Budget Travel

The Economist has released something a little less dry – even juicier – than its normal fare: The annual Big Mac index, which compares burger prices around the world.

The hush that falls over those gathered at Hollywood Forever Cemetery isn't just a sign of respect for the dead. On select evenings, it signals that a blockbuster movie screening is beginning. The cemetery movie series is an unexpected-yet-perfect way to pay tribute to legends like Rudolph Valentino and John Huston. "You're literally a few feet from someone who has worked on these movies," says Cinespia series cofounder John Wyatt.

Like most budget travelers, the word that makes eyebrows leap the highest is 'free'. While the you-get-what-you-pay-for statute makes it uncool to grade, compare or criticize free stuff, certain free attractions are indisputably superior to others and, in many cases, completely outshine their un-free neighbors.

It's the big Fourth of July celebrations that get all the ink. Sure, the fireworks and festivities in Boston, New York, and San Francisco are great, but there is more to America than a handful of big cities.

Japan comes at a premium. According to a study released Wednesday by the research firm Employment Conditions Abroad, four of the most expensive cities in the world are Japanese and Tokyo has defended its title of "Least Affordable Place on Earth."