While others focus on New Year’s resolutions, my family and I come up with a dream list of where we want to go. Places we missed out on last year (Thailand and the Cook Islands) are often overturned, but we’re always adding new places (this year, South Korea) that can — with careful planning — be affordable.
In 2024, more than half of American travelers plan to go where the cost of living is less expensive than their hometown, according to online travel agency Booking.com. 60% said they would look for ‘copycat holidays’ or cheaper alternatives to expensive places.
“Consumers are increasingly expanding their appetites to try new destinations, which is stretching them to places less traveled and more affordable,” said Brett Keller, CEO of online agency Priceline.
Frugal strategies—like traveling in off- or shoulder seasons, going where the dollar is strong, and sampling unfamiliar destinations—help you make the most of your budget. The following destinations offer fresh and affordable incentives to visit in 2024.
Exchange rate my dears
A stronger dollar buys more abroad. Instead of heading to typically expensive US spots like Hawaii or New York, take your spending power to an affordable destination for a bonus.
Mexico, where $1 is worth more than 17 pesos, has long been a bargain for Americans and remains the most popular international destination, attracting more than 33 million visitors in 2022 (the latest year for which National Travel and Tourism Office).
The US State Department is warning travelers against visiting several Mexican states because of crime, but not Nayarit on the central Pacific coast, just north of Puerto Vallarta.
There, travelers can now visit the Islas Marías, a biodiverse archipelago about 60 miles off the coast and designated as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. The government recently began offering trips to the former penal colony, which has been renovated as an environmental and educational center. Currently, weekend-only trips are operated by boat from San Blas and cost about 5,000 pesos per person (about $300), including meals, tours and two nights in renovated former prison cells. The no frills journey offers opportunities to spot rare species such as the yellow-headed parrot and the Tres Marías raccoon, as well as migrating whale sharks.
The cost in Canada is about a third cheaper when you pay in US dollars. Head to the town of Penticton in southern British Columbia’s wine-growing Okanagan Valley, where there are new one-hour flights from Vancouver and a new Four Points by Sheraton hotel, with rates starting at about C$135, or about $100. After a bike ride on the dramatic Kettle Valley Rail Trail that circles Okanagan Lake, visit the wineries in picturesque Naramata (tastings are $10 at Chain Reaction Winery).
Or head to Montreal to see “Nature Vive,” an immersive biodiversity-themed light and sound show by Oasis Immersion, premiering February 22 (tickets from $29). This year, Montreal also has one of six teams participating in the debut season of the Professional Women’s Hockey League (tickets from about $25).
“Destination Cheats”
Travelers seeking to avoid over-touristy and expensive places have long sought less stressful and cheaper alternatives, a trend recently popularized on TikTok as “destination cheats.”
In that vein, instead of seeing the cherry blossoms of Kyoto, Japan or Washington, DC, consider Modesto, California, the gateway to agriculture in the Central Valley, during almond blossom season. In February and March, the area’s 1.5 million acres of almond trees burst with pink and white flowers. Visitors can take an almond blossom trail with an audio guide ($14.99) and listen to a Spotify playlist dedicated to the source by the Modesto Symphony Orchestra.
While you’re there, take the new Street Art Audio Tour ($14.99) to see many of the city’s more than 100 murals. Accommodations range from chain hotels to Airbnbs that, in a recent search, started at $65 a night.
Cleveland and Indianapolis are both in the path of the April 8 total solar eclipse, making them star tourism destinations. But they can also be considered sports errors for the Paris Olympics.
Before the Olympics, June 15-23, America’s best swimmers will gather in Indianapolis for the USA Olympic Swimming Team Trials at Lucas Oil Stadium, the first time an NFL stadium has hosted an Olympic-sized pool (tickets from about 56 $).
From July 12-21, Cleveland will host the Pan American Masters Games, an Olympic-inspired sports festival for athletes over 30 competing in age categories up to 100 years old. More than 7,500 athletes from more than 50 countries are expected to compete in dozens of sports, including stand-up rowing, curling and athletics. Entry for spectators is free.
