Europe

London Stansted

England

Venice

Why should Italy be next on your list? Because it's the place where "living la dolce vita" is not just a slogan—it's the only way to operate. Travel to Italy means surrendering yourself to world-class authentic Italian food that will ruin your neighborhood pizzeria for you forever. We're talking freshly rolled dough, delicious ragus, and gelato that’s a mandatory daily pleasure, all served up with a side of next-level atmosphere.
But an Italy vacation is so much more than just a culinary tour; it's an effortless deep dive into culture through the ages. The art, the fashion, and the sheer, undeniable style of it all are so effortlessly chic, they'll make you want to immediately uproot your entire life.
One day, you could be standing awed by thousand-year-old historic sites in Rome or Florence, and the next, you're sipping an Aperol Spritz on the Amalfi Coast. From the rugged beauty of the Dolomites to secluded beaches, Italy offers a perfect backdrop for any adventure, whether you're seeking romance in Venice or a vibrant city break. It’s an inspiring destination that checks every box, and our affordable Flights to Italy make those Rome, Florence, and Venice dreams a reality.

Italy

"Living la dolce vita" is not just a slogan—it's the only way to operate in Italy. Our affordable Flights and travel guides will have you soaking in ancient history, sipping on spritzes, and splashing in the sea in no time.

Copenhagen

Denmark

Marseille

France

Faro

Portugal

London Luton

Dortmund

Germany

London Gatwick

Dublin

Ireland

May bank holiday trips 🌼 at £33-£67 rtn from London 

Poitiers

Poitiers ⛪ at £30-£36 rtn from London Stansted

Wanna know why Nice is one of my favourite cities?

Maastricht

Netherlands

Nice

Nice 🌊 in €180s rtn 

Manchester

Oslo

Norway

Leeds Bradford

Alicante

Forget everything you thought you knew about a good time, because Spain is here to show you how it’s really done.
So, why visit Spain? Well, for starters, the Spanish food is legendary. We’re talking about diving headfirst into world-famous tapas and stuffing yourself silly with paella until you need a mandatory post-lunch siesta. But it's not just about the incredible cuisine; it’s a whole vibe. The sun-drenched streets, the impromptu guitar music wafting from a bar, the late-night dinners that make your 9 PM reservation back home look like breakfast—it’s all part of the glorious, chaotic cultural heritage. If you're looking for a destination where the default setting is fiesta, this is it.
One minute you could be sipping sangria while lounging on some of the Mediterranean’s best beaches in Spain, and the next you’re exploring historic sites that look like they’ve been pulled straight from a fantasy novel—think the whimsical architecture of Barcelona or the Moorish marvels of Andalusia. From the buzzing city life to the quiet, rugged mountains, Spain offers such insane variety it’s practically showing off. And it doesn't have to break the bank either, since our Flights make affordable travel to Spain a reality.

Spain

If you're looking for a destination where the default settings are fiesta and siesta, Spain is the one. You're in for legendary food, charming, sun-drenched streets, and mind-blowing architecture, and that's before you even hit the beach.

Liverpool

Rome

Newcastle

Charleroi

Belgium

May bank holiday trips 🌻 at £49-£64 rtn from Liverpool, Leeds Bradford, Newcastle and Manchester 

Want to dodge the mid-summer crush? We got you!

Rotterdam

Girona

Toulon

Girona, Spain & Toulon, France 🏛️ at €116 rtn

Bournemouth

Edinburgh

Scotland

East Midlands

Birmingham

Beauvais

Madrid

Bristol

Prague

Czech Republic

May bank holiday trips 🌹 at £31-£72 rtn from Bournemouth, Birmingham, East Midlands and Bristol

I went the long way down, hired a car and loved the back roads. Quality of munchies available is cliche but also true. Fabulous lunches on offer for not much money in "bakeries" that Greggs could only dream of.

Postcard from MettlesomeSojourner88265

This was a great deal and we just flew SAS to Copenhagen. We booked this for a trip to Berlin! 

Postcard from Amanda

Hey Jack & team,
I booked this deal to... Toulouse

I booked this one!

Went on the Eurostar. Such an easy way to get to Paris and what a bargain!

Postcard from Natasha

I have booked so many weekend trips this year using JFC - to Bordeaux, then Lyon, then Santander, then Belfast, easily made up subscription price in first flight but beware - it is dangerous temptation in your inbox every week... I'm exhausted! I went to places I wouldn't normally have selected (Santander, Belfast) due to great deal and they were so good I am keen to go back again - great destination inspiration thanks!

Postcard from Rhiann

You had an incredible deal from LAX to Paris for $315 RT non-stop-- wow! I immediately asked my husband, "Wanna go to France?" He's never been and said yes on the spot. So after easily booking the flight on Norse Atlantic, and creating a wonderful itinerary for 10 days in Paris and northern France, we are set to leave in less than a month for an exciting adventure, thanks to you, Jack!! 

Postcard from Kelli

United Kingdom

United States

Austria

Poland

Hi there, Travellers,
February has whizzed by, and somehow we've reached the end of the month already!&nbsp;
While January was full of meeting members old and new at travel shows, this month has been all about bringing together everything we learned from you. The feedback was so great to hear, so please continue to get in touch with ideas.
One thing we know makes a difference before booking a big trip is getting the inside scoop from someone who's been there, done that&mdash;and that applies to which airlines we fly with, too. Two of our most-viewed articles are our reviews of lesser-known airlines,&nbsp;<a href="https://members.jacksflightclub.com/articles/jfc-honest-airline-reviews-saudia-airlines-and-more">Saudia Airlines</a> and <a href="https://members.jacksflightclub.com/articles/jfc-honest-airline-reviews-china-southern">China Southern</a>, and we'd like to keep sharing the intel.
So if you've had a memorable airline experience (for the right or wrong reasons), or you've flown on an airline you weren't familiar with beforehand, <a href="https://members.jacksflightclub.com/home?contribute=airline">send us a little airline review</a> to help the Jack's Community go further.
Happy travels and safe landings,

Will EES Give You Border Control Nightmares This Summer?

The Detour Editor Katy is a budget travel aficionado who has already travelled to more than 50 countries. Whether she's at home or on a foreign adventure, she has a particular talent for stumbling upon tasty Georgian restaurants.

Answered by Katy

<blockquote>
&ldquo;I&rsquo;d like to know your views on the new EES system which is due to roll out in April &lsquo;26. I&rsquo;m a UK passport holder travelling to Kos in August and concerned about the potential delays at passport control.&rdquo;
</blockquote>

Hey there, Traveller! Great topic, and very timely too.&nbsp;
Since October 2025, countries in the Schengen Zone have been rolling out the EU Entry/Exit System (EES). By collecting your biometric data upon arrival (photo &amp; fingerprints), countries within the zone are aiming to track visitors more consistently and ensure that nobody is overstaying their welcome.&nbsp;
This doesn&rsquo;t feel like anything new in terms of border control techniques (I&rsquo;ve been attempting not to make silly faces in photos at international borders for years), so you&rsquo;d think it wouldn&rsquo;t be a big deal. However, when you try to get <a href="https://travel-europe.europa.eu/ees/what-is-the-ees">29 countries</a> to roll out one system across 500+ airports, all major ferry ports, land border crossings, etc., things get a little complicated.
Anyone entering the Schengen area on a non-EU passport will now need to go through the process of biometric checks upon arrival. Well,&nbsp;probably.&nbsp;
Like you, reader, airports and border control agents are getting anxious about the surge in summer visitors possibly leading to utter chaos at immigration. For that reason, the EU has confirmed that, although April 9th is still the legal deadline for implementation, all countries have the <a href="https://etias.com/articles/eu-entry/exit-system-full-implementation-still-april-9,-with-flexibility">ability to pause the EES checks</a> for up to 90 days after that date. They&rsquo;ve also given the possibility of a further 60-day extension on that, with early September as the final final deadline.
All that to say, you may not even have to deal with the new EES system upon your arrival in Kos. But if you do, there&rsquo;s no knowing whether it&rsquo;ll be hellish or plain sailing. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/jacksflightclub/permalink/2734116543610856/">We asked our Facebook community</a> for their experiences so far, and it really was a mixed bag.

