Vacations for those of us who are broke/poor

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  1. Medical Student
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Suggestions? I'll add to the list as good ones come up. Ideas so far:

Broke:
- Camping (very cheap if already have tent + sleeping bags)
- Chill at the beach

Poor:
- Short cruise ($350, BYOB)
- Bike road trip (food + lodging)
- Visit Mexico (transportation to Mexico, cheap bus rides, hostels)
- Hotwire.com or kayak.com + major city with public transit (About $250 roundtrip per person + lodging + food + transportation)
- Mardi Gras!
- Visit National and State Parks, local springs, etc (maybe $100 for a week)
- Vegas (2-3 days sans gambling)
- Package deals on http://www.go-today.com/ (tend to be cheaper in the winter)
- Road trip (stay with old friends/family and hotels found on priceline)
- Camp in Key West and do a snorkling cruise ($35/night + $50/person for cruise)
 
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there is always camping to do, it's amazing how many sites there are around
if you have an offroad capable truck you can get to pretty secluded places that are even nicer
and then some of my friends went on a huge 1000 mile bike road trip over the last summer, they just took off and followed the northbound freeway into oregon - cheaper than driving road trips (aside from food) and a great way to learn the area around you and get in touch with your inner athlete. Should be about as long as any normal vacation, depending on your physical fitness
 
Getting a job would be a vacation from being broke or poor.
 
Fly to Singapore from a major airport (LAX SFO NYC) for free as an air travel courier. Your expenses while backpacking through Thailand Malaysia Laos and Cambodia will likely be less than rent in the USA.
 
hotwire.com + major city w/ good public transit.
 
Step 1. Be Poor
Step 2. ?????
Step 3. Go on vacation
Step 4. Profit.

You live in Florida. Go to the beach 4 days of the week = vacation in my book.
 
Find a cougar. Multiple problems solved.👍
Works for the ladies as well.
2009128174423_Cougar-4.jpg
 
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America has some of the best and most beautiful and eventful national (and state) parks in the world. Seriously. You can do it really cheap and have the time of your life. It's quite amazing, especially if you're willing to hike a little bit, or do a drive.

I never realized it until I started visiting some of them, but you could spend all of your vacations just going through the national parks and barely spend any money. People spend thousands of dollars coming from overseas just for a few parks. Take advantage if you're low on funds (and even if you're not).

You can have like a week's worth of vacation for a couple hundred bucks total. And really have a great time too.
 
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IlDestriero said:
Find a cougar. Multiple problems solved.👍
Works for the ladies as well.
Click to expand...

Came across a loaded rich old lady cougar the other day... 84 years old. Take 30 years off and im game
 
IlDestriero said:
Find a cougar. Multiple problems solved.👍
Works for the ladies as well.
Click to expand...

+1. Boyfriend just got a huge stip bonus at work. Going on vacation. 👍
 
VEGAS, BABY!!

There are tons of cheap motels in that city...
SO MANY free things to do, too.
Just eat at fast food restaurants
 
Agree with Vegas. Flights are cheap, and so are hotels. They're just trying to get you there to gamble, but if you don't gamble much and don't go to expensive shows, it's a cheap trip. There's still a lot to see for 2-3 days.
 
Hawaiianhost1 said:
VEGAS, BABY!!

There are tons of cheap motels in that city...
SO MANY free things to do, too.
Just eat at fast food restaurants
Click to expand...

TheProwler said:
Agree with Vegas. Flights are cheap, and so are hotels. They're just trying to get you there to gamble, but if you don't gamble much and don't go to expensive shows, it's a cheap trip. There's still a lot to see for 2-3 days.
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👍

And if you go during the week, even the strip hotels are manageable.

Vegas can certainly be expensive, but look around. Food, lodging, and even drinks can be done quite cheaply.
 
Hawaiianhost1 said:
VEGAS, BABY!!

There are tons of cheap motels in that city...
SO MANY free things to do, too.
Just eat at fast food restaurants
Click to expand...

This.

Do NOT go to Mexico OP, just dont do it.

I found dollar drinks several times at places like Bill's and Casino Royal I think, the cheap places have cheap drinks usually.
 
If you are looking for a party type of vacation with friends, you can get pretty cheap cruise deals these days (a couple hundo for a decent but not great ship for a week). Just bring your own alcohol and you're all set, because that's where they try to make all their profits
 
Yosemite. Pinnacles. Lassen.

Go to Bodega Bay. Go to Crescent City.

Craters of the Moon. Glacier.

Go to nature. Read, sleep, dream.
 
