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

[2SLM]

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.

 

[Douglas Dubh]

what time of year are you thinking of going? Are you Harry Potter fans? Five nights in London and three nights in Edinburgh might work. Lots of stuff to see around London, and you could do a highlands tour from Edinburgh.

 

[2SLM]

what time of year are you thinking of going? Are you Harry Potter fans? Five nights in London and three nights in Edinburgh might work. Lots of stuff to see around London, and you could do a highlands tour from Edinburgh.

We are not Harry Potter fans and are open on the time of year.
I will look into London, ty!

 

[Douglas Dubh]

Also, it’s parameters.

 

[sam_gordon]

The $10k is going to be difficult assuming that includes flights. Figure flights will be at least $1k of that. So now you're down to $9k. 8/9 days is basically $1k/day or $250pp/pd.

I would say AI (there are a LOT of them out there, and in "safe" places even in the countries you named).

There are even AIs in the US... https://www.google.com/search?q=all...MTAxMTlqMWo0qAIAsAIA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

If it was my family, I'd look at Cruises (we've been on a handful, so haven't really exhausted that), AIs in the Caribbean, AIs in the US, and probably look at Europe (although that would probably be over the budget).

 

[2SLM]

Also, it’s parameters.

Oh geez, thank you! I changed.

 

[VandVsmama]

If you want to go outside the country, $10k is going to be a tight budget.

 

[White Cat]

Costa Rica.

 

[NYCgrrl]

Never had a problem figuring out where I wanted to visit; what a delightful dilemma.

 

[Lord Manhammer]

Have you thought about Poland? It is one the most affordable places in Central Europe. You could do a Midwest-JFK-Warsaw and then work your way south. I think you could do this for 10k$

 

[Travel60]

Given your budget and preference for tropical, international may be tough - You've ruled out the cheaper alternatives.

USVI - St. Thomas/St. John might work although British islands are nicer.
Domestic ideas - Florida Keys; southeastern coast: Savannah/Charleston/Amelia Island.

If you take "tropical" out of the picture, I'd say either northwest (Washington/Oregon) or northeast (New Hampshire)Vermont/Maine).

 

[theMoreDisneytheBetter]

We did an absolutely fantastic roadtrip through the American Southwest for summer 2023. We’re struggling now with what to put on the calendar for summer 2024 because everything seems like a letdown. I’d hate to cut anything out of our itinerary, but it’s up to you. Highlights included 2 nights in Sedona, Monument Valley (probably the most skippable but had some of our absolute favorite experiences), Grand Canyon North (with a stop at Lake Powell which was well worth doing), 1 night in Bryce, 2 nights in Zion (maybe could have been 1?), and 2 nights in Vegas (plus Disneyland, but you didn’t want to do Disneyland). While it’s tempting to cut the Vegas part out, the Michael Jackson Cirque du Soliel show was actually their favorite part of the entire trip. They absolutely want to go back. Happy to talk through where we went and what we liked if you are interested.

FWIW why do you think Mexico is unsafe? If you stay in your resort you should be totally fine. It’s when tourists go wandering that they (can) get in trouble.

You should be able to do USVI for that budget if you are careful about when you fly. Look at the ITA flight matrix and put in flexible dates. We rented a house years ago and it was much cheaper than staying at a hotel. You can also camp if that’s your jam (my son’s scout troop is going for spring break).

 

[Keladry84]

What about Ecuador? It's a beautiful country, has a lot to offer, and very economical for price/travel. It's a little bit different than your norm, but not so different that you would feel uncomfortable. You can find beach, mountains and rainforest all within close distance of each other. Flights from midwest to Quito can also be quite affordable (MCI to Quito a few years ago was only 300 roundtrip).

 

[2SLM]

Never had a problem figuring out where I wanted to visit; what a delightful dilemma.

Right? It is! It's a pretty big deal for us though, so we really want to make sure we are considering all possibilities.

 

[EllieJedi]

what time of year are you thinking of going? Are you Harry Potter fans? Five nights in London and three nights in Edinburgh might work. Lots of stuff to see around London, and you could do a highlands tour from Edinburgh.

Many of the major museums in London are free. Assuming you are flying from one of the bigger Midwest airports there are often flight deals. Hotel costs can be expensive but check out chain hotels like Premier Inn in addition to the standard American chains.

 

[VandVsmama]

If you want to go outside the country, $10k is going to be a tight budget.

the reason why your $10,000 total trip budget is going to be tight is because you want to go outside the US. This means that cost of airfare will be a deciding factor.

If you're flying to outside the US, airfare will vary based on what time of year this trip is targeted for, what your departure airport is, and availability of flights to the location(s) you want to go.

For example, I just booked round trip airfare for the 4 of us (DH & I + our 2 teenagers) to fly from Phoenix to Honolulu on a Wed next July (returning the following Tues) and paid a total of $3498 ($874.50/person). And that's for just traveling in the US. However, we're going during peak summer travel season.

Here's a more relevant example:
Let's assume that you're going to do this trip next summer. I picked a random week in July (leaving on a Sat and returning the following Sat). Did a search on Kayak.com for round trip air from Chicago to any airport in London. Cheapest price per person for just the airfare alone is $1091/person.

So that's $4364 just to get there and back. That does not include any seat upgrades you may want OR fees to check your luggage.

That leaves you $5636 for the rest of the trip, which would need to include hotel, other transportation, food, souvenirs, and fees to get into museums and touristy places. So that's only $176.12/person/day to cover all of that.

I have no idea what London hotels cost. But let's say you got one for $500/night for 7 nights. That then leaves you $2136 total to cover museum fees, food, souvenirs, & other transportation (taxis, London Underground tickets).

Let's say, then, that you decide to budget $250/day for food for all 3 meals + snacks. That then leaves you only $50 total for museum fees, transportation, & souvenirs.

 

[EllieJedi]

OP could find plenty of nice, clean hotels in London that are not $500 a night. I do expect that Summer 2024 might be a bit more expensive and busier than normal however due to the Paris Olympics. Travel dates can have a big impact on budget for many destinations.

 

[jalapeno_pretzel]

For example, I just booked round trip airfare for the 4 of us (DH & I + our 2 teenagers) to fly from Phoenix to Honolulu on a Wed next July (returning the following Tues) and paid a total of $3498 ($874.50/person). And that's for just traveling in the US. However, we're going during peak summer travel season.

Just booked similar priced tickets - slightly less - from east coast to the west coast for our summer Cali/OR trip. The initial searches made it seem like I could have gotten them for a bit cheaper, but I didn't want the return flight departing at 11pm, wasn't willing to risk a 40 minute layover, wanted to choose my seats, etc.

 

[Chili327]

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.

I know you said No Mexico, but Playa Del Carmen can be pretty nice & safe if you stay inside the "Playacar" bubble, venture out on whatever trips, tours, etc you feel like, & into town of Playa Del Carmen. My sister goes to Tulum a lot, & it is becoming quite the destination, but both are just for tropical relaxation, & not too much cultural experiences. imo

 

[Praying Colonel]

You can do an 8/9 day trip to London for 4 for that price or under, depending on your lodging.

I also think the "danger" of Mexico is mainly hype to get clicks/eyeballs. It's like anyplace else where you do some research and exercise some common sense.