Affordable wellness
Wellness travel tends to misrepresent luxury, but the popularity of things like forest bathing and meditation have proven that healthy practices don’t have to cost a fortune.
“In 2024, I foresee the re-emergence of social wellness,” said Yuki Kiyono, global head of health and wellness development at luxury resort group Aman. The company will open Janu Tokyo in March with extensive swimming and therapy pools, which are considered places of socialization in Japan.
Cheaper and closer to home, travelers can meet and enjoy hot springs, including Glenwood Hot Springs Resort in Glenwood Springs, Colo. This year, the late 19th-century complex, about 40 miles north of Aspen, plans to expand with five new pools, two with waterfalls (admission, from $32; resort rooms currently start at $179).
For the all-in destination spa experience, consider the Art of Living Retreat Center in Boone, NC, which responded to a 20 percent increase in bookings in 2023 with more than 40 renovated rooms and plans to install a flotation tank.
The three-day Happiness Retreat uses yoga, breathing and meditation to improve well-being. Grab a few friends and the experience costs $595 per person in a triple room, including programming and meals.
Connection with nature
Most visitors head to the Destin-Fort Walton Beach area in the Florida Panhandle for the white sand beaches of the Gulf Coast. However, the destination is working hard to connect visitors with nature, including the installation of eight man-made snorkeling reefs as of 2019 that attract groupers, snapper, sea turtles and, in the summer, tropical fish. From April to October, a program called Little Adventures offers educational excursions for children in snorkeling, fishing and surfing (free).
The area’s Emerald Coast Open Lionfish Tournament, established in 2019, returns May 17-18 ($75), encourages divers to hunt invasive lionfish and has helped create a culinary market for the fish through partnerships with local restaurants . Last year, the event caught nearly 25,000 lionfish, voracious eaters that have no predators and are most easily caught with a speargun.
“The lion is here to stay,” said Alex Fogg, a marine biologist who works for the Destin-Fort Walton Beach tourism office. The event’s catch, he added, “gives local species a breather and establishes them as food fish.”
Visitors will find plenty of affordable accommodations in the area, including La Quinta by Wyndham Fort Walton Beach, which has rooms starting at $111 a night on Booking.com.
Eco-travelers should consider heading to southern New Mexico as part of the Gila Wilderness Area’s centennial celebrations. The first wilderness area in the United States was designated in 1924 after visionary conservationist Aldo Leopold campaigned to set aside large areas, primarily to allow ecosystems to function with minimal intervention.
Its original 755,000-acre footprint is now split between the Gila Wilderness Area and the neighboring Aldo Leopold Wilderness Area, with more than 800 miles of hiking trails between them (access is free). Beginning in March, anniversary events include guided hikes, stargazing and a film festival. And they’re all affordable, including accommodations priced under $100 a night in the nearby town of Truth or Consequences, according to online travel agency Expedia.
Under the radar options
Always consider the overlooked — for savings, of course, but also for surprises.
Lonely Planet singled out Poland as a value destination this year (the dollar is worth about 4 Polish zlotys), noting that the Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw will open later this year.
“In Europe, we’re seeing a growing interest in more unique destinations like Poland and Bulgaria,” said Bruce Poon Tip, founder of tour operator G Adventures, who visited Warsaw last year and praised its cultural offerings, including music . G Adventures’ seven-day trip from Budapest to Berlin visits Krakow and starts at $1,161.
Travelers interested in architecture and history should consider Tucson, Ariz., where the downtown Barrio Viejo neighborhood will receive National Historic Landmark designation this year, officially recognizing the colorful adobe houses built between 1860 and 1900 .
Walk into the area from the Downtown Clifton Hotel, a stylishly updated 1948 motel (rooms from about $99), and tour it with a guide from the Presidio San Agustín del Tucson Museum ($30) or Airbnb Experiences ($50).
Follow New York Times Travel on Instagram and subscribe to the Travel Dispatch weekly newsletter to get expert tips to travel smarter and inspiration for your next vacation. Dreaming of a future getaway or just an armchair trip? Take a look at ours 52 places to go in 2024.
