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.

This year I’m flying round-trip to Budapest, round-trip to Southeast Asia, and probably to South America and back—without buying plane tickets. No, I’m not going to any of those places on a press trip: I’m cashing in miles.

Many people are surprised to hear that I’ve never attained elite status on any airline. I rarely see the front cabin of the plane. It’s not that I don’t fly a fair bit, but it’s generally a mix of different airlines and there aren’t enough really long-haul flights in there to add up to 25,000 or more miles accrued in one year.

It’s also partly because I get a lot of free flights by the judicious earning and use of frequent flier miles. In the past I’ve flown gratis to Argentina, Peru, Mexico, and a half-dozen places in the U.S. This year I’m flying for free round-trip to Eastern Europe and Southeast Asia. Here’s how much Continental says just my second leg from Hanoi to New York would have cost if I’d bought this route (on Singapore Air) outright:

Yowza! Obviously I wouldn’t have taken that route and spent so much on my own dime, but that fact I was able to do it for 32,500 miles shows what kind of value you can get out of travel hacking. It can make a massive difference in how much it’s going to cost you to take an international journey.

How I did it – quick case studies

1) Free flight to Europe. My first free flight is going to be in April/May, when I’m going to Budapest and back and visiting three other countries overland. That was 40,000 miles on American Airlines. This barely put a dent in my AAdvantage balance. Sure, I’ve flown them and their partners now and then, but I pumped up the balance in a huge way by getting both a personal and business AA credit card from Citibank. The first gave me a bonus of 30,000 miles after spending a few hundred bucks on it. The second one took more effort—I had to spend $4,000 in six months on it—but I used it to buy things I was going to pay for anyway and put my rent on there one month to get over the hump. For that I earned a staggering 75,000 miles bonus.

Now I’ve got enough left to fly to South America and back (or one-way in business class) and still have leftovers. And I keep earning miles when I use the card, miles when I fly, miles when I dine out at the right restaurants, etc. Join the Travel Hacking Cartel and you’ll get regular updates on how to cash in regularly.

2) Free flight to Bangkok and back from Hanoi. The carrier I use most often (besides Southwest) has traditionally been Continental, now merged with United. That’s because it has better Latin America coverage than most, especially Mexico, going through Houston on the way. Because of the great Star Alliance they belong to, you can cash in Continental/United miles for all kinds of other great airlines. So I’m flying from Tampa to Bangkok with my family—all of us free—on a combination of United and Thai Airways. They’re having to buy a one-way home, but I’m coming back from Hanoi on mileage. It’s going to be a very long trip via Singapore and Frankfurt, but on the best airline if you’re going to be stuck in economy: Singapore Airlines. I couldn’t get any closer to home than D.C. though, so I took the flight to NYC and will see a couple friends before the last leg on a cheap one-way ticket to Florida.

How did I manage this? Again, a mix of flying, credit cards, and other moves. All three of us have been saving up miles for a while, so my wife was able to transfer some from her account to my daughter’s for $75. And I had to spend $35 to top off my account to get to 65,000. And we each paid the taxes, which were around $40 each way. But considering even a one-way flight from where we live to Bangkok is $1,400 and rising, not bad. What put both my wife and I over the top on miles though was getting an airline credit card from Chase that gave us 30,000 miles each. (And it lets us check in one bag free on domestic flights.) Almost enough on its own for a one-way flight to Southeast Asia and close to what you need for a round-trip to South America or Europe.

I also have regularly bought things through their mileage mall online, taken advantage of special promotions, and earned a bit here and there from car rentals and hotel stays. I even got 1,000 miles once from installing a shopping toolbar then taking it down a couple months later. I found out about some of these opportunities from blogs, others from the Cartel.

3) South America in the Fall. I’m going on a tour through Bolivia and the Atacama Desert of Chile in November. I’m having trouble finding a free flight into Bolivia at any time, but if nothing else I know I can get home from Chile on miles as there is plenty of availability. Once again, a little extra effort up front will dramatically reduce my travel costs when it’s time to fly. With the price of oil continuing to go up and the U.S. economy improving, flight prices are unlikely to get any cheaper. It pays big dividends to use another currency besides your income.

The Travel Hacking Cartel

As I’ve said before, if you’re experienced at this and don’t mind browsing lots of different blogs and message boards on a weekly basis, you can find lots of tips and tricks for free. If your time is precious though and you’d like for it all to just land in your inbox—with some hotel points deals as well—then a Travel Hacking Cartel subscription is an easy investment to justify. They guarantee you enough points to get four free domestic tickets a year or you get your  money back. Where would you go with 100,000 miles? And is it worth less than 10 bucks a month to get there?

It’s not even Spring yet, but you have to set your clock forward an hour on Sunday if you live in most of the USA. This early start (and late finish in Autumn) is a remnant from the G.W. Bush era. It was pushed as an energy saver (hasn’t worked), but was almost surely lobbied through by the golf and tourism industries. To the detriment of parents with school-aged kids everywhere…

But this post is not a rant. Just a collection of useful and entertaining stuff to read over the weekend in case it’s not warm enough to be outside enjoying life where you live.

If you want to get somewhere else on the cheap, Budget Travel has a great rundown on the six best budget bus lines in the United States. These serve a defined area of population centers, so think New York to Boston, not Kansas City to Boise.

Here’s another reason to be annoyed with cruise ships: not one of the lines thought of as American companies pays a cent in U.S. corporate taxes.

I’ve written before about the dangers of being cheap to the point of ridiculous when traveling and BootsnAll generated a hot debate on the subject with this article on cheap vs. budget travel. I like the elegant follow-up on the Vagabonding blog though, from a long-term traveler who gets by on $10 a day by going slower and integrating more with the locals.

Barbara at Hole in the Doughnut has a good rundown on Cusco, Peru at different budget levels, including a $10 a night hotel and two vegetarian restaurants. More importantly, there’s current information on Machu Picchu and Peru Rail that’s probably more reliable than what most guidebooks have in them right now. There have been some changes at both in how/why you get advance tickets.

Want to know what it’s like to climb a volcano in Sumatra, Indonesia? You can see the story and photos on the Vagabonding Life blog by following that link. I actually did this hike many years ago and it’s not a very hard one—so a good place to do your first one to see if you like the experience.

Here’s an article I did for ExpertFlyer on places where the dollar exchange rate is constant.

Should a cough drop be lecturing you to suck it up and quit your whining just because you’re sick? Halls apparently thinks so with the motivational text on their wrappers.

[Photo from the Vagabonding Life blog]