5 Bargain Vacation Destinations Off the Beaten Path

Hordes of tourists swarming the world’s most popular destinations can make travel unpleasant.

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Hordes of tourists swarming the world’s most popular destinations can make travel unpleasant. For example, Barcelona and Venice are so crowded that disgruntled residents have staged protests over the influx of visitors. Governments looking for ways to reduce the crowds in Barcelona and Dubrovnik are considering limiting hotel construction or capping the number of cruise ships that unleash swells of day-trippers.

If your heart is set on viewing Paris from atop the Eiffel Tower or skiing at a chic Colorado resort, the crush of people with the same idea may not deter you. But if you prize a less-crowded experience, consider these five alternatives to popular vacation spots around the world. One way to avoid the crowds is to travel during the off-season. But scheduling time off from work or school and risking rainy and cold weather aren’t for everyone, so we chose places that are less packed all year round and offer good value even in peak season. Take a look.

Miriam Cross
Associate Editor, Kiplinger's Personal Finance
Miriam lived in Toronto, Canada, before joining Kiplinger's Personal Finance in November 2012. Prior to that, she freelanced as a fact-checker for several Canadian publications, including Reader's Digest Canada, Style at Home and Air Canada's enRoute. She received a BA from the University of Toronto with a major in English literature and completed a certificate in Magazine and Web Publishing at Ryerson University.