Vacationing at the second most popular destination in a country is becoming a new travel trend. Picking Marseille over Paris and Osaka over Tokyo has given travelers a more immersive experience than the cities on their bucket lists.
For starters, the less the tourist crowd, the more willing locals are to help out travelers confused about which turn to take. Residents of less frequented or explored cities are more willing to share their culture, says a travel specialist.
“While the classic cities are popular for a reason, it’s often a country’s unheralded towns that provide the best experiences and memories,” said James Thornton, CEO of Intrepid Travel, a small-group tour company.
The ‘second city’ trend may replace the ‘bucket list’ phenomenon that overtook travel trends in 2007.