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South Africa & more 🌎 in €250s-€590s rtn

These are some of the cheapest flights to NZ we've found...

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Auckland & Jakarta 🌿 in €510s-€670s rtn

Love them or hate them, you need to know about these pods!

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Madagascar, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and more 🌿 in €430s-€590s rtn

For those of you who love a last-minute trip…

Tokyo

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Japan, Vietnam, Indonesia, and more 🌊 in €460s-€590s rtn

It's time to take your pick of bucket-list trips...

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Thailand, Sri Lanka, Kenya, and more 🍃 in £470s-£670s & €490s-€590s rtn

I'm not saying it's underrated, but... it's pretty underrated :-)

Jakarta 🌴 at $869 RT

We&#39;re pensioners and have taken a huge risk to book a JFC flight from Dublin to Bali for £405 return (3 sectors each way!)
Because of our age is wasn&#39;t sure if we could do it.
We booked in June and fly in 10 days wish us luck.
So far we&#39;ve had 1 airline go bust, 3 schedule changes and had to persuade Swiss to book us in a codeshare flight when 1 schedule change reduced our transit time in Singapore to less than 2 hours.
We move on from Bali to Sydney for lunch with our godson then a few days in Brisbane and join a South Sea Island cruise that was so cheap (£600 for 11 nights) that I should have booked it through JFC.
For old folks we still have a passion to explore the world and there is so much to do whilst we are still young enough.
Will sent a postcard from somewhere.

Postcard from Steve (Cadleigh)

Taken in Bali - with Love to Jack and the team!
(Mt. Batur and Lake Batur seen from Kedisan)

Postcard from Sep

From Jakarta we went on to the Banda islands and kei island. Paradise . 

Postcard from Barbara 

Postcard from pablo

I booked directly with Turkish Airlines. Thanks for the great tip! From Jakarta we will go and explore the Moluccan Islands. 

Postcard from Barbara

Thanks, Jack’s Flight Club, this was your suggestion of return trip to Bali with Lufthansa, although after booking with them, realised it’s operated by Swiss Air but that’s fine. 

Postcard from Debbie

Switzerland

Chile

Hey there, Travellers,
I'd like to kick off by wishing a very happy Thanksgiving to all our American readers! However you celebrated, I hope your bellies were full and your hearts warm&hellip; and that you had five minutes free to check over all the bargain Flights landing in your inbox.
No doubt your emails have been overflowing this past week, so you may have missed some rather amusing "news." The US transportation secretary has been urging travellers to <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/sean-duffy-transport-secretary-air-travel-thanksgiving-request-b2869798.html">wind back the clock and dress with respect</a>, as though we were in the golden age of travel.&nbsp;
When you're embarking on a 20-hour journey across continents, or hopping on a budget flight with nothing more than a backpack and randomly allocated seat, does anyone truly expect you to care about more than comfort?&nbsp;
Sure, we can debate the <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DBdqR-5qhVD/?hl=en">merits of jeans on a plane</a>, and we can probably all agree that shorts involve too much skin-seat contact. But, we're not living in&nbsp;that&nbsp;Golden Age of Travel. We're in our own, modern, slightly tarnished age with even more opportunity than ever before.&nbsp;
I'd love to hear your thoughts on the dos and don'ts of "respectful" travel garb. Should we bring back collars and dresses? Or are leggings and hoodies perfectly reasonable? <a href="https://members.jacksflightclub.com/articles/detour-214-ultimate-carry-on-respectful-dressing#comments">Jump into the comments</a> or reply to this email.
Happy travels and safe landings,

Katy - Editor of The Detour

Your Top Recommendations for Underseat &amp; Carry-on Bags

The Detour Editor Katy is a budget travel aficionado who has already travelled to more than 50 countries. Whether she's at home or on a foreign adventure, she has a particular talent for stumbling upon tasty Georgian restaurants.

