Australasia

Federated States of Micronesia

United States

United Kingdom

Japan

Scotland

Spain

Italy

Australia

Costa Rica

India

Season's greetings, JFC-ers!
There's something about all the joy and glee going around in December that makes me actively seek out the weirder side of the festivities. And this year's Creepy Crimbo Crown goes to... Greece's&nbsp;<a href="https://www.argophilia.com/news/kallikantzaroi-greek-christmas-goblins/232499/">kallikantzaroi goblins</a>!
Much like Iceland's Yule Lads, these wee guys roam around causing mischief, until they're banished on 6th January. But don't worry, just hang a pig's jawbone above the front door and your house will be just fine. How very festive indeed!
Safe travels and happy holidays,

Katy - The Detour Editor

Two Years Living in Airbnbs: Here's What I've Learnt

Flight Finder Olivia splits her time between San Diego and Seattle. When she&rsquo;s not at her local coffee shop writing about the benefits of slow travel, you&rsquo;ll find her hiking or road tripping along the West Coast.

Written by Olivia

I&rsquo;ve spent almost two years living in Airbnbs full-time as a digital nomad. I usually stay for about 1&ndash;3 months (with some shorter term rentals in between) so it&rsquo;s safe to say I&rsquo;m pretty familiar with the lifestyle.&nbsp;
Airbnb is an incredible resource for slow travel, but there&rsquo;s definitely a learning curve to it, and lots to look out for when it comes to using it safely, affordably, and ethically. There are also some misconceptions that could use clearing up, and some secrets that should be shared!
I usually stay in the US or Canada, with a couple stays in England. So I&rsquo;ve checked in with my fellow writer Kristi, who has a lot of international experience with long-term Airbnbs, and verified that these tips apply pretty widely around the world.
We&rsquo;re also not affiliated with Airbnb in any way &mdash; that&rsquo;s how you know you&rsquo;re getting the real truth here.

Misconceptions
Let&rsquo;s get these out of the way first &mdash; while it&rsquo;s far from a perfect company, I think a lot of hesitation towards Airbnb comes from inexperience. Here&rsquo;s my take on some popular complaints, and why they don&rsquo;t stop me from using the service.
&nbsp;&ldquo;Airbnb owners drive up housing prices and wreck the market!&rdquo;
There&rsquo;s&nbsp;some truth to this, but it&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/28/economy/housing-affordability-airbnb-vrbo-backlash/index.html">nowhere near as widespread as people imagine</a>. There are too many other factors at play controlling rapid rent inflation.&nbsp;
Without getting into too much detail about housing markets, I can say from experience that many properties on Airbnb are not places that would be available for permanent housing if the website disappeared. Think basements, spare rooms, guest houses, and trailers. Some people even rent vacant lots to campers. Those flashy mansions on the homepage represent a surprisingly small fraction of what&rsquo;s actually available.
So if this is what&rsquo;s holding you back, you&rsquo;ll be happy to know I&rsquo;ve never found it difficult to book the sort of place that wouldn&rsquo;t be on the market at all without Airbnb, one where I know my money is mostly going into local hands.

&ldquo;That must be super expensive!&rdquo;
Monthly Airbnb rentals are always going to be pricier than standard leases in the same neighborhood, but there are a few things to consider:
<ul>
<li>You have nearly absolute flexibility on move-in and move-out dates. </li>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation">You don&rsquo;t have to do a credit/background check or fill out applications like you might with a regular lease. </li>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation">It&rsquo;s fully furnished, with utilities included. </li>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation">You have a host (usually onsite or close-by)&nbsp;whom you get to review at the end. </li>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation">You will almost never pay the nightly price. Most hosts offer massive discounts for stays of 30+ days. This has saved me over $1,000 a month before. There&rsquo;s a reason I prefer hotels for short stays and use Airbnb for longer rentals.</li>
</ul>
I generally stay in one-room homes like guest houses (comparable to a studio apartment) in either small cities or rural areas in the US and Canada. My monthly costs range between $1,100 and $1,400 USD per month. In my hometown of San Diego, studio apartments regularly cost $2k-$3k, so it&rsquo;s actually far cheaper for me to switch Airbnbs every month than to try and rent a permanent spot at home. While you can definitely find some swanky places on the site, you don&rsquo;t need to break the bank to use the service.&nbsp;
More cost-saving tips below!
&ldquo;Airbnbs have crazy rules and cleaning expectations!&rdquo;
I&rsquo;m honestly not sure where this myth comes from. Hosts set their own rules, so you&rsquo;ll find some oddball requests once in a while, but you don&rsquo;t have to book those rentals. That is absolutely not the norm. The most I&rsquo;ve ever been asked to do is not throw parties or smoke indoors, and to take the trash out before I leave. Just read the listing thoroughly to make sure you&rsquo;re okay with the host&rsquo;s expectations.

