Where to go on vacation with little money? (Amtrak, cheap, airfare)

[sarahkate_m]

Originally Posted by TKramar

It could be interesting to be a tourist in your own town, or state.

There are places close by me that I've never been to...but if I was interested in taking a vacation, I could visit those places.

I was thinking of something like this, along the lines of a "staycation"...Anywhere within 200 miles could be an adventure, right? And you would save a bit on travel since it's only a few hours or so away. Maybe you could take a train?

Thinking of train... As a teen, I lived in CA...My mom took me to Hearst Castle when I was a teen & it was really excellent. We went on a train and stayed about 2 or 3 days. Lovely. And it was just the two of us. She actually booked a tour for us & it was perfect with a chance to view the reel to reel films from the Hearst collection!!! We weren't rich: actually on the poor side but it was a wonderful indulgence. Actually the only vacation she & I EVER went on!

Years later I went with someone else. Because we didn't know exactly what we were doing, we saw the exact same tour but it was worth it: it's an overwhelming experience to visit the sites there: so historical it even amazed me & I had no interest in history otherwise at either time!

Maybe the Hearst Castle would be nice... Not like going to LA or Vegas or HI, but memorable in a timeless way when you can see ceilings, walls, floors & pools collected from historical sites all in one place: like a living museum.

Kate

[TKramar]

I can't say I know what there is to see in Sooner State. There might be some factories that might be open for tours, or the Murraugh building, well, the site of it anyhow. I don't even know my geography well enough anymore to know any state bordering OK except for Texas.

[jdavid93225]

States that border OK are TX, NM, CO, KS, MO, and AR.

Texas, of course, has a lot to see and do, such as visiting the Alamo, or Big Bend National Park.

New Mexico has Carlsbad Caverns, as well as places like Taos and Santa Fe.

Colorado is best known for its mountains, but also has a lot more. Rocky Mountain National Park is beautiful, but then again, so is most of the state. There are a lot of interesting things to do in and around Denver, from sporting events to river rafting to gold mine tours and steam train excursions.

Kansas has some interesting things to see and do, too. Dodge City has a neat museum (Front St. and Boot Hill) and a lot of historically significant landmarks. The Wright Park Zoo in Dodge City is small, but pleasant. There is the "Cosmosphere and Space Center" museum in Hutchinson. There is also the "world's largest ball of twine" in Cawker City!

Missouri is home to Branson, including numerous live musical shows and Silver Dollar City theme park. Nearby is Table Rock Lake, one of the top bass fishing lakes in the country, as well as a popular vacation destination.

Arkansas has Hot Springs National Park, as well as the Clinton Presidential Library, and numerous museums and other attractions.

In a nutshell, these are just a few of the many things to do in the states that neighbor Oklahoma. A quick Google search would reveal hundreds or thousands of other things in addition to those I've mentioned, and I didn't even cover any part of Oklahoma, which I'm sure actually has a lot to see and do, too.

[CasusBelli]

las vegas.

[StealthRabbit]

I would do a road trip and stay in private Guest homes (~$10/night and VERY safe) or camp $20 / night. If you don't have a good car, you can often rent for $20 / day from Enterprise or a local dealer. This trip would be best 2 wks, but could be done in 10 days.

I would suggest the mountain states, and do national parks ($80 for a pass). Maybe head therough Chama, NM, Mesa Verde, CO, then Moab, Utah (Arches, Canyonlands, then Bryce and Zion), then loop up through Bear Lake area of NE UT / SE ID, Tetons (Take a river trip), Yellowstone, out through NE entrance (Beartooth Highway) America's Byways®: National Scenic Byways Online to Lovell / Sheridan Via SR 14a and SR14), up to Little Big Horn, then across to Devils Tower, Mt Rushmore, Custer State Park, Wind Cave, Car Henge (Alliance, NE), Cabela's (Sidney, NE), west to Veedauwoo (Between Cheyenne and Laramie) west to Snowy Range highway (top 10 mtn roads) http://gorp.away.com/gorp/activity/b...opten_mtn7.htm , Stop in Saratoga for a free dip in Hot Springs, then south to Encampment, WY (great free museum), on south to Grand Lake, CO, then across Trail Ridge road and RMNP to Estes Park, and down the front range of Colo. Be sure to see Garden of the God's in Colo Springs (AF academy is nice too, next door...)

