I still remember the hush that fell over the table when the bill arrived in Positano last July—eighty-four euros for two spritzes and a plate of olives. We laughed it off, because what else can you do when you’ve flown across an ocean to watch your savings evaporate with every sunset? But that moment sparked a quiet rebellion in me. If the world was truly wide and rich, surely there were places that felt like the jewels we see on postcards… minus the sticker shock and shoulder-to-shoulder crowds.

Turns out I wasn’t the only one plotting an escape route from overtourism. A fresh study released this week shows that nearly two-thirds of American travelers—63% to be precise—are now choosing “destination dupes,” pocket-friendly doppelgängers of famous hotspots, and saving an average of $2,262 per trip. NY Post

Why Dupes Are Having a Moment

Yes, the economy nudged us here, but wanderlust keeps us. Dupes give us room to breathe, the thrill of discovery, and a chance to engage with locals not exhausted by an endless parade of tour buses. They remind us that travel is less about pinning the most Instagrammable coordinates and more about feeling a place beat under your skin.

Six Swaps I’ve Tried—or Booked for This Summer

Instead of Hawaii ➜ The Azores, Portugal

Cobalt crater lakes, steaming fumaroles that scent the air with sulphur and sweet pineapple, hydrangeas so blue they look digitally enhanced—São Miguel delivers that tropical-volcanic drama without the $400-a-night resort fee. Domestic flights within Portugal start under €40, and farm-to-table cozidos (stews slow-cooked in volcanic vents) ring in at local-diner prices. Add whale-watching and geothermal spas and you get all the aloha vibes for half the cost and a fraction of the crowds. CouponFollow

Instead of London ➜ Liverpool, England

The Mersey River lights up gold at dusk, and the echo of a Beatles riff drifts from a cellar bar on Mathew Street. Liverpool is gritty, creative, and undeniably British—minus the £200 hotel rooms and Tube-hour commutes. Victorian warehouses reborn as galleries at the Albert Dock, and a food scene spiked with West African spice thanks to the port’s global roots, keep me busy for days. Best part? A pint still clocks in under £6, something my London friends only whisper about in dreams. NY Post

Instead of Santorini ➜ Naxos, Greece

Santorini’s caldera sunsets are legendary, but try parking a scooter there in July—good luck. On Naxos, I wander marble alleys scented with grilled octopus, then pedal through olive groves to beaches where I’m one of ten sun-seekers, not ten thousand. Rooms with a view hover around €90, tavernas pour carafes of wine for €5, and the iconic Portara gate frames dawn so perfectly it feels staged for the gods. TerminaleSIM

Instead of Kyoto ➜ Kanazawa, Japan

I love Kyoto dearly, but the tide of selfie sticks at Fushimi Inari can sap the serenity. Kanazawa gifts me the same whispering bamboo, wooden teahouses, and cobbled samurai lanes—plus freshly shaved gold leaf atop my matcha latte (the city is Japan’s gold-leaf capital). Kenroku-en garden is every bit as poetic as its Kyoto cousins, and I often have entire pathways to myself at dawn. TerminaleSIM

Instead of Italy’s Amalfi Coast ➜ The Albanian Riviera

Picture cliffs ribboned with citrus trees tumbling into teal coves. Now replace the €30 beach-chair surcharge with complimentary loungers for anyone buying an iced espresso. That’s Himarë and Dhermi in Albania—still blissfully absent from cruise-ship itineraries. Roadside seafood shacks plate grilled branzino for what a limoncello costs in Praiano, and guesthouses hang hammocks where nonna serves homemade raki at sunset. The Sun

Instead of Switzerland ➜ Slovenia

Morning mist curls off Lake Bled as I row toward the tiny island chapel, bells chiming over the Julian Alps. The scene feels lifted from an Alpine fairy tale—yet my lakeside pension costs one-third of a Swiss chalet, and a slab of perfectly gooey Bled cream cake sets me back the price of Swiss tap water. Trails in Triglav National Park offer edelweiss and glacier views, but the only queues you’ll meet are of curious cows. Travel Taste Discover

How to Hunt Your Own Dupe

The magic formula? Seek echoes, not replicas. Zero in on the element you crave—turquoise waters, baroque facades, misty mountains—and then map where those qualities appear off the main tourist radar. Compare nightly accommodation rates; if the price is at least 20–30% less, most travelers call it worthwhile. NY Post

• Let the local currency work for you: A weak lek, dram, or peso can stretch your budget further than a strong euro.
• Follow geography, not hashtags: The planet repeats itself—limestone karsts pop up in Vietnam and China, Moorish courtyards in Andalucía and Fez.
• Time-shift the season: Shoulder months often turn “dupe” into “private paradise”—think October in Slovenia or late April in the Azores.

The Heart of the Matter

I’ll never tell you to skip Paris if your soul aches for the Seine at dusk. Some icons earn their fame. But the joy of travel lies in savoring the unfamiliar heartbeat of a place—and nothing quickens that pulse quite like realizing you’ve stumbled into your own secret corner of the map. This summer, while crowds line up for the usual suspects, I’ll be chasing lavender breezes through Slovenia’s Soča Valley, slurping octopus salad by a quiet Greek pier, and grinning at the tidy sum still lounging in my bank account.

If you’re tired of price tags outshining sunsets, maybe it’s time to join the great dupe-hunt. Pack light, stay curious, and remember: when wonder is the compass, every road—cheap or chic—leads somewhere extraordinary.