How to Find the Best Alternatives to Popular Travel Destinations

38 10 minutes read

Is seeing the Maldives on your bucket list, but you’d rather not pay for a long-haul flight and a pricey overwater bungalow? Maybe you’ve always wanted to take a gondola ride through Venice yet dread the hordes of tourists cramming the city’s narrow streets. Or perhaps you long to explore ancient temples and sample street food in Phuket, but your packed schedule barely leaves time for a long weekend away, let alone a trip to Thailand.

Here’s the good news: You don’t have to siphon your savings, put up with crowds or plan a two-week vacation to experience the charm, culture and climate of your dream destinations.

So-called travel dupes are alternate places that can deliver much of the same appeal as their more iconic — and often more expensive — counterparts. For example, with cobblestone streets, cozy cafés and a large French-speaking population, Montreal and Québec City are often cited as more-affordable alternatives to Paris — and you don’t have to leave North America.

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By understanding what draws you to your ideal location, doing some strategic research and staying open to alternatives, you can uncover viable options that will satisfy your wanderlust.

Use our guide to track down an attractive dupe for you.

Or, if your heart is set on traveling to a popular place, we also have tips on making your visit more affordable and less crowded.

Start your research

First, identify the reasons you find your dream destination alluring.

Get specific on what appeals to you most. “If Paris draws you in, think about what makes you want to go there,” advises Robyn Stencil, a tours program manager and guidebook researcher for travel company Rick Steves’ Europe. “Is it art, food, lifestyle, fashion or culture?”

Your list could include touring an iconic opera house and seeing centuries-old architecture. Or you might want to browse high-end boutiques, dine in Michelin-starred restaurants and practice the second language you learned in high school.

While millions of tourists may descend upon the same destination every year, what draws each person there isn’t always the same.

The more precise you are about what you want to experience, the easier it will be to suss out a substitute.

Once you’ve sorted through your wish list of experiences, you can tap into tech to search for places that offer them.

If you Google “best dupe” for your destination, the results may provide good suggestions. But you’ll have to put in some extra effort to find an alternative that truly aligns with your interests.

With an internet search engine — or even assistance from artificial-intelligence tools like ChatGPT or Perplexity — enter detailed prompts that outline your specific criteria.

“If you want to go to the Maldives because you’re looking for a great place to dive with crystal blue water and overwater bungalows to stay in, search those aspects,” says Summer Hull, editorial director at The Points Guy, a website that provides tips and tools for enhancing travel.

Don’t aim to find an exact replica of your ideal destination, she advises. “Search for somewhere with the attributes you care about the most.”

When creating your search terms and prompts, you can include your dream destination as a reference. Also add in parameters such as pricing or distance constraints.

Get input from human beings, too. Reach out to well-traveled friends, family and coworkers, and describe the experience you envision.

Ask for advice, and get details on their travel style. If you favor boutique hotels and they prefer major chains, you can still look into their recommendations but tailor them to fit your needs.

Online forums such as travel-related Facebook groups, Reddit threads and the Rick Steves Travel Forum, at www.ricksteves.com/travel-forum, can be rich sources of information. (While Rick Steves focuses on Europe, Stencil says many community members are avid explorers who are happy to answer questions about locations across the globe.)

Travel publications such as Afar, Travel + Leisure and Condé Nast Traveler, as well as guidebooks from established brands such as Frommer’s, Lonely Planet and Rick Steves, can also help you find promising places to add to your list of potential destinations.

Blogs, YouTube videos and social media posts can be informative, too — especially if they show candid, unfiltered photos and videos.

Keep in mind that some bloggers and influencers may get free trips or be compensated in some other way to promote specific locations, so double-check the reviews on those recommendations.

Look near and far

A town, city, state, region or country in close proximity to a well-known spot can occasionally have a similar appeal.

“Sometimes it’s as easy as going to the next town over from the one you wanted,” says Pauline Frommer, president of Frommer’s guides and Frommer.com. “San Miguel de Allende in Mexico is probably the poster child for a picture-perfect colonial city,” she says.

However, the area’s restaurants and hotels are pricey. “Instead, you can go to Guanajuato, which is an hour away, and spend 15% to 20% less on your hotel room. It’s still a gorgeous colonial city, but it’s less expensive and less crowded.”

If skiing and other snow sports are more your thing, consider visiting Snowbasin, Utah, instead of Vail, Colo. Snowbasin offers mountain vistas and powdery slopes but comes with lower lift-ticket prices and fewer fellow skiers.