My tips for booking long-term Airbnbs
<ul>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation">Book as far in advance as you can. Prices don&rsquo;t typically fluctuate like airfare. Because you need long stretches of availability, it&rsquo;s best to book your spot as soon as you&rsquo;ve made your decision. I usually aim for 3&ndash;5 months in advance. </li>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation">Stay in each spot for at least 30 days to get the discount. Hosts set those discounts, so some might offer it for 14 days, or 60 days, but there&rsquo;s almost always a discount. Play around with the trip length until you&rsquo;re satisfied with your savings. </li>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation">Be flexible on location (or prepare to make other compromises). There are three main components to a good booking: location, quality of home, and price. You need to be highly flexible on at least one of those criteria, and I suggest you loosen up on the location. You&rsquo;re there for at least a month! You&rsquo;ll have time to explore. You don&rsquo;t need to be right next to the action. Especially if you work from home, you&rsquo;ll be happier in a nicer room. I cast pretty wide nets: &ldquo;Southern Utah&rdquo; or &ldquo;anywhere in England&rdquo; or &ldquo;somewhere in the desert&rdquo; are all criteria I&rsquo;ve started with and found comfortable, affordable spots. When I want to stay in a specific city, I generally have to either take a huge hit to my comfort level, splurge for a month, or get extremely lucky. </li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">Read listings with a fine-tooth comb. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t need to make sure that amenity is listed, every home has that!&rdquo; WRONG. You have no idea what kinds of things can be missing from Airbnbs. If you have deal-breakers (even basic things like heating or hot water) then you need to ensure they are either listed on the page, or message the host and ask. And be warned &mdash; it&rsquo;s common for hosts to say they have a &ldquo;kitchen&rdquo; when what they really mean is a mini fridge and a microwave.</li>
</ul>

<ul>
<li>You can haggle. You can also reach out to hosts and try to negotiate a lower price. Kristi did this all over Europe and regularly saved cash ($500&ndash;$1200 a month!) &nbsp;Her advice: &ldquo;Find 3&ndash;5 options that are slightly higher than your budget and send a friendly and polite message stating your maximum budget and ask if they would be willing to negotiate on the price. I found that at least 1 of the 5 would say yes, and I would go from there.&rdquo;</li>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation">Lastly, remember that the host also reviews you as a guest. Bad reviews can tank your chances of securing bookings, but if you&rsquo;re polite, follow the rules, and don&rsquo;t leave the place a wreck, you&rsquo;ll be fine. </li>
</ul>
So, while Airbnbs can absolutely be expensive, complicated, and unethical, they don&rsquo;t have to be. There's a reason they became so popular so quickly, and that homely comforts aspect really can win out over a hotel, especially if you'll be staying awhile like me.
If you&rsquo;re thoughtful and open-minded about your decisions, living full-time in short-term rentals makes a great way to explore the world without dropping your entire savings on a vacation. 
Do you have experience of staying long-term in Airbnbs (or similar)? I'd love to hear your tricks for finding your next temporary home, and hear about what makes short-term rental accommodation more appealing to you than a hotel. Just hit 'Reply'!

