Top Ten Travel Destinations

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Whenever I see these lists, I think most of them are just the website trying to get people to travel.
According to Expedia: According to the report, “More than half of travelers say they’ve researched or booked a trip to a destination after seeing it on a TV show or in a movie. In fact, travelers say TV shows influence their travel decisions more than Instagram, TikTok, and podcasts.” With that in mind, they reveal that the top 10 travel destinations of 2024 are as follows:
Thailand - Featured in White Lotus, Season 3—which has sadly been pushed to premiere in 2025 (love Thailand, wonderful people, great food)Romania - Featured in Wednesday, Season 2—which has not yet set a release date (surprisingly moving beyond the oppressive Soviet days, interesting)Malta - As seen in Gladiator 2, which is set to premiere on November 22, 2024Paris - As seen in Emily in Paris (I promise to never go back, unless it is the French Open or Olympics)Scottish Highlands - Featured in Outlander (golf and Scotch, why not?)London, Bath, and Windsor, U.K. - As seen in Bridgerton and The Crown (maybe it is time to return, Wimbledon, love the English cop movies)South Korea - Featured in Squid Game—the Season 2 release date has yet to be announcedFlorida Keys - As seen in the series Bad Monkey (no need to go back, once is enough)Australia - Featured in Baz Luhrmann’s Faraway Downs series, as well as the film Furiosa, which is set to premiere on May 24, 2024 (lovely country and people, maybe the Aussie Open?)Greece - as seen in the films Argylle (set to release in 2024) and My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 (one of my favorite places, great food, even better people)



Then came the dupes: Dupes have long been lauded in the beauty and fashion categories, and now the concept is making its way to travel. “1 in 3 of those polled say they’ve booked a dupe,” the report reveals. “But what do these less obvious alternatives offer besides potential savings? They’re often less crowded, tend to be a little unexpected, and can be every bit as delightful as the tried-and-true destinations.”

Intrigued by the idea of booking a stellar vacation for a fraction of the price? Check out Expedia Group’s Top 10 Travel Destination Dupes, below, which are listed as the original destination of inspiration and the dupe that mirrors it.
<li style="font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Segoe UI Midlevel', sans-serif; font-size: 18px; color: #2b2b2b; align-self: start; line-height: 28px; margin: 10px 0px;">Seoul —> Taipei (good food)Bangkok —> Pattaya (great food)Santorini —> Paros (Santorini is a couples place)Saint Martin —> CuraçaoSydney —> Perth (loved Sydney)London —> LiverpoolLisbon —> Palermo (Lisbon is fun, great food, lots to see and do)Geneva —> Québec City (not similar, in my opinion)Zermatt —> Sapporo (again, very different places)Nashville —> Memphis (both nice places to visit, though I enjoyed Memphis much more)



Music lovers, this one’s for you! As you well know, traveling to see your favorite artists live is expensive, to say the least. With this in mind, Expedia set out to find the most affordable destinations where the world’s most famous pop and rock stars are set to take the stage in 2024.

Through their research, in which they analyzed the average daily rates of tour locations, they found the top 10 most affordable cities (less than $150/night on average) where travelers can witness the likes of Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, Coldplay, Metallica, Madonna, and more. They are as follows:
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - $91 (very underrated place to visit, great food and shopping)Edmonton, Canada - $108 (passed by on the train)Mexico City, Mexico - $119 (watch out for altitude, but great food and history)Warsaw, Poland - $119 (a very confusing country, interesting, not delightful)Birmingham, U.K. - $127Houston, Texas - $130 (never again)Antwerp, Belgium - $140Tokyo, Japan - $147 (love Tokyo and Japan, going soon)Perth, Australia - $148Detroit, Michigan - $149 (stay away)


I don't see these places as Springsteen venues!
Two places in the world remain my favorites: Amazonia, and Angkor Wat in Cambodia.

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