&ldquo;Really quick with lunchtime arrival in Vienna on February 16th. Through in under 10 minutes.&rdquo; - Susan
<hr>
&ldquo;Straight through in Lille, took seconds, and in Fuerteventura they had specific machines for people who hadn&rsquo;t previously done theirs and no queues at all.&rdquo; - Sally
<hr>
&ldquo;Barcelona last month - easy peasy and done in no time.&rdquo; - Liz
<hr>
&ldquo;Alicante in January, returned Feb&hellip;no issue.&rdquo; - Lesley

<h2 dir="ltr">The confused</h2>

&ldquo;Been through Faro (where we did our prints and photos done on the way in) and Rome Ciampino. In Rome when I scanned my passport an official told me to go with him, I was a bit worried but it was just to get my passport stamped and I went straight through. Unfortunately because he was dealing with me, he missed my husband who had to go through the whole process and was almost last through! Teething problems!&rdquo; - Fiona
<hr>
&ldquo;Two very different experiences. One was 2 hours (Tromso), and the other was all automated with self-service scanners! I was pleasantly surprised at Tenerife.&rdquo; - Sophia
<hr>
&ldquo;When I went to Spain, there were some new, very confusing lines, and none of the staff really knew which queues to put people in. When I got to the desk at the front, a grumpy man told me to look into the camera, then do my fingerprints, and that was it. It took around 30-40 minutes, I think, but that was mostly down to the lack of organization; they had people switching queues constantly.&rdquo; - Lauren
<hr>
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been through various, and I think depends upon destination. Montpellier in France is a regular trip, and time-wise for me at least, nothing is out of the ordinary. Did experience about an hour delay at Prague, where they seemed to be struggling, and it took about 40 mins at CDG Paris.&rdquo; - Simon
<hr>
&ldquo;We went through with Eurostar in Paris on Wednesday. It was fine and quick for me, but then our train was delayed because so many people, who had arrived at the time the email and tickets told them to arrive, were stuck in big queues at security.
I think, to be honest, it was the bag scanning that slowed it down there, as the staff manning that section could not have been less helpful.&rdquo; - Danielle

&ldquo;Scanner took a while to scan the passport, and the fingerprint scanner didn't work at all no matter how hard or soft you pressed! (Leeds/Bradford) so had to go the usual route anyway, and the queue was enormous!! So it wasn&rsquo;t just us that had a problem.&rdquo; - Jules
<hr>
&ldquo;2 hours to get into Krakow&hellip;&rdquo; - Beverley
<hr>
&ldquo;A nightmare in Lanzarote. Not clear what to do. Those that didn't scan their passports couldn't then get through passport control at the gate. All UK flights were delayed last night.&rdquo; - Anon
<hr>
&ldquo;Scanners "down" at Lanzarote on way in and took ages to get them back up, so there were big queues. There was no one easily found to ask questions of, and I could see that some of the questions might take some folk down rabbit holes&rdquo; - Karen

The main thing I&rsquo;m taking away from all these stories is that it really varies wildly from airport to airport. Anyone arriving in the Schengen Zone on a non-Schengen passport this summer should plan to queue for at least 30 minutes at border control. If the EES system is in use, many people will be going through for the first time and will need to register their details, causing delays. If it&rsquo;s not in use, you&rsquo;ll still have to wait for a manual check and/or stamping.&nbsp;
If you&rsquo;re on a tight schedule, book seats close to the front of the plane so you&rsquo;re first off. Don&rsquo;t stop to use the facilities on your way&mdash;plan ahead and use the toilet on the plane before landing. And it&rsquo;s always worth making sure you have your roaming or eSIM sorted in advance so you can keep on top of your transport plans during delays.
Waiting in a line for hours isn&rsquo;t fun for anyone; however, I would suggest doing your best to go into the situation expecting it but not dreading it. It is what it is, and it will be over eventually. That sentiment may be particularly beneficial for anyone heading to Lanzarote, it seems!
But if you&rsquo;re lucky, reader, Kos will have you through border control in under ten minutes, and you&rsquo;ll be sailing off into the Grecian sunset in no time.

It&rsquo;s worth noting that the EES system is linked to the new <a href="https://travel-europe.europa.eu/etias/about-etias/what-is-etias">Electronic Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS)</a> in Europe, similar to the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/eta">Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA)</a> that the UK brought in this week. While visitors to the UK need an ETA already, ETIAS will only be necessary from late 2026 and won&rsquo;t be a problem for your August trip. However, keep an eye out for updates if you&rsquo;re travelling again later in the year.
I hope this helps you feel a little more prepared for your upcoming trip, reader. It may not be plain sailing, but it shouldn&rsquo;t be the end of the world. Do let us know how it goes once you&rsquo;re back!&nbsp;
Have you been through the new EES system already? <a href="https://members.jacksflightclub.com/articles/will-the-new-ees-system-give-you-border-control-nightmares-this-summer#comments">Share your experiences in the comments</a>!

Reader's Corner

Calling All Vicarious Travelers...

We love seeing the bargain Flights you, our fantastic Community, have bagged, and hearing stories from your trips. It helps us all travel vicariously through each other when we can't be out on an adventure ourselves.
Here are some of our fave moments of escapism from the last month:

"Always wanted to do a safari and the cheap flight offer defo made it doable for me!! Best trip ever!" -&nbsp;Postcard from DynamicVoyager84378

Kenya

"Had a brilliant time, it was amazing!" -&nbsp;Postcard from Calts63

Slovakia

"Took a very romantic road trip from Athens to see the ancient ruins and monasteries, something I had wanted to do for so long! The food was also absolutely fantastic!"&nbsp;- Postcard from PassionateHolidaymaker60896

Greece

"I had two weeks of a lifetime solo in Barbados after working through the Christmas period. I&rsquo;d never have been able to afford it otherwise and I stayed with a local in the country. After a few days of getting the bus, I hired a car and really saw the island. I made friends who live there, and now I&rsquo;m absolutely dying to go back. It was an amazing trip, I saw so much!"&nbsp;- Postcard from Polly!