Travel Tips

Since this is officially our festive edition, we thought we'd rustle up our own take on a famous Christmas song, and gift you 12 altogether less usual travel ideas for 2025...
🥁For twelve drummers drumming: Head to Japan over Easter, 19th-20th April, for<a href="https://www.festicket.com/festivals/let-it-roll-open-air/"> </a>the <a href="https://narita.com/topics/archives/113?lng=en">Narita Drum Festival</a>. Expect a whole weekend of traditional Taiko drumming echoing through the streets as part of the 35th annual festival.&nbsp;
The event typically sees around 200,000 spectators flock to the impressive venue of <a href="https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6401.html">Naritasan Temple</a> over the course of the weekend, so prepare to compete for a good view!
🎺For eleven pipers piping: You shouldn&rsquo;t be shocked by this one &mdash; it&rsquo;s a bagpiping festival in Scotland! <a href="https://bagpipe.news/event/piping-live-2025/">Piping Live!</a> and the World Pipe Band Championships will be taking place in Glasgow from 10th&ndash;17th August, attracting pipe bands from all over the world for a week of concerts, parades, and good old-fashioned bagpipe show downs.
😈For ten lords a&rsquo;leaping: Head to the little town of Castrillo de Murcia in northern Spain, which hosts one of the world&rsquo;s strangest festivals every year during June&hellip;<a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/el-colacho-baby-jumping-festival-murcia-spain">El Colacho.</a>
During the week-long religious festival, performers in devil outfits run riot through the streets, insulting and whipping passers-by and generally causing chaos &mdash; before they&rsquo;re finally driven out by the good men of the town.
El Colacho ends somewhat controversially, with the performers symbolically leaping over the town&rsquo;s babies (who are laid gently on a mattress, we should emphasize) to protect the infants&rsquo; innocence.
We have to admit that it all sounds a bit terrifying, but there have been no reports of accidents in the festival&rsquo;s history, thankfully. And for less child endangerment, there&rsquo;s always the<a href="https://youtu.be/SzTyn3qxi8s?si=RZP9jQoL5i1Uhqwr"> adumu jumping rituals</a> of the Maasai.

💃🏻For nine ladies dancing: Take a trip to the beautiful<a href="https://www.visityap.com/getting-here/"> subtropical Yap</a> in Micronesia.
Yap&rsquo;s waters are home to over 100 manta rays, and if you go for a dive at the islands&rsquo; cleaning stations between December and April, you might just witness nature&rsquo;s most spectacular dance-contest.
As part of their courtship rituals, female manta rays will lead hordes of males through the sea on<a href="https://blog.mares.com/photographer-engulfed-manta-ray-mating-dance-yap-micronesia-6485.html"> long, elaborate dances</a> for hours at a time. Uncanny. Unearthly. Unforgettable.
🐄For eight maids a&rsquo;milking: Fly over to the city of Bra in northern Italy during September, and take part in<a href="https://cheese.slowfood.it/en/"> Cheese 2025.</a>
It is (yes, you guessed it), the world&rsquo;s biggest dairy festival, with crowds coming in their thousands to sample delicious curds and whey from across the face of the globe
The event's chill vibes and focus on animal welfare and environmental sustainability is a great fit for Bra in general.
It's<a href="https://prettyslow.life/cittaslow-movement-slow-city-sustainable-living/"> a 'Slow City'</a>, part of an Italian movement that has deliberately stepped back from factories and industry to embrace relaxed, peasant-style eco-living &mdash; with a fully pedestrianised city centre, an array of communal vegetable gardens, and more.
🦢For seven swans a&rsquo;swimming: Stop by <a href="https://en.japantravel.com/hokkaido/otofuke-tokachigawa-swan-festival/66204">Tokachigawa Onsen</a> in Hokkaido, Japan during late January to mid-February each year.
Renowned for its hot springs and glorious winter views, this charming town also plays host to a yearly &lsquo;swan festival&rsquo; of lights, with an impressive illuminated display in the snow that&rsquo;s meant to resemble the elegant movement of birds. Because what says &ldquo;elegance&rdquo; better than a <a href="https://youtu.be/8-XIgPFTQvc?si=-C1SWSPe0Rj8RECs">laser show</a>?

