Trinidad and Tobago -- just six miles off the coast of Venezuela -- is perhaps the best Caribbean destination for budget travelers for two reasons: 1) It's generally affordable, comparatively; and 2) It's two distinctly different islands for the price of one.
Tobago -- a fraction of Trinidad's size -- is less developed, with sugar-sand beaches, rainforests, mountains, colonial ruins, and teal-blue water lining nearly every vista. Trinidad, on the other hand, buzzes with culture, a feast for all the senses late into the nights. If nothing else, take your nose on a tour through the Port of Spain, where street vendors jam to calypso and hawk some of the region's best Creole and Amerindian foods. Set down the guidebook, and start exploring below.