Help me pick a travel destination with these parameters(xp)

[GreatLakes]

Knowing the airports the OP can get to would help a lot. Knowing what you like to do on vacation would also help. Do you want to go somewhere and just park on a breach or do you like to see sights like museums? Do you have active hobbies like biking or hiking that might make one place more appealing than another.

Europe can be done pretty cheaply if you aren't going to any of the tourist hot spots. Paris, Rome, and London are going to cost more than Sicily, Croatia, or Austria. Even in the big tourist cities you can find pretty good deals off the beaten path. As an example, when I was in Rome I paid a lot more to eat garbage cafeteria food near the Vatican than I did authentic local food in the Trastevere area on the other side of the river.

For anything oversees I live by the mantra "it is cheaper to stay longer than to go back" so I'd rather spend a little more to do more than cut the trip short and bank on ever making it back.

 

[sam_gordon]

I think it could be done for $4000, so $1000 per person instead of the $1200 -$1500 that was being used earlier.

I agree it CAN be done for $1000pp, even less, provided A) you have a good choice of airports (on both ends) and B) have a good choice of timing.

But considering of those two, the only guideline we have is "midwest", $1200-1500 is a more REALISTIC budgetary number.

 

[Douglas Dubh]

I agree it CAN be done for $1000pp, even less, provided A) you have a good choice of airports (on both ends) and B) have a good choice of timing.

Are flights to Europe really that much more than flights to the Caribbean? Seems like you’d have a better chance of getting a cheap flight to a major European city than to a small Caribbean island.

 

[EllieJedi]

A 3 hour layover is a recipe for disaster for international especially in the last year to two years. An 11 hour layover is too long IMO from a time wasted standpoint however it allows for more issues to pop up but I wouldn't take a 3 hour layover trying to get to Europe. There's just simply too much at stake.

When people were talking about Europe they are talking about airfare for the most part as that's less inflexible in what you choose. There are 365 days in the year and endless cities the OP could be coming from and endless cities they could be flying to but overall Europe is still an expensive place to fly to from the U.S.

I used the vague information you gave me to look up options and peeked into it so that I could see what you're seeing. At the end of the day I'm trying to say you or anyone else (because my original comment wasn't aimed specifically at you, you just quoted me afterwards) giving these random numbers, for random dates, for random cities in both the U.S. and Europe won't help the OP out because they are too specific to defined information that the OP hasn't supplied us. And we don't know what they have in mind for airlines.

Mostly what posters have been saying is for 4 people for $10K for 8-9 days might be hard to realistically stick with to go overseas especially to Europe. Maybe you prefer Europe, that's okay, unless I'm wanting a beach vacation I'd probably prefer Europe too. But I wouldn't choose to go there for only an 8-9 day trip unless that excludes transit time to get there and it would be really stretching it quite thin to do it with 4 adults in $10K. Hawaii is pushing it IMO on ease of getting there, just because it's domestic doesn't mean it's not still hard to get to. And Hawaii isn't overall cheap either. We almost went there this past April but overall was just too expensive but primarily we were wanting an all-inclusive which Hawaii doesn't really have much of. You can do the other destinations for more than Europe no doubt but overall they will be more economical generally speaking and easier to get to and from. Or put it this way, they may be easier to budget down to $10K than Europe for 4 adults.

If you remember I said I specifically avoid peak travel season, which has been when the issues getting through customs at the major airports in Europe have been over the past few years. Another reason I avoid traveling during the busy season and why 3 hours is sufficient. You do understand that I travel internationally regularly right? Not just to Europe.

I didn’t say Hawaii was cheap but neither were many of the other options suggested. From many parts of the Midwest, Costa Rica, St. Lucia, and Rio might also not be nonstop flights and can be pretty expensive . I had priced flying to St. Lucia last winter and it was around $200 less than going to Europe and only very limited days and times from here. I know from here to the Caribbean and Mexico, generally only Cancun, San Juan, DR and Cabo have nonstops. Checking for around the same dates in November, the cheapest of the other options from Minneapolis, just as an example, was San Jose, Costa Rica at $564 on American with one stop and total travel time of 7 hours and 20 minutes.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Are flights to Europe really that much more than flights to the Caribbean? Seems like you’d have a better chance of getting a cheap flight to a major European city than to a small Caribbean island.

Aruba, Grand Cayman were expensive when we checked for early 2024 but we were only checking SWA and only from KC.

But the issue that often comes up with Europe is you're looking at major city to major city but the U.S. and Europe are more than just major cities.

It was a lot more expensive to fly from KC to Chicago to Paris to Venice than it was to fly from Chicago to Paris to Venice. The cost of the rental car to get to Chicago from KC was much less than what that flight would have cost it was just astronomical that flight from KC to Chicago, of course it was an 8 hour drive as opposed to a several hour flight but KC is a major city but not one favorable to get to Europe.