By Katy

I knew when I asked for backpack recommendations last week that frequent travellers like yourselves would have some strong opinions. Thank you so much for all the bag reviews, suggestions, and links, lovely readers!
The ideas came rolling in, and a few loyal camps became clear. To be honest, I'm actually pretty concerned that some of you may have joined a particular multicoloured cult&hellip;
With my trusty Herschel nearing the end of its life, I've spent this week researching all your suggestions and trawling the Black Friday sales. Frankly, I'm only a little closer to pulling the trigger, and time is ticking on those discounts.&nbsp;
But without further ado, here are the top recommendations from you, the wonderful Jack's Community:
<h2 dir="ltr"><a href="https://www.osprey.com/">Osprey</a></h2>

&ldquo;I've had an Osprey Farpoint 40 for the last few years, and so far it's passed every test with flying colours. It's had dozens of work trips, backpacking in Japan, hiking in Iceland, travelling around Europe visiting 28 countries in 28 days with 100s of buses, coaches and trains, numerous trips to the US &amp; Canada and here's the thing: nothing has broken 😱😱 no broken zips, no frayed ends, no rips, nothing. And I have not been careful!
It also opens up fully laid down which is a great plus. If the 40 is a little big, Osprey have brought out a smaller Sojourn backpack in the same style, which I bought my gf and she loves. The Farpoint is probably a 4/5 on comfort when carrying but easily a 5/5 on endurance. I think there is a "trek" version they've recently brought out that is presumably more comfortable. I've also gotten away with it as cabin baggage on easyJet many times, even though it's technically too big (only been fined on 2 occasions out of maybe 25?). Hope this is useful for people!&rdquo;&nbsp;-&nbsp;UninhibitedBackpacker38333
<hr>
&ldquo;I bought my Osprey 40 litre Fairview pack 3 years ago and have been using it nearly year round ever since. It opens flat so I can see everything inside, has enough compartments and easy access whilst on the move. I have travelled for several 3 month trips and it takes everything I need and more, and is comfortable for a nearly 60 year old like me to carry!&nbsp;
There are no signs of wear and tear. 100% recommended.&nbsp;
Good luck, it's a tricky and important decision!&rdquo; - Claire

Pros: Osprey bags are practical, supportive, and clearly have staying power. There are a few nice colorways to choose from, for those who like their functionality served with at least a little pizzazz.
Cons: They&rsquo;re not the cheapest; Navigator Lauren&rsquo;s fave Fairview is currently clocking in at around &pound;115/$140/&euro;150. And while they do come in different colors, they&rsquo;re hardly serving up that enduring <a href="https://www.fjallraven.com/eu/en-gb/bags-gear/kanken/">K&aring;nken</a> style. Maybe more for the outdoorsy types than purely savvy travelers?
Next up, the zero frills, zero fuss crew:
<h2 dir="ltr"><a href="https://cabinmax.com/">Cabin Max</a></h2>

&ldquo;The cabin max bird and stars is amazing, I&rsquo;ve used it for a few trips and I also use it at work!&nbsp;
It easily fits clothes and toiletries in for a whole week for one person, with room to spare for a drink and snacks. Though I haven&rsquo;t tried to fit a proper jacket in there yet as it&rsquo;s only been used for warmer trips.&nbsp;
But it still looks brand new after being used almost every day since the start of May. It even has a clip on bit for you to pop glasses/goggles/sunglasses into, and the front zip up pocket has extra compartments and a tether that clips onto items for extra security. It has a little padded slot for a tablet or such and buckled straps in the main section to hold items in tight for you to fit in extra! I love it.&rdquo; - Danielle
<hr>
&ldquo;Another Cabin Max fan here, especially the Metz 20L that fits the Ryanair bins. Sturdy and it fits a huge amount of stuff!&rdquo; - DauntlessHolidaymaker17406

Pros: Cabin Max cater to nearly every airline&rsquo;s dimensional whims. It&rsquo;s all in the name: you&rsquo;ll get the max cabin space possible (without paying extra). Plus, they&rsquo;re super affordable and come in a variety of jazzy colors and styles, some even a little more stylish than purely functional.
Cons: Not ideal for lugging around on your back all day &mdash; the shoulder straps are all you&rsquo;ve got in the way of support, so don&rsquo;t bring the kitchen sink. And yes, they are on the cheaper side, so pay close attention to design elements like laptop padding and secure closures.
And now we&rsquo;ve got a PSA from Navigator Fran, who, surprisingly, is not being sponsored for this rave review:
<h2 dir="ltr"><a href="https://www.cotopaxi.com/">Cotopaxi</a></h2>