Barbados

<a href="https://members.jacksflightclub.com/postcards">Head to our Postcards wall</a> to see more!
We'd love to have your pics and tips joining them up there. <a href="https://members.jacksflightclub.com/home?contribute=postcard">Send us a Postcard</a> to let us know about an awesome trip you found through Jack's, or share all your tips, tricks, and tales in <a href="https://members.jacksflightclub.com/home?contribute=story">a travel story</a>.&nbsp;

Travel Tales

All the important (or silly, or strange) travel news from around the Jack's Community this month.
<ul>
<li>Help! Jack's Traveler Samina from our Facebook community needs your tips for her upcoming <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/jacksflightclub/permalink/2741791856176658/">family trip to the Seychelles</a>. Go give her a hand, would ya? </li>
<li>Cheap flights to Asia sometimes mean a long layover in China&mdash;but don't let that put you off! <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DU2m52MDD5r/?hl=en&amp;img_index=1">Our Navigators shared their top tips</a> for making the most of it. </li>
<li>Now we didn't mean to get you all riled up, but when we asked <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/jacksflightclub/permalink/2726200921069085/">where you'd&nbsp;never travel to</a>&mdash;not even if it was free&mdash;there were plenty of opinions flying around. </li>
<li>Jack's Traveler Nina shared some <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DVJi-7mkWYg/?hl=en&amp;img_index=1">stunning pics</a> from her recent trip to Northern Vietnam. The rest of us immediately went to book flights. </li>
<li>Layovers, who'd have 'em? Community members shared their thoughts, feelings, and experiences on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/jacksflightclub/permalink/2722718518083992/">transiting through the USA</a>. </li>
<li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/jacksflightclub/permalink/2723282631360914/">AMA: Ask Masuma Anything</a>. Jack's member Masuma answered all our questions about her recent trip to Sri Lanka, and, boy, were we envious! </li>
<li>And finally, Navigator Akasha challenged an unsuspecting Jack's member on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DVORuEBjPKK/?hl=en">a fundamental part of plane etiquette: manspreading</a>. We think he passed the test.</li>
</ul>

Community Chatter

Community Dispatches & European Border Control Chaos

<blockquote>
&ldquo;I&rsquo;d like to know your views on the new EES system which is due to roll out in April &lsquo;26. I&rsquo;m a UK passport holder travelling to Kos in August and concerned about the potential delays at passport control.&rdquo;
</blockquote>

Hey there, Traveller! Great topic, and very timely too.&nbsp;
Since October 2025, countries in the Schengen Zone have been rolling out the EU Entry/Exit System (EES). By collecting your biometric data upon arrival (photo &amp; fingerprints), countries within the zone are aiming to track visitors more consistently and ensure that nobody is overstaying their welcome.&nbsp;
This doesn&rsquo;t feel like anything new in terms of border control techniques (I&rsquo;ve been attempting not to make silly faces in photos at international borders for years), so you&rsquo;d think it wouldn&rsquo;t be a big deal. However, when you try to get <a href="https://travel-europe.europa.eu/ees/what-is-the-ees">29 countries</a> to roll out one system across 500+ airports, all major ferry ports, land border crossings, etc., things get a little complicated.
Anyone entering the Schengen area on a non-EU/Schengen passport will now need to go through this process upon arrival. Well,&nbsp;probably.&nbsp;
Like you, reader, airports and border control agents are getting anxious about the surge in summer visitors possibly leading to utter chaos at immigration. For that reason, the EU has confirmed that, although April 9th is still the legal deadline for implementation, all countries have the <a href="https://etias.com/articles/eu-entry/exit-system-full-implementation-still-april-9,-with-flexibility">ability to pause the EES checks</a> for up to 90 days after that date. They&rsquo;ve also given the possibility of a further 60-day extension on that, with early September as the final final deadline.
All that to say, you may not even have to deal with the new EES system upon your arrival in Kos. But if you do, there&rsquo;s no knowing whether it&rsquo;ll be hellish or plain sailing. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/jacksflightclub/permalink/2734116543610856/">We asked our Facebook community</a> for their experiences so far, and it really was a mixed bag.

It&rsquo;s worth noting that the EES system is linked to the new <a href="https://travel-europe.europa.eu/etias/about-etias/what-is-etias">Electronic Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS)</a> in Europe, similar to the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/eta">Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA)</a> that the UK brought in this week. While visitors to the UK need an ETA already, ETIAS will only be necessary from late 2026 and won&rsquo;t be a problem for your August trip. However, keep an eye out for updates if you&rsquo;re travelling again later in the year.
I hope this helps you feel a little more prepared for your upcoming trip, reader. It may not be plain sailing, but it shouldn&rsquo;t be the end of the world. Do let us know how it goes once you&rsquo;re back!&nbsp;
Have you been through the new EES system already? Share your experiences in the comments!

Will the New EES Give You Border Control Nightmares this Summer?

Mexico

Guatemala

Finland

Fiji

Sri Lanka

Hey there Travellers,
Like much of the world this week, Katy's off on holiday, so I get the special honor of sending out the first Detour of 2026 🎉
New Year's Eve, for many folks, is a time of reflection! It's the perfect excuse to dig through some old memories and take stock of those meaningful moments.&nbsp;
So that's our theme for this week: memories.&nbsp;This Detour is chock full of them &mdash; from this year's highlights, to nostalgic travel tattoos from trips long past.&nbsp;
Let's make 2026 another great year, Travellers! And let us know in the comments which travel memories you're hoping to create in the next twelve months &mdash; maybe we can help :-)
Wishing you a safe and happy New Year,

Olivia - Sub-Editor of the Detour

Permanent Souvenirs: Our Travel Tattoo Tales&nbsp;

You know a trip is worthwhile when that bittersweet thought crosses your mind: I wish I could bottle up this moment and keep it forever.
It&rsquo;s the feeling that drives souvenir sales and fills up your photo albums, but for travelers who&nbsp;really want to keep those memories close, there&rsquo;s another option &mdash; having that memory permanently added to your body.
Despite the discomfort of traveling with a fresh tattoo, getting inked on the road is a time-honored tradition. Captain Cook&rsquo;s sailors are said to have returned home from Polynesia sporting some new body art. Even 700 years ago, religious pilgrims to the Middle Eastern Holy Land were <a href="https://www.palestine-studies.org/en/node/1235759">getting small tattoos as evidence of their journey</a>. By the 19th century, the list of folks with travel tattoos even included <a href="https://www.rct.uk/collection/exhibitions/japan-courts-and-culture/the-queens-gallery-buckingham-palace/features/royal-tattoos">British royalty</a>.&nbsp;
Nowadays, there&rsquo;s an entire culture built up around travel tattoos. Some shops in touristy areas even&nbsp;depend on the demand. And just like in centuries past, there are still a myriad of motivations behind the decision.&nbsp;

During my (rather formative) few months in New Orleans, I realized I&rsquo;d regret it forever if I didn&rsquo;t leave that city with an inked reminder. Next thing I knew, I was face-down on a leather table, surrounded by NOLA-typical spiritual decor, while a stranger put me through excruciating pain for so long that I felt like my soul was leaving my body.
Unfortunately, in my case, that meant I was having a panic attack, desperately trying to keep still while hyperventilating and gasping through the pain. I tried to focus on a fixed point in the room to ground myself, but ended up locking eyes with a large, weeping statue of Santa Maria. It seemed less unnerving than the taxidermied animals, the bloody crucifixes, or the clutter of figurines stuck with nails or covered in bones and teeth.&nbsp;
When it was finally over, I paid the artist with shaking hands and basically ran out of the shop. I cannot even describe the headspace I was in. The relief was so strong that I felt like an entirely new person. All I wanted was a drink and a place to sit down.
Fortunately, that&rsquo;s not a tall order in New Orleans &mdash; I popped over to Bourbon Street and entered the first bar I saw.&nbsp;

Midway through a whisky, while listening to a bartender&rsquo;s story, I realized my new tattoo had started bleeding. There was a gruesome, oozy red smear running down my leg and trickling onto the floor of the bar.
&ldquo;Sorry, could I just get a napkin?&rdquo; I say, interrupting the bartender. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m bleeding onto your floor.&rdquo;
She casually handed me a napkin without even pausing her story. She had no reaction at all to hearing a patron say they were bleeding onto the floor of her bar at 2pm on a Monday.&nbsp;
I guess that&rsquo;s business as usual on Bourbon Street!
The tattoo has long since healed, but whenever I look at it, I remember what a wild time it was. I had no idea it would be that intense, but I&rsquo;m honored to have been given such a distinctly NOLA experience &mdash; one that really embodies the chaotic excitement of my time in the city. It&rsquo;s how I got hooked on travel tattoos!
So, as a person with so much access to well-seasoned travelers who understand the value of overseas memories, I just&nbsp;had to ask the Jack&rsquo;s Flight Club staff and Community for a few more tales.
And I heard some great ones! Like the new tradition started by our reader Zo&euml; and her wife, which started out as a space-saving measure:

