These Are the 10 Best 'Dupe Travel' Destinations for Avoiding Crowds and Saving Money
Along the banks of the Colorado River in Glenwood Springs, CO, are a dozen soaking pools with mineral mixes mimicking famous hot springs around the world. The WorldSprings’ roster includes a silica-rich pool that’s a mini replica of Iceland’s Blue Lagoon and another pool that’s modeled after the waters in Vichy, France, that Gallo-Romans soaked in centuries ago.
“My personal favorite is our largest experience pool that’s inspired by the Dead Sea,” says Iron Mountain Hot Springs and WorldSprings General Manager Aaron McCallister. “When you enter, you can quickly feel your feet pull to the surface and immediately float like they would in the Dead Sea.”
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This global lineup of pools that debuted last summer in Western Colorado is among the most literal examples of dupe travel. If you haven't yet heard about this white hot trend that’s been taking over TikTok, travel experts are now predicting it will dominate 2024—as some of the world’s most popular tourist destinations become overrun with post-pandemic crowds and prices to match.
The dupe travel trend is all about swapping a popular destination for a lesser-known spot that’s got a similar vibe or familiar amenities. In Colorado, the WorldSprings pools join more traditional Colorado mineral-fed pools, and are a sweet escape to tide you over until your next hot springs escape in a farther-off setting like Hokkaido, Japan.
Dean Fikar/Getty Images
“Travel is back and booming, and that strong demand means popular tourist destinations can be pricey and crowded,” says Christie Hudson, a spokeswoman for Expedia, an online travel site that’s seeing a tremendous increase in interest for destination dupes. “People aren’t willing to postpone their getaways, so they’re looking for alternatives that might give them more bang for their buck, or have more availability.”
Some examples of dupe destinations that are currently trending according to Expedia are: Paros instead of its neighboring Greek isle magnet of Santorini; Canada's Quebec City instead of Geneva, Switzerland; and Curacao instead of St. Martin in the Caribbean.
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These destinations, Hudson says, “prove you don’t necessarily have to board a flight to Europe to wander cobblestone streets—and that there might still be some Caribbean islands you haven’t heard of before.”
The Case for Dupe Travel
Dupe travel will only get more popular in 2024, travel experts say. Next year, destinations like Bali and Venice are set to join other popular cities and countries around the world that charge tourist taxes and entrance fees, which are intended to help temper overtourism.
But dupe travel—which involves tourists consciously seeking out other destinations—could also help alleviate the pressures placed on some of the world’s most iconic locales.
Are the neon Northern Lights swirling in the night sky above Northern Michigan just as magical as they are in Sweden? Perhaps. Could Buenos Aires’ theaters and bookshops be well-suited for a culture lover who's been to Paris and is looking for a Netflix-style “what to see next” recommendation? Sure, plus the dollar is quite strong in Argentina. Is a gondolier paddling around the canal-like pools at The Venetian in Las Vegas akin to the real deal in Venice? Well, let's not push it.
The essence of dupe travel is recognizing that an alternative destination isn’t a facsimile copy of another place, and appreciating the differences of places without thinking of one as a consolation prize for the other.
Jo Hanley/Roc Canals
I had a delightful dupe travel experience of my own last summer. My friends got married in Tuscany, and the obvious post-wedding dispatch was to the Amalfi Coast. But Positano prices were peaking in late May, so instead I ventured off to Menorca, arguably the most laid back of Spain’s Balearic islands. The beaches were uncrowded, the lemon-gin pomadas were a fantastic alternative to limoncello spritzes, the vacation cost was about one third of what I would have spent in Italy. Plus reservations were easy to come by and exploring caves in addition to the craggy coastlines was a nice surprise.
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Why Dupe Travel Is on the Rise
The increase in popularity of dupe travel can be attributed to many things, explains Carolyn Addison, head of product at Black Tomato, a luxury travel company that’s recently seen a 17 percent increase in booking travel to places that could be considered dupe destinations.
“We find people are seeking spots that balance both the familiar—the cuisines, landscapes, activities they love—and newer adventures,” says Addison says. "Travelers also want to discover new places and enrich themselves by learning about other cultures."
Nino H. Photography/Getty Images
Of course, Addison says, many are choosing alternative destinations for more tactical reasons, too, such as better hotel and reservation availability during peak seasons and overcrowding in the usual spots.
Tara Cappel, founder and CEO of For the Love of Travel—which runs tours for solo travelers in their 20s and 30s—has been responding to the trend by creating new itineraries.
“I think people are realizing that what makes a memorable trip is when you have experiences in a local community that feel personal,” Cappel says. “Travel dupes make it easier to have that because you're not competing with a million other tourists for the same view, restaurant, or cooking class.”
Maremagnum/Feng Wei Photography
How to Spot a Great Dupe Destination
In some instances, dupe destinations are obvious, like the Bavarian Village of Leavenworth, WA, or Ouray, CO—which is aptly nicknamed the “Switzerland of America.” But other dupe destinations tend to be more subtle in their similarities.
Slovenia has emerged as a popular “dupe destination” for Italy in the past year, according to Black Tomato’s experts. The small European country neighbors Italy’s Friuli-Venezia Giulia region and, Addison says, has many parallels to Italy, including great food, mountains, and lakes, as well as five-star hotels.
Panama is emerging as a dupe to Costa Rica, Addison says, as travelers find amazingly comparable beaches, jungles, and rainforest.
Izzet Keribar/Getty
Travel agent Jonathan Alder, CEO of Jonathan's Travels, says his clients are absolutely seeking alternative destinations right now—and Turkey is one of the biggest. It's the ultimate uncrowded dupe destination, he says—for now at least.
“Instead of the Amalfi Coast, try Bodrum in Turkey, which is lined with luxury resorts,” suggests Alder. “Instead of Rome, go to Istanbul, the largest city in Europe, which is also filled with amazing wonders. Instead of Pompeii or Athens, Ephesus in Turkey is the greatest preserved city in the world and a fantastic option.”
Dupe travel possibilities, in other words, run the gamut and will continue to evolve. More than just a passing trend for cheaper or less crowded stand-ins, the concept can essentially open up your world and stretch the travel checklist into a realm of places that hadn’t been on your radar until now. Your biggest dupe discoveries of all will inevitably be your own—and the perfect one may even be a whole lot closer to home than it looks.
Our 10 Favorite Travel Dupes for 2024
- Ouray, CO—duping for the Swiss Alps
- Leavenworth, WA—duping for Bavaria
- Quebec City—Geneva
- Buenos Aires—duping for Paris
- Curacao—duping for St. Martin
- Slovenia—duping for Italy
- Panama—duping for Costa Rica
- Bodrum or Mallorca—duping for Amalfi
- Paros, Greece—duping for Santorini
- Ephesus, Turkey—duping for Pompeii