&ldquo;So I have a couple of Cotopaxis, but the ones that I use the most are the Cotopaxi Allpa 28L and the Cotopaxi Allpa 35L. The thing that I love the most about them is that they open fully like a suitcase, but they&rsquo;re backpacks. That&rsquo;s the key thing for me because I hate having to put my hands inside a backpack without seeing what I&rsquo;m touching. Everything gets messy, whereas if your backpack opens completely like a suitcase, it makes everything much more orderly.&nbsp;
Another thing that I love is the material. The external material, especially the front, has a kind of waxy feel, but it&rsquo;s not actually wax, so you don&rsquo;t need to treat it. Even though it&rsquo;s a soft backpack, it's made with sturdy materials, so even if it gets thrown around, it feels like the things inside won&rsquo;t get hit too hard.
<img src="https://cdn.jacksflightclub.com/id/a4a6e696d247b91ff1b2f8c198c762c9f99997cd" width="501" height="626" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;">
I really love all the pockets inside and outside. That&rsquo;s important for me for storing things properly and for accessibility. The Allpa 28L I have is the new model, and it comes with a side pocket, which I absolutely love. I use it for my water bottle, flip-flops, thin sneakers &mdash; whatever fits. That pocket only exists on the newer version Cotopaxi released last year. My 35L is the older model, so it doesn&rsquo;t have it, and I really miss it. I&rsquo;m honestly considering upgrading my 35L just for that pocket (lol Cotopaxi I love you pls send me one).
Another key thing is: the 35L one has back support, which is crucial for me. It has the adjustable chest buckle and the waist strap, while the 28L doesn't have the waist strap. I&rsquo;ve walked endless kilometres with it, and it&rsquo;s essential that the weight sits on my hips and not fully on my back.
I also love the little loops on the outside where you can attach a lock or hang things. Anything with a carabiner can go there &mdash; a portable speaker, flip-flops, whatever. I really love the colours too. They&rsquo;re veeeeeeery fun and stylish.&rdquo; - Fran

&ldquo;The Cotopaxi Allpa is AMAZING. I will not have another bag, ever. The 35L one is still Euro airline friendly, and I've lived out of it for months.&rdquo; - Layla

Pros: Cotopaxi bags are clearly super reliable and practical. Plus, you gotta love their <a href="https://uk.cotopaxi.com/collections/del-dia-collection">&lsquo;Del D&iacute;a&rsquo; collection</a>, made from a patchwork of leftover fabrics. That means you get a completely one-of-a-kind bag, which can come in pretty handy during the shuffle of international travel.
Cons: That price, though. You&rsquo;re looking at &pound;140-&pound;200 new on the Cotopaxi website. If you dig around online, you&rsquo;ll no doubt be able to find them a little cheaper, but they&rsquo;re still far from a budget-friendly option. More of a long-term investment, perhaps.&nbsp;
Also, you might be joining a cult that it&rsquo;s really hard to leave if you buy one.
Now, not to be confused with the Max competition above, the Jack&rsquo;s Community is also fond of&hellip;&nbsp;
<h2 dir="ltr"><a href="https://www.cabinzero.com/">Cabin Zero</a></h2>

&ldquo;Hello! I love my cabin zero. The 28L one is small enough for under Ryanair seats, and you can get them in a variety of sizes. Happy bag shopping!&rdquo; - Daniella
<hr>
&ldquo;I absolutely adore my Cabin Zero military backpack. I used it for 6 months to travel through Asia next to my larger backpack, used it as hand luggage while making short trips. Very roomy, holds a bottle, can be locked and has a separate space for a laptop.&rdquo; - BoldHiker86402

Pros: Once again, we&rsquo;ve got bags designed to beat airline restrictions. Looking for a carry-on that&rsquo;ll fit under the seat in front of you? Just filter by &lsquo;Underseat&rsquo;. They&rsquo;re functional, affordable, and they come in pretty much every color. 
Cons:&nbsp;What they offer in color, they kind of lack in actual style. Maximizing functional bag space is key here, and every model appears to be a cuboid bag designed to fit perfectly in a bag sizer.
<a href="https://members.jacksflightclub.com/articles/the-best-underseat-and-carry-on-bags-for-travel">Keep reading...</a>

