Tag: jamaica
5 Exotic Places You Can Visit For $10 A Day Or Less

5 Exotic Places You Can Visit For $10 A Day Or Less

Paul Sisolak, GOBankingRates.com (TNS)

When you combine all of the expenses that go into travel, like airfare, hotels, food, sightseeing and more, the idea of picking up and exploring different corners of the world can seem too expensive for the budget-conscious adventurer. The good news is that some of the most exotic and unique international locations can sometimes be the most affordable.

Off the beaten tourist path, visitors can immerse themselves in new destinations without spending a fortune. Before planning your next global trek, read on to find out how these travelers saved money while vacationing around the world on mere dollars per day.

CAMBODIA
Visiting this Southeast Asian gem is so cost-effective that it must be experienced to be believed. “Cambodia is the land of $2 dorm beds, 50-cent beers and cheap food,” according to HostelBookers. Even after factoring in costs like admission to Angkor Wat, you’d be hard-pressed to spend more than $20 a day here, according to the travel site.

When traveler Wes Rogers took a tour of Cambodia, a $5-per-night rate afforded him guesthouse accommodations with amenities comparable to a high-end hotel. But it was dining where he saved the most money. “With food carts and noodle/curry houses abounding, eating great food cheap was the easiest part,” he said.

“I concluded it was cheaper to eat out in Asia than to cook at home — by far,” said Rogers. “For simplicity’s sake, I’d say I’d spend $1 per meal, sometimes $2 for dinner. At the end of the day, you’d have a couple bucks left for a few beers,” he said. “Not a bad life for $10 a day in some fantastic, exotic locations.”

LAOS
Laos is another Southeast Asian locale where lodging can be found for under $10 and food and drink for only a dollar or two, according to HostelBookers. “Laos is where you get the most bang for your buck,” said Alex Gordon, a realtor from Oregon who traveled to Laos. “When you get to a new town, find out where other backpackers may stay — or where a local would recommend to a backpacker — and hoof it around the area,” he said. “You’re going to find some awesome guesthouses for dirt cheap and likely more friendly (than hotels).”

For food and beverage, eat and drink as the locals do, Gordon suggested. “Eat where you see the locals eating,” Gordon said. “These are poor countries, so you won’t find some Thai scarfing down pizza. Rice and chicken can be found cheap if you find the right spot.”

JAMAICA
“Buying locally can stretch your budget,” said Keisha Blair, who traveled cheaply in premium-priced, tropical Jamaica during a sabbatical. “I found that when I purchased imported foods, my food bill was astronomical. Five dollars to $10 per day is doable.”

Blair recommended travelers cook their own food. The easiest way is to simply lodge where the food is. “Choose to stay in a location where you can shop at the local market for fresh fruits and vegetables to prepare at home,” she said. “Local fruits and vegetables that are in season are extremely cheap.” Blair also noted that selecting affordable transportation and rooming with family or friends are key to living the island life on a tight budget.

CHINA
The Chinese countryside is a beautiful destination with many opportunities for savings, according to Thrillist, such as rooms for less than $20 a day, food for $2 to $5 per meal and local city transportation for less than a dollar.

Brett War managed to rent an apartment in Shenzhen for less than $5 per day and recommended staying away from developing cities like Shanghai or Hong Kong if your budget is limited. Instead, opt for places like Lijiang, Dali, Kunming, Guilin and Sichuan. Maximize your savings by rooming in hostels, not hotels, by booking cheaper flight plans through Chinese, not American, travel sites, and by avoiding vacations during Chinese holidays.

Unlike in the West, everything is negotiable in China, according to War. “When buying souvenirs, barter down to half the price,” he said. “In China, no price is fixed, and if they don’t accept your recommended price, walk away. They will usually stop you and accept your proposal.”

FIJI
Fiji is a South Pacific country of more than 300 islands with a reputation for seeming expensive, according to Thrillist. The site recommends skipping the $1,000-a-night resorts for dorm rooms, hostels or all-inclusive guesthouses that go for $25 a night instead.

Beaches are free, traveling the island is cheap and you can find beautiful, low-cost sites to enjoy, such as the Taveuni waterfalls or the Nadi open-air souvenir market.

