What's not expensive? Without a budget we have no idea.

After that, the cheaper places tend to be Isla Mujeres Mexico, Tulum area, and Dominican Republic.

Good point, blamona. I would love to find something for around 700-800 for a flight maybe. And a room for about 50 bucks a night. Unrealistic?

First, by "Providencia" do you really mean the island of Providenciales in the Turks & Caicos. If so, you should know that island is very flat and arid and does not have a volcano. It is also one of the more expensive destinations in the Caribbean and not the best option for "budget travelers".

If your budget of $700 to $800 for airfare is per person you'll have a lot of destination options. If that's your total airfare budget for the two of you then you should concentrate on looking at Cancun (which also includes Playa del Carmem, Tulum and Isla Mujeres), the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and Jamaica as airfares to those destinations are traditionally among the lowest you'll find.

Wow, $50US per night isn't going to get you very much in the Caribbean but you may find hostels or rooms at a few guest houses in that price range. You might want to check out the island of Dominica - it's an ecotourist's delight and not overrun with tourists. It may be perfect for you if the airfare meets your budget.

Actually, I meant the island of Providencia that belongs to Columbia, so technically that may not be considered the Caribbean, my apologies.

I was thinking of flight prices per person - I haven't been finding much under $700-800 from Minneapolis to the Caribbean in August. Not for both - I wish...

Thanks for the feedback on lodging, that's really helpful.

Thanks so much, this all helps a lot since I am so unfamiliar with this kind of vacation.