I know your looking for cheap vaca etc but a 3 night stay in london package right now is only $450. free breakfast, round trip, hotels. for 850 you get to stay 3 night in london, 3 in paris and 3 in rome. pretty good deal if u ask me. my parents friends did that last year and they loved it.
 
Vegas gets old if you've been there a lot.

Over priced drinks and clubs. I would go out of the country (beach) or do what people have mentioned about national parks or destinations.

Beaches must enter the equation no matter what though.
 
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AsianPersuasion said:
I know your looking for cheap vaca etc but a 3 night stay in london package right now is only $450. free breakfast, round trip, hotels. for 850 you get to stay 3 night in london, 3 in paris and 3 in rome. pretty good deal if u ask me. my parents friends did that last year and they loved it.
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Also doesn't sound bad if you haven't been those places. But after you add the flight, this may not be "cheap" enough for OP.
 
MCAT guy said:
Also doesn't sound bad if you haven't been those places. But after you add the flight, this may not be "cheap" enough for OP.
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nope flight is included 🙂+ hotels. I think the only thing that might be the downfall would be spending money on food, souvenir, tours etc.

P.S its possible that the price might of went up. I saw the package deal last month online.
 
For vegas, cover at clubs is sometimes 50-100 bucks if you're a dude. Testicles, what a blessing and a curse.
 
i kind of wnat to do this:

i'd buy a one way ticket from an airport about 600 miles away back home about 2 weeks from when i start walking with a tent and a backpack with first aid, pedialyte, 50 bucks, a knife, and clothes, etc. whatever fits in there goes. and then just start walking towards that airport from wherever i am. if i get there early i figure out a way to not die. if i get there late, then i guess im not going home that day.
 
texahn said:
i kind of wnat to do this:

i'd buy a one way ticket from an airport about 600 miles away back home about 2 weeks from when i start walking with a tent and a backpack with first aid, pedialyte, 50 bucks, a knife, and clothes, etc. whatever fits in there goes. and then just start walking towards that airport from wherever i am. if i get there early i figure out a way to not die. if i get there late, then i guess im not going home that day.
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I don’t know; it's an interesting idea, but I wouldn’t really recommend it since you are planning on traveling alone with limited supplies for such a long distance. My search and rescue team regularly leads or carries out people with similar sounding plans. You’d probably have more fun going on a more standard backpacking trip.
 
texahn said:
i kind of wnat to do this:

i'd buy a one way ticket from an airport about 600 miles away back home about 2 weeks from when i start walking with a tent and a backpack with first aid, pedialyte, 50 bucks, a knife, and clothes, etc. whatever fits in there goes. and then just start walking towards that airport from wherever i am. if i get there early i figure out a way to not die. if i get there late, then i guess im not going home that day.
Click to expand...

Are you Bear Grylls?
 
vasca said:
A bus from Mexico City to a place like Acapulco is just 40 bucks (but it's a grueling 12 hour trip). Acapulco isn't my cup of tea, never been a fan f that city, but buses here are cheap and "usually" safe. Not dangerous as in Zetas shooting you everywhere but more like bus driver goes crazy and tries to pass a trailer at 80 km/hr on a dark mountain pass curve sort of dangerous.
Click to expand...

I did this trip (stopping at Cuernavaca and Taxco, but only passing through Acapulco on the way to Puerto Escondido, Puerto Angel and Oaxaca). Very cheap, great scenery, history and hospitality. But that was 15 years ago before the USA demand for illegal drugs created the overt problems Mexico has today.

A memorable part of the bus trip up the mountains to Taxco was the in-coach showing of the movie Speed.
 
AsianPersuasion said:
I know your looking for cheap vaca etc but a 3 night stay in london package right now is only $450. free breakfast, round trip, hotels. for 850 you get to stay 3 night in london, 3 in paris and 3 in rome. pretty good deal if u ask me. my parents friends did that last year and they loved it.
Click to expand...

serious? I don't believe it. link?
 
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Andiamo, your signature is SO TRUE. :laugh:

AsianPersuasion said:
nope flight is included 🙂+ hotels. I think the only thing that might be the downfall would be spending money on food, souvenir, tours etc.

P.S its possible that the price might of went up. I saw the package deal last month online.
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Dang, ima have to look into that. I'd have to spend an extra $135 for a passport, though, so it'd probably be too expensive. My total relaxation budget is about $500. I'll put it in the list cuz it might be cheap enough for someone else in a similar situation.
 