&ldquo;My wife and I have a tradition of getting a tattoo on every *far* trip. Makes the long haul flight home worth it&hellip; Wanting to collect &lsquo;souvenirs&rsquo; whilst living in a small flat at the time was the original inspiration. We&rsquo;ve collected them from Thailand, Bali, and Singapore so far. Many more on the travel wishlist.&rdquo; - Zo&euml;

Or our Jack&rsquo;s Navigator Henry&rsquo;s story, about a priceless memorial that only cost &euro;15:

&ldquo;When I was 19/20, I lived in Spain and became friends with a good group of people. I moved back when someone at home died, but while I was at home, one of my friends in Spain died (very tragic, I know). So when I came back to visit my friends, one of them mentioned that another guy was starting off as a tattoo artist, and he needed guinea pigs to get the business&nbsp; going, so I said I would volunteer one night we were out. So the next day, we went to Seville and got this done. It is of course the song of Liverpool Football Club. But the tattoo is actually for everyone who is no longer with us. The words of the song make more sense than whatever I will say here 😂 It took 3 hours and cost 15 euro.&rdquo;&nbsp;- Henry

Our writer Akasha&rsquo;s tales of stick n&rsquo; pokes in Central American hostels could probably fill an entire novel:

"After almost an hour with my face wedged in the crook of an old Maltese man&rsquo;s pungent armpit as he bent over backwards attempting to tattoo my ribcage, eighteen-year-old me was hooked.&nbsp;
'For each country I visit, I&rsquo;m going to get a tattoo to commemorate it,' I excitedly told my boyfriend at the time. He rolled his eyes. He was the typical Irish lad, one that would 'go on holidays' once every 5 years to Benidorm or Magaluf. Something about the Irish pubs there.
He probably didn&rsquo;t expect that by my twenties, I&rsquo;d be lying on a sagging mattress in the jungles of Guatemala, a Czech apprentice straddling my torso, carving her gun of pain into my arm for four hours without a break.
Or that I&rsquo;d let a French guy hand-poke a reiki symbol onto my wrist in exchange for covering a bar shift.&nbsp;
Stick and poke became my preferred way. So naturally, my ears perked up when a German tattooist blew into the hostel I worked at in Chiapas. It&rsquo;d take me a few weeks to propose a trade he simply couldn&rsquo;t refuse: I&rsquo;d bleach his dreadlocks in return for some artwork."

"This was probably my most painful one. Not from the needle but from the cup of rubbing alcohol he poured over my raw skin, and the violent slap that followed. A sick and twisted joke because it was midnight and I couldn&rsquo;t scream without waking the hostel guests.
And while I haven&rsquo;t managed to stay true to my promise of getting inked everywhere I&rsquo;ve wandered, I&rsquo;ve done a pretty good job of collecting permanent stamps.
Mostly, the ink I&rsquo;ve gotten along the way is a map itself - of the girl who showed up clueless and curious, reckless and scared, but booked the ticket anyway."&nbsp;- Akasha

And lastly, our Detour queen Katy shared the story of her first tattoo, a remnant of a teenage adventure in the Netherlands:

"When I finished high school, I didn&rsquo;t go on the big group trip clubbing in Ayia Napa. That wasn&rsquo;t my thing at all. I wanted to see some of the world before starting university, not just the inside of a bar, surrounded by people I&rsquo;d mostly never see again.&nbsp;
Instead, myself and some of my closest friends decided to go Interrailing around Europe for 5 weeks. As is common when leaving high school in Scotland, most of us were only 17 at the time. We couldn&rsquo;t even (legally) drink in bars at home, so a month of European rules was exciting. And when we realised that we&rsquo;d even be old enough to get tattooed in The Netherlands&hellip;
Well, let&rsquo;s just say a few of us decided to give it a go &mdash; a fact my mum only found out three years later, when I was lazily lying in bed with my leg hanging out from under the sheets.
When getting your first tattoo, there&rsquo;s a lot of pressure to make it meaningful, so I opted for something I knew would always be important to me &mdash; music. I was right, playing music is still part of my life. But perhaps more important is the fact that I got it while on a memorable adventure with people who are still part of my life."&nbsp;- Katy

When I look at all of these stories together, there&rsquo;s a common thread: Most things in life are temporary. People enter and exit, chapters close, and that return flight is always rapidly approaching. I can go back to New Orleans, but I can&rsquo;t go back to that trip. Travel, by definition, has to be ephemeral.&nbsp;
We might be staking our money, time, and energy on a very short-lived experience, but we often return home permanently changed. I think travel tattoos owe their prolonged popularity to that change &mdash; they can help make the outside match the inside.
So if you feel the same, and have a travel tattoo (or several) of your own, feel free to send them our way. Maybe you&rsquo;ll see them in part two :-)

Jack's Gone Global: Where We Went in 2025

As you might expect, the Jack's staff is always jetsetting around the world! 2025 was no different &mdash; We traveled everywhere from the Caribbean to the Arctic Circle.&nbsp;
Here's a few highlights from another fantastic year of travel...

<h2 id="lapland">Lapland</h2>
Hannah Deals &amp; Content

&ldquo;We took a day-trip over to the <a href="https://arcticsnowhotel.fi/en/">Arctic SnowHotel </a>during our trip, as well as snowmobiled through the forests, and took reindeer and husky rides on a tour with the Snowmobile Park company &mdash; they were great and included proper snow gear in their prices, so would highly recommend.
And last but not least, the northern lights! While you can hunt for them on a guided tour, it gets pricey. Instead, we stayed just outside of the city (towards Ounasvaara) in an AirBnB and were lucky enough to spot them dancing above the house most nights we were there.&rdquo;

<h2 id="lapland">Fiji</h2>
Larissa Deal &amp; Content Manager EU

&ldquo;Fiji was such a surprise to me! I went for a family celebration and didn&rsquo;t have many expectations (given I knew a lot of the holiday would be resort-bound), but we managed to do a decent amount in Nadi and the surrounding <a href="https://www.koroyanituheritagepark.org/plan-your-trip">Koroyanitu National Heritage Park</a>. My highlights were DIY-ing a hike through the park to an incredible waterfall lookout, and visiting the <a href="https://maps.app.goo.gl/Qs6PyZGqz5nm2PF9A">Sri Siva Subramaniya Swami Temple</a> - the intricate paintwork inside was incredible!&rdquo;

<h2 id="lapland">France &amp; Scotland</h2>
Andrea Member Experience Team Leader

&ldquo;My trip to France and Scotland healed parts of me I didn't know needed healing. The little girl in me who thought she might never make it to Europe and visit her dream city and the grown girl in me that found her soul city.
My favorite moment of my adventures was being able to see and touch the Eiffel Tower. I knew that I would cry the moment I laid eyes on her and I very much did! LOL The tears were joy and marvel and finally realizing that I did it, I made it, I was standing in Paris!! I was looking at a monument I had only seen in books and movies. I checked a place off of a very long bucket list. I had macarons and croissants from French boulangeries and strolled along streets with beautiful architecture. I spoke terribly broken French from the years of Duolingo that I had been doing and I was out of this world happy.
However. My favorite place was Scotland. I had never traveled and felt at home anywhere the way I did there. The buildings, history, slight gloom and chill in the air. The beautiful stone streets and castles, this was my place. A place I felt very happy and comfortable, where I could wander for hours and not feel tired. I am still day dreaming about my time there and thinking of the things I want to do and see when I go back. It was on my bucket list and still is. There's so much more I need to see and experience (highland coos, for example!)&rdquo;