 

[Skippy918]

How about the Canadian Rockies?? Banff, Jasper, etc. Breathtaking scenery, so much to see and do. One of our best trips ever!

Can you tell me more about this? How’s the weather there in summer? I want to escape the triple digits this summer. Are there lots of adventure activities?

 

[sam_gordon]

Are flights to Europe really that much more than flights to the Caribbean? Seems like you’d have a better chance of getting a cheap flight to a major European city than to a small Caribbean island.

I'm sure it depends, again, on where you're going from, where you're going to, and when you're going.

Doing a quick search from Cedar Rapids to Punta Cana, for a weeklong trip, in November '24, it can be as high as $1200. But in April of '24, it's under $500.

 

[EllieJedi]

I'm sure it depends, again, on where you're going from, where you're going to, and when you're going.

Doing a quick search from Cedar Rapids to Punta Cana, for a weeklong trip, in November '24, it can be as high as $1200. But in April of '24, it's under $500.

OP specifically excluded Mexico and the Dominican Republic, so that tends to make flights from the Midwest more expensive.

 

[dvcgirl67]

We're trying for Costa Rica this year, with a company called CostSaver Tours (a division of Trafalgar, and very reputable). Three locations, including transfers, accommodations, tours and some meals = about $1,200/pp USD. Even with airfare this is doable on your budget.
https://www.costsavertour.com/en-us/tours/costa-rica-adventure

We loved Costa Rica. I clicked on the link and that's a nice tour. If you have the time and can add the Guanacaste extension.....I'd highly recommend!

 

[snowwite]

Eliminating Mexico, because it happened to us. We had issue. We were separated and hassled by the "police" who took our id and wanted money. It was incredibly scary. We had no where to go for help, because they were suppose to be the help. Never want that feeling again. We like to explore on vacation and won't just sit, even at an all inclusive. We don't feel comfortable doing that there. We've been back on cruise ports, it wasn't fun for us. We want to be somewhere we can exhale, even if we are being ridiculous in ruling it

Family of 4 adults

$10,000 budget

Travel from United States (midwest)

8/9 days max

This is a big chance for us to maybe go somewhere we haven't, but we don't know where to start.

Been on lots of cruises. Never done an all inclusive, wondering if we'd like that. Always go tropical, thinking more about visiting a new country, but don't even know where to start and if possible with this budget.

MUST BE SAFE. (no Mexico, Jamaica, Dominican, etc...)
No Disney.

Considerations right now are Costa Rica, all inclusive in St. Lucia, U.S. Virgin or British Islands, ABC island cruise. Have ruled out Greece. Dream is Rio, but flights are crazy.

Any places that would be worth me researching? I just need some ideas to start. I know lots about islands, but not much else and I feel like we are missing an opportunity here to go in a different direction. We've never been beyond some islands, the U.S., Mexico, and Canada.

San Diego-balboa park, the zoo, gaslight district, Old Town for a taste of Mexico without risk
Bermuda-pink sand, turquoise water, friendly Parrot fish, Grotto bay is All Inclusive and has several restaurants. They also have non motorized water sports . They gave us a bus pass and ferry pass to explore island . It’s British so there was afternoon tea. It was very nice. It’s not fancy. It’s comfortable. I was worried we would never fit in at some snooty place. There are several caves one you can swim in. There are wild cockerel and cats. Its not far from the airport or St George.
Aruba palm beach was nice but we cancelled this year due to storm eroded a considerable amount of the waterfront. What was beach with palalpas is now rocks and broken sidewalks. It looked pretty bad on you tube video.
DR is out until they figure what to do with all that Sargasso Seaweed clogging the beaches.
Alaska cruise from Seattle was fantastic. Seattle had a monorail near our hotel and we went to the tower for meal and to Chihouly glass museum. The cruise went to 4 stops in 6 days and also up the fiord and we took a tour onto Hubbard glacier. It’s incredible scenery.
London was nice but I love Scotland!

 

[sam_gordon]

OP specifically excluded Mexico and the Dominican Republic, so that tends to make flights from the Midwest more expensive.

But the post I quoted simply said Caribbean Islands. Feel free to look up any islands you'd like.

This is like someone in Germany saying "It's not expensive to fly to the US". Not enough detail to make a guess that would apply more vs not.

 

[EllieJedi]

But the post I quoted simply said Caribbean Islands. Feel free to look up any islands you'd like.

This is like someone in Germany saying "It's not expensive to fly to the US". Not enough detail to make a guess that would apply more vs not.

Not at all. I’m attempting to stick to the original poster’s criteria as much as possible based on what we know. Also, the vast majority of the population in the Midwest are probably flying from an airport like Chicago, Detroit, Minneapolis, Kansas City, Indianapolis, etc. versus Cedar Rapids.