🐣For six geese a&rsquo;laying: Visit the Mother Goose House, found in a town called Hazard, in rural Kentucky. This<a href="https://www.kentuckytourism.com/hazard/history-heritage/historic-districts-sites/mother-goose-house"> bizarre and delightful home</a> was built to resemble a colossal goose back in the 1930s, and has since become a beloved local landmark.
Tragedy struck a few years ago, when strong winds led to<a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/kentucky-town-rallies-to-restore-beheaded-mother-goose-people-b1823424.html"> Mother Goose being beheaded</a>. Local residents rallied around, and successfully raised the funds required to rebuild her.
💍For FIVE GOLD RINGS: Book your flights to Australia, where you can legally<a href="https://www.trulyaus.com/gold-panning-australia/"> buy a miner&rsquo;s permit</a> and search for gold buried in the hills like an old-fashioned prospector.
Your odds of finding a nugget as big as your fist are slim, unfortunately &mdash; but in 2019, one prospector<a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-05-22/large-gold-nugget-found-near-kalgoorlie-as-gold-price-soars/11135228"> stumbled onto a $100,000 lump of gold</a> near Kalgoorlie-Boulder in Western Australia, so we&rsquo;d suggest starting there!
Alternatively, head to the<a href="https://www.sovereignhill.com.au/visit/"> old-timey town of Sovereign Hill</a> and learn more about the fascinating history of gold mining in Oz.
🦜For four calling birds: Pay a trip to the sprawling <a href="https://www.monteverdeinfo.com/cloud-forests">cloud forests of Monteverde</a>, Costa Rica, home to magnificent waterfalls and a ton of rare wildlife, including the Resplendent Quetzal (what a name!).&nbsp;
There are over <a href="https://www.birdingplaces.eu/en/birdingplaces/costa-rica/monteverde-cloud-forest-reserve">400 species of bird</a> living in Costa Rica&rsquo;s cloud forests, so don&rsquo;t forget your binoculars, a little patience, and a rain jacket &mdash; unsurprisingly, it can get a little damp up there (evidence from my trip there this year below).

🐔For three French hens: Perhaps unsurprisingly, Kentucky is the place to head for a real hen party &mdash; on the last weekend of September each year, Laurel County hosts the <a href="https://chickenfestival.com/">&lsquo;World Chicken Festival&rsquo;</a> in honour of its very own state hero, Colonel Sanders.
If giant skillets of deep-fried chicken don&rsquo;t sound like your thing, you can always take a walk in the 700,000-acre depths of the nearby<a href="https://www.kentuckytourism.com/an-insiders-guide-to-the-daniel-boone-national-forest"> Daniel Boone National Forest.</a>
🐢For two turtle doves: Stop by the coastal village of Velas in western India during March.
This is the time when adorable, baby Olive Ridley turtles hatch from their eggs and crawl towards the shore - and Velas holds a yearly<a href="https://www.travelandleisureindia.in/featured/velas-turtle-festival/"> Turtle Festival</a> in honour of the event.
If you&rsquo;re crying out, &ldquo;but wait, those are turtles, not turtle-doves!&rdquo; then you might prefer a trip to eastern England during the spring&ndash;summer breeding season. Turtle doves can be tough to spot, so your best bet is to <a href="https://operationturtledove.org/see-a-turtle-dove/where-to-see-habitat-and-time-of-year/">head to a nature reserve</a> that they&rsquo;re known to visit.
🍐For a partridge in a pear tree: As Nat Geo sensibly points out,<a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/animals-birds-holiday-culture-christmas"> partridges don&rsquo;t tend to sit in pear trees.</a>
But if you go cycling through the<a href="https://en.normandie-tourisme.fr/hidden-gems/apple-and-pear-trees-in-blossom/"> Normandie-Maine Regional Natural Park</a> in France during the spring, you&rsquo;ll be treated to the spectacular sight of the region's pear trees in bloom.
There&rsquo;s even a<a href="http://poire-domfront.fr/tourism-and-poire-domfront/itineraries/"> &lsquo;Pear Route&rsquo; you can follow</a>, stopping off at the charmingly colourful town of Domfront which is renowned for its delicious pear cider). Sant&eacute;!