<h2 id="lapland">Sri Lanka</h2>
Fran&nbsp;Deals &amp; Content/Social Media

&ldquo;We loved our train experiences in Sri Lanka, and we&rsquo;d suggest every curious traveller give it a try at some point. I even wrote <a href="https://members.jacksflightclub.com/articles/the-truth-about-traveling-by-train-in-sri-lanka">an honest guide</a> about it. It sparked our curiosity to venture beyond the tourist-packed routes and discover the more authentic, less crowded journeys in the future.&rdquo;

<h2 id="lapland">St. Croix</h2>
Olivia&nbsp;Deals &amp; Content/Detour Sub-Editor

&ldquo;The highlight was definitely the Cruzan Rum Distillery, which you can read more about <a href="https://members.jacksflightclub.com/articles/detour-179-st-croix-historic-distillery">in my article here</a>. Between the informative tour, the historic setting, our lovely guide, and drinks enjoyed at a breezy, palm-lined patio bar, we couldn&rsquo;t have been more pleased. There&rsquo;s a reason every guide to St. Croix name-drops this spot, and I can happily add myself to its list of fans&rdquo;

<h2 id="lapland">The Netherlands</h2>
Gabi Product Team

&ldquo;I had such a great time in the Netherlands. I started off in <a href="https://www.holland.com/global/tourism/discover-the-netherlands/visit-the-cities/the-hague">Den Haag</a>, where I decided to try haring (the famous raw herring, just a full fish) which not everyone loves but I&rsquo;m absolutely crazy for (I really love pickled stuff). I spent the rest of my time wandering around the city center, renting bikes with nerdy names, and cycling to some pretty spots like Haagse Bos. That same day I rode all the way to Scheveningen, which turned out to be a super lovely beach with a big pier. I sat there with a hot Chocomel in hand, feeling very Dutch. It also POURED rain the minute I hopped on the bike.&rdquo;

How about our readers? Where did you travel in 2025? Let us know in the comments :-)

Travel Tips

All the important (or silly, or strange) travel news from across web this week.
<ul>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation">Unfortunately, we have to start the year off with some tragic news: Chaos in Machu Picchu as <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4gweww8rjro">two trains collided</a> last Tuesday, causing one death and injuring 40 others.&nbsp;</li>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation">On a more hopeful note, National Geographic released their <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/travel-adventures-best-trips-to-book-2026">top 20 picks for adventures to take in 2026</a>. The key words? &ldquo;Immersive&rdquo; and &ldquo;Transformative.&rdquo;</li>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation">Sicily&rsquo;s Mount Etna has been in a bit of a turbulent mood lately, but that&rsquo;s not stopping the local skiers from <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/videos/cz7n4px7e41o">hitting her slopes</a>.</li>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation">Central Asia <a href="https://www.euronews.com/culture/2025/12/22/kobyz-and-the-yurt-central-asias-living-knowledge-enters-unescos-intangible-heritage-lists">got some love from UNESCO</a> as a regional stringed instrument and a style of yurt both got added to the organization&rsquo;s list of intangible cultural heritage.</li>
<li>And finally, got any questions about life at an Antarctic research station? Now&rsquo;s the time to ask &mdash; <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/27/climate/thwaites-glacier-expedition-antarctica.html">the NYT is heading on down</a>, and they want to know what you want to know.</li>
</ul>

Travel News

Ringing in 2026 with Our Travel Memories

North Macedonia

Hey there, JFC-ers,
Let&rsquo;s start off by wishing happy (belated) Canada Day to all you wonderful readers over there in Canada, and likewise, a happy Independence Day to you lovely lot in the USA celebrating this weekend! I hope you&rsquo;re all suitably sick of the sight and smell of barbecue by now.&nbsp;
This week has been pretty exciting at JFC HQ, as we&rsquo;re testing out a new feature &mdash; and you lucky Detour readers get to be the first to give it a whirl. As you know, we love hearing all your travel tips and feedback, so we&rsquo;ve decided to open up The Detour to comments.&nbsp;
To get involved, you just need to open <a href="https://members.jacksflightclub.com/articles/detour-193-alternative-paris-north-macedonia">this edition of The Detour</a> in our Members Lounge and scroll down to the comments section at the bottom. You'll need to be logged into your JFC account to comment, which you can do in the top right.
<img src="https://cdn.jacksflightclub.com/id/123b2d00a382e3809cfd25e0f8a1d0399b3f5ce4" width="403" height="495" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"> We can&rsquo;t wait to hear from you!
Happy travels and safe landings,

Katy - Editor of The Detour

11 Delightfully Offbeat Activities Around the French Capital

Flight Finder Kristi is a born and bred Canadian, who has recently returned to her beloved mountains after travelling the world as a digital nomad. When she isn't on the move, she is writing about travelling, or dreaming about travelling, or saving up for&hellip; you get the point :-)

By Kristi

I love Paris, but I don&rsquo;t always love doing Paris. The long lines. The lukewarm caf&eacute; cr&egrave;me. The aggressive selfie sticks outside the Louvre. If you&rsquo;ve seen the Eiffel Tower, survived the Arc de Triomphe roundabout, and forced yourself to walk past another macaron, it might be time to get a little&hellip; unconventional.
<h3 dir="ltr">1. Firstly: Swap macarons for Eug&eacute;nies instead.</h3>
It&rsquo;s time to introduce your taste buds to <a href="https://www.laduree.fr/en/eugenie-our-flavors.html">Eug&eacute;nies</a> &mdash; a delicate treat designed to offer a variety of sensations with each bite, combining the crispness of shortbread biscuit and chocolate shell with the smoothness of a melting heart. I am unable to pass a Ladur&eacute;e shop without sampling one! (Highly recommend passion fruit or blackcurrant violet flavours!)

<h3 dir="ltr">2. Delve down into Paris. Deep down.</h3>
<a href="https://www.catacombes.paris.fr/en/visit/please-read-your-visit">The Catacombs</a> aren't exactly a secret, but they are 5-storeys underground, and decorated with the remains of 6 million Parisians, so I&rsquo;m counting that as niche tourism. If you&rsquo;re tired of pretty pastel everything, descend into this shadowy labyrinth and embrace your inner goth. 
Pro tip: Dress in layers; it&rsquo;s cool down there in every sense.

<h3 dir="ltr">3. Explore the Sewers of Paris.</h3>
Yes, this is a real museum. The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@parisblogd/video/7513989125343595794?lang=en&amp;q=paris%20sewer%20museum&amp;t=1751575614787">Mus&eacute;e des &Eacute;gouts</a> takes you beneath the streets into the bowels of the city (literally). It's surprisingly fascinating, bizarrely clean, and offers a unique, slightly steampunk view of Paris&rsquo;s underground world. Who knew waste management could be&hellip; chic? 
<h3 dir="ltr">4. Visit the weirdest French anatomy museum.</h3>
The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.tourisme-valdemarne.com/patrimoine-culturel/musee-fragonard-de-lecole-nationale-veterinaire-dalfort/">Mus&eacute;e Fragonard d&rsquo;Alfort</a> is not for the faint of heart &mdash; or stomach. It&rsquo;s filled with anatomical oddities and flayed bodies posed like they&rsquo;re mid-opera. If you&rsquo;ve ever wanted to combine medical school, Halloween, and a pinch of French eccentricity, this is your spot.