Travel Tips

All the important (or silly, or strange) travel news from across web this week.
<ul>
<li>From next year, National Parks in the USA will begin charging <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1kpnxvpgy2o">higher entry fees for foreign visitors </a>than US residents. </li>
<li>Inside the Swiss village where <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/travel/article/20250314-murren-the-stunning-car-free-village-reached-by-cable-car">the only cars are cable cars</a>. </li>
<li>Move over salmon sperm facials, there's an island in Patagonia where <a href="https://www.afar.com/magazine/the-rare-potato-revival-in-patagonia-chile">potatoes are the key</a> to a youthful glow. </li>
<li>Here's how to make that <a href="https://www.thetimes.com/travel/destinations/europe-travel/norway/how-i-did-a-once-in-a-lifetime-norway-journey-for-a-fraction-of-the-price-8lmfnss9h">bucket-list cruise of the Norwegian fjords</a> into a reality without breaking the bank. </li>
<li>US passport holders can now save a <a href="https://www.afar.com/magazine/can-apples-new-digital-passport-be-used-for-travel">digital version of their passport</a> to their Apple Wallet. But can you actually use it on your next trip? </li>
<li>It's official: <a href="https://news.sky.com/story/jakarta-and-dhaka-topple-tokyo-to-become-worlds-biggest-megacities-13475419">Jakarta has overtaken Tokyo</a> as the most populous city in the world. </li>
<li>And finally, while Fodor's list of <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/alexledsom/2025/11/19/overcrowded-travel-destinations-in-2026-as-per-fodors-no-list/">over-touristed destinations to avoid</a> may not have thrown up many surprises, their <a href="https://www.fodors.com/news/photos/10-destinations-begging-for-more-visitors">10 spots crying out for more visitors</a> certainly will. From Palau, to Pakistan, to regional Japan, there's always somewhere new to discover without adding stress to the local community.</li>
</ul>

Travel News

Our Ultimate Carry-On Backpacks & Respectful Dressing On Board

Hungary

Lithuania

Hey there, travellers,
Greetings from somewhere in Lithuania! At the time of writing, I'm a little over one hour into an 11-hour train journey between Vilnius and Tallinn. And my entire train carriage is bright pink.&nbsp;

When I boarded, bleary-eyed, at 6:55 AM, I wondered if Lithuania had a particular penchant for Barbie &mdash; how very 2023, I thought. And then I noticed the egg sticker on the window, and the table decal showing dill, cucumber and half boiled eggs floating on a pink background.
A few sips of coffee later, I finally noticed the sticker in the middle of the train table emblazoned with the words, "VILNIUS PINK SOUP FEST." So strong is the&nbsp;<a href="https://tasteoflithuania.com/saltibarsciai-cold-beetroot-soup/">Lithuanian love of cold beetroot soup</a> (&scaron;altibar&scaron;čiai), apparently, that they have a festival celebrating it each May. And this summer, overland Baltic travellers have also been given the chance to live a beetroot-drenched dream aboard the Pink Soup Train.

It seems I'm lucky, too, as this weekend is the carriage's last hurrah of the year. While it would have been nice to get a few more hours' sleep before stepping into this Wonka-esque world of cheery food stuffs, I'd now quite like to try a bowl of the pink stuff.&nbsp;
My stopover in Lithuania was fleeting, unfortunately. But I'm pretty confident there'll be a vibrant&nbsp;<a href="https://estoniancuisine.com/2019/08/06/cold-summer-beetroot-soup/">Estonian version</a> waiting to greet me in Tallinn, albeit minus the waving eggs.
Happy travels and safe landings,

Where No Man Roams &mdash;&nbsp;Lessons from a Professional Trespasser

Flight Finder Akasha finds phenomenal flights faster than you can decide where you want to take a trip to next. A pro at finding the best of the best fares, she's also a master at sharing must-visit spots for when you land.

By Akasha

Simon scales fences, evades police, and crawls through asbestos. I followed him into the dark to understand what dead places do to the living.&nbsp;
A burly man, cloaked in black, waits for me in the deadzone of security cameras. I&rsquo;ve known him for all of half an hour, and now here I sit, teetering atop a 10ft fence, trusting that he&rsquo;ll catch me if I fall. My cotton gloves are useless, offering no protection as the chain links dig into my skin. One foot scrambles for a hold, dangling for a second too long; far below, the ground is a m&eacute;lange of brambles and broken concrete.&nbsp;
Expertly reeling, my mind fires off a million worst-case scenarios: a broken ankle, a dog chase, disappearing off the face of the earth. My phone buzzed in my pocket &mdash; a friend&rsquo;s text from Canada,&nbsp;&ldquo;You alive?&rdquo; as if her panic could bridge an ocean.
I&rsquo;d sent her his Instagram profile earlier: no last name, no identifiable locations, zero posts of sunlight. Just a feed of abandoned nuclear sites. I prayed she&rsquo;d at least pick a flattering thumbnail for the inevitable true-crime podcast.&nbsp;
And yet, there&rsquo;s something entirely too intoxicating about this moment. A forbidden dare, a promise of secret worlds hidden in plain sight. The rush comes before I even hit the ground.
This is Urbex &mdash; urban exploration &mdash; the exploration of manmade structures usually off-limits or abandoned. A regular Thursday for my new friend Simon, the man in black.
We connected weeks earlier through a dead Reddit thread, his username half-buried between broken links and breadcrumb co-ordinates. No small talk, no promises &mdash; this wasn&rsquo;t a tour. Just a time he&rsquo;d pick me up and the unspoken rule: &ldquo;Don&rsquo;t slow me down.&rdquo;
Just like hackers, lurking in the shadows of society, bypassing firewalls and cracking code, urbexers chase the thrill of uncovering a backdoor into the supposedly inaccessible.
Later, I&rsquo;d ask him about the moment he fell in love with Urbex. He thinks for a moment before answering with certainty.&nbsp;&ldquo;The atmosphere. It&rsquo;s like seeing the earth without humans. It&rsquo;s ephemeral, temporary, history, and adrenaline all wrapped in one. And photography, of course." He pauses, a glint of passion in his eyes. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s about capturing something that&rsquo;s fading, something that won&rsquo;t be there forever.&rdquo;