Travel Inspiration

All&nbsp;the&nbsp;important (or silly, or strange) travel news from across&nbsp;the&nbsp;web this week.
<ul>
<li>Bleary-eyed revellers suffering the effects of the office Christmas party last weekend could have been forgiven for thinking they were hallucinating, as <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/santacon-attendees-overrun-new-york-boozy-event-2000954">thousands of Santas ran rampant</a> through the streets of New York City.</li>
<li>Also on the loose this week is the <a href="https://www.bas.ac.uk/media-post/worlds-largest-iceberg-a23a-breaks-free/">world&rsquo;s largest iceberg</a>, which is slowly making its way north from Antarctica.</li>
<li>It looks like Editor Katy was ahead of the curve on this one, as <a href="https://www.timeout.com/news/this-central-asian-country-has-been-named-the-worlds-most-desirable-emerging-destination-121624">TimeOut puts Uzbekistan top</a> of its &lsquo;most desirable&rsquo; list.</li>
<li>And finally, it turns out pigs really can fly! Dutch airline KLM had an absolutely stinking week, as a flight from Amsterdam to Mexico City had to be diverted to Bermuda due to the awful pong emanating from the 100 pigs in the cargo hold.&nbsp;
After a 30-hour beach break and a stretch of the trotters, passengers, pigs, and crew were all able to return to the plane and continue their journey.
</li>
</ul>