<h3 dir="ltr">5. Ditch the stuffy Eiffel Tower dinner.</h3>
You&rsquo;re welcome to spend $600 on a soggy foie gras tasting menu with a partial view of the Eiffel Tower if you crane your neck just right. Or&hellip; you could assemble your own feast: a crusty baguette, gooey cheese, perfectly French salami, fresh strawberries, and a bottle of wine (don&rsquo;t forget the opener!!). Next: head to <a href="https://maps.app.goo.gl/wbJ4TAh9wmG8LBUp9">my favourite spot</a>, a little walkway along the Seine with front-row Eiffel Tower views. As night falls and the <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cy87_TBNGaj/">Tower begins to sparkle</a>, couples will propose, bottles will pop, and you&rsquo;ll sit there thinking: this beats any rooftop reservation in town.
<h3>6. Live out your own fairytale.</h3>
Instead of a basic chain hotel, why not spend the night in an actual ch&acirc;teau? France is peppered with&nbsp;<a href="https://www.timeout.com/france/travel/best-french-chateaux-rent-airbnb">historic castles you can actually book</a>. Some are luxurious, some are haunted, all are way more fun than your average Airbnb. Bonus points if you bring a flowing robe and whisper &ldquo;ma ch&egrave;re&rdquo; dramatically in the candlelight.

<h3 dir="ltr">7. Swap Disneyland Paris for Ast&eacute;rix and Obelix.</h3>
Skip the overpriced churros and head to&nbsp;Parc Ast&eacute;rix, France&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@kids_friendly_days_out/video/7497635094597881110?lang=en&amp;q=parc%20asterix&amp;t=1751576822341">delightfully oddball theme park</a> inspired by the beloved comic book heroes. Think rollercoasters, Romans, and just the right amount of French absurdity. It&rsquo;s got fewer crowds, more character, and you won&rsquo;t have to pretend to enjoy waiting 90 minutes to ride It&rsquo;s a Small World in French. Bonus: <a href="https://newsroom.parcasterix.fr/le-parc-asterix-collaborare-avec-xavier-thuret-meilleur-ouvrier-de-france-fromager-pour-sa-selection-de-fromages-du-relais-gaulois/">there&rsquo;s actual cheese</a>. 
<h3 dir="ltr">8. Day trip to Mont-Saint-Michel.</h3>
No matter how many photos you&rsquo;ve seen, nothing prepares you for the dreamy view of this&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CaW5UXXIeqw/">abbey-island rising from the tides</a>. It looks like Hogwarts had a baby with a medieval French village. Pro tip: Plan to stay the night in one of the very few inns on the island to get the place allllll to yourself when the daytrippers leave around 6pm. Pro-er tip: <a href="https://www.ot-montsaintmichel.com/en/discover/our-essentials/the-high-tides-and-the-tidal-bore-a-great-spectacle-of-nature/">Coordinate your visit around one of the super tides</a>, when the abbey is completely engulfed by water.

<h3 dir="ltr">9. Go guinguette hopping along the Seine.</h3>
Under the summer sun, Parisians beat the heat by flocking to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@maaaples_/video/7252802052521348378?lang=en&amp;q=guinguettes%20paris&amp;t=1751577184652">guinguettes</a> &mdash; riverside open-air bars with live music, cheap drinks, and a retro French vibe. Head out to <a href="https://www.sortiraparis.com/en/where-to-eat-in-paris/bars-cafes/guides/329014-the-guinguettes-of-summer-2025-for-aperitifs-in-the-sun-in-paris-and-the-ile-de-france-region">Parc des Buttes-Chaumont or Joinville-le-Pont</a> to dance, picnic, or just sip ros&eacute; with your feet in the water. It&rsquo;ll make you feel like a real Parisian, not to mention that it'll give you an excellent excuse to dress up. 
<h3>10. Visit the vineyard hidden in Montmartre.</h3>
Tucked behind Sacr&eacute;-C&oelig;ur is Clos Montmartre, a tiny working vineyard in the heart of Paris &mdash; because&nbsp;<a href="https://www.charlottetoparis.com/blog/paris-travel-guide-visiting-the-vignes-du-clos-montmartre?srsltid=AfmBOorB2sizsQyP4Ihcmd62Wt47s3FJsMIvvTRu34eCLFphVWK9ybYL">of course Paris has a secret vineyard</a>. It&rsquo;s not always open to the public, but you can peek through the gates or time your visit with the annual F&ecirc;te des Vendanges, where the wine flows, the locals get festive, and things get delightfully weird (we&rsquo;re talking about a <a href="https://www.sortiraparis.com/en/what-to-visit-in-paris/walks/articles/54579-fete-des-vendanges-de-montmartre-2024-in-paris-the-program-of-festivities#:~:text=The%20non%2Dproposal%20ceremony">celebration of marriage proposal rejections</a> here, people).

<h3 dir="ltr">11. Take a cheese class in a real fromagerie.</h3>
Sure, you could stare blankly at stinky cheeses at the market &mdash; but why not get a PhD in brie instead? Book a cheese tasting or workshop at places like&nbsp;<a href="https://parolesdefromagers.com/en/">Paroles de Fromagers</a> to learn proper slicing, pairing, and how to casually drop phrases like &ldquo;triple cr&egrave;me&rdquo; and &ldquo;washed rind&rdquo; into conversation. Tr&egrave;s cultured. 
If there's one thing that's clear, it's that Paris is a city that rewards curiosity. Veer left when everyone else turns right. Go underground. Sleep in castles. Sip wine in secret vineyards. Dance beside the river. Nibble your picnic on your own terms.&nbsp;
And always,&nbsp;always pack a bottle opener.

Travel Inspiration

Barmy Yet Beautiful North Macedonia

Detour Editor Katy is a budget travel aficionado who has already travelled to more than 50 countries. Whether she's at home or on a foreign adventure, she has a particular talent for stumbling upon tasty Georgian restaurants.

By Katy

I made a plea for some travel intel a little more off the beaten track in last week&rsquo;s edition. More specifically, I asked for your wisdom on North Macedonia, where I&rsquo;ll be heading for a week this autumn.&nbsp;
You may be wonder why on earth I&rsquo;ve decided to go there, and honestly, it&rsquo;s the curse of a life of flight finding. Back in my early days at JFC, when I got to spend several hours every day digging around the dark corners of Google Flights, intrepid budget airlines started popping out new routes to corners of Eastern Europe I&rsquo;d never heard of. Among those corners was Ohrid.
It didn&rsquo;t take much Googling to know that this was a place we should tell people about, because frankly, one picture was enough

From there, I began reading more about the country. Where Ohrid, on the North Macedonian side of UNESCO listed Lake Ohrid, oozes history, charm, and gorgeous nature, the capital city, Skopje, has a different story to tell. With years of communist rule and a devastating earthquake taking their toll on the city's buildings, it has ended up somewhat&hellip; well&hellip; confused?
Detour reader and fellow Lupine Racer Doug (whom I met last year over a pint in a rather soggy <a href="https://globetrotterkyle.com/the-ultimate-travel-guide-to-rothenburg-ob-der-tauber/">Rothenburg ob der Tauber</a> en route to Tirana) sent in his impressions from a visit last year:&nbsp;

