Travel News: Where's the Cheapest Place to Go Backpacking?

From an airport that sits high above the clouds to a real life snake on a plane, there’s been plenty going on in the world of travel this week.

Here’s everything you need to know from the past seven days.

Spain Reaction

If you travelled to Spain in August, then you probably realised that you were not alone. In fact figures have shown that a record 8.3 million foreign tourists (the majority coming from the UK, France and Germany) visited the country last month, the highest monthly total since records began in 1995.

Snake on a Plane

Samuel L. Jackson’s Hollywood blockbuster almost became a reality when an eight inch Mandarin rat snake was found on a plane about to fly from Sydney to Tokyo. Luckily, eagle-eyed cabin crew spotted it in the passenger cabin before anyone got on board. The incident meant a night in an airport hotel for passengers, while the aircraft had to be fumigated in case any other reptiles were on board – although we think it could have been pretty hiss-terical!

Where’s Wallet?

If you drop your wallet in a crowded city, what are the chances of it being returned? Well it seems that depends on which city you’re in. An experiment by Reader’s Digest, which involved dropping wallets around some of the world’s biggest cities, found that 47 per cent of wallets were returned. The most honest city was Helsinki, where all but one wallet was handed back, but it’s bad news for careless travellers in Lisbon, as just one out of 12 wallets was returned.

High Flying

We’re all used to flying thousands of feet in the air when we go on our travels, but at one airport in Tibet, passengers will be sky high before they’ve even taken off. Daocheng Yading airport is now the highest civilian airport in the world, standing at 4,411 metres above sea level, which is almost half the height of the average cruising altitude of a plane. China hope the airport will encourage tourism to the Tibetan region, although sufferers of vertigo may want to avoid it!

Bargain Backpacking

If you’re thinking of taking a gap year but you’re on a tight budget, then Asia is the place for you. That’s because Cambodia has been named the cheapest backpacking destination in the world with a five-night stay in Phnom Penh costing the same price as just one night in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. Accommodation here can cost as little as £35 per night, while other areas of South Asia also offer excellent value for frugal backpackers.