"Surprisingly, It's Still Fairly Undiscovered By Americans": Frequent Fliers Are Sharing Underrated Destinations To Consider In Place Of Popular Vacation Spots
If you're anything like me, deciding where to take your next international getaway is one of the most challenging decisions to make. There are so many incredible places to see. And while the big tourist cities — like Greece or Tokyo or Paris — are popular for a reason, perhaps you're looking for something more off-the-beaten-path.
So I browsed the r/travel subreddit and gathered responses from the BuzzFeed Community in order to round up a bunch of lesser-known (yet incredible) destinations to consider in place of trendier vacation spots.
1.Instead of Greece, go to ALBANIA: "It's Greece's less famous neighbor. It has beautiful beaches, tasty and quite cheap food, and lots of gems to explore. The only downside is that many people don't speak English."
2.Instead of Germany, go to POLAND: "Poland, particularly Poland beyond Krakow, was never on my radar before I moved to Germany and started traveling there all the time since it's right next door. And WOW, Poland has everything. Cool cities, great food, beautiful castles, stunning countryside, and a fascinating history. It really doesn't get the tourism it deserves, although I do like that the major sights aren't crowded with other tourists."
3.Instead of Tulum, go to BELIZE: "Besides Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker, the rest of Belize is not super touristy. You'll find everything from the second largest barrier reef in the world to lush rainforests. It’s cheap, the people are very friendly, and it’s relatively safe."
4.Instead of Seoul, go to BUSAN: "Busan, South Korea is this bizarre juxtaposition of ancient and super modern, and everything is both chaotic and incredibly organized. I’m not sure how it functions but it does...and seemingly way better than other large cities. The scenery, the food, and the people were fantastic."
5."Instead of Andalusia, visit NORTHERN SPAIN: "Northern Spain is where you'll find incredible beauty that rivals anywhere else in Europe, but for a fraction of the cost. You could spend months exploring the Basque Country, Asturias, Cantabria, and Galicia alone. Driving around the Picos de Europa mountain range is a great experience. You can travel between rural mountain towns and quaint beach towns within an hour. Madrid, Barcelona, Andalusia, and other vacation towns in Spain get so much attention, but the north is really underrated."
6.Instead of Sicily, go to MALTA: "Not surprisingly, it’s a bit more popular with Europeans, but Malta is practically unheard of among Americans. It's a fantastic place to visit: cheap, stunningly beautiful, and pretty good weather year-round. I was there last month, and there were a fair number of tourists around the main sites in Valetta, but almost no one around once you went even slightly off the beaten path."
7.Instead of Thailand, go to SRI LANKA: "Sri Lanka is the pearl of the Indian ocean, ripe with natural beauty and history. It's home to friendly people and tasty (often spicy!) food, sandy beaches, palm trees, and lots of wild life."
8.Instead of Croatia, go to MONTENEGRO: "Montenegro is truly a hidden gem in the Balkans. Podgorica is a lovely city, and visiting the coast in and around Budva feels like stepping back in time."
9.Instead of Bali, go to BORNEO: "Borneo, and especially Kalimantan (the Indonesian portion of the island) is worth a trip. Lots of people visit Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, Java, and Bali, but not as many people head to Borneo. Even those who visit Borneo mostly stay in Malaysia, and very few venture into Kalimantan. There you'll find rainforest, orangutans, leopards, and beaches, and it's way less crowded than Bali."
10.Instead of Lake Como, go to LAKE GARDA: "I never hear Americans talking about this lesser-known Italian lake town, but its honestly one of the most beautiful places Ive ever been."
11.Instead of Cape Town, visit NAMIBIA: "Namibia is just above South Africa, yet it's the most isolated country in the world after Mongolia in terms of population. Ever seen pictures of amazing giant sand dunes in the desert? That's Namibia. This country boasts the same great safari game parks and five-star resorts you'd find in other popular African destinations. I visited Etosha National Park, which was one of my favorite travel experiences. And you will never see the stars burn as brightly as they look in the Namib desert."
12.Instead of Sydney, go to TASMANIA: "When people think of Australia, they think of beaches and reefs. Tasmania has massive rainforests, beautiful scenic islands, and it's home to the bustling city of Hobart, one of the largest Antarctic ports."
"Tasmania is awesome. It has some of the best food on earth. You can go pick fresh oysters off the beach five minutes from town, grab a snorkel and get fresh abalone, enjoy lunch on snowcapped Mount Wellington for lunch, and have fish and chips on the beach for dinner. There's the Cadbury factory and the Cascade brewery right near town, ridiculous rainforests, some of the best trout fishing in the world. And there's Bruny Island, which has penguins and all sorts of amazing wildlife."