&ldquo;I went there after last year's race. I only visited Skopje and Ohrid, both of which are well worth a visit. I can confirm that the latter is as idyllic as it looks &hellip; The lake is great for swimming and boating and the town itself is full of interesting churches, monasteries and mosques. The restaurants on the edge of the lake are good, though obviously tourist orientated. The more local restaurants are a few streets in, off the Chinar Tree square.&nbsp;The trip down the lake to the&nbsp;<a href="https://sandaltanman.com/the-bay-of-bones/">Bay of Bones</a> and <a href="https://mymacedoniablog.com/sightseeing/ohrid-and-surroundings/ohrid/outside-of-ohrid/">St Naum</a> are worth doing. We just hired a taxi for the afternoon, though I think there are organised excursions available.
Skopje was probably my favourite of the Balkan capitals I visited. It is completely barmy and suffers from an identity crisis. In the heart of the city they think they are Rome or Athens with all sorts of <a href="https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/skopje-macedonia-neoclassical-theme-park">grandiose neoclassical buildings</a>, not to mention enormous statues of people like Alexander the Great and his dad Philip. Cross the river and you are in a typical and attractive <a href="https://youtu.be/nMF6EA5QeSA?si=hd3WVxHy_b2t1-7O">Ottoman Market district.</a> Dotted within all this, there are a fair number of <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/cities/gallery/2018/sep/06/modernist-architecture-skopje-macedonia-in-pictures">interesting Brutalist buildings</a> (if you haven't had your fill on the Tallinn race). Add to this the red double decker buses and you end up with a pretty unique hotch potch!&rdquo; - Doug

Thanks so much, Doug! This is exactly the vibe I&rsquo;ve been picking up from all my North Macedonia research, so it&rsquo;s great to hear that it lives up to it in real life, too. I&rsquo;m certainly looking forward to warming up my brutalist taste buds en route to Tallinn next month, but there&rsquo;ll be plenty room for more by October.&nbsp;
And now we&rsquo;re throwing it back out to you guys for your thoughts on a different destination &mdash; one that&rsquo;s just a tad more traditionally alluring, yet even more unlikely that the majority of us will ever get there&hellip; Fiji!

&ldquo;Hi Katy,
Question: have you ever put together travel tips to Fiji?&nbsp;
Trying to find info and the thing is, there's just way too much info out there, but it's all messy and mainly targeted to honeymoons, all-inclusive, high-spenders. Looking rather for a more budgetish, non-resort experience.&nbsp;
Thanks in advance!&rdquo; - Salvatore

Excellent question Salvatore &mdash; we see great flights to Fiji now and again, but they&rsquo;re super rare, and usually for the lucky JFC-ers over in North America. Unfortunately, I&rsquo;ve never had the chance to get over there and test it out myself.
That said, our very own Flight Finder Larissa is also planning a trip to Fiji later this year, so we&rsquo;re keeping our eyes peeled more than ever. And when we find those great flights, we&rsquo;re definitely going to need some awesome travel tips to go with them!&nbsp;
So, dear Detour readers, have any of you been fortunate enough to visit Fiji? Did it live up to the island paradise hype? And what are your tips for avoiding the package resorts and saving a few pennies while there?
Help Salvatore and Larissa out in our shiny new comments section by logging into your account on your browser or our app and heading to <a href="https://members.jacksflightclub.com/articles/detour-193-alternative-paris-north-macedonia#comments">the comments in this edition of The Detour</a>. Or, if you&rsquo;d rather stick to the inbox, just reply to this email as usual.

All the important (or silly, or strange) travel news from across web this week.
<ul>
<li>The European Parliament has <a href="https://www.timeout.com/news/huge-news-airlines-will-no-longer-be-allowed-to-charge-for-hand-luggage-in-europe-062625">officially ruled</a> that airlines must allow passengers to take a 7 kg carry-on bag onboard in addition to their under-seat personal item. Of course, our no-frills favourites strongly disagree with this decision, so watch this space to see how the drama unfolds... </li>
<li>We flight nerds love a fun airport code, but <a href="https://nowiknow.beehiiv.com/p/this-airport-sux-b23644f691fe8e71">this one really SUX</a>! </li>
<li>Unfortunately, it's that time of year again when some of Europe's most popular summer destinations are hit with wildfires. If you're travelling to Greece or Turkey soon, <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/crete-wildfire-mapped-greece-fire-warning-b2781787.html">here's what you need to know</a>. </li>
<li>And finally, if you're still in the market for a summer read to whisk you away to distant lands, let yourself <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/list/tag/travel">fall down a goodreads rabbit hole</a>. It probably won't surprise you that you'll be able to find me heading off&nbsp;<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40122009-around-the-world-in-80-trains">Around the World in 80 Trains</a> 🚂</li>
</ul>

Alternative Paris Tips for Your Second, Third, or Fourth Trip

​​Paris, But Make It Weird: 11 Delightfully Offbeat Activities Around the French Capital

Romania

Malaysia

Indonesia

<h1>Paris Travel Dupes</h1>
This article was originally published in the Detour in January 2024

I&rsquo;m not a big one for leaning into travel trends&mdash;go where your heart truly desires, I say! But if your heart&nbsp;reeeeally wants to go &ldquo;somewhere like Paris but not so touristy,&rdquo; then maybe the travel dupes trend is actually for you.&nbsp;
Let&rsquo;s be clear, I&rsquo;m not talking about going somewhere that looks exactly like Paris&mdash;short of a visit to Vegas, you&rsquo;re not going to get a selfie with the Eiffel Tower anywhere else. TikTokers jumping on the bandwagon are all about finding somewhere &ldquo;better&rdquo; than the original destination, but for me, it&rsquo;s more about getting to the heart of what you want from a trip and looking for places that offer a similar experience.&nbsp;
So, what is it that visitors want from a trip to Paris? Romantic sunset strolls along the Seine, world-class art and stunning architecture&hellip; some really tasty baked goods and great wine? Unsurprisingly, these are all things you can find elsewhere, too.

We&rsquo;ll start with a suggestion to satisfy anyone wanting to practise their French: Rouen, the capital of Normandy. At first glance, it&rsquo;s a little more industrial than Paris, but stick with me&mdash;it still checks a bunch of boxes!&nbsp;
For those leisurely strolls, you&rsquo;ve got the Seine running through the centre of town. But here, I&rsquo;d say it&rsquo;s best enjoyed as part of the panorama from atop&nbsp;<a href="https://en.visiterouen.com/heritages/nature/the-sainte-catherine-hill-in-rouen/?lid=16g46ynjyt1i">Saint Catherine&rsquo;s Hill</a>. Even&nbsp;<a href="https://arthive.com/claudemonet/works/324044~General_view_of_Rouen_from_the_hill_of_St_Catherine?lid=sttgycdmn1sl">Monet</a>&nbsp;found the views inspiring!
The steeple towering above the rest of the old town belongs to none other than Rouen&rsquo;s own Notre-Dame Cathedral, which spends its summer evenings&nbsp;<a href="https://en.visiterouen.com/heritages/history/the-cathedral-intimate-and-flamboyant/cathedral-of-light/?lid=mgwjjzgs6r0x">bathing in illuminations</a>. And then there&rsquo;s the Gothic church of Saint-Laurent, worth a visit for its unusual museum packed with&nbsp;<a href="https://www.clarkart.edu/microsites/the-art-of-iron/exhibition-(4)?lid=1kppg9ufbm2d">wrought iron works of art</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;
Just walking through the medieval cobblestone streets will keep you entertained, though. You can hunt down the spot where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake, admire the city&rsquo;s astronomical clock from inside and out, and duck in and out of cheese shops (or&nbsp;<a href="https://rouen-bouge.fr/en/fromagerie-bar-bickett-le-premier-bar-a-fromage-de-rouen/?lid=7c1buui4kcaf">cheese&nbsp;bars</a>!) along the way. It&rsquo;d be rude not to sample&nbsp;<a href="https://www.butterfield.com/get-inspired/calvados-a-norman-tradition?lid=c6qz0tgyl3zl">the local tipples</a>, too!