AsianPersuasion said:
I know your looking for cheap vaca etc but a 3 night stay in london package right now is only $450. free breakfast, round trip, hotels. for 850 you get to stay 3 night in london, 3 in paris and 3 in rome. pretty good deal if u ask me. my parents friends did that last year and they loved it.
Click to expand...

Where is this through? Last I looked, flights ALONE to Europe were almost a grand.
 
AsianPersuasion said:
I know your looking for cheap vaca etc but a 3 night stay in london package right now is only $450. free breakfast, round trip, hotels. for 850 you get to stay 3 night in london, 3 in paris and 3 in rome. pretty good deal if u ask me. my parents friends did that last year and they loved it.
Click to expand...
Not including flights....a cheap ticket - O'Hare to Heathrow - was $550 when I bought it several years ago.
 
sorry to burst your bubble but that package is no longer available 🙁 I guess they update the site regularly putting in new package and getting rid of old ones. But there are other vacation packages for that price though if your interested.

my family and I are looking at the greek island journey package for $1949 for 12 nights hotel in 3 greek islands and Athen+ round trip+ breakfast 🙂 sounds like a great deal!
but yes, check the website often for new packages.

that london, paris, rome trip I see that package all the time. sooner or later they will come back with it im sure.

heres the website: http://www.go-today.com/

usually, the best and cheapest package are during the winter time I notice. I guess cause not many travel during those months that why they're cheap and the deals are good. but if you notice spring is coming along and so is summer thats why the price boost. Because that paris rome trip they have right now was only $550 last november of 2010. and right now its $900(?) I think..
 
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AsianPersuasion said:
sorry to burst your bubble but that package is no longer available 🙁 I guess they update the site regularly putting in new package and getting rid of old ones. But there are other vacation packages for that price though if your interested.

my family and I are looking at the greek island journey package for $1949 for 12 nights hotel in 3 greek islands and Athen+ round trip+ breakfast 🙂 sounds like a great deal!
but yes, check the website often for new packages.

that london, paris, rome trip I see that package all the time. sooner or later they will come back with it im sure.

heres the website: http://www.go-today.com/

usually, the best and cheapest package are during the winter time I notice. I guess cause not many travel during those months that why they're cheap and the deals are good. but if you notice spring is coming along and so is summer thats why the price boost. Because that paris rome trip they have right now was only $550 last november of 2010. and right now its $900(?) I think..
Click to expand...

Even if that particular deal's going on anymore, it's good to know about the site. I'll definitely be using it at some point in the future!
 
This past summer I went on a 6 week road trip up the east coast with my wife and 2 young children. We visited Charleston SC, camped for 4 days in the smokey mountains, explored caves in Kentucky, visited Ohio, visited Pittsburgh, Boston, Salem MA, Cape Cod, visited Philadelphia, stayed 4 nights in NYC, spent the week of the 4th of July in Washington DC, and spent a day in Savannah. We actually had some more camping planned on our trip back home but we were really ready to be home at this point.

In all the trip lasted 6 weeks and we drove 6100 miles. Total cost was fairly cheap since we stayed with friends/family that we knew in the area for nearly every place we went with the exception of DC and Savannah. $500 for gas, food was no more than we normally spend, $300 for extra riffraff and $350 for 4-star hotels we stayed at (priceline).

We spent a lot of time, ~2-3 weeks, with people we knew on the trip that we hadn't seen in a long time but other than that it was just us relaxing. If you plan something like this right it can cost you nothing if you see family who you have not seen in a long time. In my case, they ended up giving us money for our trip when we saw them 😛



Oh and I see that you are from Florida so you also have the option of camping in the Keys. Key West is hella expensive if you actually stay down there ($300 a night for hotels and everything else is super touristy). But my wife and I took a 3 night trip down there and camped in a state park that had the camping spots literally 5 feet from the ocean. $35 bucks a night I believe. We were about a 1 hour drive from Key West but that is nothing. Do this then just drive into Key West a couple of days and go snorkeling. We took a cruise about 7 miles off the coast to the reefs (3rd largest in the world) and snorkeled. Saw all kinds of things including a sea turtle. That was a really memorable moment. The snorkeling cruise was ~$50 each but there were cheaper options. Cruise included free alcohol/champagne on the trip back during the sunset.

Anyways if you want more info pm me.
 
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Vegas is always a possibility. I'm not a huge fan of Vegas personally, but kind fun for a couple days every now and then I guess.

You live in Florida, I'd say explore the state....
-take your pick of whichever beach
-camping at one of the state parks
-tubing down the Ichetucknee River (or at a number of other places)
-St Augustine
-Keys
 
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