Young travelers score discounts on budget trips from Tucan Travel

Bangkok, Thailand-based Tucan Travel designs budget tours for younger travelers that combine cultural highlights with camping, hostel and guesthouse stays. The company’s January sale takes up to 40% off the price of trips to South America and Asia.

The deal: Budget Expeditions, called Bex for short, are most suitable for 18- to 35-year-olds. They’re designed for people who are the “same age, on the same wave length and are geared up for the experience of a lifetime,� the company’s website says.

January Sale prices are pretty easy to check online once you fill out a profile and browse tours and destinations. Tours range from eight days to months long, and there are lots of destinations to choose from.

When: The discounts are good until Jan. 31, based on space availability for each trip.

Tested: I checked availability for a tour of the northern Andes that starts in Lima, Peru, and ends in Quito, Ecuador. The trip I selected leaves May 14 and lasts 21 days.

The price, not including international airfare, is usually $1,149 per person with an additional $300 to be paid in-country. With the sale, the cost drops to $690 per person plus the in-country cost. It covers some meals and lodgings, with six nights of camping (you have to bring your own sleeping bag and pad).

The budget trip discount would work well for young folks taking a gap year from college or those who want to go off the beaten track but don’t want to travel alone.

Contact: Tucan Travel, (855) 444-9110

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