My second suggestion takes us a hop northeast to the Belgian city of Antwerp. This one has already popped up on social media as a suggested Paris &ldquo;dupe&rdquo;, but I actually think it fits more for Amsterdam. That said, I can definitely get behind it from a more historical destination angle.&nbsp;
The&nbsp;<a href="https://aviewoncities.com/antwerp/meir?lid=gv26bcxfilcb">grand boulevards</a>&nbsp;lined with historic buildings, luxury shopping galleries, and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1977614/worlds-most-beautiful-train-station-antwerp-belgium" target="_blank" rel="noopener">UNESCO-protected train station</a>&nbsp;all play a major role in setting the tone for the city. Add in the&nbsp;<a href="https://rubenshuis.be/en?lid=t7w2lwhzp3yz">Italian-style palazzo</a>&nbsp;surrounded by lush gardens and stuffed to the brim with Baroque art, and you&rsquo;ve probably got a pretty good idea of what to expect.
Don&rsquo;t worry, Antwerp also has a&nbsp;<a href="https://aviewoncities.com/antwerp/cathedral-of-our-lady?lid=66rfuoyvo8l3">Cathedral of Our Lady</a>&nbsp;for you to visit, complete with more works of art by Rubens and an effigy of Isabella of Bourbon. Bonus activity for anyone who isn&rsquo;t claustrophobic or afraid of heights: free guided tours of the cathedral include the opportunity to climb the small cathedral tower. For the full belfry experience, you&rsquo;ll need to stop by the&nbsp;<a href="https://museumvleeshuis.be/en?lid=jxxel7fzludw">Museum Vleeshuis</a>&nbsp;interactive music museum.
Antwerp also takes care of you boat-trip fans. The Scheldt River is teeming with life&mdash;between the waterbuses connecting the city and the tours that take you around the harbour, you won&rsquo;t lack an opportunity to get on the water. The sunset strolls may&nbsp;<a href="https://www.livetheworld.com/activities/belgium/walking-the-quays?lid=stf13yveldwv">look a little different</a>&nbsp;here than Paris, but they can definitely still be romantic.

My final Parisian alternative is Bucharest, Romania. You can probably surmise from its nickname, &ldquo;Little Paris of the East,&rdquo; that I&rsquo;m far from the first person to suggest that Bucharest might indeed remind you of the French capital.&nbsp;
I&rsquo;ll get the most obvious reason out of the way first: the&nbsp;<a href="https://visitbucharest.today/arch-of-triumph/?lid=848le7bda3sc">Arcul de Triumf</a>. In fact, much of the architecture in Bucharest wouldn&rsquo;t feel at all out of place in Paris. As well as an old town packed with cafe-lined cobblestone streets and hidden courtyards, you&rsquo;ll soon encounter the imposing tree-lined boulevard that was specifically&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulevardul_Unirii?lid=r5k2goalrxk9">designed to rival the Champs-&Eacute;lys&eacute;es</a>.&nbsp;
The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/muzeul-micul-paris-little-paris-museum?lid=mqb4ptyey4d1">Muzeul Micul Paris</a>&nbsp;(Museum of Little Paris) is a good place to get a feel for where the nickname came from. It celebrates Bucharest&rsquo;s golden age in a staged bourgeois house that&rsquo;ll take you right back to the late 19th century.&nbsp;&nbsp;
But Bucharest does have remarkable landmarks of its own as well! Located at the end of Bulevardul Unirii, the&nbsp;<a href="https://visitbucharest.today/palace-of-parliament/?lid=5hcqn3bipel2">Palace of the Parliament</a>&nbsp;is hands-down one of the most jaw-dropping buildings I&rsquo;ve ever seen. It&rsquo;s the largest civilian building in the world, and apparently also the heaviest and most expensive.
There are loads of excellent spots to stop around the city for a browse or a bite to eat, like the beautiful&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C3Som5Do3VU/?hl=en&amp;lid=5wjr5drihwe8">Carturesti Carusel</a>&nbsp;bookshop and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.carucubere.ro/en/venue/?lid=8gs68s5eupwo">Caru&rsquo; cu bere</a>&nbsp;restaurant. And come the evening, you can pop into a&nbsp;<a href="https://draculasguidetoromania.com/2023/10/15/wonderful-wine-bars-bucharest/?lid=i0iuwb5l64s3">cosy little wine bar</a>&nbsp;and find out just how well the local produce rivals Paris&rsquo;.
Now we&rsquo;ve got a few options lined up instead of the City of Lights, your brain might be ticking away thinking about &ldquo;dupes&rdquo; for other destinations. Here are a few ideas to consider:

<ul>
<li>Switch the Maldives for Malaysia. Already popular with diving enthusiasts, the white sand beaches and overwater bungalows of Sipadan and Langkayan just scream relaxation. Or for more budget options, pick the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.timetravelturtle.com/malaysia/perhentian-islands/?lid=bmlbh6zoeah1">Perhentian Islands</a>.</li>
</ul>

<ul>
<li>Want the big city vibe without the Big Apple price tag? Head to Chicago. Walk&nbsp;<a href="https://www.the606.org/?lid=trh43lwi3ros">The 606&nbsp;</a>instead of the High Line, sip a cocktail while taking in the views at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C6uxcxDLcxE/?lid=k7176azc4l0y">Cindy&rsquo;s</a>, catch a show at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.secondcity.com/history?lid=x9wzz5t5cgtk">Second City</a>. And of course, treat yourself to a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.chicagomag.com/chicago-magazine/november-2023/chicago-25-best-pizza/?lid=opq344i9pwwk">slice</a>&nbsp;(deep-dish or otherwise).</li>
</ul>

<ul>
<li>The busy temples of Angkor Wat in Cambodia are high on many lists, but Indonesia&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-blogs/unusual-place-of-the-month-borobudur/?lid=onhk8ub8xkdl">Borobudur</a>&nbsp;deserves just as much attention. It&rsquo;s the largest Buddhist temple compound in the world and which took 75 years to build. Its 3-tiered stupa is made from over 2 million stones and surrounded by 72 smaller shrines. Unsurprisingly, sunrise is a popular time to visit.</li>
</ul>

France

£33-£67 rtn

£30-£37 rtn

Nice in €180s rtn

£49-£64 rtn

Girona, Spain & Toulon, France at €116 rtn

£31-£72 rtn

Community Dispatches & European Border Control Chaos

Will the New EES Give You Border Control Nightmares this Summer?

Ringing in 2026 with Our Travel Memories

Alternative Paris Tips for Your Second, Third, or Fourth Trip

Paris, But Make It Weird: 11 Delightfully Offbeat Activities Around the French Capital

Paris Travel Dupes - alternative destinations to the City of Light

Postcard from MettlesomeSojourner88265

Postcard from Amanda

I booked this one!

Postcard from Natasha

Postcard from Rhiann

Postcard from Kelli

France

£33-£67 rtn

£30-£37 rtn

Nice in €180s rtn

£49-£64 rtn

Girona, Spain & Toulon, France at €116 rtn

£31-£72 rtn

Community Dispatches & European Border Control Chaos

Will the New EES Give You Border Control Nightmares this Summer?

Ringing in 2026 with Our Travel Memories

Alternative Paris Tips for Your Second, Third, or Fourth Trip

​​Paris, But Make It Weird: 11 Delightfully Offbeat Activities Around the French Capital

Paris Travel Dupes - alternative destinations to the City of Light

Postcard from MettlesomeSojourner88265

Postcard from Amanda

I booked this one!

Postcard from Natasha

Postcard from Rhiann

Postcard from Kelli

Paris, But Make It Weird: 11 Delightfully Offbeat Activities Around the French Capital