath (per night): $20-40
• Hostel (per bed, per night): $9-12 / Q75-100
• Home Stay: (per week and includes meals) $50-75 / Q390-580
• 2BR Apartment: (per month)  $645-1,290 / Q5,000-10,000

It’s advisable to book ahead of time during the high season, but rooms are generally available last minute if you’re willing to hunt for them.

Restaurant & Cafe Food

Lunch (almuerzo) is traditionally the biggest meal of the day. You can get a full plate of roasted (carne) meat or fish, vegetables, bread potato or tortiallas, and a non-alcoholic drink for $2.60-4.50 / Q20-35.

If you want variety, Antigua is loaded with international restaurants ranging from Italian, Chinese, Japanese, Thai, and French to full-on Argentinian steak houses.

You can spend as little or as much as you want. 

• Lunch (Inexpensive) : $2.60-4.50 / Q20-35
• Breakfast (Inexpensive) : $2.60-4.50 / Q20-35
• Dinner (Inexpensive) : $3.90-$6.50 / Q30-Q 50
• Hamburger w/ Potatoes: $3.90 / Q30
• Pizza: $7.75 / Q60
• Chow Mein: $6.50 / Q50
• Coffee / Tea: $0.60 – 2.60 / Q5-20
• Beer: $1.95-3.25 / Q15-25
• Wine: $2.60-4.50 / Q20-35
• Cocktail: $1.95-4.50 / Q15-35

Street Food

From roasted beef (rez), chicken (pollo), cerdo (pork) to delicious fried treats there’s a lot of variety in Antigua.

• Pupusas (traditionally from El Salvador): $0.65-1.30 / Q5-10
• Pollo Plate: $1.30-1.95 / Q10-15
• Taco Plate w/ Meat: $1.30-1.95 / Q10-15
• Empenadas: $0.65-1.30 / Q5-10
• Sandwich w/ Chile Rellano: $1.30-1.95 / Q10-15
• Fruit (mango, papaya, pineapple, banano*): $ 0.65-0.90 / Q5-7
• Ceviche: $6.45-7.75 / Q50-60
• Soda/Water: $0.65- 1.05 / Q5-8

Supermarket & Market

Supermarkets in Guatemala are a convenient one-stop-shop selling most of what you’d need, including toiletries. However, prices are generally higher than if you were to wander through a traditional local market.

A word of warning: traditional markets can wear you out. Be prepared for a maze of vendors selling everything – from household appliances, clothes, shoes, textiles, fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, and chicken to the weird and unusual such as dried iguana.  Remember the key phrase “Donde es la salida?” which means “Where is the exit?”

Local Markets Prices

• 1 Pound of Tomatoes: $0.40 / Q3
• 1 Pound of Onion: $0.40 / Q3
• 1 Pound of Mushrooms: $2.50 / Q20
• 1 Bag of Spinach: $0.65 / Q5
• 1 Bag of Snap Peas: $0.50 / Q4
• 1 Bundle of Asparagus: $0.40 / Q3
• 1 Head of Broccoli or Cauliflower: $0.50 / Q4
• 1 Banana: $0.15 / Q1
• 1 Whole Pineapple: $1.30 / Q10
• 1 Whole Papaya: $1.55 / Q12
• 10 Small Mangoes: $1.30 / Q10
• 1 Pound of Dried Beans: $0.40 / Q3
• 1/2 Pound of Pasta: $0.30 / Q2

From Bakery

• Small Bread Roll: $0.15 / Q1
• Loaf of Banana Bread: $2.50 / Q20
• Chocolate Muffin: $0.25 / Q2