Chernobyl&rsquo;s exclusion zone, nuclear bunkers and NYC&rsquo;s legendary TB sanatorium are some of the hundreds of sites featured on Simon&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.instagram.com/theurbextrip/">Instagram</a> &mdash; an apocalyptic obsession fuelled by more than a decade of exploration.&nbsp;
The son of a photographer, documenting his adventures is essential to him, as is the web of intricate tattoos sprawled across his skin; both ink and images are a blueprint of a life lived on the edge. He&rsquo;s mastered the classic &ldquo;hero shot:&rdquo; a solitary figure, often snapped from behind, half swallowed by shadow and dwarfed by the grandeur of decay.&nbsp;
Back in Hungary, en route to the first of two sites Simon has agreed to show me, I launch into question mode. Naturally, I want to know if he&rsquo;s ever been busted, and the probability of being caught today. With his eyes focused on the road, I&rsquo;m speaking mostly to his face tattoo, a leviathan cross on the side of his cheek. Its meaning I can only guess.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Yeah, I got caught sleeping in my hammock at Baikonur.&rdquo; Baikonur, I am to learn, is an abandoned military base in the desert of Kazakhstan, a cathedral to the USSR&rsquo;s failed Buran space program, housing two enormous, decrepit Soviet space shuttles.
It&rsquo;s the ultimate endgame for Urbex explorers: sealed off, locked down, and just waiting for someone to bypass its firewall. Simon tells me of his masochistic journey there: A three day, forty kilometer night hike through the desert and a subsequent four days inside a Soviet military prison &mdash; a small price to pay for his SD card.&nbsp;
Following the fence jump,&nbsp;Simon lays his backpack over the twisted snarls of a barbed wire hole I am to climb through. He emphasizes the importance of taking quiet, calculated movements, &ldquo;I once fell through the roof of an abandoned morgue, got stuck between the roof and the glass and cut my arm up real bad.&rdquo;

Despite his broad frame, he slips through with expert ease, a feat that seems almost cruel as I attempt to follow. His boots looked like they&rsquo;d kicked in every door between here and Chernobyl.&nbsp;
Mine? Soft-toed sketchers with arch support, the kind reviewed by moms visiting Disneyland. Half his size, yet twice as clumsy, I muddle through, my down jacket a caught bird against the steel. The Urbex hierarchy was clear.
He&rsquo;s agreed to show me two sites today. A Cold War bunker in the Hungarian mountains and a legendary spot in the Urbex community, Kelenfold Power Station &mdash; a crumbling Art Deco cathedral of electricity, once the pride of Europe, now sealed off and slowly eroding into dust.
A beat-up old rental. A man I&rsquo;ve never met. And me, alone in a foreign country, climbing into the passenger seat with nothing but a backpack and blind faith. What could possibly go wrong?
Step into the&nbsp;<a href="https://members.jacksflightclub.com/articles/where-no-man-roams-lessons-from-a-professional-trespasser">full story</a> here.

