Inflation hit Americans hard in 2023, but so did wanderlust. In fact, according to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), rising prices weren’t enough to keep people home, as 2023 saw the busiest summer travel period on record. But they did help make it the year of the travel “dupe”—destinations that have the look and feel of a more popular spot, without the hefty price tag.
Dupes are expected to dominate travel in 2024 as well, according to Expedia’s recently released Trends in Travel report. Here are some of the destinations the experts at the booking site recommend checking out next year.
The best travel dupes for 2024
The term may be (relatively) new, but opting to travel somewhere off-the-beaten-path that’s less crowded and more affordable isn’t exactly novel. That said, it takes some research to find destinations that successfully substitute for longstanding tourist favorites, so you can use Expedia’s picks as a starting point, including:
- Instead of: Geneva, Switzerland
Visit: Québec City, Canada - Instead of: Seoul, South Korea
Visit: Taipei, Taiwan - Instead of: Nashville, Tennessee
Visit: Memphis, Tennessee - Instead of: Santorini, Greece
Visit: Paros, Greece - Instead of: Zermatt, Switzerland
Visit: Sapporo, Japan - Instead of: London, England
Visit: Liverpool, England - Instead of: Lisbon, Portugal
Visit: Palermo, Italy - Instead of: Bangkok, Thailand
Visit: Pattaya, Thailand - Instead of: Sydney, Australia
Visit: Perth, Australia - Instead of: St. Martin
Visit: Curaçao
In addition to dupes, Expedia also predicts the popularity of destinations with links to TV shows or movies next year, including:
- Thailand inspired by “The White Lotus” season 3
- Romania inspired by “Wednesday” season 2
- Malta inspired by the new “Gladiator 2” film
- Scottish Highlands inspired by the remaining seasons of “Outlander”
- London, Bath and Windsor, UK inspired by the new season of “Bridgerton” and “The Crown” season 6
- Korea inspired by “Squid Game” season 2
You can read more about trends in travel for 2024 here.
