2020 is starting off right! I’m very proud to announce my first feature of the new year which came the first week of January for Forbes.com. I lent my travel expertise to the 43 Cheapest Places to Travel in 2020 write up, contributing THREE locations: Bergamo, Italy, Guadeloupe, French West Indies and Zihuatenejo, Mexico. In fact, my write up of Bergamo topped the list. Now for Bergamo, I got one or two people with some backlash, I know my fellow contributors of places like Hawaii got some as well. However, it was pretty funny when I responded to the commenters, it was ugly Italian rivalries raring their ugly head — they had a fondness for Southern Italy and considered Bergamo pretty expensive when you could go to places like Albania. Well, sure, Bergamo is more expensive than Albania, a non-EU country that I am sure is gorgeous, but would be considered a developing economy. However, in terms of hotel prices, meals and drinks, and what you get for your value, Bergamo gives you a LOT of bang for your buck. This is especially true when comparing the prices of Italians cities on the standard tourist track like Venice, Florence, Rome and even nearby Milan!

Check out Bergamo, Guadeloupe, Zihuatenejo and the other cities on the latest Forbes list and video. Let me know if you have any other suggestions of affordable places I should visit this year!