Clark Howard's Tips

Travel substitution the key to cheap international vacations

May 13, 2008

Are you shell-shocked by the weak dollar and looking for alternatives to expensive travel destinations?

Forbes has some suggestions both at home and abroad. As the old saying goes, "When a door closes, a window opens." Below are a few of their picks: • Thinking about Barcelona? Try Buenos Aires instead.
• Looking at Italy? Consider Portugal.
• Want to sip wine in Napa? Get your vintage on at Santa Ynez Valley.
• Headed to Dubai? Visit Jordan instead.
• Eager to relax in Hawaii? Go to Barbados.
• Phuket breaking your budget? Look at coastal Vietnam.
• Prague too expensive? Warsaw is cheap!

CLARK'S TIP TOPICS Consumer Tips Managing Money Banks & Credit Cards Technology Health & Healthcare Car Costs Homes Phones & Utilities Small Business Travel & Leisure Find more consumer advice in Clark Howard's book, "Get Clark Smart"

For domestic travel, this is going to be a year of deals on hotel stays. The hotel business has overbuilt and created too much inventory. On top of that, people are staying home for "staycations." So look for bargains on Hotwire and Priceline.

More Clark Howard Travel Tips Hotels deals, baggage warning for travelers  Frequent flyer miles an increasingly bad option  Travel deals still available  Cruise crime remains a persistent problem  CouchSurfing.com may appeal to low-budget travelers  Travel substitution the key to cheap international vacations  Hotels offering gas incentives  Bolt Bus, Mega Bus offer bus travel on the cheap  Slow economy, soft travel means globe-trotting deals  Orbitz responds to complaint  Full list