Travel Tales

&ldquo;Hi! I&rsquo;d like to see some tips for a honeymoon to Indonesia from Amsterdam in October. Affordable but with some luxury in it.&rdquo;

Hey there, reader! Congrats on your wedding and MEGA congrats on the exciting honeymoon ahead. Amsterdam is a particularly good city for Indonesia connections, since you have lots of options.&nbsp;
Sure, there&rsquo;s the KLM of it all, but you also have the option of non-stop flights to Jakarta with Garuda Indonesia, and cheaper connections via the Middle East. In the last six months, we&rsquo;ve seen that non-stop route around &euro;650 return, while a one-stop route with Saudia has taken things below the &euro;400 mark. For that bit of luxury, check out Etihad for business class fares &mdash; they&rsquo;re currently sitting around &euro;1.8k return, which isn&rsquo;t too bad.
Of course, you may be looking more towards somewhere like Bali for the romantic island vibes. We sometimes see fares there for under &euro;500, but recently they&rsquo;ve mostly been via China &mdash; not exactly the quickest route! Given the handy Jakarta connections, and the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.google.com/travel/explore?tfs=CBwQAxoqEgoyMDI1LTEwLTI5KABqDAgDEggvbS8wNDRydnIMCAQSCC9tLzAzcnluGioSCjIwMjUtMTEtMDUoAGoMCAQSCC9tLzAzcnlucgwIAxIIL20vMDQ0cnZAAUgBcAKCAQQICRACmAEBsgEEGAEgAQ&amp;tfu=GioaKAoSCcS2NdwRVytAER0aqt8-H2FAEhIJNQqgzPTyLMAROTRUvy3zV0A">plethora of cheap island hopping available</a> from there, that&rsquo;s where I&rsquo;d focus my flight hunting.

As for where to go, that obviously depends on what you&rsquo;re looking for. Bali has the reputation and lush resorts to match, but it can be overwhelmed with tourists. <a href="https://jacksflightclub.com/newsletter-2024-03-05">Have a look here</a> at what the Jack&rsquo;s Community had to say about where to skip and what to see in and around Bali.
Away from the mega tourist track, there&rsquo;s another bucket-list Indonesian experience you might want to consider: orangutan spotting in the jungle. That&rsquo;s a pretty special honeymoon treat, so if it takes your fancy, do some research and look for an ethical tour company. I found <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/solotravel/comments/18b85lo/advice_for_traveling_to_north_sumatraethical/">this reddit thread</a> pretty useful.
Now it&rsquo;s over to the rest of you, dear readers! Have you got any special Indonesia tips for our honeymooners? Where should they go to make memories with a touch of pizzazz? <a href="https://members.jacksflightclub.com/articles/detour-198-urban-exploration-hungary#comments">Let us know in the comments</a> or by replying to this email.

Reader's Corner

All the important (or silly, or strange) travel news from across web this week.
<ul>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation">Germany&rsquo;s legendary efficiency has officially gone <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/deutsche-bahn-is-on-track-for-more-delays-and-cancellations/a-73304129">off the rails</a> &mdash; literally. With delays, breakdowns, and Deutsche Bahn drama, the land of punctuality is facing an identity crisis on the tracks. </li>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation">Rice fields, cave hikes, and karst cliffs that aren&rsquo;t swarming with influencers! This is Vietnam, <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/asia/vietnam/vietnam-travel-unique-destinations-b2801570.html">far from the tourist track but just as beautiful</a>. </li>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation">Just when you thought Vegas weddings couldn't get campier, one couple got married by&hellip; a walking jar of <a href="https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/relationships/hellman-s-mayonnaise-wedding-c780bc00?st=SQpkac&amp;mod=1440&amp;user_id=66c4c27d600ae150758fd9b4">Hellmann's mayonnaise</a>. Good thing the condiment-themed ceremony was quick, ending before Nevada's summer heat could spoil the fun. </li>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation">Feeling targeted by high air fares? Turns out it really is personal &mdash; or it will be, once Delta starts <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/delta-pricing-tickets-ai-b2790442.html">using artificial intelligence</a> to determine individual ticket prices. Pro-tip: Don&rsquo;t google &ldquo;caviar near me&rdquo; the night before booking a flight. </li>
<li>And finally, meet the hiking couples who found each other by leaving handwritten messages in a notebook <a href="https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20250805-swiss-mountain-tinder-sparks-high-altitude-attraction?utm_source=join1440&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_placement=newsletter&amp;user_id=66c4c27d600ae150758fd9b4">on top of a Swiss mountain</a>. Your move, Nicholas Sparks.</li>
</ul>

Urban Exploration in Hidden Hungary & Honeymooning in Indonesia

Romania

<h1>Paris Travel Dupes</h1>
This article was originally published in the Detour in January 2024

I&rsquo;m not a big one for leaning into travel trends&mdash;go where your heart truly desires, I say! But if your heart&nbsp;reeeeally wants to go &ldquo;somewhere like Paris but not so touristy,&rdquo; then maybe the travel dupes trend is actually for you.&nbsp;
Let&rsquo;s be clear, I&rsquo;m not talking about going somewhere that looks exactly like Paris&mdash;short of a visit to Vegas, you&rsquo;re not going to get a selfie with the Eiffel Tower anywhere else. TikTokers jumping on the bandwagon are all about finding somewhere &ldquo;better&rdquo; than the original destination, but for me, it&rsquo;s more about getting to the heart of what you want from a trip and looking for places that offer a similar experience.&nbsp;
So, what is it that visitors want from a trip to Paris? Romantic sunset strolls along the Seine, world-class art and stunning architecture&hellip; some really tasty baked goods and great wine? Unsurprisingly, these are all things you can find elsewhere, too.

