This post is all about destination dupes. A destination dupe is a location that resembles another more popular destination. Not everyone is able to travel to faraway places. So, I wanted to make a post for those that want to feel like they’re in a different country, even if they are not able to travel far from their home country. Let’s start in the U.S.

Visit St. Augustine, Florida, USA instead of Vienna, Austria

St. Augustine (image below) was founded in 1565 and is the oldest continually occupied settlement of European and African American origin in the United States. It predates New England, where most people think of colonization in the U.S. The direct European influence may be why it resembles Europe so much.

The architecture is the main thing that reminds me of Europe. Feel as if you’re walking around Vienna, Austria (image below).  Notice the arches that are present in the buildings in both Vienna and St. Augustine.

Visit Palisades, New Jersey, USA instead of Seoul, South Korea

Palisades, New Jersey in the U.S., is home to a Koreatown that has some of the best Korean food you will find in the Eastern United States. The options are endless. (The image below is from Koreatown, Manhattan. Unfortunately, I don’t have a photo of the Koreatown in Palisades.)

Another feature of Palisades, New Jersey is streets like Broad Street, that feature many Korean-spoken only stores. This means visiting stores where owners speak very little English. It’s a crash course in Korean learning. You’ll feel as if you’re walking the streets of Seoul, South Korea (image below).

That’s what makes this destination dupe really special, because being  forced to speak a new language is something you can usually only experience when visiting the actual country.

Visit Montreal, Canada instead of Zurich, Switzerland

Downtown Montreal, Canada (image below) is full of beautiful buildings, each having its own personality.  There are lots of great shops to buy clothing as well as places to eat really good food.

When I was in Zurich, Switzerland last year, I was reminded so much of Montreal.  Zurich (image below) has so many places that are perfect for people to walk and experience architecture. Even the windows in many of the buildings were similar to those in Montreal. There are cute little shops that sell home items and vintage clothes.

Visit St. Kitts & Nevis, West Indies instead of Jacò, Costa Rica

St. Kitts & Nevis has great beaches and beautiful mountains. There is also the lush rainforest. Something unique to St Kitts & Nevis (Image below) are the Vervet monkeys. While St. Kitts & Nevis only has one species, many Caribbean islands have zero monkey species.

The lush rainforest and monkeys are reminiscent of Jacò, Costa Rica (image below). You know a country is a good destination dupe when some of the landscapes look so similar it’s hard to distinguish which photos are from which place.

Has this post caused you to start thinking about destination dupes?  Is there a place that you would like to travel to that is not a possibility right now?  Search out a destination dupe that is closer to where you live. Let me hear about where you are thinking of going!