1. Tucan Travel
The founding partners still own one of the first ever South American ad­venture tour companies, thirty-five years, much expansion and multiple offices down the line. Their promise of 95 per cent self-managed (not sub-contracted) tours is attrac­tive. The site&rsquos search engine is easy to navigate, important when you are dealing with 470 options in 72 countries. They are Latin American specialists, currently offering up to 30 per cent off on the Continent of Colours with several delectable holidays of up to two weeks under $1,000, though meals and airfares to point of origin aren&rsquot included. We liked their 13-day Markets and Mayans tour from Cancun to Anti­gua, including the ruins of Chichen Itza and Palenque, and the island of San Cristóbal in the Galápagos archipelago. $989 tucantravel.com
2. Cosmos
They invented &lsquoaffordable escorted vaca­tions&rsquo fifty years ago and promise you can travel for as little as $75 a day. We have to thank Antonio Mantegazza, who began fer­rying visitors across Lake Lugano in Swit­zerland eighty years ago, for founding Globus Viaggi, eventually just Globus, pioneers of hugely popular &lsquocircular&rsquo and &lsquofirst-class European&rsquo coach tours. Cosmos is their cost-conscious section. Their India page features 12 vacations under $1,000. We still can&rsquot de­cide between the 10-day Jewels of Morocco ex-Casablanca and 9-day Tunisian Adven­ture ex-Tunis, and their clutch of handsome destinations in western and eastern Europe is causing further confusion. From $719 to $949, land cost only, all breakfasts and some dinners included 1800-425-3575 (toll-free), cosmosvacations.in
3. Busabout
Start scouting for the cheapest tick­ets you can find to Europe because freestyle Busabout&rsquos unique hop-on, hop-off coach network takes your euro further still. Opt for a Flexitrip pass if you have your plan sorted, pick a regional loop or choose a popular one way, and take as long as you like over them. Centrally located budget hostels and camping villages, close to pick-up points, are recom­mended. Expert guides accompany all departures, and once you have purchased your pass, you can log into your password-protected account and reserve your buses and stays, making changes up to 24 hours in advance at no extra cost. It takes a while to get a grip on the concept and if you would rather not do the (rewarding) homework, opt for their all-or­ganized &lsquoAdventures&rsquo &mdash we liked the Greek Island Flexi-Hopper (from $445 over nine escorted days, and up to five independent months). Flexitrip passes for 33 destinations from $550 busabout.com
4. Hop-on-hop-off Oz
This is deconstructed bus­sing &mdash purchase a package for travel in one direction between two pre-selected destina­tions on Greyhound Australia&rsquos luxury coaches, then book your itinerary and select your stops, online, to your own time frame, &lsquochopping and changing&rsquo as you go. So if you pick their Bruce Cobber pass between Sydney and Cairns, you travel one-way from Sydney to Cairns or vice versa, take a surf lesson at Byron Bay, stop over for a night at Magnetic Island, and tour the lush Atherton Tablelands, with a minimum suggested travel time of 10 days, though you are free to take up to six months from first date of travel, sign­ing up for dates of your choice. A prepaid voucher for stay at Nomads, Base or YHA hostels (about $23 per night in dorms) can be purchased separately. From $475 ozexperience.com
5. Affordable cruises
Setting sail is a luxury you can afford, too, if you hop on board with Affordable Tours &mdash an online portal dedicated to offer­ing river cruises and vacations in Russia at discounts as high as 40 per cent. While the two main destinations remain Moscow and St Petersburg, the routes vary to include multiple city tours, village explorations, the Moscow Canal, the Danube, Neva, Moskva, Volga and Svir rivers, Lake Onega, Kizhi Island, among others. On July 29, the MS Vasiliy Surikov departs from Moscow (after allowing you to check out its sights) and floats down the Volga past scenic villages, stops at the historic cities of Uglich and Yaroslavl, where you get to eat and drink like the locals, and also visits Kizhi Island at the northern tip of Lake Onega before docking in at St Petersburg on August 9. The rooms and suites offer air-condition­ing, attached bathrooms with toiletries and picture windows that you can open for a breath of fresh air. Also included is accom­modation for 10 nights, 29 meals, on-board music concerts, local guides and drivers, blini/caviar tasting, board games, riverside barbecue and more. From $1,994&ndash2,943 (depending on room type) rivers.affordabletours.com
