I previously wrote an article about how I traveled around the Balkan Peninsula including Venice with just ten thousand yuan (original links: https://goo.gl/VF7YIG and https://goo.gl/5AWpxN). Recently, as it’s nearing what I call the “off-season,” many readers have messaged me for travel tips—when is the off-season, how can one travel so cheaply, and which hostels are this affordable? To be honest, I’ve always recommended this region to friends and readers, and “affordability” is a major reason. I’m also personally interested in exploring Romania and Bulgaria, two countries that have been ranked as having the lowest cost of living in the world, and gradually discovering what makes this place worth visiting. However, if you’re only motivated by the idea of “cheap” without considering the possibilities or the trade-offs behind the low cost, you might end up disappointed—or even find your itinerary affected.
First, you need to understand the geography. When I visited last year, I spent a month there but only covered most of the Balkan countries. Yes, countries.
Some readers mistakenly think the “Balkan Peninsula” is a single “country” and ask if they can visit for just two weeks due to time constraints. It’s not impossible, but it depends on where you want to go. In reality, the “Balkan Peninsula” is just a geographic term, generally referring to Southeastern Europe, encompassing countries like Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, and Croatia (so the commonly packaged “Four Eastern European Countries” in tour groups—Czech Republic, Austria, Hungary, and Slovakia—are rarely considered part of the Balkans). Smaller countries like Slovenia, Montenegro, and Macedonia might be explorable within a few days, but larger ones like Romania and Bulgaria could take six or seven hours just to get to a neighboring city, not to mention that there might only be one bus a day. If you really want to cover all these countries in two weeks, a tour group might help, but the cost would be at least twenty thousand yuan.
Second, the “off-season” has its reasons. Do you think locals deliberately create an “off-season” every year just to offer discounts? Indeed, during the off-season, accommodation prices are unbelievably low. For example, popular resorts along the Black Sea coast and Bulgaria’s Sunny Beach can cost as little as 250 Hong Kong dollars. But there’s a reason for such low prices. It’s winter, so you can’t swim, everything is quiet, and even shops seem to be in hibernation. Would you still go just because “you can stay at a resort for 250 bucks with sunshine and beaches”? Then there’s the weather issue, which I’ve mentioned before and won’t repeat here. Personally, even during the peak season, prices here are only about what you’d pay during the off-season in Western Europe. Money is certainly an important factor when traveling, but I don’t think it should be weighed too heavily.
Even though prices are low in this region, it’s not universally cheap. If you travel from the west, like Slovenia, toward Romania, you might find things getting “better” (i.e., cheaper) the further east you go. But for someone like me who traveled from east to west, it got less and less pleasant because prices rise the closer you get to Western Europe—or even EU countries. Take Dubrovnik in the photo, for example. It’s Croatia’s most popular attraction, and because it’s so famous, there’s basically no real “off-season.” When I arrived, I felt the prices were comparable to my final destination: Venice, Italy (though still a bit cheaper). In Romania, I could have a full meal with appetizer, main course, dessert, and alcohol for less than 100 Hong Kong dollars at a high-end restaurant, but here, you’d be lucky to get a plate of pasta and a coffee. So when people ask me which restaurants are the cheapest, I have to ask back: where do you want to go? Also, regarding food, I’m pretty flexible. If timing doesn’t work, I’ll just grab an apple and a banana for lunch and hit the road. That’s also one reason why I managed to travel on just ten thousand yuan.
Then there’s transportation. There’s no denying that long-distance buses and trains here are incredibly cheap—you can ride for ten hours and still spend less than 200 Hong Kong dollars. Of course, to save money, I sometimes took smaller, more local buses or minibuses, which required multiple transfers. Back then, I could confidently say: I have time. But if you’re short on time, you might have to take “express” buses or even domestic flights, and I can guarantee that your two-week trip could easily cost more than my entire month.
Lastly, there’s the issue of the local tourism infrastructure. This isn’t about the off-season or affordability—it’s something to consider before you go, and I think it’s the biggest challenge: locals often don’t speak English. Sure, you might overcome or accept the issues mentioned above, but do you have the courage to board a bus not knowing its destination, with no one speaking English, relying solely on your GPS?
During the off-season, with bad weather, roads can be closed at any time, and buses might stop running unexpectedly. Are you mentally prepared to have all your plans fall apart, using only gestures to ask for alternative routes next to a tiny bus sign (not even a proper bus stop) in a small town?
The off-season also means attractions close very early—not just a little early, but extremely early. Did you check in advance whether the places you want to visit can be done in a single day?
Some readers asked about outlet malls, but since these aren’t developed countries like those in Western Europe, if you love shopping, you might only see one H&M or SARA in a week, with prices no different from Hong Kong. Is this really the place you want to visit?
Indeed, the Balkan Peninsula is a beautiful and historically rich place. Not only is it very affordable, but it also lacks the hustle and bustle of Western Europe. For those who enjoy tranquility and antiquity, it’s truly a hidden gem. Before most of these countries joined the EU, when their economies and landscapes hadn’t been overly influenced by Western (or bluntly, capitalist) ideals, it was definitely worth a visit.
However, if you’re only driven by the word “cheap” and rush in blindly like a headless fly, overly fixated on what I call the “off-season,” you might end up deeply disappointed—or even have your trip disrupted.
Honestly, there’s a way to travel whether it’s expensive or cheap. Don’t be too fixated on whether it’s the “off-season”! After all, even outside the off-season, this place is still a “budget travel paradise” compared to Western Europe.
If you can accept all of this, are mentally prepared, and want to follow my route, it’s time to get ready. Late February to early March is when the harsh winter transitions into early spring. The weather isn’t too cold, there’s more sunshine, and temperatures remain in the “off-season” range. Let’s go!
Photo taken at Rector’s Palace @ Dubrovnik, Croatia
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