[jdavid93225]

Originally Posted by StealthRabbit

I would do a road trip and stay in private Guest homes (~$10/night and VERY safe) or camp $20 / night. If you don't have a good car, you can often rent for $20 / day from Enterprise or a local dealer. This trip would be best 2 wks, but could be done in 10 days.

I would suggest the mountain states, and do national parks ($80 for a pass). Maybe head therough Chama, NM, Mesa Verde, CO, then Moab, Utah (Arches, Canyonlands, then Bryce and Zion), then loop up through Bear Lake area of NE UT / SE ID, Tetons (Take a river trip), Yellowstone, out through NE entrance (Beartooth Highway) America's Byways®: National Scenic Byways Online to Lovell / Sheridan Via SR 14a and SR14), up to Little Big Horn, then across to Devils Tower, Mt Rushmore, Custer State Park, Wind Cave, Car Henge (Alliance, NE), Cabela's (Sidney, NE), west to Veedauwoo (Between Cheyenne and Laramie) west to Snowy Range highway (top 10 mtn roads) GORP - Snowy Range Road - Top 10 Scenic Mountain Drives , Stop in Saratoga for a free dip in Hot Springs, then south to Encampment, WY (great free museum), on south to Grand Lake, CO, then across Trail Ridge road and RMNP to Estes Park, and down the front range of Colo. Be sure to see Garden of the God's in Colo Springs (AF academy is nice too, next door...)

Wow, that sounds like the sort of trip I would take (I've been most of those places, many of them in one trip). It is a lot to fit into one trip, but all are wonderful destinations. If it's too much for one trip, you could focus on Colorado and Utah, and go to the other places on another trip. Of course you could also do CO, NM, and TX instead, visiting the places that appeal to you. I enjoy this type of trip, but it's not for everyone, due to the amount of driving and setting up and packing up on a daily basis.

[girlbuffalo1]

I would look into cruises--you can find the best prices via Priceline.com and click on what months and put anywhere for the destination and put 5-7 as the length and then sort by price.

If you don't drink cruises can be quite cheap. My husband and I ususally spend about $600 per person on the cruise fare for a week and then around $200 each on airfare on Southwest--so usually around $1500-$1600 for the two of us--that is paid in advance. Then we take around $500 on the cruise with us for excursions etc so I think that is a pretty good deal when you think about all what it included (entertainment, great food etc)

[mongoslade223]

Another vote for cruises! They are easy to plan for first time vacationers. Most extra expenses are for tours, alcohol, and transportation to and from the ship. They are pretty much idiot-proof vacations. Start off with a short (3 or 4 day) cruise to the Bahamas.
Discount Cruises, Last-Minute Cruises, Short Notice Cruises - Vacations To Go

[BergenCountyJohnny]

Originally Posted by riverbottomkidok

I would like to take my daughter somewhere after graduation. We have never left the states or flown and would love any suggestions for first-timers. We have a small budget with no real clue as to the cost of a trip like this.

Do you suggest a cruise? Hawaii trip? Mexico?

1. Where are you traveling FROM? (where is your home?)
2. What do you want out of a trip? What type of trip do you prefer - just relaxing? sightseeing? history? educational? beach? shows/plays? mountains? casinos? skiing? What do you want to do on your trip?
3. What length of time do you have? One week? 3 days? 2 weeks? What?
4. What is your budget, roughly? $500 per person? $3000 per person? $1000 per person???

Without knowing the answers to these questions, any suggestion you get is just a guess, shot in the dark. There are plenty of great options, and many of them have been suggested in this thread, but what's best for you is impossible to know without knowing what you want or what your limitations are.

[NYMTman]

Yes having budget info would help.

OP indicated that he/she wanted to fly... so I'd suggest flying into Seattle, spending a couple days there, then taking the train up to Vancouver. Vancouver is the most beautiful city on earth IMO and you'd have a lot of fun.

Your daughter would likely qualify for lower airfares (google 'student airfare' for more info). She could get a roundtrip ticket from Dallas to London for $570 for example lol...