Citizens of Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany and the UK have all heard the same thing in the past few months: if you’re planning to travel to the US, the situation has changed. All six governments have issued updated travel advice following recent policy changes, drawing attention to a tightening of entry rules and the need for transgender people to declare themselves as male or female on Esta and visa applications.
As a result, sentiment is shifting around travel to the Land of the Free. Reports of travellers being detained at the border over misunderstandings, along with a disturbing spate of air traffic control failures, have done nothing to increase confidence among travellers. So if you’re drawn to the bold landscapes, cultural energy and cinematic atmosphere of the US but are reconsidering your travel plans this year– where can you go instead? From cowboy ranches to vibrant cities and deep canyons, these international alternatives echo the best of the US, with a twist.
If you love New York City… try Toronto
There’s no place like the Big Apple – or is there? Toronto has long served as a convincing on screen stand-in, doubling for New York in film and television thanks to its eclectic architecture and versatile landscapes along with favourable film-industry incentives. It’s so convincing a dupe that it even passed as the city in the Sebastian Stan and Jeremy Strong film The Apprentice, charting Donald Trump’s rise to fame in 1970s and ’80s Manhattan.
Of course Toronto is a different and far smaller city to visit: you’ll find the Blue Jays not the Yankees on the baseball field here, and a city-wide devotion to poutine, not pizza. However, the parallels run deep. High Park – a 400-acre park with hiking trails and cherry trees – evokes the grandeur of Central Park; while the CN Tower delivers a skyline view to rival the Empire State Building. Even its history aligns: from 1793-1834, Toronto wasn’t even called Toronto, it was called York.
Getty Images“Actor Peter Ustinov famously said that Toronto is New York run by the Swiss,” said Lydia Devereaux, international marketing director at Destination Ontario. “We’ve both got world-class museums and galleries, shopping, a renowned food scene inspired by an incredibly diverse population and unique walkable neighbourhoods.”
If you’re craving cowboy culture… try Argentina
Yellowstone has a lot to answer for. The popular Paramount show – along with spin off show 1888 and Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter world tour – is behind what travel experts have called the rise in cowboy core: a growing interest in Western culture, ranch stays and horse-riding holidays. But while Montana and Wyoming are seeing new interest, you don’t have to be in the US to experience the best of cowboy culture: just ask the gauchos (cowboys) of Argentina.
Here, gaucho culture draws on a centuries-old heritage of nomadic horsemen who care for their livestock and live life in the saddle. While this traditional lifestyle is struggling to survive in the face of agricultural advancement, travellers can stay in a wide array of estancia (Argentine gaucho ranches) where the pace is slow, the landscapes are vast and the asado (traditional barbecue) is serious business.
“At Estancia Los Potreros, guests witness authentic horsemanship, asados and mate drinking, which are all still part of daily life,” said owner Kevin Begg, who believes the Argentinian version of cowboy culture is even more authentic than the US. “We invite our guests to be part of our family and our activities are all based on what is going on at the estancia as opposed to being picked off an activity list.”