7 budget-friendly alternatives to popular luxury holiday destinations

Summer is here and so is the desire for a relaxing holiday away from home. However, with prices rising across the globe, far-flung holiday destinations seem to be an unachievable luxury. 

With this in mind, Forbes Advisor discovered the best luxury holiday location dupes to offer an amazing experience without paying a hefty price tag!  

The study looked at the cost of the most popular bucket list destinations, and compared them to visually similar destinations, in order to determine the price difference and provide a list of dupes for travellers. 

Locations

Total Savings

Rank

Luxury Holiday

Budget Alternative

£ Saved

% Difference

1

Bora Bora, French Polynesia

Panama

£4,839

75.68%

2

The Bahamas

Curacao

£1,708

44.95%

3

Hawaii, U.S.

Florida, U.S.

£1,476

41.43%

4

Maldives

Fiji

£632

28.90%

5

Lisbon, Portugal

Mexico City, Mexico

£463

31.80%

6

Athens, Greece

Istanbul, Turkey

£321

25.11%

7

Paris, France

Marseille, France

£155

7.59%

8

Rome, Italy

Cairo, Egypt

£126

8.18%


Bora Bora
is undoubtedly one of the most popular luxury holiday destinations, with Google searches showing more than half a million Americans (534k) have searched for it in the past month. However, did you know you can get a similar experience for a quarter of the price? 

Switching your destination to Panama will save you a whopping £4,839! From exploring indigenous communities to checking the traditional cigar factories, or just enjoying a day at the beach (there are over 3,000 kilometres of coastline), Panama offers not just a holiday, but an all-around unforgettable experience – on a budget. 

The second biggest saving you can make is by switching your holiday spot from The Bahamas to the island country of Curacao! This switch could save you approximately £1,708. Although the beaches in Curacao might not be pink, and you probably won’t see any swimming pigs like you would in The Bahamas, there are plenty of reasons to visit the beautiful island, such as: swimming with the sea turtles, learning how to dive, and not spending a fortune on it!

Although Hawaii is a gorgeous destination to visit, if you are on a budget you might want to book a plane to Florida instead, saving approximately £1,476! Apart from enjoying some time on the beach, a trip to Florida brings a multitude of attractions for you to enjoy such as Walt Disney World, The Kennedy Space Centre, and for the movie lovers, a trip to Universal Studios. 

Fiji is a great holiday destination dupe for those wanting to go somewhere like the Maldives, but on a budget, this switch would save you approximately £632. With so many attractions to enjoy in Fiji, such as the Garden of the Sleeping Giant, the hot spring & mud pools, and the Fiji culture village, you are offered a luxurious experience, without paying an exorbitant price.

Lisbon, Portugal could be switched up for Mexico City, Mexico, saving you approximately $564. Whilst in Portugal you can visit the Mosteiro dos Jeronimos (former monastery of the Order of Saint Jerome, built in the Manueline and Gothic styles), the Oceanário de Lisboa, and the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum’, in Mexico City you can see the Frida Kahlo Museum, the Palacio de Bellas Artes and the Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral.

Instead of a trip to Athens, Greece, you can save approximately £321 by going to Istanbul, Turkey. 

If you’d like a holiday to France, a trip to Marseille would cost you 7.59% less than a trip to the capital, Paris. 

Lastly, going to Cairo, Egypt instead of Rome, Italy can save you approximately £126 (and you can try to figure out how they built the pyramids)!

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Luxury eyewear brand L.G.R and Robe di Kappa launch exclusive Limited Edition sunglass

L.G.R launches a Special Edition of sunglasses in collaboration with the iconic  clothing brand Robe di Kappa, sharing common values related to Italian style and authenticity. The concept will focus on the campaign claim “Robe di Occhiali”, also engraved inside the temple to emphasize the limited edition and the exclusive nature of the product.

L.G.R has been producing eyewear since 2008, blending together traditional Italian methods of craftsmanship, lens technology, and a history that dates back to Africa. L.G.R eyewear is entirely handmade in Italy by three artisanal families, who build each frame from start to finish using traditional methods of production in order to deliver an authentic and noble product.

L.G.R preserves Italian values and heritage through hard work by real people who have spent their lives specializing in this meticulous line of craftsmanship. The result is a genuine product that translates excellence through passion. The brand has a celebrity following including Tom Cruise, Cristiano Ronaldo, Prince William, Marion Cotillard, Kirsten Dunst, Giorgio Armani, Gigi Hadid, Paul Bettany, Charlotte and Pierre Casiraghi amongst others.

For this collaboration the brand has used as a reference the iconic Fez, a bestselling model of the L.G.R collection, and have customized it on the basis of colours chosen in line with Robe di Kappa style and positioning.

For this collaboration with Robe di Kappa, the matt finish of the Fez frontal was achieved through a natural thermal opacification process called sandblasting, preserving the very high quality of the cellulose acetate and giving a modern design. The slogan of the collaboration “Robe di Occhiali” is stamped inside the sunglasses’ temples.

