If the only holiday in sight for you is the Roman one you’re watching Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck enjoy on your tv screen, then this is the guide for you! It might be the hole in your pocket, it might be the hole in your soul; but instead of just cutting your nose off to spite your face and not booking that ticket ‘because i’m skint’, or because ‘[insert destination] is too touristy’, why not consider an alternative? With a little research you can easily find a holiday that enjoys all the same qualities as your original choice – but without the hefty price tag or vomiting teenage backpackers. We’ve divided this ever-so-helpful guide into five different ‘types’ of holiday; from party excess to American adventures, we’ve got it covered. Enjoy.

Eastern (European) promise:

So you want to go to…Krakow

Cheap beer, an unshakeable dedication to the art of the party and lovely architecture on every street; yes, we totally get why Krakow is having its moment! But with its recent surge in popularity has come a massive influx of backpackers, leading to price increases and a very packed peak season. If you like what you see in Krakow but are after something that you can make your own, why not try Warsaw? It’s more or less Krakow with less of the stag party/cheap vodka combination we all know and love. It’s pretty, fun and a tad less frantic than its hedonistic sister.

Party prudence:

So you like the sound of…Ibiza

Ibiza; land of hedonism, hippies and seriously sky high prices. Loved by clubbers, dreamers, music-aficianados and beach-babies alike, there’s really no-where else like it on earth…or is there? Once the pilgramage du jour for penniless hippies, its now undeniably one of the most expensive places on earth to holiday, with prices reaching up to 17 Euros for a bottle of water in some of the main clubs! #ShamelessExtortion. Croatia has been described as the ‘new Ibiza’; with countless amazing festivals, fantastic music, beautiful weather and an up and coming underground scene, its also super cheap compared to the White Isle.

Asian ambitions

So you’re considering Bangkok…

If you’re nineteen, just out of school and have a penchance for enormous buckets of mixed liquour, noise and fluro face paint then friend, get yourself to Bangkok pronto, you’ll have a whale of a time. For those you may have passed the Unconscious & Face Down in Sand Holding Glowsticks stage of their lives, an alternative would be the beautiful Chiang Mai. With a chilled vibe, gorgeous scenery (obviously) and lots of unique things to do (fancy learning Thai boxing? Or brushing up on your language skills?) it will be a welcome respite from gap yearers called Hugo puking on your shoes.

The American Dream

So you want to see and be seen in LA…

Yes, so its got celebrities and showbiz glamour coming out of its waxed and exfoliated ears but LA is not everyones shot of wheatgrass. If the laid back nature and sunshiny vibes of the City of Angels appeals to you but its undeniable lack of any kind of cultural identity send you running for the hills, why not make those hills the tram-ridden peaks of San Francisco? Edgy, arty, liberal, clever, sunny, coastal, relaxed and damn good fun – San Francisco is everything a great city should be, and even better, you’re far less likely to see Lindsay Lohan unleashing Frappachino-fuelled hell on waiting paparazzi….Wait, that actually sounds quite fun…

Beach-Slap

So Sun, Sea and Sand is order of the day…

The confusingly similar sounding places are actually pretty different depending on the kind of holiday you’re after. Palma, Majorca is, in July and August, one of the world’s busiest airports with around 700 flights a day. This inevietably means that the beaches are crowded, the bars are sometimes hideously busy and prices are sometimes decidedly unfair. Menorca is like Majorca’s cooler, more laid back, less showy-off sister. It has a marvellously undeveloped shoreline in the southwest, clear waters and great architecture. Respect.