The Best Destination Dupes for the Most Overcrowded Vacation Spots
Here's where you should go for smaller crowds and similar vibes.
Hopping on a flight and heading to one of the trendiest and buzziest destinations of the moment is definitely a thrill known to many travelers. The gorgeous scenery and famous landmarks, friends and families’ recommendations to check out—you name it, they all add to the huge expectations you have. Yet, oftentimes, one less pleasant aspect about this goes unnoticed: The more popular the destination, the more overcrowded it will be.
We get it. Sometimes, the desire to visit some of the world's most famous spots still win out over the cons of overtourism—you definitely want to see the Eiffel Tower at least once in your lifetime!—but there are some instances in which rerouting to another destination is actually the smarter choice.
That’s when destination dupes—or less-crowded alternatives to popular vacation hotspots—come into play. To help you find the best destination dupes out there, tour comparison site TourScanner recently conducted a study taking into consideration some of the most overtouristed destinations and looked at the tourism numbers for each one of them. Then, the team gathered alternative destinations for those popular destinations, and finally identified the best cost-saving dupes. As a result, the team came up with a handy guide for both the best island and city dupe options available for your next vacation.
Looking at islands, your best bet if you were thinking of going to Hawaii is actually Puerto Rico. The smaller island has 12 million fewer tourists a year, and it offers both an equally rich history as well as gorgeous beaches, scenery, and experiences. Those who are looking to fly to Mallorca, Spain should consider heading over to Menorca, the nearby Spanish island, instead. Menorca welcomes 4 million tourists a year (27 million fewer than Mallorca), and while it is still home to crystal-clear waters, it flaunts a much quieter and laid-back profile.
Here's the full guide to the best dupes for popular island destinations:
Looking at cities, one of the world's most over-touristed cities is Paris. According to the study, the best alternative to the city of love is Bordeaux, which is still located in France and welcomes 80 million fewer tourists a year. While it might not have the Eiffel Tower, it is still praised for being a vibrant cultural hub with a rich history as well as world-renowned delicious wine and food. If, instead, you were thinking of visiting Madrid, you might want to reconsider and head over to Salamanca instead. In addition to having 60 million fewer tourists a year, the city flaunts beautiful architecture and is rich in its history, but without the hustle and bustle of the Spanish capital.
Here's the full guide to the best dupes for popular city destinations:
However, this doesn't mean that cities like Paris and islands like Hawaii are off-limits. You can (and should!) still plan to visit them in your lifetime, but there are steps you can take in order to avoid contributing to their overtourism issues, and therefore become a more sustainable traveler yourself.
"Our study crunches tourism figures to show the very best destination dupes for overcrowded locations globally," Guillaume Picard, co-founder of TourScanner, said in a statement. "But some other ways to avoid contributing to overtourism challenges include visiting in the off-season, attending guided tours and experiences and sticking to the 'leave no trace' principle, to reduce your impact on the local area."