For a Venetian vibe, you could head to Slovenia, which borders Italy.

The Republic of Venice once ruled parts of the coastal area, and that aesthetic lingers. Inland, some medieval churches feature extraordinary murals, notes Frommer.

And while not quite the same as Venice’s canals, you’ll find a picturesque winding waterway and quaint bridges in Slovenia’s capital, Ljubljana.

As you evaluate your options, however, keep in mind that not all destinations that are near each other provide similar experiences.

“Don’t pick Glasgow instead of Edinburgh because they’re close enough,” Stencil says, adding that Glasgow is a bustling city while Edinburgh has a more of a Harry Potter-like fantasy feel.

“Do a little research to make sure the feel and look align with what you want.”

Cast a wider net. Sometimes, the most apt travel dupe for you may be hundreds — or even thousands — of miles away from your dream area. That can mean a shorter, cheaper flight or even a road trip to get there.

For example, if your goal is to learn about — and sample — full-bodied red wines, you could opt for a tour of scenic wineries in Sonoma Valley in California instead of heading to Tuscany.

If Barcelona’s architecture, art and fresh food markets appeal to you, consider Peru, which has equally compelling offerings but with lower costs for dining and lodging.

Both places give you the opportunity to speak Spanish, although dialects vary, even in the same country. In Barcelona, Catalan is also commonly spoken, and Quechua and Aymara are additional languages in Peru.

Winnow down the contenders

Once you’ve gathered a shortlist of destinations, evaluate all the options, keeping your original dream location in the consideration set.

Crunch the numbers, factoring in the cost of transportation, baggage fees, lodging, tips, meals, activities and shopping.

Also, account for the exchange rate if you’re heading to an area that doesn’t use the U.S. dollar as its currency.

Even if a seemingly great deal comes your way, it’s critical to compare prices for all elements of a trip.

“I recently saw $99 airfares to Barbados, which is extraordinary,” says Frommer. “But once you get to Barbados, there could be sticker shock. It’s an expensive place to visit.”

Evaluate nonfinancial factors such as safety, the availability of public transportation, possible language barriers and how welcoming the destination is to tourists. The advice and insights from travel guides can come in handy here.

The U.S. Department of State provides comprehensive resources for international travelers, such as important safety advisories and documentation requirements for specific destinations, at https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel.html.

Technology can help at this stage, too. For instance, Hotels.com has an AI-powered destination-comparison tool, and at Wanderlog.com, you can build out sample itineraries and estimated costs. You can use Numbeo.com and BudgetYourTrip.com to get a feel for potential expenses.

Next comes the moment of truth: Is the trade-off worth it?

The Points Guy’s Hull says she has seen suggested swaps such as Liverpool instead of London, the Seychelles (off the East African coast) in place of the Maldives, and the Portuguese island Madeira as an alternative to Hawaii. But once you factor in time, money, and the kind of experience you want, your original dream destination may be your best bet, she says.

And even if your bucket-list trip comes in as a distant second after you’ve evaluated all the factors, think creatively before you completely cross it off.

“If you’ve dreamt of seeing Paris your whole life, then absolutely go see it if you can afford to do it,” says Stencil. “If your heart’s set on seeing the Eiffel Tower, then going anywhere besides Paris will be disappointing. You’re going to waste a whole lot of money going somewhere else.”

But that doesn’t mean you need to raid your retirement fund or put up with droves of tourists for days on end.

“If you’ve always wanted to see Prague, maybe spend one or two days there and then go and visit the rest of the Czech Republic,” says Frommer. “The other cities in the Czech Republic are beautiful and have extraordinary culture, and you can pay a fraction of what you will in Prague.” There will also be fewer crowds, as most travelers who go to the Czech Republic only visit Prague, she adds.

You can also spend less money and avoid large groups of other tourists if you travel during less-popular periods, such as the so-called shoulder season, which is the weeks between the peak and off-peak times for a destination.

But again, some pre-trip research is key.

You’ll want to check the weather, the availability of activities and what restaurants are open. “You do have to be a little careful,” says Frommer. “Last March, I went to Matera, Naples and the Amalfi Coast. Matera was great and Naples was actually crowded.”

And she and her family were in for a surprise when they got to the Amalfi Coast. They rented a place in Ravello for a fraction of its cost during the high season. But it was cold outside, the area’s famous lemon trees were covered with netting to protect them from hail, and the gardens were all brown, she says.

“There was only one restaurant open, so we had to go to that restaurant every single night.”