Paul Sisolak writes for GOBankingRates.com (http://www.gobankingrates.com), a leading portal for personal finance news and features, offering visitors the latest information on everything from interest rates to strategies on saving money, managing a budget and getting out of debt.

Photo: Laos is dirt cheap, and is one of the best bangs for your buck if you’re looking to visit Southeast Asia. (Khánh Hmoong via Flickr)

Endorse This: Barack Obama — And The Wailers!

Endorse This: Barack Obama — And The Wailers!

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President Obama kicked off a special townhall meeting in style, during his visit to Jamaica — with a bit of friendly Jamaican slang.

Click above to watch the Commander-in-Chief spreading some good vibes — then share this video!

Video via The White House.

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Powell Blasts ‘Unfair, Unjust’ Doping Ban

Powell Blasts ‘Unfair, Unjust’ Doping Ban

Kingston (Jamaica) (AFP) – Jamaican sprinter Asafa Powell, the former 100m world record holder, slammed the 18-month doping ban meted out to him on Thursday calling it “unfair” and “unjust”.

“This ruling is not only unfair, it is patently unjust. Panels such as these, I understood, were assembled to allow athletes who, consciously or unconsciously come into conflict with the rules of sport, a chance at equitable redemption,” Powell said in a statement posted on his website.

“Unfortunately, this was not the case.”

Powell’s lawyer had already vowed to appeal the decision handed down by a three-member panel of the Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission Disciplinary Panel, which unanimously ruled that Powell, who blamed his positive result for a banned stimulant on a nutritional supplement, was negligent.

Panel chairman Lennox Gayle announced the suspension, which is due to end on December 20 of this year.

Powell and training partner Sherone Simpson tested positive for banned stimulant oxilofrine after the 100m finals at the Jamaican national championships on June 21, 2013.

“Having reviewed and listened, and bisected all evidence in this matter, and reading the submissions of both councils, the panel arrived at a unanimous decision and it is a decision that Mr. Powell was found to be negligent and that he was at fault, especially since he is an elite athlete, so the period of ineligibility will be 18 moths, starting from the date of the positive test,” Gayle said.

Powell’s lawyer Kwame Gordon said the athlete would appeal.

Powell insisted that oxilofrine was not listed on the contents of his supplement.

“As an athlete, I took a legal supplement—Ephiphany D1. As it turns out, that supplement was contaminated with oxilofrine. My team commissioned two private laboratories that confirmed that oxilofrine was present in the supplements, despite it not being listed as an ingredient on the bottle nor on its website,” added the 31-year-old.

“I would also like to share that upon realizing that the supplement contained oxilofrine my team made contact with both the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) who not only ordered samples of the supplement from the manufacturer, but also tested and confirmed our findings.”

“USADA has also since issued a warning on their website for athletes to avoid the product as it contains banned substances.”

Powell, who held the 100m world record between June 2005 and May 2008, said he believes the punishment is too severe for the level and nature of the offence.

“This is the first time in nearly 12 years of being in the sport and over 150 tests that I have had an adverse finding,” he said.

“Sanctions for a stimulant and this kind of infraction usually range from public warnings to a ban of three months, six months in the most extreme cases.”

“I was and am still more than prepared to accept a sanction that is in line with the offence. Instead, nine 9 months later, what has been handed down is clearly not based on the offence nor the facts surrounding it.”

JADCO lawyer Lackston Robinson had argued in February that Powell should be banned a minimum of two years, telling Gayle, Peter Prendergast and Dr. Japheth Ford that the sprinter was “guilty of gross negligence.”

Powell blamed Canadian physical therapist Chris Xuereb for the positive test, saying he provided the nutritional supplement, Epiphany D1, that resulted in the positive test.

Robinson argued that Powell’s trust of Xuereb, whom he had known for less than two months was “gross negligence” and cited discrepancies in testimony by Powell, Simpson and their manager, Paul Doyle.

A bottle of Epiphany D1 submitted for testing to a US lab by Doyle showed traces of oxilofrine while one bought by the lab from the Epiphany D1 website did not test positive for the same substance.

“The evidence presented in the case was quite lengthy and detailed, and I must say, the defense team of Mr Powell did some real hard work in presenting the type of evidence and material in its defense of its case,” Gayle said. “The submission of JADCO was also very useful.”

Photo Via Think Progress