Travel News

Two Years Living in Airbnbs: Here's What I've Learnt

China

Kazakhstan

Faroe Islands

Sweden

Bulgaria

Egypt

Ecuador

Sometimes you just want to get off the beaten track and explore the more isolated places of the world. However, getting to these places can often be both challenging and expensive. We've put together a guide on how to get to some of the most remote places on earth for under &pound;500 (And a few for under &pound;1,000) for you.
This list is not an exhaustive guide and we'd highly recommend doing your own research before making your way to the places below.
<h2>1. Gurbantunggut Desert, China</h2>
<img src="https://d20k4h1q6oowm6.cloudfront.net/id/0d61be165463a34e5e17d70fcc6d3f45503865cc" alt="Gurbantunggut Desert China" width="740" height="450">
The Gurbantunggut Desert is China&rsquo;s second largest desert behind Taklamakan Desert and occupies 50,000 square kilometers of Northern Xinjiang. It&rsquo;s one of the most arid areas of the world but it is nearby to the glacial mountains of Tian Shan which is a major water source for the province.
<h3>How to get there</h3>
To get to the Gurbantunggut Desert you can take a flight from London to &Uuml;r&uuml;mqi (URC) the Capital city of Xinjiang province for around &pound;419 (With Tianjin and Hainan Airlines). This may include a stop at XIY Xi An Xianyang
Best time to visit for under &pound;500 is September - December
<ul>
<li>Once at &Uuml;r&uuml;mqi take a one hour bus/train at a cost of &pound;2 to the city of Shihezi, than take another bus to Group 150 (Yes this is a place, named by the military) for another hour for around &pound;1.</li>
<li>After arrival at Group 150, take a taxi or a coach for the last 10 km for a further &pound;1.</li>
</ul>
<hr class="style1">
<ul>
<li>Total cost: &pound;423</li>
</ul>
<h2>2. Supai, Arizona</h2>
<img src="https://d20k4h1q6oowm6.cloudfront.net/id/65fb2c184ae2c2cff16974e8eedda9fd112aa41b" alt="Supai Arizona Waterfall" width="740" height="562">
Visiting Supai isn't for the inexperienced traveller. It&rsquo;s one of the most remote communities in the USA, sits 8 miles from the nearest road and the mail delivery service for it&rsquo;s 43 households is carried out by a team of...mules. Home of the glorious Havasupai falls it&rsquo;s not a place to be missed, however.
<h3>How to get there</h3>
Getting to Supai is unsurprisingly pretty difficult. You can get return flights to Las&nbsp;Vegas from London for around &pound;300. From there you&rsquo;re going to want to rent a car for the 4 hour drive to the Hualapai Hilltop which is essentially a car park where your options are an 8 mile hike to the village or the more pricey option of a helicopter ride. As we&rsquo;re on a budget we&rsquo;re going to recommend the hike here.
Dates: mid March - early April
<ul>
<li>London Heathrow (LHR) &ndash; Las Vegas (LAS): &pound;350 *via a short stopover in LA with American Airlines</li>
<li>Car hire: &pound;88</li>
<li>Entrance fee to the park: &pound;38</li>
</ul>
<hr class="style1">
<ul>
<li>Total cost: &pound;476</li>
</ul>
<h2>3. Kolsai Lakes, Kazakhstan</h2>
<img src="https://d20k4h1q6oowm6.cloudfront.net/id/e2d32256dd3781f6d6e68490a8fd73bd45369cd3" alt="Kolsai Lakes Kazakhstan" width="740" height="587">
Around 75 miles southeast of Almaty and near the north slope of the Tian Shan Mountains sits the breathtaking Kolsai lakes national park. At its centre are the Kolsai lakes, often referred to as &lsquo;The pearls of Tien Shan&rsquo;, an untouched, scenic area of Kazakhstan.
<h3>How to get there</h3>
The first part of the journey involves flying into Almaty airport which can be done from London for &pound;380 return. You should be able to get a taxi from there to Saty for around &pound;16 return.
The first lake is fairly easy to get to by taxi or hitchhiking thanks to a new asphalt road from Saty. You are then able to hike to the second but make sure you take your passport as there is a border patrol due to the proximity of the Kyrgyzstan border.
These flights were found for 6th - 13th June but prices are consistent for a week long trip between April - June
<ul>
<li>London Heathrow LHR &ndash; Almaty International ALA: &pound;389 *with Aeroflot (Includes a short stopover in Sheremetyevo International Airport, Moscow)</li>
<li>Taxi: &pound;16 return</li>
</ul>
<hr class="style1">
<ul>
<li>Total cost: &pound;396</li>
</ul>
<h2>4. Faroe Islands</h2>
<img src="https://d20k4h1q6oowm6.cloudfront.net/id/599e78da4b094f5f5dfc62f919c335bbf25635e9" alt="Faroe Islands Overview" width="740" height="584">
The Faroe Islands is a little closer to home than some of the other locations on this list but it&rsquo;s still very much off the beaten track, in fact it&rsquo;s about as remote as you can get and quite difficult to get to from the UK with ease. Our flight hackers have managed to figure out how to get you those of you who fancy an adventure for under &pound;250.