Keep your expectations in check. If your bucket-list spot is definitely out, you’ll need to do some work on your mindset and some extra planning before you head to Option B, because there is no perfect swap.

“Every place is unique, so one destination isn’t really a true dupe for another,” Hull says.

The key to success is to enjoy what you can replicate from your dream destination and appreciate what the dupe has to offer.

While Quebec may feel more European than most other places in North America, “don’t try to make it something it isn’t,” Hull says. Instead, enjoy each place for what it is.

That means embracing the reality of each location.

Some secondary spots may lack the amenities of prime tourist destinations, and guided activities and excursions may not be as readily available.

“If you drop into a destination without advance research, you may end up disappointed,” says Frommer.

For example, a last-minute cooking class in Paris can be relatively easy to book. But in Lyon, which is also known for its cuisine, there may be fewer options.

Replicate your dream destination closer to home. Here’s another idea: Skip the dupe and delay your visit to your first choice while you save up extra cash to eventually go there.

Going this route doesn’t mean you need to fully give up the experience of your dream destination while you sock away money. Instead, take what you’ve learned about enjoying an alternative and embark on some mini excursions close to home.

If visiting Paris is your ultimate goal, “head to a really nice wine bar and taste your way through the different regions of wine in France,” says Stencil.

You can also contact a local museum to see whether it has exhibits of French artists. If wandering through English countryside gardens is your dream, “see whether there’s a nearby arboretum,” says Stencil. Even joining a gardening club can give you a taste of what you want.

Of course, these options aren’t the same as an actual trip to your desired area, but they will make the waiting period more pleasurable.

“It all goes back to what you’re passionate about, what you want to experience, and why you want to go to that destination in the first place,” Stencil adds. “Then, find a creative way to duplicate it closer to home.”

Travel Destination Dupes

(Image credit: Getty Images)

See some examples of finding travel dupes below.

Laid-back vibes in Mexico

Hot spot: Tulum, Mexico

The dupe: Bacalar, Mexico

Why Bacalar? It’s “an authentic Mexican getaway with all the same vibes as Tulum but without the crowds,” says Brekke Fletcher, senior director of content at travel guide publisher Lonely Planet. Bacalar is also generally more affordable than Tulum.

What’s similar: Natural charm with tropical, laid-back vibes. Cafés, boutiques, outdoor adventure activities and the opportunity to learn Mayan history. (But you’ll need to travel further from Bacalar than you would from Tulum to see Mayan ruins such as Chichén Itzá.)

What’s different: Bacalar is smaller, with fewer resorts and nightlife options. Unlike Tulum, there’s no beach on the Caribbean Sea. Instead, Bacalar has the Laguna Bacalar lake, known as the Lagoon of Seven Colors because of its stunning array of green and blue hues.

“You can take stand-up-paddleboarding tours, go on boat cruises, paddle a kayak or laze in the lagoon hammocks,” says Fletcher.

Greek island getaway

Hot spot: Santorini

The dupes: Other Greek islands in the Cyclades, such as Serifos, Koufonisia and Tinos

Why other nearby islands? “Santorini is a hot mess, literally, in the summer. But there are so many less-overrun Greek islands to discover,” says Fletcher, of Lonely Planet.

What’s similar: Scenic views, clear Aegean waters, chic lodging, seaside tavernas, whitewashed buildings and blue-domed churches.

What’s different: Better prices and fewer crowds at Serifos, Koufonisia and Tinos. While those islands have beautiful white-sand beaches, they lack Santorini’s famous beaches tinted black and red from past volcanic activity.

Tropical Thai paradise

Hot spot: Phuket, Thailand

The dupe: Krabi, Thailand

Why Krabi? Phuket, which has long been on the must-see list for many, was recently featured on season three of the wildly popular HBO series The White Lotus. That exposure may lure more tourists than usual, says Lonely Planet’s Fletcher.

What’s similar: Tropical climate, beautiful beaches, turquoise waters, stunning temples and the ability to easily hop from island to island. Both Phuket and Krabi have abundant fresh seafood and flavorful cuisine such as green curry and Pad Thai.

What’s different: Phuket has more high-end resorts and a busier social scene. Krabi is more laid back. Those who opt for Krabi can “expect uncrowded, postcard-worthy beaches, jungles, waterfalls and wildlife, plus a vibrant weekend night market with excellent street food,” says Fletcher.

Note: This item first appeared in Kiplinger Personal Finance Magazine, a monthly, trustworthy source of advice and guidance. Subscribe to help you make more money and keep more of the money you make here.

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