Dentist Cleaning: $45 / Q350

Supermarket prices…

• Ham (1 Pound): $5.20-5.80 / Q40-45
• Roast Beef (1 Pound): $6.50-7 / Q50-55
• Salami (1 Pound): $3.25-3.90 / Q25-30
• Pastrami (1 Pound): $3.25-3.90 / Q25-30
• Bacon (1 Pound): $4.50-5.15 / Q35-40
• Turkey (1 Pound): $4.50-5.15 / Q35-40
• Deli Cheese (1 Pound): $9.70-12.90 / Q75-100
• Eggs (Carton of 30): $1.90-2.60 / Q15-20
• Bag of Coffee: $3.90-6.45 / Q30-50
• Loaf of Bread: $1.30-2.60 / Q10-20
• Bottle of Wine: $3.90-12.90 / Q30-100
• Bottle of Whiskey (1 Liter): $9.00 / Q70
• Bottle of Stoli Vodka (1 Liter): $15.50 / Q120
• Bottle of Jose Cuervo (1 Liter): $12.90 / Q100
• Bottle of Bacardi (1 Liter): $5.80 / Q45
• Bottle of Soda: $0.65-0.75 / Q5-6
• Can of Soda: $0.40-0.65 / Q3-5
• Can of Beer: $0.65-1.30 / Q5-10
• Bottle of Beer: $1.30-2.60 / Q10-20

Toiletries

Toiletries can be purchased from pharmacies or supermarkets, though are less expensive at supermarkets.

• Shampoo/Conditioner: $4.50-5.15 /Q35-40
• Lotion: $2.60-3.90 / Q20- 30
• Deodorant: $2.60-3.90 / Q20-30
• Toothpaste: $1.30-2.60 / Q10-20
• Sun Screen: $4.50-5.15 / Q35-40
• Toilet Paper (4 Rolls): $0.65-1.30 / Q5-10

Bad (But Fun) Stuff

Gallo is the most popular and cheapest beer for a reason.  The micro brews that are common in the U.S. are nonexistent in Guatemala. However, wine imported from Chile and Argentina is consistently good.

• Beer at a bar: $2-7.75 / Q16-60
• Wine at a bar: $2-7.75 / Q16-60
• Cocktails at a bar: $2-12.90 / Q16-100
• Pack of Cigarettes: $1.90-2.60 / Q15-20

Health

The health care system in Guatemala is based on Western medicine and is very affordable compared to the U.S. In fact, many U.S. medical students volunteer in Guatemala.

• Doctor Visit: $50-65 / Q400-500
• Dentist cleaning/checkup: $45 / Q350
• Chiropractor: $10-13 / Q75-100
• Gym Membership (1 Day): $4.50 / Q35
• Gym Membership (1 Week): $15 / Q110
• Gym Membership (1 Month): $30 / Q225

Transportation

Public transportation (aka Chicken Buses) in Guatemala are very inexpensive, but can be dangerous. If you take public transportation, don’t put your bags on the top or back of the bus.  Keep them in your lap no matter how uncomfortable.

• Public Bus to Guatemala City: $1.30-3.90 / Q10-30 
• Taxi to Guatemala City: $32.25-38.70  / Q250-300
• Shuttle Bus to Airport (One-Way): $9-10
• Shuttle Bus to Panajachel (One-Way): $10-15 / Q78-117
• Shuttle Bus to Chichicastenango (One-Way): $10-15
• Shuttle Bus to Monterrico Beach (One-Way): $15-20
• Shuttle Bus to Coban, Guatemala (One-Way): $25-35
• Shuttle Bus to Flores Near Tikal (One-Way): $35-40
• Shuttle Bus to Copan, Honduras (One-Way): $20-25
• Shuttle Bus to Lanquin (One-Way): $20-25
• Shuttle Bus to Semuc Champey (One-Way): $25-30
• Shuttle Bus to San Marcos or San Pedro (One-Way): $10-15 / Q78-117
• Shuttle Bus to Rio Dulce (One-Way): $20-25
• Shuttle Bus to Belize City (One-Way): $65-70
• Flight to San Jose, Costa Rica (Round-Trip): $475
• Flight to Managua, Nicaragua (Round-Trip): $ 360
• Flight to Panama (Round-Trip): $475
• Flight to Miami (Round-Trip): $575
• Flight to Flores Near Tikal (Round-Trip): $240

Tours

As with most things in life, you get what you pay for on tours.

