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B C B U S I N E S S . C A
J U N E
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CARRY ON
Fast fashion may have perfected the
art of the inexpensive dupe, but the travel
industry has quickly caught on: so-called
destination dupes are the hottest trend for
summer travel, and every travel agent, ex-
pert and brand seems to be touting them.
Crowds in European capitals can make
summer touring a drag. In Spain's Cata-
lonia region, consider architecture- and
history-rich Girona: one European food
site pegged meals there at an average of
25 percent less than in Barcelona, and it's
just an hour away.
Instead of London, consider Liverpool.
There's a Tate museum there, too, plus
Anfield—home of Liverpool FC—and, for
Boomers: all that Beatles history!
Similarly, Treviso is Venice minus the
canals, but it has riverside
architecture and, merci-
fully, trees for shade, an airport nearby and
adjacency to the Prosecco wine region.
News flash: Santorini is no longer a
secluded Greek island retreat. Try Paros,
which has the whitewashed buildings and
winding streets but without the huge crowds.
The Albanian Riviera is also trending as
an alternative to the south of France, with
Saranda, near the border to Greece, as
one place to start.
GET DUPED
THIS SUMMER
The buzziest travel term of 2024 might
just be "destination dupes" as wanderers
search for summer vacations away from
the hordes (and, often, away from inflated
prices as well)
by Charlene Rooke
by Charlene Rooke
Charlene Rooke is a Vancouver-based wine and
spirits journalist and educator, and a former
editor of travel publications like Air Canada's
enRoute, Fairmont and a private-jet magazine.
J E T S E T T E R
Scott Bond is a newcomer
to the Vancouver business
scene, but not to business
travel: the vice president of
U.S. consumer services for
Rennie previously worked
for Zillow in Dubai. As
Bond works to expand the
brokerage in the States, he
frequently motors between
Vancouver and Seattle, and
tries to time the border
early in the morning.
Cabo isn't just for boozy beach holidays anymore. The eco-
chic Acre Resort, located on a lush farm in the hills of San
José del Cabo, has a new event venue for groups of up to
200, serving the same sustainable, farm-to-table cuisine—
and its own La Tierra de Acre Mezcal. acreresort.com
"I love the drive as the sun is
coming up," he says. Like all
savvy border crossers, Bond
uses the Nexus/Global Entry
program, and "knows where
all the Starbucks are located."
The residential real-estate
expert still prefers hotels over
home-stay accommodations,
and when in Vancouver he
stays "at one hotel and one
hotel only: the Loden." The
hotel's Tableau Bar Bistro "has
one of the best burgers that
I've ever had," he adds.
Bond's business packing
starts with the dress shoes
(brown or black), which
"decide the rest of the outfits
from there." Nikes and gym
clothes go in the bag, as does
his fave device: a charging
hub. "It allows me to plug in
my phone, Apple watch,
laptop and even head-
phones," he explains. "There
is nothing worse than stress-
ing out about charging your
devices the night before a
big day."
