The best travel lists for the coming year, but few do so with such a keen eye toward savings as we do. Here at Budget Travel, it's about more than just buzz (although that helps, too). Our editors comb through piles of data, news, currency charts, and industry trends to find our nominees for the world's new best-value destinations—then passionately debate which of the candidates will make the final list.
Some are perennial, family-friendly favorites (San Diego, San Antonio); some are bucket-list standbys made suddenly affordable (Egypt, Athens); and some are overlooked underdogs ready for their turn in the global spotlight.
American travelers Hotel rates across Portugal have slid since 2010, with five-star
hotel rooms averaging a mere $112 per night, and the Azores, which are dotted with baroque churches, black-sand beaches, and crater lakes, are no exception. To lure visitors, Boston-based charter airline Azores Express is offering deeply discounted hotel-and-air packages through fall 2012 (508/677-0555, from $719). And while island-hopping had traditionally required a long ferry ride or a chartered fishing boat, last November, state-owned SATA Airlines shortened the trip