We&rsquo;ll start with a suggestion to satisfy anyone wanting to practise their French: Rouen, the capital of Normandy. At first glance, it&rsquo;s a little more industrial than Paris, but stick with me&mdash;it still checks a bunch of boxes!&nbsp;
For those leisurely strolls, you&rsquo;ve got the Seine running through the centre of town. But here, I&rsquo;d say it&rsquo;s best enjoyed as part of the panorama from atop&nbsp;<a href="https://en.visiterouen.com/heritages/nature/the-sainte-catherine-hill-in-rouen/?lid=16g46ynjyt1i">Saint Catherine&rsquo;s Hill</a>. Even&nbsp;<a href="https://arthive.com/claudemonet/works/324044~General_view_of_Rouen_from_the_hill_of_St_Catherine?lid=sttgycdmn1sl">Monet</a>&nbsp;found the views inspiring!
The steeple towering above the rest of the old town belongs to none other than Rouen&rsquo;s own Notre-Dame Cathedral, which spends its summer evenings&nbsp;<a href="https://en.visiterouen.com/heritages/history/the-cathedral-intimate-and-flamboyant/cathedral-of-light/?lid=mgwjjzgs6r0x">bathing in illuminations</a>. And then there&rsquo;s the Gothic church of Saint-Laurent, worth a visit for its unusual museum packed with&nbsp;<a href="https://www.clarkart.edu/microsites/the-art-of-iron/exhibition-(4)?lid=1kppg9ufbm2d">wrought iron works of art</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;
Just walking through the medieval cobblestone streets will keep you entertained, though. You can hunt down the spot where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake, admire the city&rsquo;s astronomical clock from inside and out, and duck in and out of cheese shops (or&nbsp;<a href="https://rouen-bouge.fr/en/fromagerie-bar-bickett-le-premier-bar-a-fromage-de-rouen/?lid=7c1buui4kcaf">cheese&nbsp;bars</a>!) along the way. It&rsquo;d be rude not to sample&nbsp;<a href="https://www.butterfield.com/get-inspired/calvados-a-norman-tradition?lid=c6qz0tgyl3zl">the local tipples</a>, too!

My second suggestion takes us a hop northeast to the Belgian city of Antwerp. This one has already popped up on social media as a suggested Paris &ldquo;dupe&rdquo;, but I actually think it fits more for Amsterdam. That said, I can definitely get behind it from a more historical destination angle.&nbsp;
The&nbsp;<a href="https://aviewoncities.com/antwerp/meir?lid=gv26bcxfilcb">grand boulevards</a>&nbsp;lined with historic buildings, luxury shopping galleries, and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1977614/worlds-most-beautiful-train-station-antwerp-belgium" target="_blank" rel="noopener">UNESCO-protected train station</a>&nbsp;all play a major role in setting the tone for the city. Add in the&nbsp;<a href="https://rubenshuis.be/en?lid=t7w2lwhzp3yz">Italian-style palazzo</a>&nbsp;surrounded by lush gardens and stuffed to the brim with Baroque art, and you&rsquo;ve probably got a pretty good idea of what to expect.
Don&rsquo;t worry, Antwerp also has a&nbsp;<a href="https://aviewoncities.com/antwerp/cathedral-of-our-lady?lid=66rfuoyvo8l3">Cathedral of Our Lady</a>&nbsp;for you to visit, complete with more works of art by Rubens and an effigy of Isabella of Bourbon. Bonus activity for anyone who isn&rsquo;t claustrophobic or afraid of heights: free guided tours of the cathedral include the opportunity to climb the small cathedral tower. For the full belfry experience, you&rsquo;ll need to stop by the&nbsp;<a href="https://museumvleeshuis.be/en?lid=jxxel7fzludw">Museum Vleeshuis</a>&nbsp;interactive music museum.
Antwerp also takes care of you boat-trip fans. The Scheldt River is teeming with life&mdash;between the waterbuses connecting the city and the tours that take you around the harbour, you won&rsquo;t lack an opportunity to get on the water. The sunset strolls may&nbsp;<a href="https://www.livetheworld.com/activities/belgium/walking-the-quays?lid=stf13yveldwv">look a little different</a>&nbsp;here than Paris, but they can definitely still be romantic.