6 of the islands are connected by road so you can soak up the vast amount of snow-capped scenery from a rental car once you have arrived at the pocket sized Vagar Airport.
<h3>How to get there</h3>
Dates: throughout May
<ul>
<li>London Heathrow - Copenhagen - Vagar Airport Faroe Islands: &pound;253 *Airline: Scandinavian</li>
</ul>
<hr class="style1">
<ul>
<li>Total cost: &pound;253</li>
</ul>
<h2>5. Chang Tang, Tibet</h2>
<img src="https://d20k4h1q6oowm6.cloudfront.net/id/2ba3e4a730752e9c165232a8280588c805fb482f" alt="Chang Tang Tibet" width="740" height="534">
Chang Tang is located to the west of the Tibetan Plateau and sits at an altitude of over 4000m. It&rsquo;s a truly wild and untouched 700,000 km2 area of largely uninhabited land which possesses harsh, arctic like winters.
<h3>How to get there</h3>
Dates: March 24th - April 8th. Similar prices around late March - early April
<ul>
<li>Fly to from London to Leh, India for &pound;469 return with a long stop in Delhi.</li>
<li>From here you&rsquo;ll need to rent a car as its a 4hr bumpy ride towards the Tibetan Plateau *Airline: Air India</li>
</ul>
<hr class="style1">
<ul>
<li>Total cost: &pound;480</li>
</ul>
<h2>6. Kungsleden, Sweden</h2>
<img src="https://d20k4h1q6oowm6.cloudfront.net/id/7a98dcf5bbe5d33b356e8d02990d5a213f7eda0e" alt="Kungsleden Sweden" width="733" height="589">
Northern Sweden is perfect for the more ambitious wilderness loving travellers. Kungleden, also know as the Kings Path is 270mile long hiking trail between Abisko (North) and Hemavan (South Sweden). The trail passes through the Game of Thrones esk Vindelfjallen nature reserve which has to be seen to be believed.
Huts, which are located 6-14 miles apart, are open between mid-June and end of September but the weather is usually unpredictable and potentially treacherous all year round.
<h3>How to get there</h3>
<ul>
<li>You can fly from London Heathrow to Kiruna for &pound;246 in June with BA &amp; SAS via Stockholm.</li>
<li>From there it&rsquo;s a 1.5 hour bus ride to Abisko for around &pound;10</li>
</ul>
<hr class="style1">
<ul>
<li>Total cost: &pound;256</li>
</ul>
<h2>7. Andaman Islands</h2>
<img src="https://d20k4h1q6oowm6.cloudfront.net/id/ab92fd1359b100882bae286c928ea023129a7435" alt="Andaman Islands Beach" width="740" height="634">
The beautiful and largely untouched Andaman Islands are located in the Bay of Bengal between India and Myanmar. The islands are home to a number of tribes, including the Sentinelese, known for their hostility towards visitors. Many of the inhabitants have had little contact with the outside world. Only a dozen or so of the 300 islands are even open to visitors so this is a must visit for those looking to tick off a major place on their remote location bucket list. We&rsquo;ve figured out how to get you there for under &pound;500
<h3>How to get there</h3>
Dates: September - October
<ul>
<li>Flights to Chennai, India from London Gatwick can come to a cost of around &pound;345 *with Qatar Airlines (Via connecting flight in DOH Hamad International)</li>
<li>From Chennai it&rsquo;s onto Veer Savarkar airport, also known as Port Blair which is the main airport for the Andaman Islands, this will set you back a further &pound;58 with Air India.</li>
</ul>
<hr class="style1">
<ul>
<li>Total cost: &pound;403</li>
</ul>
<h2>8. Rila National Park, Bulgaria</h2>
<img src="https://d20k4h1q6oowm6.cloudfront.net/id/7ecf4aeddb4215bc1a29c829e244c98afc69922b" alt="Rila National Park Bulgaria" width="740" height="509">
Rila National Park is the largest nature reserve in Bulgaria that stretches across more than 800 square kilometers. Rila is perfect for blue lakes and hiking enthusiasts and it&rsquo;s only 100km away from the Bulgarian capital, Sofia. This means we have figured out how to get you there for a mere &pound;33!
<h3>How to get there</h3>
Dates: end of March - early April but cheap flights to Sofia can be found most of the year with Ryanair
<ul>
<li>Flights from London Stansted to Sofia: &pound;28</li>
<li>Bus from Sofia to Rila National Park: &pound;5</li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li>Total cost: &pound;33</li>
</ul>
<h2>9. Siwa Oasis, Egypt</h2>
<img src="https://d20k4h1q6oowm6.cloudfront.net/id/211de9ede0a0c35dfc4bde40fd24c17744daa34e" alt="Siwa Oasis Egypt" width="739" height="629">
Siwa is the ideal location for those desert daydreamers. Despite its arid appearance, Siwa is home to both olive and palm trees as well as multiple crystal clear springs which are dotted throughout.
<h3>How to get there</h3>
Flying to Cairo can be done with Ukraine airlines for around the &pound;200 mark. From here you have a rather long drive of around 740km which could take 10 hours+. There is a night bus option which departs Cairo at 11pm and this only costs around &pound;8.
<hr class="style1">
<ul>
<li>Total cost: &pound;208</li>
</ul>
<h2>10. Guam, Micronesia</h2>
<img src="https://d20k4h1q6oowm6.cloudfront.net/id/7f5402f0311141111d21f175a4feb6d3a4b7b42b" alt="Guam Micronesia" width="740" height="560">
