Want to stay in a 5-star European hotel for $140 a night? Follow this travel rule.

By Charles Passy

Avoid the major cities and visit under-the-radar destinations to save big bucks. Who needs Paris when you can have Gdansk?

There was the scenic cab ride from the airport that cost a mere $10. And the festive meal in a salon-like setting, replete with a lively three-piece band, that ran $60.

Best of all was the stay at a five-star hotel that afforded me the opportunity to swim in a blissful oasis of a pool, enjoy a seemingly endless supply of gourmet chocolate and lounge around in the softest robe I've ever worn. All for the grand sum of about $140 a night.

Add it up and I had the time of my life during a recent 12-day European vacation - and I did so for what amounts to pennies on the dollar, at least by traditional standards.

Of course, the catch here is that I was staying in Poland - specifically, in the cities of Warsaw, Gdansk and Kraków. They are each gloriously fascinating places to visit, but they arguably don't have the buzz or glamour of Paris, Rome or Vienna, to name some prominent European destinations.

But at some point, who needs buzz or glamour when you can still experience that continental lifestyle - the sights, the food, the people - without worrying about the expense? In fact, not only did I not concern myself with costs, I also allowed myself to indulge in ways I only dream about in New York City, the pricey place I call home. I took cabs everywhere. I shopped till I dropped. I tipped like a one-percenter.

If there's a lesson to be learned from my "If I were a rich man" European odyssey, it's that perhaps this is how to approach all our vacations. Talk to enough travel experts and professionals, and you'll hear that the true art of travel is finding those under-the-radar spots that offer plenty to see and do, but at a value price reflecting their less-heralded status.

"The world is so vast. Look for places beyond the obvious," says Virgi Shiffino-Kennedy, founder of Lux Voyage, a Philadelphia-based travel-consulting firm.

Shiffino-Kennedy gave me a long list of such places. Considering a hiking trip in the Swiss Alps? She suggested looking to Slovenia or Albania as an alternative, since they are countries where "the cost of living and tourism services tend to be lower while still offering breathtaking landscapes and excellent hiking opportunities."

Similarly, if an island trip to the Bahamas is on your bucket list, Shiffino-Kennedy recommended substituting Grenada or Canouan, two Caribbean destinations that offer "a more authentic and serene experience" without the crowds or sky-high expenses.

Other veteran travelers gave me more ideas. Tim Leffel, author of "The World's Cheapest Destinations" and other travel books, talked up countries in Southeast Asia, such as Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. "They're all a great value," he said, noting you can get an amazing meal for as little as $3.

Grace Moser, the writer behind Chasing Foxes, a women's lifestyle blog, is big on the country of Georgia for its amazingly affordable wine scene alone. "You can get really good bottles for $10," she says.

And let's not forget alternative destinations in the good ol' U.S. of A. Kathy McCabe, who hosts travel shows on PBS, pointed to an example in her home state of Colorado: When it comes to scenic, ski-friendly locales, she often opts for Durango instead of glitzier places like Aspen or Telluride. Not only is Durango cheaper, but it also offers a more welcoming feel. "It's a taste of the West," she said.

To be sure, there are some trade-offs in seeking out such alternative, and more affordable, destinations, especially when traveling abroad, experts note. They often aren't as primed for tourism: The locals may not speak a word of English, and transportation systems might be more difficult to navigate. And things can get much more challenging than that.

Moser recalls a visit to Marrakesh in Morocco, where she was constantly and uncomfortably hounded by street merchants. "You felt like a walking ATM," she says. Leffel says that, while he's personally fascinated by India, he admits it isn't a country that will appeal to every traveler. "The poverty is very real, and it's all around you," he notes.

There's also the fact that under-the-radar destinations don't stay that way forever - they become "discovered" and turn pricier in the process. Some examples that experts cite include European cities such as Prague and Lisbon, which have become very popular in recent years.

Even Poland is finding its fans. Emily Meadows, the Kraków-based tour guide who led me and a group of fellow travelers on two wonderful jaunts through the city, said that the Polish locale started to catch on with British tourists a few years ago. Now it's attracting a broader swath of travelers, particularly Americans and Canadians, she said.

The result? Budget-friendly bars that might have served a beer for as little as $1 now charge twice that amount. "You missed the boat on cheap Kraków," Meadows said.

Which was a bit of a revelation to me, since Kraków is where I enjoyed that $140-a-night stay at the five-star hotel. But, to be clear, what made my trip to Poland so memorable was more than the saved money. I relished the cities themselves: Kraków with its historical charms, Gdansk with its waterside vistas and Warsaw with its amazing story of recovery after World War II.

And don't get me started about the hearty pleasures of Polish food. Let's just say I don't think I'll ever eat a plate of pierogi in the U.S. again. I've already had the best.

At the same time, that plate usually cost me no more than a few bucks. Let's hope it stays that way when I make my return visit to Poland.

-Charles Passy

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09-21-24 0905ET

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