where's your affordable dream vacation?

[luvmyfam444]

NOT Disney related.

and not one that you have to save for years in advance.

 

[hops&dreams]

We just took a road-trip this past spring that I LOVED. All in all (food, gas, hotels, attraction admissions included) we paid $1600-$1700 for 9 nights away on the road. We decided about 2 weeks before we left that we were going to go, so I planned out attractions, a route, and places to sleep along the way. Loved most of our hotels, especially the b&b near Devil's Tower and the game lodge in Custer State Park - LOVED it!

We went to Devil's Tower, Mt. Rushmore, Badlands, Custer State park (South Dakota), Jewel Cave, Minuteman Missile Site, Taliesin (Wisconsin - Frank Lloyd Wright's home and studio), House on the Rock, and Field of Dreams. It was AWESOME!!! We'd do something like that again in a heartbeat, but we want to hit Yellowstone and/or Yosemite as well. We loved being together, the nature, learning... our National Parks - they are wonderful!!!

Other getaway place is Door County, Wisconsin. But renting the cabin on the lake we love - Europe Lake - is over $2200 for a week, not including groceries, gas to get there, etc. But goodness, it's gorgeous!

 

[soccerdad72]

Affordable is a pretty subjective thing -- it's different for every family.

 

[lorimay]

We love to take long weekend trips to NYC.

Great broadway shows and great restaurants.

During the day we just walk thru the city and see the sites.

I never get tired of it.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

We also did the Black Hills road trip this Summer and had a ball. Beach is another reasonable spot - pay more for the room, very little on food and entertainment.

 

[Janepod]

We just took a road-trip this past spring that I LOVED. All in all (food, gas, hotels, attraction admissions included) we paid $1600-$1700 for 9 nights away on the road. We decided about 2 weeks before we left that we were going to go, so I planned out attractions, a route, and places to sleep along the way. Loved most of our hotels, especially the b&b near Devil's Tower and the game lodge in Custer State Park - LOVED it!

We went to Devil's Tower, Mt. Rushmore, Badlands, Custer State park (South Dakota), Jewel Cave, Minuteman Missile Site, Taliesin (Wisconsin - Frank Lloyd Wright's home and studio), House on the Rock, and Field of Dreams. It was AWESOME!!! We'd do something like that again in a heartbeat, but we want to hit Yellowstone and/or Yosemite as well. We loved being together, the nature, learning... our National Parks - they are wonderful!!!

Other getaway place is Door County, Wisconsin. But renting the cabin on the lake we love - Europe Lake - is over $2200 for a week, not including groceries, gas to get there, etc. But goodness, it's gorgeous!

Do you have hotel recommendations in the Mt. Rushmore/Custer area? Thanks!

 

[luvmyfam444]

Affordable is a pretty subjective thing -- it's different for every family.

yes I know that. That's why I asked it that way so that I'd get all kinds of responses. Not just the 10k a night suite in Paris or the African safari. That's always someone's dream vacation

 

[NHdisneylover]

We just got off of a cruise that had a port day in Dubrovnik. We fell in love.

I am very much dreaming about going back in the shoulder season (maybe June or September--has to be a week DS14 is out of school) and renting a house and taking some kayak tours, bike tours and river rafting in nearby Montenegro.

We could drive there in a LONG day, or stay overnight mid route--which helps with the cost.

 

[hops&dreams]

Do you have hotel recommendations in the Mt. Rushmore/Custer area? Thanks!

We went in April (woke up in a hotel room on Easter morning). When in the Mt. Rushmore/custer area, we stayed at the Creekside Lodge INSIDE Custer State Park. It was really nice for the $99/night we paid, and it included breakfast! I think during the normal season it's somewhere around $200/night? It was spacious, clean, the staff was very attentive. I think it was comparable to the size and maybe even in better shape than a room at WL. Actually, our room was a bit bigger because there was a sofa between the bed and the door to the patio, which opened to a yard and then a creek. Loved seeing buffalo roaming as we drove through the park to arrive at our hotel. Also note, the front doors of the hotel are NOT automatic sliding doors, so animals can't accidentally trigger them.

http://www.custerresorts.com/up/doc-creekside-brochure-1257957911.pdf

Be sure to note that when IN Custer, having dinner at 7:30 is late, and most places will already be closed. I think our choices one of the nights was Pizza Hut, Subway, or a diner. We walked into the diner RIGHT BEFORE the kitchen closed, but they still cooked our meal. The town was seriously closed down by 8 at night! (not used to that here in Indy... I can order a pizza and have it delivered until at least midnight!)

