Best Affordable Destinations in the USA
1st place: Yellowstone (bull####; Yellowstone lodging is extraordinarily expensive in the tourist season, which is the only time it's accessible)
3rd place: Washington, DC lmao
9th place: Key West lmao
Most of the destinations on this list are ridiculously expensive and not budget-friendly unless you're Bill Gates. In each expanded listing, they go on to recommend that you go in off-season and stay in a hostel or tent to keep costs down. Because, yeah, that's everyone's idea of a great vacation. Yellowstone, they go as far as to recommend that you bring your own food.
I'm always looking for a destination deal, which to me means we can get a decent size room or cottage with a full kitchen for under $2000/mo, or we can get a campsite in an amenity filled resort for under $1200/mo. $200 per night for a basic room is NOT cheap digs. Off- or shoulder-season is a great way to save money; Myrtle Beach in October, for example, is pretty much the perfect time to be there. DC, however, has no real "off" season, unless you count the middle of winter when it's breathtakingly cold and the sane people in DC are vacationing somewhere warm.
PRO TIP: when planning your vacation, consider campground cottages. Many campgrounds have terrific cabins and cottages, fully equipped with a kitchen including utensils and cookware, for extremely reasonable prices. Plus the campground will have a laundry, a pool, activities, and many other amenities that a hotel doesn't have, and it's also in a much better environment.
PRO TIP: when comparing hotel prices, do some math. If a hotel offers a only meager breakfast, that's still worth money. If they offer a full hot breakfast, that's worth at least $5 per person per day. If it is a Sonesta or Homewood Suites that offers not only hot breakfast, but an afternoon light buffet and drinks - SCORE! Full kitchens also jack up the value of accommodations without increasing the price a whole lot. We very rarely stay anywhere that doesn't have at least a mini-fridge and microwave. Part of the fun of travel is the local chow, but you *will* get tired of eating in restaurants for every meal, even if it's only for a week.
PRO TIP: if your hotel has a breakfast room, use it. There will be a grocery store somewhere near where you're staying. If you're lucky, it will be a Whole Foods or some other multi-faceted market. When you've had enough of restaurants, go to the grocery store, pick up a rotisserie chicken and make salads at the bar. Come back and eat it in your hotel's breakfast room while you watch TV. I have an aversion to eating in my hotel room unless it's a suite, so Monello and I will grab food (tamales and beer in Vicksburg, for example) and have dinner back at the hotel. Just clean up your mess and throw away your trash after.
I'll post more tips as I think of them.
1st place: Yellowstone (bull####; Yellowstone lodging is extraordinarily expensive in the tourist season, which is the only time it's accessible)
3rd place: Washington, DC lmao
9th place: Key West lmao
Most of the destinations on this list are ridiculously expensive and not budget-friendly unless you're Bill Gates. In each expanded listing, they go on to recommend that you go in off-season and stay in a hostel or tent to keep costs down. Because, yeah, that's everyone's idea of a great vacation. Yellowstone, they go as far as to recommend that you bring your own food.
I'm always looking for a destination deal, which to me means we can get a decent size room or cottage with a full kitchen for under $2000/mo, or we can get a campsite in an amenity filled resort for under $1200/mo. $200 per night for a basic room is NOT cheap digs. Off- or shoulder-season is a great way to save money; Myrtle Beach in October, for example, is pretty much the perfect time to be there. DC, however, has no real "off" season, unless you count the middle of winter when it's breathtakingly cold and the sane people in DC are vacationing somewhere warm.
PRO TIP: when planning your vacation, consider campground cottages. Many campgrounds have terrific cabins and cottages, fully equipped with a kitchen including utensils and cookware, for extremely reasonable prices. Plus the campground will have a laundry, a pool, activities, and many other amenities that a hotel doesn't have, and it's also in a much better environment.
PRO TIP: when comparing hotel prices, do some math. If a hotel offers a only meager breakfast, that's still worth money. If they offer a full hot breakfast, that's worth at least $5 per person per day. If it is a Sonesta or Homewood Suites that offers not only hot breakfast, but an afternoon light buffet and drinks - SCORE! Full kitchens also jack up the value of accommodations without increasing the price a whole lot. We very rarely stay anywhere that doesn't have at least a mini-fridge and microwave. Part of the fun of travel is the local chow, but you *will* get tired of eating in restaurants for every meal, even if it's only for a week.
PRO TIP: if your hotel has a breakfast room, use it. There will be a grocery store somewhere near where you're staying. If you're lucky, it will be a Whole Foods or some other multi-faceted market. When you've had enough of restaurants, go to the grocery store, pick up a rotisserie chicken and make salads at the bar. Come back and eat it in your hotel's breakfast room while you watch TV. I have an aversion to eating in my hotel room unless it's a suite, so Monello and I will grab food (tamales and beer in Vicksburg, for example) and have dinner back at the hotel. Just clean up your mess and throw away your trash after.
I'll post more tips as I think of them.