My final Parisian alternative is Bucharest, Romania. You can probably surmise from its nickname, &ldquo;Little Paris of the East,&rdquo; that I&rsquo;m far from the first person to suggest that Bucharest might indeed remind you of the French capital.&nbsp;
I&rsquo;ll get the most obvious reason out of the way first: the&nbsp;<a href="https://visitbucharest.today/arch-of-triumph/?lid=848le7bda3sc">Arcul de Triumf</a>. In fact, much of the architecture in Bucharest wouldn&rsquo;t feel at all out of place in Paris. As well as an old town packed with cafe-lined cobblestone streets and hidden courtyards, you&rsquo;ll soon encounter the imposing tree-lined boulevard that was specifically&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulevardul_Unirii?lid=r5k2goalrxk9">designed to rival the Champs-&Eacute;lys&eacute;es</a>.&nbsp;
The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/muzeul-micul-paris-little-paris-museum?lid=mqb4ptyey4d1">Muzeul Micul Paris</a>&nbsp;(Museum of Little Paris) is a good place to get a feel for where the nickname came from. It celebrates Bucharest&rsquo;s golden age in a staged bourgeois house that&rsquo;ll take you right back to the late 19th century.&nbsp;&nbsp;
But Bucharest does have remarkable landmarks of its own as well! Located at the end of Bulevardul Unirii, the&nbsp;<a href="https://visitbucharest.today/palace-of-parliament/?lid=5hcqn3bipel2">Palace of the Parliament</a>&nbsp;is hands-down one of the most jaw-dropping buildings I&rsquo;ve ever seen. It&rsquo;s the largest civilian building in the world, and apparently also the heaviest and most expensive.
There are loads of excellent spots to stop around the city for a browse or a bite to eat, like the beautiful&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C3Som5Do3VU/?hl=en&amp;lid=5wjr5drihwe8">Carturesti Carusel</a>&nbsp;bookshop and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.carucubere.ro/en/venue/?lid=8gs68s5eupwo">Caru&rsquo; cu bere</a>&nbsp;restaurant. And come the evening, you can pop into a&nbsp;<a href="https://draculasguidetoromania.com/2023/10/15/wonderful-wine-bars-bucharest/?lid=i0iuwb5l64s3">cosy little wine bar</a>&nbsp;and find out just how well the local produce rivals Paris&rsquo;.
Now we&rsquo;ve got a few options lined up instead of the City of Lights, your brain might be ticking away thinking about &ldquo;dupes&rdquo; for other destinations. Here are a few ideas to consider:

<ul>
<li>Switch the Maldives for Malaysia. Already popular with diving enthusiasts, the white sand beaches and overwater bungalows of Sipadan and Langkayan just scream relaxation. Or for more budget options, pick the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.timetravelturtle.com/malaysia/perhentian-islands/?lid=bmlbh6zoeah1">Perhentian Islands</a>.</li>
</ul>

<ul>
<li>Want the big city vibe without the Big Apple price tag? Head to Chicago. Walk&nbsp;<a href="https://www.the606.org/?lid=trh43lwi3ros">The 606&nbsp;</a>instead of the High Line, sip a cocktail while taking in the views at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C6uxcxDLcxE/?lid=k7176azc4l0y">Cindy&rsquo;s</a>, catch a show at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.secondcity.com/history?lid=x9wzz5t5cgtk">Second City</a>. And of course, treat yourself to a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.chicagomag.com/chicago-magazine/november-2023/chicago-25-best-pizza/?lid=opq344i9pwwk">slice</a>&nbsp;(deep-dish or otherwise).</li>
</ul>

<ul>
<li>The busy temples of Angkor Wat in Cambodia are high on many lists, but Indonesia&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-blogs/unusual-place-of-the-month-borobudur/?lid=onhk8ub8xkdl">Borobudur</a>&nbsp;deserves just as much attention. It&rsquo;s the largest Buddhist temple compound in the world and which took 75 years to build. Its 3-tiered stupa is made from over 2 million stones and surrounded by 72 smaller shrines. Unsurprisingly, sunrise is a popular time to visit.</li>
</ul>

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