Good news, travelers: For a trip in 2026, you may have some stellar options for that big international adventure. With a passport in hand and even a small travel budget, you might be surprised how far you can go this year.
Since Jan. 1, we've already sent more than 30 Thrifty Traveler Premium flight deal alerts to our members – most of which were for international trips in economy, premium economy, or business class. And if you fold in flight deals we found last year for travel in 2026, that list is even longer.
Fares are dropping (and award space is popping up) to destinations like Greece, Colombia, the Maldives, London, Mexico, Italy, Norway, and more. But all those destinations will all have to serve as runners-up on this list…
So without further ado, here's our top six countries where we're seeing outstandingly cheap fares for travel in 2026.
South Africa
Flight deals to South Africa all but dried up over the past few years, to the point where we were reconsidering what might be a good deal flying to Johannesburg (JNB) or Cape Town (CPT).
After years of fares over $1,000 roundtrip or more, things came crashing down thanks to this big sale on Delta flights to South Africa for a trip in 2026.
All of the fares you see above are flying Delta with one connection in Atlanta (ATL). It's the most convenient routing to South Africa you'll find from the U.S. – and at a stellar price, too. But for travelers who'd rather use their points and miles, Delta came in with a hot SkyMiles flash sale to help them out.
Yes, you're seeing that correctly: Roundtrip fares all the way to South Africa for just 48,000 SkyMiles total. And if you have a Delta credit card, you get 15% off those rates, bringing the total to 40,800 SkyMiles roundtrip.
If you want something a little comfier flying the long, long-haul to South Africa, you'll need to get creative. Business class seats to South Africa are almost never cheap. But if you fly to Europe first, you can flex your SkyMiles or credit card points to fly Air France or KLM business class nonstop to Jo-burg for just 65,000 miles each way!
With deals like these, South Africa might have to creep back toward the top of your list in 2026.
Hong Kong
Competition in Hong Kong (HKG) is heating up thanks to a new nonstop flight on Delta from Los Angeles (LAX) and more flights from both Cathay Pacific and United.
And when competition heats up, it leads to fares like these:
These are not flights to Europe – they're flying all the way over to Hong Kong, sometimes for less than $600 roundtrip! This deal was, again, accompanied by a Delta SkyMiles flash sale, too, giving travelers the chance to snag a roundtrip fare to Hong Kong from just 37,000 SkyMiles roundtrip.
Plus, the opportunities to fly up front to Hong Kong are much easier than to other places in the world. A few months back, Delta ran a special Delta One Suites SkyMiles sale for a trip this year, with rates under 100,000 SkyMiles each way!
But I might recommend instead that you fly Hong Kong's very own Cathay Pacific business class instead. For just 88,000 points each way, you could secure a seat like this for your trip to Hong Kong from several North American gateways including San Francisco (SFO), Los Angeles (LAX), Seattle (SEA), Toronto (YYZ), and Vancouver (YVR).
One of the great world cities is more connected than ever from North America, so it might just be time to go!
North Atlantic: Greenland, Faroe Islands, & Iceland
Each of these epic North Atlantic islands probably deserves its own section in this story … but for the sake of expediency – and because they're all so close together – I'm going to talk about Greenland, Faroe Islands, and Iceland flight deals altogether.
In all three cases, there are some new (or relatively new) routes that are helping fuel these flight deals. Last year, United announced it would begin flying to Nuuk, Greenland (GOH) from Newark (EWR). They followed through on that route and then re-upped it for summer 2026. Then we found this:
For 80,000 miles roundtrip – booked through either Air Canada (or transferred in from Amex, Bilt, Capital One, or Chase) or United itself (also transferable from Bilt or Chase), you could make these nonstop flights yours. And the best part? The flight from EWR-GOH doesn't go overnight. No red eyes, here!
I think Greenland might be a burgeoning travel destination for Americans, just like the Faroe Islands. Last year, Icelandair announced Faroe Islands service, immediately opening that country up to countless travelers around airports with Icelandair service. And like Icelandair always does, they sold those flights for a song.
And finally, there's the tried-and-true unofficial capital of this region: Iceland. A cheap flight to Reykjavik (KEF) is about as sure a thing as you'll find in flight deals, which is why roundtrip fares can look like this:
But there's another reason to target a trip to Iceland this year: The total solar eclipse in August. On Aug. 12, the western part of Iceland (some of the prettiest parts of the country) will be in the path of totality for the total solar eclipse. It'll be a major, major event, so don't wait to book!
Vietnam
If you didn't read the Hong Kong section above, you should take a look. Vietnam flight deals are roaring back due, in part, to all that extra capacity in Hong Kong (HKG) – a major connection point in Southeast Asia.
That's why we recently found this flight deal flying from more than 20 destinations in North America to both Hanoi (HAN) and Ho Chi Minh City (SGN) for Europe-like prices.
But you can also do Vietnam in comfort – and even skip that pesky connection in Hong Kong if you want, too! If you have Air France/KLM Flying Blue miles or ANA miles, you can book Vietnam Airlines in the business class cabin for just 68,000 points each way!
Vietnam Airlines business class would be the perfect beginning, end, or both to one of those too-perfect Vietnam adventures that's all over travelers' bucket lists.
Malta
Are you detecting a theme in this story? If not, I'll just give it to you: New routes = lower Fares.
It's simple. Last year, Delta announced it would launch a new nonstop flight from New York (JFK) to Malta (MLA) this coming summer. Since then, the other airlines have been lowering prices to the Mediterranean island all year-round.
This flight deal included dozens and dozens of U.S. airports flying to Malta in the $400s roundtrip, including flights from smaller regional airports, too. I see you Lincoln, Nebraska and Montgomery, Alabama!
While Delta is charging much more for its nonstop flights to Malta (MLA), you can get a screaming-cheap points deal if you book through one of Delta's partners. Look at these prices booking through Delta partner Flying Blue (a transfer partner of nearly every major bank). If you book through them instead of through Delta, which wants more than 100,000 SkyMiles, you can secure your spot on these flights to Malta from just 59,000 points roundtrip.
An honorable mention for the nonstop flight to Catania (CTA) and Sardinia (OLB), too!
Croatia
Last, but certainly not least, there's Croatia: One of my favorite places in Europe. While the it feels like the secret is out about Croatia, flight deals are starting to pop up more and more as additional airlines add (surprise!) new routes to the coastal region.
United added a Newark (EWR) – Dubrovnik (DBV) flight a few years ago, and the success of that led them to launch a flight to Split (SPU), too! Every one of United and Delta's partners seem to serve Zagreb (ZAG), as well.
That's how you end up with flight deals like this: Airlines competing for your dollar.
And if you're lucky enough to live in Boston (BOS), you could have booked one of these bonkers fares under $400 roundtrip! Run, don't walk to secure this one!
Get started on your trip planning by reading my guide to Dubrovnik, Plitvice Lakes, and these four other reasons why I loved it so much.
Bottom Line
It's going to be a good year to travel abroad, but some of the best flight deals can be found at these six specific destinations all over the world.
Hong Kong, Vietnam, Croatia, the North Atlantic, Malta, and South Africa are some of the best places to go – and will probably be ripe for deals in 2026, too.
Various articles in this newsletter have referred many times to Westjet as a “budget” or “low-cost” airline. In Canada, it is not a budget carrier (although it may have started that way 20+ years ago), it is now a mainline carrier in the same category as Air Canada for pricing.