 

[becauseimnew]

What about Peru?
Have you used Google Travel Explorer to help you find cheap flights?
I was able to find round trip tickets to Peru. DFW to LIM, in May $581.
https://www.google.com/travel/explo...VZxUhAEfXPAFI3zjZAEhIJr1QLhRJRMMARAcx_K_LnWsA

 

[sam_gordon]

Not at all. I’m attempting to stick to the original poster’s criteria as much as possible based on what we know. Also, the vast majority of the population in the Midwest are probably flying from an airport like Chicago, Detroit, Minneapolis, Kansas City, Indianapolis, etc. versus Cedar Rapids.

Travel through those? Sure. Probably could include Atlanta, Charlotte, and Dallas also. Originate from those? The "vast majority" of travelers? I haven't done the research, but I doubt it.

 

[NotUrsula]

One other thing to consider when it comes to pricing flights to Europe: taxes & fees. They are MUCH higher in some countries (and even at some airports within the same country) than others when it comes to flights from outside the EU.

As an example, I priced flights out of ORD to London and to Dublin; the flights I chose put the price within a few dollars on both routes, about $950rt. Flying via LHR had $249pp in taxes and fees, flying via Dublin on a ticket almost the same price had taxes/fees of $106pp. (Also, flying to Manchester, UK rather than London also had a price difference at this fare price, taxes/fees for MAN were $170.)

Most of the time, taxes/fees for intra-European flights are quite low; they like to shift the tax load toward passengers coming in from other parts of the world when they can. You can usually find very cheap short-hop flights within Europe, but do beware of luggage charges and limits, which are much stricter on intra-Europe flights than long-haul from outside the region.

ETA: The taxes/fees I mentioned in the first two paragraphs do NOT include baggage fees or seat reservation fees; I was referring to the ones that every passenger is charged, such as the Air Passenger Duty on UK departures.)

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

do beware of luggage charges and limits, which are much stricter on intra-Europe flights than long-haul from outside the region.

Yeah I had to buy new carry on luggage for our flights a few months ago as mine were standard size for U.S. but not for Europe. Air France is incredibly restrictive not only on size but also weight and this was carry on and personal items (I think we could have a combined 26lbs??). But in this case it was both flying from the U.S. as it was flying between European countries.

For Air France they weighed our carry on and personal item as well as had them in the size container during security in Chicago. British Airways from Athens to Heathrow tagged only personal items as 100% for sure on board while they advised all carry ons were at risk for needing to be gate checked (the plane was about the size of a SWA plane). Our carry on luggage from Heathrow to Chicago almost had to be gate checked because the particular seats we chose unbeknownst to us on this massive 500 person plane had a section where the overhead bins were slightly smaller than the others. Luckily they had space.

I think you'd be more likely to run into size restrictions/weight restrictions than more luggage fees for Europe.

 

[Kestryl]

since we’re talking flight prices, don’t discount the smaller airports. Yes, they are usually pretty expensive. But I’ve flown internationally three times in a year and a half (France, Greece, and Japan), and each time it was cheaper to fly from my smaller airport than it was to fly from a major hub about three hours away. (Even though my flight connected through the major hub and the itinerary involved the same flight I would have been on if I had flown direct from the hub.)

 

[DCLMP]

4 adults are going to need two rooms in Europe. Keep in mind hotel rooms in Europe are not made for families.

My son and I did a 12-night Greek Isles cruise for 3500k. Throw in everything else I'm sure we were somewhere around 7-8k. I still think cruising is the cheapest way to travel as a family. You could probably find a cruise for under 1k a person and then budget from there. At least your room, meals, and transportation from city to city are already paid for.

If you can stand having four adults in a stateroom the third and fourth passengers are usually close to free. I think two inside rooms is a better option for 4 people. Inside rooms on cruise ships are usually a really good value. If we had gotten an inside room on this particular cruise it would have been 2200.

To save money you need to choose an itinerary where touring is easy...meaning getting from the ports to the tourist sites is easy. Greek Isles was easy. So was our Norway and northern Europe cruise. Med cruise not so much.

 

[hertamaniac]

I would aim for a week's stay at Cayman. Flights from TPA to Cayman are reasonable. But, I haven't been there since the last major storm and heard/saw some the resorts on 7-mile beach have limited beach areas due to washout.

 

[2SLM]

I've been reading through the thread and have lots to respond too, individually!

We have done port days Aruba, Puerto Rico, Cayman Islands, Bermuda, Bahamas, Jamaica, St.Kitts , St. Marteen, Grand Turk, Cozumel, and Puerto Vallata, etc...Somewhere new is our hope.

San Diego is on our list, driving down from L.A. or over from Vegas, but it feels crazy to pass up a chance to leave the country.

The information about European travel has helped greatly. We are leaning towards a cruise if we go this route for a few reasons. Overall, after all the input, I think it just may be to difficult to do otherwise with our special needs son. From the smaller rooms to access to food he'll eat. Still weighing options though.

I