6. Contiki Concept Budget Tours
If the words backpacking and shared accommodation don&rsquot send you ducking for cover under your high thread count Egyptian cotton sheets, join the long queue for Contiki&rsquos Concept Budget Tours in Eu­rope. Armed with your own sleeping bag and towels, and a small wad of money, mark a trail of up to forty-five days across some of the most beautiful countries in the Conti­nent and stay at campsites, budget hotels or hostels with fellow travellers (usually within the 18&ndash35 age bracket). Breakfasts and about half the number of dinners are also part of the bargain. But if you want a deal that&rsquos cheaper still, sign up to be a &lsquocookie&rsquo (to help chop vegetables) or a &lsquodishie&rsquo (to load the dishwash­ers). From $1,191 (10 days) to $5,836 (45 days) contiki.com
7. African Budget Safaris
Resigned to just fantasize about a wildlife safari in Africa Well, you clearly haven&rsquot had an encounter with African Budget Safaris. The company offers a variety of exceptionally affordable camping/wildlife safaris across southern Africa. From Kruger National Park, Vic­toria Falls and the Okavango Delta to bush walks, village tours and visits to smaller game reserves, these holidays take in the best of South Africa, Namibia, Zambia and Botswana. Expect roomy, well-ventilated tents as accommodation (pitched in the middle of the Afri­can wilderness) and simple meals. Durations range from 3 to 17 days and inclusions vary depending on what you choose. From Rs 3,590&ndash32,032 africanbudgetsafaris.com
8. Haggis Adventure
Holidays in Scotland can be cheap, too, thanks to three enthusiastic Scot brothers who started Haggis Adventures in 1993 as a way to encourage intrepid back­packers to sample Scotland with, as they put it, &ldquothe best, most knowledgeable and sexiest guides leading the way&rdquo. Armed with an armada of signature yellow buses, these trips explore every facet of Scotland. There are a variety of trips to choose from, from cultural tours of the high­lands to adventure trips in the Scottish Isles. One of the best all-round trips is the 10-day &lsquoCompass Buster&rsquo, which takes in Orkney, the Western Isles, Isle of Skye and Loch Ness. Haggis pre-books rooms in hostels along the route, so there&rsquos not need to carry camping equipment. $739 including transport, guide fees, ferries and a dram of High­land whisky. The price excludes hostel tariffs (about £18 to £23 per night, and £5-£7 on food) 44-0-131-5579393, haggisadventures.com
9. Israel&rsquos kibbutz movement
Even if you didn&rsquot read Leon Uris&rsquo Exodus long years ago, it&rsquos likely you know of Israel&rsquos kibbutz movement, based on the philosophies of a deep love for nature, very hard work and com­munal sharing, by pioneer­ing settlers who built that country. Our interest lies in the 30 visit-friendly kibbut­zim (out of about 270) and the welcome they accord to volunteers. Sign-up and stay from minimum two to max six months, travelling across the country in an immersive experience at a very low cost. Placements are handled by the KPC (Kibbutz Program Center) but you can request to split time between the Hula Valley or Sea of Galilee region for their green vistas, and around Negev and Arava for the drama of the desert. Accommodation, food, health insurance, visa costs and pocket money (yes) are pro­vided. $620 ($350 registration fee $270 programme fee) nava@kibbutzvolunteers.org.il, kibbutzprogramcenter.org
10. Mighty Campers
It&rsquos a car, it&rsquos a bus, it&rsquos a camper van Shift the gears from a regular self-driving trip to a holiday home on wheels the next time you&rsquore Down Under. Kitted out with a double bed, a small fridge, linen, utensils and a stove to cook your bangers and mash on, Mighty Campers offers several mobile lodging options in New Zealand and Australia, the cheapest of which can be hired for as little as $140 a week &mdash inclusive of taxes and a basic insurance, not including fuel (about $3 a litre). With no hotel rooms or restaurant meals to pay for (unless you have a no-cooking-on-holiday policy), the camper vans let you stretch the rupee for quite a while longer. What makes the road to camper van vacation smoother still is that New Zealand also has right-hand drive vehicles like India. About $140&ndash1,200 for 7 days mightycampers.co.nz
