Great Alternatives to Popular Destinations

By Laura Petrecca From Kiplinger’s Personal Finance

Is seeing the Maldives on your bucket list, but you’d rather not pay for a long-haul flight and a pricey overwater bungalow? Maybe you’ve always wanted to take a gondola ride through Venice yet dread the hordes of tourists cramming the city’s narrow streets. Or perhaps you long to explore ancient temples and sample street food in Phuket, but your packed schedule barely leaves time for a long weekend away, let alone a trip to Thailand.