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Fashion sees a 830% rise in demand – Stranger Things happen

It’s arrived !!!!!!! Yes series 4B has finally dropped on Netflix, that’s me sorted then and in the last month alone, Google searches for Stranger Things inspired fashion have increased by 250%. Similarly, eCommerce savings platform WeThrift reported up to a 830% increase in shoppers searching for discounts at Netflix Stranger Thing merchandise stores. 

With this in mind, the team of trend experts at WeThrift have compiled this list for those of you looking to spice up your wardrobe with some iconic Stranger Things 80s inspired fashion as the eagerly awaited second volume of season 4 arrives.

Here are some sought after 80s essentials to take your outfits to the upside down. 

1 Trucker Cap

Google searches for Dustin’s adorable ‘Thinking Cap’ have rien by 482% in the past month, meaning an inspired trucker cap is an absolute essential for your Stranger Things look. If you really want to go all out 80s, pair your permed hair or on your mullet for increased authenticity. 

2 Baseball T-Shirt 

Want to be a member of the infamous Hellfire Club? Since searches for the tee have risen by 400%, now’s the time to join the club. A simple black and white baseball t-shirt with or without a graphic will be a great substitute for your Hellfire Club uniform. They look great paired with a classic chequered over-shirt or a denim jacket.

3 Converse 

One 80s fashion staple that has never truly died is the classic pair of converse. The variation of colours available from black, burgundy and cream means a pair of converse can be styled with absolutely anything. Match it with the block colours on your baseball tee and a classic pair of jeans for the perfect 80s look.

4 Baseball Jacket

Channel your inner-Lucas with a casual baseball jacket in a plethora of colours. This timeless yet very 80s look can be worn with absolutely anything as it pairs perfectly with any outfit. 

5 Flannel Shirt

Another timeless 80s look is the flannel shirt. The flannel has endless versatility, it can be worn buttoned up, as an overshirt or around the waist. They’re available in a wide variety of colours and patterns – so the possibilities for a demon-slaying outfit are endless

6 Mom Jeans 

Finally, we have the iconic mom jeans. OK, maybe not one for all the lads, but these high-waisted and loose-legged jeans absolutely scream 80s and are perfect for a casual look with a flannel, converse and a cap. To make them as authentic as possible, make sure they’re stone-washed and in an edgy rock-style with acid washed denim fabric. 

An Admiral collection to watch from BOSS

BOSS Watches makes waves this season with an innovative addition to the BOSS Admiral family of sporty chronograph timepieces. Crafted from ocean-bound plastic sourced from Swiss initiative #tide, the Admiral seamlessly brings together the use of more responsible materials with a striking BOSS look.

Their partner Tide Ocean SA is a company based in Basel, Switzerland, founded into the possibility of using ocean plastic for watchstraps. With the goal of cleaner oceans, #tide built a global network and organises beach clean-ups, collaborate with social enterprises, pay fair wages to local communities and comply with ethical and ecological standards.

The plastic waste collected and processed is 100% ocean-bound. #tide does not process any virgin and non-ocean bound plastics.

The bold design of this watch collection is a tribute to the iconic diver’s watch – includes a prominent unidirectional rotating bezel, luminescent hands and indexes, and three diamond-cut sub-eyes on the dial. The pushers, crown, crown protection, and textile strap add to the sporty look of the watch while also being crafted from #tide ocean-bound plastic.

Built with a solar cell that draws energy from the sun to power its quartz movement, the chronograph is available in black or blue, with pop-color details on the dial and second sweep. The BOSS Admiral is created for men who make a statement with their style – and are always ready to explore something new.

A scent with added Summer glow – Terra Aftershave

In the Summer you want a good fragrance, that, obviously smells good, if your like me could ward off mosquitoes, but how about one that not only smells great but gives you an even, healthy glow to you ?

Well the Skin Fragrance Terra Aftershave – Light Dark is a moisturising and hydrating aftershave spray that provides the skin with a flawless healthy and radiant complexion (thanks to hyaluronic acid), as well as a self-tanning touch (thanks to the bronzer food pigments within the product). The product is alcohol-free, vegan, paraben free and erythrulose free and the scent of the product is aromatic and spicy. 

The, pretty, immediate tan is obtained thanks to a cosmetic bronzer, a mixture of coloured pigments also used for food use and safe for skin. DHA (Dihydroxyacetone) an ingredient of vegetal origin, it guarantees a gradual and long-term tan, without causing any damage to the skin. The lotion acts on the superficial layer of the epidermis, giving a bright and intense colouring that gradually decreases with the natural exfoliation of the skin without leaving spots.

Panthenol Vitamin B5 is of plant origin, panthenol ensures intense and long-lasting hydration thanks to its emollient and highly moisturising properties. Regenerates the skin in-depth,

giving it elasticity and firmness.And of course Hyaluronic Acid Is naturally present in our body in the deepest layers of the skin, hyaluronic acid moisturises intensely, giving compactness, brightness, elasticity and visibly reducing wrinkles and signs of aging.