By Sarah Waffle Gavin, on February 27, 2015

Huge travel deals with #PassportPick

After years of paling in comparison to many international currencies, the U.S. dollar has started 2015 strong, making now the perfect time to travel to faraway places.

At Expedia, we understand that international travel sometimes can be expensive. At the same time, we’re in the business of making travel dreams attainable. So we got to thinking—if we could give our most loyal customers the opportunity to get good deals to travel internationally, where would they go?

We didn’t dare answer that question on our own; instead, we posed the question to some of our Twitter followers. In a matter of hours, we received 400 different suggestions mentioning 90 destinations overall. Out of those 90, we narrowed the list down to the top 10 destinations they’d like to visit for less. Then we ran the numbers—some of which topped US$650 in savings.

The result, of course, was this new page, which we’ll update quarterly with some of the best international deals we offer.

As of late February 2015, the best deals were to Rome (package savings of US$657, or 17 percent), London (US$573; 14 percent), the Riviera Maya (US$524; 14 percent), Cancun (US$488; 14 percent), and Cabo San Lucas (US$453; 14 percent).

Of course these deals change all the time.  Check out the promo page often. And look for great deals! (Oh, and if you'd like to tell us your favorite international destination, do so on Twitter and use the hashtag, #PassportPick.)

Meanwhile, because this is the Expedia Viewfinder blog, we asked some of our intrepid bloggers where they would travel internationally if money was no object—or if they could get their hands on a spectacular deal. Here’s what some of the respondents had to say.

Viewfinder Tip: For great deals on international travel, check out Expedia's #PassportPick promo.

Rick Griffin, from Midlife Road Trip

“I would love to travel to Bangkok, Thailand. I am a hopeless foodie who loves Thai food—so much so that ‘Eating Thai food in Thailand’ tops my culinary Bucket List. Though I’ve never been to Southeast Asia, I have a number of well-traveled friends who mention Thailand as one of their favorite places in the world. Naturally, then, I’ve been wanting to check it out for myself. My itinerary would include buying food from a boat on the floating market, visiting the Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn) on the west bank of the Choa Phraya River, and touring the ornate Grand Palace at Wat Prakaew.  Of course, I’m hoping to pick up some cooking tips while I’m there, too.”

Captain & Clark

“Antarctica has been a dream destination of ours for years. Not only is it the last continent that Chris has yet to visit, but it's one of the hardest to get to. We would love to spend a few weeks on-board a ship as we traveled to the white wilderness of Antarctica. Leopard seals, emperor penguins, and blue whales are on our ‘must spot’ list and the chance to see these creatures in the wild would be a dream come true.” 

Trip Styler

“Right now I'm longing for an escape that's more than just a week. Somehow, I want to find the luxury of time to fully immerse myself into another culture's daily beat. Tokyo fascinates me. I've only spent short periods of time in Japan's greatest gateway—48 hours here, 10 hours there—but I'd love to live there for a year and embrace the country's minimalist living, singing toilets, and sushi salons (on every street corner). On the opposite side of the world, Paris will always have my heart. It's the first city I visited solo, and as a crazed fan of croissants, couture, and parlez français, the City of Lights will always woo me.”

NVR Guys

“Having just watched an incredible Travel Channel special on the world’s wildlife, we are dreaming of safari. While we’ve been on safari in South Africa, we’d love to head back to the continent to witness the Great Migration from Tanzania to Kenya. The migration is considered a natural phenomenon, running the first few months of each year. In addition to nearly 2 million wildebeest making the trek, other animals—buffalo, gazelle, zebra—tackle the 500-mile journey. How incredible it would be to soar above the action in a hot air balloon, watching the animals navigate the treacherous landscape and the predators that lie in wait.”

Matt Villano

“I’d love to take my family back to England, where we lived for five months at the end of 2013. Sure, we’d spend time in London (our old haunt), but I’d also drag the kids to Highclere Castle to see where Downton Abby is filmed, and to the Lake District, where we only visited for a short while. If we bring my parents to watch our girls, I’d love to abscond with my wife to the Scottish Islands for a few days to taste Scotch and watch the storms roll in. This is a trip I’ve always wanted to take. I’m running out of excuses not to take it.”

To review: The dollar is powering it! The time to travel internationally is now. Check out our deals, find one that suits you and book a trip. And remember—the only part of travel you’re guaranteed to regret is not going at all.

If you could score a deal to any place on Earth, where would you travel?