Affordable vacation ideas

[Princess_Ariel_5]

So my husband and I are currently on our way home from a lovely WDW trip. So sad to be going home!

We’ve been talking about taking a smaller, cheaper vacation at the end of August. We live in NYC and are open to driving or flying to our destination. Ideally, we’d like to keep the trip (hotel and travel) under $1000 and we’d like to be somewhere with a beach. We were tossing around the idea of Rhode Island or eastern Long Island but I’m not too familiar with those areas. We’re open to anywhere, really.

Any suggestions?

 

[anniemae]

We have friends who love Wildwood NJ. I have never been there though, but it looks nice.

 

[Deb & Bill]

You live in a beautiful state with so much to see. Why not take a driving trip around Upstate NY? Or try the Berkshires in Mass. Or Acadia National Park in Maine. Niagara Falls is neat. We had a wedding to attend in Poughkeepsie two years ago and drove from NW Louisiana. We hit a few parks and Civil War Battlegrounds including Antietam and Gettysburg before we got to Poughkeepsie. Our son met us there and after the wedding we headed to the Maritimes in Canada for a week, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island and we stayed in B&Bs along the way. We had a great time.

 

[adkkev]

Head northeast up to Maine & into maritime Canada (like Deb & Bill suggested). The Maine coast is awesome ... but remember that while there are beaches, the water isn't very warm, even in late August. However, surprisingly, the ocean water in Nova Scotia (Cape Breton) and PEI is warm. PEI has really great beaches ... red sand on one side of the island, brown/white sand on the other. PEI is also a great place to roam around & explore ... lighthouses sprinkled about, and a rail trail that extends from one end of the island to the other (bike it or walk it). Hope you don't mind bridges ... the one to PEI is eight miles long.

 

[Christine]

Beach vacations don't seem to be cheap anymore. I live about 3 hours from the east coast (mid-Atlantic) and, I swear, it's cheaper for me to go to Disney. Hotel rooms run close to $400 per night, food is outrageous. A condo for the week is probably $3,000. You can do it cheaper but you may be dealing with flea bag rentals. I feel like "cheaper" vacations involve going inland and camping.

 

[Bren's Mom]

Eastern LI is going to be expensive. Even if you find reasonable lodging, food will cost you a pretty penny.

RI beach properties are still at 'prime' rates in August.

If you can stomach the 12 hours to Myrtle Beach by car, you can do a 4 night stay (I priced Aug 27-31 at Compass Cove, oceanfront) for $366 inclusive of taxes and fees. You could be way under budget then. Or add $237 pp RT and a compact rental car for $135 (prepaid) and you're just about at the $1k budget.

 

[msjprincess]

We like to rent a house in the Outer Banks at the end of August. Most of the country is back in school so rates are pretty cheap.

 

[HeatherC]

If you go towards the end of August or even the week after Labor Day, You may find some deals since a lot of schools are back in session then.

I would recommend Block Island if you want Rhode Island. Gorgeous island with great beaches and hiking.

Or Martha’s Vineyard in MA which is also beautiful and twice the size of Block Island?

 

[Hikergirl]

Head up the coast to the New England beaches, or south to Delaware or MD beaches.

 

[lynxstch]

What about Spain or Italy? Last summer I had an amazing vacation in Italy. My friends and I rented a yacht at Sailica yacht charter and were sailing from the Italian Riviera to Sicily touching Tuscany. This summer I'm going to visit Spain. I heard it has beautiful sailing destinations too.

While that sounds amazing, somehow I don't think the OP could squeeze that into a 'under $1000 budget" !

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

What about Cape Cod?

It would also be within driving distance to other places for a day trip like Newport, RI and Salem, MA. Depending on where you stay at in Cape Cod a day trip up the coast to Provincetown stopping at towns on the way is fun too.

 

[Darcy03231]

What about Spain or Italy? Last summer I had an amazing vacation in Italy. My friends and I rented a yacht at Sailica yacht charter and were sailing from the Italian Riviera to Sicily touching Tuscany. This summer I'm going to visit Spain. I heard it has beautiful sailing destinations too.

This sounds amazing, but I don't think the OP is going to be able to do it for under $1000.

Beach vacations still tend to be expensive with most hotels requiring a minimum stay. How about doing something in Toronto? It's a great city to explore.

 

[sarah4770]

Virginia has a nice state park at First Landing with cabins, which is near the water. The cabins are nice and well maintained. I know NY state has cabins as well, but I've never stayed in one. Check out Reserve America and search for cabins. They usually run less than $100 a night. There are also some decent ones in New Jersey.

 

[nkereina]

Niagara Falls is neat.

It is indeed but no real beaches to be found. I live on the American side and there is very little to do and no beaches at all. On the Canadian side, there are more options for tourists and somewhat nice beaches on Lake Ontario. But nothing that compares to an ocean beach. You'd also need a passport to cross the border. We travel to the Canadian side frequently and prices are pretty high there being a major tourist area, but the exchange is in our favor at the moment.

I would do Cape Cod or even an area like Ocean City, MD.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

Philadelphia? DC? Niagra Falls? Boston? Cape May?

 

[cabanafrau]

While that sounds amazing, somehow I don't think the OP could squeeze that into a 'under $1000 budget" !

If that were a possibility, please pass along the web link or travel agent contact info.

 

[Poohforyou]

Cape Cod would be my choice. Beautiful beaches, cute towns, great restaurants and lots of outdoor fun. In August there are also all kinds of festivals.

 

[CarolAnn856]

What about Spain or Italy? Last summer I had an amazing vacation in Italy. My friends and I rented a yacht at Sailica yacht charter and were sailing from the Italian Riviera to Sicily touching Tuscany. This summer I'm going to visit Spain. I heard it has beautiful sailing destinations too.

OT - I went to look at your previous posts because I'm planning a trip to Italy this summer. I only saw a travel post about planning your Disney vacation last summer, though. Care to share any Italy info (that isn't a link to a site selling something, as many of your posts seems to be - I'm not really interested in specific companies, just what towns did you enjoy)? Thanks!

 

[QueenIsabella]

OT - I went to look at your previous posts because I'm planning a trip to Italy this summer. I only saw a travel post about planning your Disney vacation last summer, though. Care to share any Italy info (that isn't a link to a site selling something, as many of your posts seems to be - I'm not really interested in specific companies, just what towns did you enjoy)? Thanks!

I'm not that poster, but I went on a land tour of Italy last summer. We visited Rome, Florence, Venice, Assisi, Sorrento, Capri, and back to Rome. Sorrento was our favorite, Assisi least favorite.

Pompeii was a highlight, as was the Amalfi Coast (we went to Positano). We also made side-trips to Pisa (over-rated and touristy, IMHO) and a winery in Tuscany (very worth it!). Italy's a beautiful country, filled with art and culture and color. You will love it!

 

[Peachkins]

My brother and his family visited Wildwood, NJ a couple of times over the last few years and really liked it. Someone else mentioned Ocean City, MD, and while I love going there and live close by, it's expensive! Especially during the summer months. Wildwood seemed more reasonable, had similar attractions, and it looks like it would be a lot closer to you, OP.