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The Most Expensive Travel Destination For U.S. Tourists Isn't Where You Think

The Most Expensive Travel Destination For U.S. Tourists Isn't Where You Think

Yahoo2 days ago
The Most Expensive Travel Destination For U.S. Tourists Isn't Where You Think originally appeared on Parade.
As the summer season is starting its crawl to a close, many of us are trying to squeeze in those last-minute trips before kids go back to school and prep for the fall and winter holidays kicks in. But if you're thinking about jetting abroad in the final weeks of summer, it could hit your bank account harder than you'd like.
A new study by The Forex Complex crunched the numbers on 19 popular destinations, and let's just say one location is particularly spendy. So which locale takes the crown as having the highest daily vacation costs? Let's just say it's getting icy in here.
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Iceland lands in the top spot as the most expensive tourist spot for Americans, according to the report, with daily costs topping $400 in 2025. And while Mexico is usually a go-to for affordable fun, a strong peso is quietly bumping up prices. Meanwhile, Europe's heavy hitters like the UK, Germany and Italy may be a bit kinder to your dollar—but they're still no bargain bin. The UK ranks no. 8 on the list, followed by Germany at no. 9 and Italy rounding out the top 10.After Iceland, Australia takes the second spot as most expensive vacation destination for U.S. travelers. Down under, we spend approximately $280.99 per day on holiday. However, that's still roughly $120 cheaper per day than Iceland.
The Forex Complex gathered the information for these rankings using three important factors: "average daily tourism-related costs (in USD), local inflation rate and the year-over-year change in the destination's currency against the U.S. dollar."
For what it's worth, daily costs were calculated based on lodging, meals, transportation and other standard expenses.
"Currency fluctuations can significantly reshape travel costs, even in countries with stable local prices," says a Forex Complex spokesperson. "While daily expenses tend to dominate perceptions of affordability, shifts in exchange rates can quietly make or break a vacation budget for American tourists. In 2025, travelers who overlook currency trends might be in for a costlier summer than expected."The Most Expensive Travel Destination For U.S. Tourists Isn't Where You Think first appeared on Parade on Aug 4, 2025
This story was originally reported by Parade on Aug 4, 2025, where it first appeared.
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This New Wellness Resort Has The Largest Spa In Central America—And Sits Inside A Volcanic Crater
This New Wellness Resort Has The Largest Spa In Central America—And Sits Inside A Volcanic Crater

Forbes

time3 hours ago

  • Forbes

This New Wellness Resort Has The Largest Spa In Central America—And Sits Inside A Volcanic Crater

Hotel La Compañía del Valle, located in El Valle del Anton, Panama. Hotel La Compañía del Valle For decades, Costa Rica has been a magnet for wellness-centered getaways packed with surf, sun and spas, setting it apart from anywhere else in the region. But what of this Central American haven's next-door neighbor, Panama? Despite sharing much of the same natural beauty, excellent connectivity, and impressive biodiversity, Panama is only just getting started when it comes to drawing tourism, of the wellness-focused variety and otherwise. The debut of Hotel La Compañía del Valle, complete with the largest spa in Central America, will change that. At a time when Panama is poised to draw more stopover travelers than ever, this mountain retreat helps put one of the most beautiful corners of the country on display as a destination worth traveling for, offering a wellness experience travelers are craving. The property has a focus on art and wellness, including a one-of-a-kind sculpture park. Hotel La Compañía del Valle With its eponymous canal and bustling business center, Panama City has long been thought of as more of a place to pass through than to savor. But those in-the-know travelers who've heard the whispers about just how cool Panama City really is will recognize the name of Hotel La Compañía. After a years-long restoration and transformation of centuries-old buildings in the Casco Antiguo neighborhood of Panama City, Hotel La Compañía debuted in 2022 and immediately set a new standard for travelers in the city. The hotel occupies an entire city block within Panama City's historic center, with edifications dating back to the 1600s when Jesuit missionaries from La Compañía de Jesús built the first foundations of the property. Now, the 88-room luxury boutique hotel comprises a Spanish colonial era wing, an 18th century French wing, and a 20th century American wing, each with their own unique style and historical details. 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New wave of African pride rises in the Caribbean
New wave of African pride rises in the Caribbean