My husband and I (and one other couple) hired a personal guide for the Pacaya Volcano tour. He provided comfortable transportation, snacks along the way, gloves in case we fell on the sharp rocks, and marshmallows for roasting off hot volcanic rock. We also arrived very early to catch the sunrise and enjoy the volcano hike without hordes of people who arrived later on a large tourist bus.

• Pacaya Volcano Tour: $10-15 / Q77-117
• Antigua Village Tour: $40-45 / Q310-350
• Antigua Walking Tour: $15-20 / Q117-155
• Coffee Tour: $10-15 / Q77-117
• Canopy Tour: $60-65 / Q465-504
• Horseback Riding: $15-20 / Q117-155
• Bird Watching: $50-55 / Q388-427
• Bike Tour: $45-50 / Q349-388
• Guatemala City Tour: $75-80 / Q582-620

Other

• Spanish School (San Jose El Viejo 40 Hours Per Week): $120 / Q930
• Spanish School (San Jose El Viejo 20 Hours Per Week): $85 / Q660
• Men Hair Cut: $3.25-4.50 / Q25-35
• Woman Hair Cut: $10-13 / Q75-100
• Manicure / Pedicure: $2 -4 / Q15-30
• Massage (Head, Neck, & Back): $2-4 / Q15-30
• Massage (Hot Stone): $2.50-5 / Q20-40
• Salsa Lessons: $3.90 / Q30
• Ice Cream in a Shop: $1.30-2.60 / Q10-20
• Handmade Textile: $20-130 / Q150-1,000
• Postcard: $0.30 / Q1
• Internet 60 Minutes: $1.30 / Q10
• Laundry / Pound: $0.65-1.30 /Q5-10
• Public Toilets: $0.60 / Q5

***

Darcie Connell is CEO of Trekity.com, a travel website that helps you find, plan and share your next adventure, and co-founder of TravelBloggerAcademy.com. Follow Darcie on Twitter here.

[First, third, and last photo by Tim Leffel, all others by Darcie Connell.]

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I’m getting ready to hop on a plane to Eastern Europe, where I’ll soon be reporting on cheap travel in four countries there. I’ll be doing some stories for Perceptive Travel and writing chapters for the next edition of The World’s Cheapest Destinations.

Meanwhile, here’s what this blog’s readers have been checking out the most over the past month:

10) Peru’s Salkantay Trek vs. the Inka Trail

9) Good & Bad Travel Gear Trends for 2012

8) Travel Safety in Perspective – USA vs. Mexico

7) Quit Your Job, See the World

6) Updates on the Cheapest Places to Travel, 2012

5) How Many Countries Have You Been to? (Spoiler alert—I don’t care.)

4) I Want to Move Abroad – Where Do I Start?

3) How to Get Around Spirit Air’s Baggage Extortion

2) 6 Places to Live for Super-cheap

1) The Cheapest Places to Live in the World – 2011

I’ll be doing a 2012 version of that last one in June. Stay tuned by signing up for the RSS feed (top right) or following me on Twitter (@timleffel).

Making memories in Maisan, Korea. April 1997

There are plenty of naval-gazing travel blogs out there and from the start of this one in 2003, I’ve tried to be more useful than that. This is primarily a blog about how to travel well for less, how to get more out of your travel budget and maybe learn something, grow a little, and become a better person through the experience.

But this morning I heard a report on NPR about how it was 20 years ago today when Rodney King gave his “Can’t we all just get along?” speech in Los Angeles. This was in the midst of the 1992 riots after the four white police officers that beat him up (with TV news cameras recording it) were acquitted. I was watching it all on a TV screen in a bar facing Central Park in New York City. I was having drinks with the Charlatans UK, one of the bands I did marketing for at RCA Records.

So how did I get from there to here? I thought it would be fun to look at where I was and what I was doing soon after that, then 5, 10, 15 years later.

