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A new study has identified the destinations with the highest average airfare from the United States. It highlights how flight costs continue to shape travelers’ vacation plans.
According to travel insurance marketplace Squaremouth, nearly 33% of US travelers say airfare is the single biggest factor when deciding where to vacation. The company analyzed average ticket prices from major US gateways, including New York and Los Angeles, to determine which destinations are the most expensive to reach.
Topping the list is Namibia, where average round-trip airfare reached $2,009. Antarctica, typically accessed through Ushuaia, Argentina ranked second at $1,899. This was followed by Zimbabwe at $1,839.
The 15 most expensive destinations by average airfare are:
- Namibia: $2,009
- Antarctica: $1,899
- Zimbabwe: $1,839
- Botswana: $1,812
- Madagascar: $1,623
- South Africa: $1,497
- Tanzania: $1,483
- Zambia: $1,475
- Mongolia: $1,421
- Greenland: $1,357
- Rwanda: $1,315
- Maldives: $1,313
- Uganda: $1,184
- Kenya: $1,175
- French Polynesia: $1,118
Many of the highest-ranked destinations are located in southern and eastern Africa, where travelers often need multiple connecting flights after arriving at a major international hub. Those additional segments can push total travel times beyond 20 hours while significantly increasing airfare. Several destinations on the list (including Namibia, Antarctica, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Greenland, the Maldives, and French Polynesia) also rank among the most expensive overall vacations.
Anthony’s Take: For travelers planning bucket-list adventures, the findings serve as a reminder that getting there can be one of the biggest expenses of the journey. It’s pretty amazing that United Airlines is the only US carrier serving some of these far-flung spots. I have often said that United has the best route network and apparently it’s also aligned with some of the most expensive spots to hit.
(Image Credits: NANCY PAUWELS via iStock Photo and Squaremouth.)
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Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