Yahoo

time5 hours ago

  • Yahoo

New wave of African pride rises in the Caribbean

Augustine Ogbo works as a doctor, treating patients in clinics across the striking Caribbean island of St Lucia. When he returns to his home in the coastal town of Rodney Bay, he clocks in for his second job - as the owner and solo chef of a Nigerian takeaway. "Egusi soup and fufu, that's more popular... they love jollof rice too," Dr Ogbo says, reeling off a list of his customers' favourite dishes. The 29-year-old hails from Nigeria - population 230 million - but crossed the Atlantic for St Lucia - population 180,000 - to train as a doctor in 2016. He set up his home-based takeaway, named Africana Chops, in 2022, after being incessantly asked by his St Lucian friends for Nigerian fare. The takeaway is now thriving, Dr Ogbo tells the BBC, and not just because his island customers think the food is tasty. "They know that we all have the same ancestral origin. So most of the time, they want to get in touch with that," Dr Ogbo explains, adding that interest in African culture has grown "tremendously" since he arrived almost a decade ago. St Lucia is not alone in this phenomenon. Across the Caribbean, the desire to reconnect with the population's African heritage appears to have strengthened over the past few years. People across the Caribbean have been expressing African pride through cultural means, such as food, clothing and travel, while governments and institutions from both sides of the Atlantic have been meeting to forge economic ties. Africa has had a long presence in the Caribbean. A significant part of the islands' population descended from enslaved West and Central Africans, who were forcibly transported to the Caribbean by European merchants in the 17th and 18th Centuries. Slavery was abolished in much of the Caribbean during the 1800s, while independence from European powers came the following century. The descendants of enslaved people retained some African customs, but largely developed their own standalone cultures, which differ from island to island. In the past, there have been major campaigns to encourage African pride, as Dorbrene O'Marde, who runs the Antigua and Barbuda Reparations Support Commission, says. "It was particularly strong in the 1930s or so, and then again in the 1960s - we saw a major outpouring in sync with the [American] black power movement during that period," he says, talking to the BBC on the island of Antigua. Mr O'Marde believes the Caribbean is witnessing a renewed, more promising version of such "pan-Africanism" (a term used to describe the idea that people of African descent should be unified). "It has widened beyond psychological and cultural themes and we are now talking in broader economic terms, such as stronger transportation links between the Caribbean and Africa," he says. "We are in a different phase now of pan-Africanism – one that's not going to wane like before." One thing that separates this wave of African pride from the ones that came before is social media. Dennis Howard, an entertainment and cultural enterprise lecturer at the University of the West Indies, says a "significant" amount of Jamaicans are connecting with Africa through platforms such as TikTok. "People are learning more about black history beyond slavery," he tells the BBC from his home in the Jamaican capital, Kingston. Mr Howard also points to the global rise of Afrobeats, a musical genre from Nigeria and Ghana. He feels that in Jamaica specifically, the popularity of Afrobeats is partly down to a desire to reconnect with the continent. "Through the music videos, [Jamaicans] are seeing certain parts of Africa are similar to Jamaica and are developed. We had a concept of Africa as this place where it is backward and it's pure dirt road... the music is changing that." 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Key institutions like the African Union, African Development Bank (AfDB) and African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) have been working on the "trade" angle, hosting conferences and setting up memorandums of understanding with their Caribbean counterparts. Afreximbank says trade between the two regions could jump from around $730m (£540m) to $1.8bn (£1.33bn) by 2028, provided the right conditions are achieved. But at the moment, Africa and the Caribbean have some of the lowest indicators in the world for transport infrastructure, logistics quality and customs efficiency, according to the World Bank. In an attempt to reduce trade barriers, the prime minsters of Grenada and the Bahamas this year called for Africa and the Caribbean to launch a shared currency. 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"I can say I'm working hand-in-hand with the Nigerian government and even the St Lucian government to promote the African culture," he says. The doctor and businessman is now trying to upgrade his food business to a full-fledged restaurant - and he hopes the "cultural exchange" between Africa and the Caribbean also goes from strength to strength. "It's awesome!" he says. "I'm really, really excited about that." You may also be interested in: Why the King can't say 'sorry' for slavery Ghana's love affair with reggae and Jamaican Patois 'There's power in names': Antigua unearths lost ancestors Go to for more news from the African continent. Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica BBC Africa podcasts Africa Daily Focus on Africa

US tourist attacked by shark, severely injured while spearfishing in the Bahamas
US tourist attacked by shark, severely injured while spearfishing in the Bahamas

New York Post

time8 hours ago

  • New York Post

US tourist attacked by shark, severely injured while spearfishing in the Bahamas

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