travel ·03.02.2025
What is a travel dupe?
From bleisure to coolcations and experiential tourism, a bewildering wave of new travel trends has flooded our collective consciousness. But one term is really taking social media by storm.
Driven by soaring travel costs and rampant over-tourism, the #traveldupe hashtag has clocked billions of TikTok views and ignited fresh interest in obscure locales. But is this viral trend all it’s cracked up to be? Or are travel dupes just inferior versions of world-famous destinations?
Contents
What is a travel dupe?
Why are travel dupes increasing in popularity?
The drawbacks of travel dupes
Our top travel dupe destinations for 2025
What is a travel dupe?
“Travel dupes are a current trend where folks seek out cheaper, less-crowded alternatives to popular destinations” Eric Rosen from The Points Guy told HuffPost. While the trend is blowing up on TikTok and Instagram, the concept of an alternate destination is nothing new. Travel guides have been heralding off-the-beaten-track alternatives long before.
The social media-driven travel dupe trend resurfaced during the COVID-19 pandemic. As cautious explorers emerged from lockdowns, they turned to their phones to find closer, less-crowded (and less contagious) destinations.
#traveldupe is also a natural evolution of #dupe, a popular social media trend where posters promote affordable, high-quality imitations of premium consumer products, typically fashion accessories and apparel. At last count, this ubiquitous hashtag had over 7 billion views on TikTok alone. The dupe has become a major market driver and part of our contemporary vernacular.
Palissy Double
Like its predecessor, the destination dupe has a palpable impact on the travel industry. According to Expedia, searches for its top five travel dupe destinations have doubled year-on-year. The online travel agent reports customers flocking to Taipei instead of Seoul, Perth over Sydney, and Quebec City before Geneva.
Expedia isn’t alone. A 2023 Skyscanner study found 93% of travellers would consider a dupe destination instead of the real thing. Intrepid, meanwhile, reported an 83% increase in bookings to Albania, a seldom-visited nation billed as an affordable alternative to Greece. The brand also doubled its bookings to Guatemala after National Geographic declared Lake Atitlan a budget-friendly alternative to Lake Como, albeit with a new-age twist.
Why are travel dupes increasing in popularity?
It’s not just well-polished reels driving the hype. For the everyday traveller, destination dupes have a slew of tangible benefits.
Affordable holidays
When inflation skyrocketed after the pandemic, a cost-of-living crisis gripped the globe and the fallout continues to linger. Most Britons now have less disposable income than before COVID-19, and are cutting down on non-essential expenses like travel.
Globally renowned destinations still attract swarms of tourists and still have the prices to match. With British adults now spending upwards of £2,000 per holiday, these premium destinations have become harder to justify.
To combat astronomical travel costs, a new wave of frugal, social media-savvy explorers seek similar experiences in more affordable destinations. Developing countries have become the travel dupe darlings, with lower living costs slashing on-the-ground expenses.
Thinner crowds
Despite higher post-COVID prices, pent-up demand saw the travel industry bounce back to pre-pandemic levels in 2024. But this surge of globetrotters brings issues with over-tourism.
Now inundated with visitors, destinations such as Venice, Amsterdam and Bali have taken remedial action, capping visitor numbers, limiting cruise ship arrivals, banning short-term rentals and introducing a tourist tax. Travel dupes steer the masses away from these swamped destinations and alleviate the strain.
Not only does over-tourism create headaches for local communities, but it also spoils the travel experience. The frescos of a grandiose 17th-century cathedral lose their lustre when you’re jostling for space with a hundred other camera-toting sightseers.
Unique experiences
Many seasoned travellers have already discovered the big-name destinations in their region, often on multiple occasions. Why visit Paris for the fourth time when you could check out the ‘Little Paris of the East’ instead? While Bucharest doesn’t have a Palais Garnier, its ornate Romanian Athenaeum is still one hell of a concert hall. Plus, the typical Briton will find Romanian dishes like Mămăligă more exotic than baguettes and beef bourguignon.
Seldom-explored destinations also harbour a degree of prestige, making the traveller appear more adventurous and worldly. Compared to well-trodden destinations like Hawaii, an unfamiliar dupe like the Azores makes for more exotic travel stories.
Trunk
The drawbacks of travel dupes
Though travel dupes offer a plethora of benefits, there are downsides to consider.
An implicit downgrade
A cheaper, less popular destination will never be as good as the original; otherwise, it would be just as crowded and expensive. Try as you might, you can’t truly substitute Macchu Picchu, the Taj Mahal or Big Ben, simply because there’s nothing else of that calibre around.
Sometimes, it’s better to visit overcrowded destinations in the low season (or just brave it during the high season) rather than replace them with the next best thing.
Does that mean dupe destinations are inferior versions of the real deal? Not quite. Think of them as alternatives rather than substitutes.
Limited infrastructure
Mass tourism demands top-tier infrastructure, such as reliable transportation, tourist-friendly restaurants and high-standard hotels. With a few notable exceptions, the world’s busiest destinations churn through visitors like a well-oiled machine.
When it comes to up-and-coming dupe destinations in lesser-developed countries, these amenities and services can be a stretch.
Big-name destinations are also easier to plan, owing to a wealth of online information and paperback travel guides. Lesser-known dupes, on the other hand, leave a lot of unknowns.
Our top travel dupe destinations for 2025
With over-tourism plaguing global hotspots this year, we feel the best travel dupes divert attention from places that could use a little less love.
Instead of Croatia, visit Montenegro
Croatia is no longer the up-and-coming gem you were warned to visit before it’s too late. That was decades ago, and this Adriatic superstar has reached peak saturation in 2025. Skip the shoulder-to-shoulder throngs of Dubrovnik and soak up the lakeside vibes of Kotor instead.
Instead of Bali, visit Lombok
While the Island of the Gods still holds a special place in our hearts, there’s no doubt Bali is struggling under the strain of mass tourism. The neighbouring island of Lombok, however, is like Bali 20 years ago, with free-flowing traffic, hyper-friendly inhabitants, stunning rubbish-free beaches and a small but well-developed tourism industry.
Instead of the Great Barrier Reef, visit the Ningaloo Reef
It’s no secret climate change-induced bleaching events are killing the world’s largest reef. But did you know that mass tourism is exacerbating the issue? Give this troubled tropical ecosystem a miss in favour of Western Australia’s thriving Ningaloo Reef, a vibrant coral wonderland accessible directly from the beach.
Instead of Macchu Picchu, visit Choquequirao
The sheer volume of tourists invading Macchu Picchu (about 1.6 million per year) puts the sacred 15th-century citadel at risk of collapse. Only a smattering of intrepid adventurers take the arduous four-day trek to Choquequirao, an equally mysterious fortress perched high in the Peruvian Andes.
Takeaway
Spurred by overtourism, rising costs and a desire to explore lesser-known locales, the travel dupe trend is reshaping our travel habits. But while dupes offer an affordable, uncrowded alternative to clogged big-name destinations, some lack adequate infrastructure and fail to deliver a wanderlust punch.
What is a travel dupe?
What are some destination dupes for 2025?
Why is the travel dupe trend so popular?
What are the downsides of travel dupes?
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