The often-forgotten country named the world’s cheapest place to travel this year with £5 hotels and 80p beers

LOOKING for a bargain break? A country in Southeast Asia has been named the cheapest place to travel to in 2025.

From affordable drinks and food to hotel stays for £5, the budget for anyone travelling to Laos is just over £10 a day.

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Travel insurance company HelloSafe studied the average daily budget required by travellers in 131 countries globally.

Taking into account expenses like accommodation, food, and transport, Laos came out as being the cheapest.

It’s not necessarily as popular as its neighbours like Vietnam, Thailand, and Cambodia.

But thanks to its affordability, Laos is definitely a worthy contender for your next trip.

The average daily budget needed in Laos is just $15.40 (£11.52).

You can pick up meals from $2 (£1.50) – and staples include sticky rice, larb (which is a spicy meat salad), and green papaya salad.

You can grab a drink for a bargain price too, on street stalls and markets you can get a local beer like Beerlao for as little as 80p.

As for where to stay, this won’t break the bank either.

On Agoda.com, Sun Travel found a hotel in Vientiane, the capital of Laos, for two people for £5 per night.

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It has free Wi-Fi, a bar, 24-hour front desk, restaurant, airport transfer, room service and breakfast included.

There’s lots to do in Laos too, from visiting beautiful temples to waterfalls and religious sites.

According to Tripadvisor, the top things to do in Laos include seeing the Kuang Si Falls.

The water runs into turquoise pools and you can even swim in some.

One visitor commented: “No visit to Laos is complete unless a visit is made to the Kuang Si Falls, one of the most beautiful cascading waterfalls anywhere in this world.”

Other popular spots include the serene Buddha Park which has lots of religious statues.

Some visitors decide to hike Mount Phousi which is a great spot for sunrise or sunset views.

The capital of Vientiane will be a busier spot for tourists, so for anyone seeking quiet head to the likes of Luang Prabang.

The town of Vang Vieng along the Nam Song River has lots of water-based activities and is a great place to explore caves and lagoons.

As for the best time to visit Laos, it’s during the dry season which is from November to April. 

Temperatures tend to be between 20 and 30C and there’s minimal rainfall too

While you can’t fly directly to Laos from the UK, you can make your way there via Bangkok.

From there it takes just over an hour to reach Vientiane.

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