The hotel we stayed at is the only one that stays open year round, and we were technically there during "off-season" so nothing was crowded, but not everything was fully open either. Not all of the walkways were open at Mt. Rushmore, so we missed the sculptor's studio, Needles highway was under construction, so we didn't get to drive that. But we did see some breathtaking views on the 14A Canyon Byway Road between Devil's Tower and the Custer area. Loved seeing the ice over the flowing rivers and water falls.

But I'll take the mostly open stuff over the crowds every day. It's not every trip to Rushmore you can take a family photo and not have another soul in the photo with you!!!

Hope that helped. If you have any more questions, you can PM me - I'd be happy to discuss our vacation - we loved it so much!

 

[Darcy03231]

Young Island. Hands down one of the best vacations we've ever taken.

www.youngisland.com

 

[ZephyrHawk]

As others have said, affordable is subjective. I will say that, had we not gotten pregnant with our DD, we were planning on a "budget" trip that would have been to Quebec, the Maritime Provinces and the northeast US. We were going to go whale watching and kayaking and hiking.

 

[LukenDC]

Guatemala is relatively inexpensive. Antigua and the Lake Atitlan area are gorgeous. There is a wide range of accommodations at very reasonable rates.

 

[Nennie]

I haven't done it YET, but I'm always tempted to book one of those last minute Groupon Getaways...I've seen Costa Rica for $400, China for $1000, etc.

Definitely tempting!!!!

 

[tink20]

I have been researching a trip to San Antonio and for myself, DH and DS for one week, for food, going to all the attractions on my list, accommodations, rental car and gas (we will be driving, about a 9hr drive) I priced the trip to be under $2,500. I felt like that was very affordable.

Oh, wait, just saw "dream" LOL. Well, one of my dream vacations, is an Alaskan land/cruise trip.

 

[lisaviolet]

None, right now because I have to budget.

But NYC always. Have a place to crash. Which helps, of course. And the joy that I feel just walking around - I take almost no money and just getting cheese and bread and fruit and taking it into Central Park is a big enough joy. Sighing. It's one gorgeous place. Fills my soul.

 

[LJSquishy]

I don't like affordable vacations! I really don't. I don't want to go somewhere and do "normal" things like hike, sit around, etc. I'm not a touristy person at all and am not into sight-seeing. I enjoy big, in-your-face vacations where I'm totally submerged in a different world with unique things to do.

With that said, I can't even stomach paying for a hotel anywhere...it adds up so quick...and we never go anywhere anyway. We've taken two vacations in 7 years of marriage: Maui/Oahu (2006 honeymoon), and Disney World (2012). Never so much as a weekend away together other than those trips.

I guess I just like to "go big or go home". Vegas doesn't even interest me! We planned to take another DW trip in Oct 2014 but my husband just informed me we aren't going. So, I guess that was a once-in-a-lifetime trip for us. I had to delete my ticker.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

None, right now because I have to budget.

But NYC always. Have a place to crash. Which helps, of course. And the joy that I feel just walking around - I take almost no money and just getting cheese and bread and fruit and taking it into Central Park is a big enough joy. Sighing. It's one gorgeous place. Fills my soul.

This post made me smile

 

[MIGrandma]

For DH and me it's renting a log cabin hear the Smoky Mountains, in the Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge area. We've done it twice and starting to think about doing it again. We enjoyed both cabins, although I hesitate to call them cabins as they were beautiful, fairly large homes with loads of wonderful amenities and views. We love spending time at the cabin, but also love hiking in the mountains, seeing some of the falls and attractions, eating in our favorite restaurants, etc.

 

[lisaviolet]

This post made me smile

Wow, that's so sweet. Thank you.

And I'm going to say more, so I'm so very sorry in advance, Gumbo.

This seems to happen to me, lately. Ie. I'm having a horrid day and someone/something always comes along and just makes things better. Out of the blue. So an even bigger thank you.

 

[bballmom56]

If it's not Disney, then DH and I love Key West. We have done Key West on a variety of different budgets depending on what we wanted our experience to be.

And an Alaskan land/cruise trip is on our bucket list.