Searching for the perfect international holiday sometimes means looking beyond the destinations that dominate travel wish lists. From Austria's Alpine landscapes to Seoul's urban energy, discover five destination dupes that offer the same travel mood as some of the world's most popular holidays, while delivering experiences that are uniquely their own.
The holidays filling our saved folders are often famous for a reason: Swiss mountains, Mediterranean sunsets, Tokyo streets and Amsterdam canals. But popularity can also mean crowded attractions, higher costs and plans that feel familiar before the trip begins.
A destination dupe is not a cheaper copy of somewhere else. It is a place that delivers the feeling you want - alpine scenery, island sunsets, big-city energy or café culture - in its own way.
For travellers planning their next international holiday, looking one pin away can lead to a more surprising trip. With Air India connecting India to an expanding network of destinations across Europe and Asia, travellers have more opportunities than ever to look beyond the obvious choices. Here are five places worth considering before the destination is decided.
Switzerland may dominate the mountain-holiday mood board, but Austria brings the same ingredients: dramatic peaks, lakes, small towns and journeys where the view becomes part of the itinerary. Salzburg puts the Alps beside a beautiful old city, while the Salzkammergut region offers lakes and mountain villages beyond Hallstatt.
Austria also makes it easy to combine a city break with time outdoors. Begin in Vienna for cafés, museums and palaces, then head west for a slower days in the mountains.
How to get there: Air India flies non-stop between Delhi and Vienna, with Salzburg about 300 kilometers onward.
At Phu Quoc’s southern end, Sunset Town tumbles down towards the sea in pastel colours, terracotta roofs and Mediterranean-inspired piazzas. By evening, the setting is designed around what its name promises: watching the sun disappear over the water.
Beyond that European-looking corner, Phu Quoc remains a tropical Vietnamese island of beaches, seafood, night markets and warm seas.
How to get there: Air India flies non-stop from Delhi to Ho Chi Minh City, from where Phu Quoc is an hour away by a domestic flight.
If Singapore appeals for its skyline, shopping, food and easy urban energy, Kuala Lumpur deserves a place on the shortlist. The Petronas Towers are the obvious landmark, but KL is best experienced by moving between its modern districts, Chinatown, old shophouses, markets and food streets.
It is also a city that does not demand an hour-by-hour plan: shop in the afternoon, eat on Jalan Alor and change course the next morning.
How to get there: Air India flies non-stop between Delhi and Kuala Lumpur
When Bali is shorthand for beaches, surfing, cafés, greenery and sunsets, Sri Lanka’s south coast offers its own version of that rhythm. Galle boasts of old streets and stunning architecture, while Weligama and Mirissa offer beaches, surfing and relaxed coastal cafés.
The trip can change character quickly: follow a few days by the sea coupled with tea estates, cooler hills, train journeys or wildlife inland.
How to get there: Air India flies non-stop to Colombo from Delhi and Mumbai, with Galle around 120 kilometres down the coast.
Tokyo may be high on many wishlists, but Seoul offers another way into the energy of a major East Asian city. It moves easily between palaces and traditional neighbourhoods, contemporary fashion and cafés, the Han River and Hongdae after dark.
Korean music, cinema, food, beauty and fashion make Seoul feel familiar before many travellers arrive, but markets, museums, mountains and its café scene stand on their own.
How to get there: Air India flies non-stop between Delhi and Seoul’s Incheon Airport.
A destination dupe only works if you eventually stop thinking of it as a dupe. Austria is not Switzerland without Switzerland, and Seoul is not Tokyo with a different skyline. Each place becomes more interesting once you stop comparing it with the destination that led you there.
The best trip does not always have to be the most famous or most photographed one. Sometimes all it takes is moving the pin.