Almost exactly two years later, I was in Los Angeles myself, but only on a layover on my way to Japan, the first stop on my first round-the-world journey. I hadn’t traveled all that much before, honestly. Lots in the U.S., a few trips to Canada and the Caribbean, but nothing all that exotic. This was my time though. I had gotten fired from my job after being way too honest with my boss way too many times. My girlfriend’s company had gone bankrupt. We had talked about traveling long-term and if we were waiting for a sign, these were two big ones. We sold most of what we owned, rented out my condo, and hit the road.

Five years after that Rodney King speech, my journal was my “Easy P.P. Spring Notebook.” I was on month six of a one-year English teaching contract in Korea. My now-wife and I had traveled through Morocco, Egypt, Jordan, and Israel before settling down in Korea to replenish our finances. Over the course of the year, we worked our tails off but managed to save around $30,000. (That financed another year of travel and gave us a big cushion when we returned.) We traveled a lot around South Korea, sometimes seemingly being the only foreigners in town, and gained the kind of cultural experience you can only get from living somewhere for a while.

Ten years after those L.A. riots, in April 2002, I was in the midst of enjoying 9 weeks of severance pay after surviving four rounds of layoffs and getting caught in the fifth. This was the aftermath of the dot-com bubble and since I’d returned to the U.S., I’d been working for a tech company, writing just at night and on weekends. I was based in Nashville, but the home office was in Silicon Valley—tech bust central. But I had started writing my first book and now I had time to really get on it. Plus I had more time to spend with my new baby, who was a year and a half and chattering away already.

Fifteen years after those drinks while the riots raged, in 2007, I had mostly cut ties with any non-writing jobs and was making a living writing, editing, and ghostwriting books for business clients. We bought a little beach house in the Yucatan state of Mexico and all traveled to Guatemala. I got invited on a press trip to South Africa and Botswana and I took my wife to Peru, where we hiked the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. I launched Perceptive Travel. This blog turned four. I won a Grand Prize for a story I wrote from a travel journalism association, then won a first prize a year later.

Twenty years after the music biz gig in New York, here we are. I just spent a year living in Mexico with my family and we’ll return there for two years next summer. This year I’ll travel to four countries in Eastern Europe on my own, then go to three countries in Southeast Asia in July with my family. Before the year is up, jaunts to Nicaragua, Boliva, Colombia, and Chile, and speaking at TBEX in Colorado. I’m living in Tampa, FL, creating new memories in a new place.

When you look back at your milestones 20 years from now, what will you see? Great experiences and growth, or the same ole same old and stagnation?

Just because you travel doesn’t make you a better person than one who doesn’t—or a person who truly can’t afford to do it. But at least it means you’re not sitting still. If your life is not changing and you’re not being challenged, you’re slowing down before your time.

Here’s to your next 20 years being full of exciting surprises.

I reviewed this innovative Camelbak All Clear bottle in detail over at Practical Travel Gear, but it speaks to such a strong travelers need that I’m mentioning it here as well.

Anybody who has read this blog for a while knows that I put bottled water in single-use plastic somewhere on the evil scale between Darth Vader, Dick Cheney, and Bashar Al-Assad. The manufactured demand for these drink-and-toss bottles of water has led to giant floating garbage dumps in the oceans and the soiling of almost any landscape where people leave the bottles in their wake. Almost nowhere in the world does a majority of them get recycled. Most end up on or in the ground, where they’ll stay for centuries. (The Grand Canyon finally banned them this year, but not without encountering massive pressure from Coca-Cola that led to delays.)

So I’m hoping this Camelbak All Clear bottle is a success. You fill it with ordinary tap water, turn it on, shake it around for about a minute, and drink. That’s it!

In places you couldn’t drink the water before, now you can. So far I’ve only used it in Mexico, but it worked like a dream there: I didn’t buy any bottled water for nine days and drank with this from six different taps. No digestive problems at all.

Sure, this magical technology is going to cost you. The All Clear retails for about $100. But have you ever tracked how much you’ve spent on water over the course of a few weeks or a month on the road? Chances are, that’s about how long it would take to pay for itself. Everything after that is gravy, plus you’ve kept 100+ bottles out of the landfills or streams. It charges by USB, quite handy, and there’s a carrying pouch for the purifier part. (You can put any Camelbak top on it when you’re actually drinking from it.)

