go cheap with these last minute destinations!

© franckreporter/Getty Images

– London offers very good value for money for the New Year.

Spend Christmas in the mountains, celebrate the New Year in the sun… It’s not yet too late to take advantage of the end-of-year holidays to go on vacation. This year, the French are looking for a change of scenery. According to Expedia.fr, an online travel agency, flight searches for Senegal have increased by 65% ​​compared to last year at the same period, by 55% for Morocco (with the city of Marrakech in the lead ), 40% for Singapore, 35% for Cambodia and 25% for Bangkok in Thailand, Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, and Manila in the Philippines. The trend is towards sunny and distant destinations.

A few days before Christmas, places are likely to be expensive for these exotic destinations which still have the advantage of having a lower cost of living there than in France. “Once the flight is booked, you can find very affordable accommodation solutions”Expedia notes. On average, the average price for a round trip to Bangkok is 1,035 euros over the end-of-year holiday period, 1,064 euros for Manila or 790 euros for Dakar, Senegal, establishes Kayak, a search engine specializing in travel. But some destinations are much more affordable during this period such as London in England (137 euros on average), Marrakech (313 euros) or Fez (231 euros) in Morocco, or even Athens in Greece (267 euros).

Holidays in the mountains or in a European capital

For a last-minute trip during the holiday season, Expedia.com recommends a vacation in the countryside or in the mountains. “If the major resorts in the Alps (Savoie and Haute-Savoie) are already enjoying great success, we can still find accommodation to rent (chalets or apartments) in Isère and especially in the other massifs (Hautes-Pyrénées or in the Vosges) with still nearly 40% of accommodation available on Abritel”specifies the travel agency.

Furthermore, it is still possible to get good deals by leaving around New Year’s Eve. For a departure on December 31, travelers can save on average 39% on flights outside Europe, 16% on domestic flights and 21 % on European flights, indicates Kayak. According to the search engine, the most searched destination over this period is London. She “is a top choice for travelers looking for excellent value for money”says the company. The average return flight is 190 euros to admire the New Year’s fireworks from the British capital. Other destinations, mostly European, remain affordable, even at the last minute: this is the case of Rome (213 euros on average), Lisbon (256 euros), Prague (244 euros), Amsterdam (253 euros), Budapest (272 euros) or even Barcelona for only 180 euros round trip.