If remote for you is crystal clear lagoons and white sandy beaches then the Micronesia island of Guam is for you, and we&rsquo;ve found out how to get you there for under &pound;500. The whole island is only 210sq miles, surrounded by coral reef it&rsquo;s the perfect place for avid scuba divers and snorkelers. Located in Typhoon alley, the higher risk months of a tropical storm are between August and October, so if you&rsquo;re looking to stay dry then visit in the dry season between December and June.
<h3>How to get there</h3>
Dates: between March - June and September - November
<ul>
<li>China airlines are offering a route from London via a night stopover in Taipei each way for &pound;492.</li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li>Total cost: &pound;492</li>
</ul>
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<h2>Here are 3 more for under &pound;1k...</h2>
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<h2>11. Barrow, Alaska</h2>
<img src="https://d20k4h1q6oowm6.cloudfront.net/id/1a6391ed4175250800ac0bda639f27b0ab6fa577" alt="Barrow Alaska" width="695" height="613">
Ok, this one isn't under our &pound;500 threshold but we still think it&rsquo;s worth including as special mention as you can&rsquo;t really talk about remote destinations without including Alaska. Barrow, also known as Utqiagvik, is one of those unique areas of the world that basks in 24 hour sunlight for over 80 days in the summer and then the locals endure a complete blackout for over 60 days in the winter. Based at the tip of Alaska, you&rsquo;ll struggle to find more remote surroundings.
<h3>How to get there</h3>
We&rsquo;ve found flights from Dublin to Anchorage for as low as &pound;500 with Aer Lingus before and we know connecting flights to Barrow from Anchorage can cost around &pound;250. So you could experience this one of a kind location for around the &pound;750 mark.
<hr class="style1">
<ul>
<li>Total cost: &pound;750</li>
</ul>
<h2>12. Cape York Peninsula, Australia</h2>
<img src="https://d20k4h1q6oowm6.cloudfront.net/id/e79cdcc9eb6792d0187413954224a10a417e8b5a" alt="Cape York Peninsula Australia" width="740" height="547">
The Cape York Peninsula runs parallel to the Great Barrier Reef and is located north of Cairns. It&rsquo;s nearest city however is in Papua New Guinea and not Australia, that&rsquo;s how remote this place is. Tackling Cape York means spending a few weeks in the bush, in near complete isolation with just your travel partner, your jeep and the scattered fuel roadhouses located every few hundred km for company. The juice is worth the squeeze if you like having your breakfast near pristine waterfalls, spending your days walking through rainforests and your evenings camping on deserted beaches. We&rsquo;ve found out how to get you there for only a touch over &pound;600 which includes a weeks 4x4 hire and a return flight.
<h3>How to get there</h3>
Flights in March to September can be found for under &pound;600
<ul>
<li>London to Cairns &pound;498 rtn (During March) *with China Southern via a stopover in Guangzhou</li>
<li>7 day hire of 4x4: &pound;140</li>
</ul>
<hr class="style1">
<ul>
<li>Total cost: &pound;638</li>
</ul>
<h2>13. Galapagos Islands</h2>
<img src="https://d20k4h1q6oowm6.cloudfront.net/id/bee8b60dc0e9532dee14d49cc2a3ddcfb15a8dfa" alt="Galapagos Islands" width="740" height="539">
Known for it&rsquo;s rare wildlife, The Galapagos are a pristinely preserved set of Islands off the coast of Ecuador. The islands and their surroundings are home to flamingos, sea lions, whales, rare birds and of course the Galapagos Giant Tortoise.
<h3>How to get there</h3>
In order to get to the islands you first have to fly into Quito, Ecuador. A return flight from Quito can be done for under &pound;500 via an overnight connection in Mexico City. From there the Galapagos can only be reached via another flight from Quito, which usually costs around &pound;427.
<ul>
<li>London Heathrow - Mexico City, Mexico - Quito, Ecuador: &pound;498 *(September 2019) with AeroMexico</li>
<li>Quito - Galapagos: $553 (&pound;427)</li>
<li>&pound;15 for the Ingala transit control card</li>
<li>Park entrance fee, non-residents of Ecuador 12+ years: &pound;77</li>
</ul>
<hr class="style1">
<ul>
<li>Total cost: &pound;1,017 (Let&rsquo;s blame the exchange rate for this being slightly over)</li>
</ul>
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. . .
Still have questions? Feel free to drop us a message on <a href="mailto:support@jacksflightclub.com%E2%80%9D">support@jacksflightclub.com</a>&nbsp;and we'll be happy to help.
Please note, while we do have links to other websites in our articles, none are affiliate links and we do not benefit from you clicking on them, we just think they are a good resource :)
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Federated States of Micronesia

Two Years Living in Airbnbs: Here's What I've Learnt

How to get to some of the most remote places on earth for under £500