You can get the CamelBak All Clear Water Purifier Bottle at REI.com or at Summit Hut.

If you want something that takes up less room and can be used with any wide-mouth bottle you have already, check out this review of the SteriPen Freedom wand.

I’ve started work on updating The World’s Cheapest Destinations, with the 4th edition coming out in December. Meanwhile, here are a few updates in terms of which countries are cheaper, about the same, or more expensive since the 3rd edition came out in 2009. This is for those traveling with U.S. dollars. If your currency is up or down in a big way against the dollar, keep that in mind. For Canadians or Australians, for example, everywhere is cheaper than it was three or four years ago.

(Slightly) Cheaper Destinations

Unfortunately, this is a rather short list. There may be a recession in the developed world, but most of the cheap (as in developing) countries are going gangbusters in terms of growth. Vietnam’s leaders are freaking out, for example, because their GDP growth may be only 6% this year. If we had half that number in the U.S. then Obama would get re-elected in a landslide. Add more traveling Chinese, Russians, Indians, Brazilians, Turks, Middle Easterners, and others to the mix and the demand for international travel is growing around the world.

Eastern Europe – a mixed bag, but a slight fall in the euro often translates to a big fall in currencies that haven’t converted, as in the Czech Republic and Hungary. Now’s a good time to go.
India – with the dollar at around 50 rupees, budget travelers are getting a lot for their money here. At the middle and high end though, forget it.
Indonesia – Outside of Bali, where a crush of tourists has led to increased prices across the board, a more favorable exchange rate is keeping prices in check.
Mexico – For the moment, this “honorable mention” country is actually a tad cheaper than it was in 2009 because of exchange rate changes. You need to leave the resort areas though and go inland.

Quito, Ecuador

About the same

Someone getting off a plane now won’t notice a big difference from someone who did so three years ago in these places.
Ecuador, Panama, Belize – the first is one of the world’s cheapest, the latter two not. But all use the U.S. dollar, so no real changes.
Bolivia, Nicaragua and Honduras – the predicted surge in tourists never seems to happen, so things keep chugging along as before, with incremental changes.
Guatemala – Crime issues, a weak tourism board, and strong ties to the U.S. economy have meant no upticks here. Prices are stable.
Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam – You’ll find increased prices in pockets here and there where tourists congregate, but overall it’s not dramatic and they’re still a terrific value.
Jordan – Things keep getting better for Jordan, but it’s the best house in a bad neighborhood. So apart from the ridiculously high price to enter Petra, it remains a good deal.

Chivay, Colca Canyon, Peru

More expensive

These destinations will hit your wallet much harder than before. This is usually due to a stronger local currency, an improving local economy, an increase in tourists, or all of the above.

Turkey – I’m taking this country out of the next edition. It’s now one of the world’s most popular tourist spots and is priced accordingly. Now a huge cruise ship destination too, which never helps.
Thailand – This is the one I get the most angry e-mails about. Sorry kids, but the baht was in the high 30′s when I researched the last edition. Now it’s at 30. The country has weathered multiple crises that would have sunk almost anyone else and is more popular than ever. Growth has been frenetic and the locals have more money to spend.
Argentina – It’s not that their currency is doing well or that their economy would be cranking it it weren’t held together by central government duct tape and magic tricks, but inflation is very bad, so the prices keep rising, especially for anything imported. Beef and local wine are still a great deal…
Peru – Take a resource-based economy witnessing record-high commodity prices and combine that with a bucket list bucket of moneyed tourists and you get…rising prices all around. It’s still a deal off the main corridor, but “doing Machu Picchu” is going to bust the budget no matter how you work it out.
Morocco – Though still probably the best value in Africa for those on a $100 or $200 a day vacation budget, prices have gone up as they have aligned with the euro. With Spain in the crapper though economically and the rest of Europe ailing, the situation here could improve as time goes on.

Also on the “who knows” front is Egypt, which is still a big question mark. Africa’s other great value could implode or it could return to tourism as normal. We shall see.