kja

I can't speak to what would meet your budget, but I would note that there are places in the US that have a decidedly European feel. New Orleans comes to mind.

janisj

Outside of the US airfares will eat up almost your entire budget . . . except for Mexico and parts of the Caribbean

AmandaDwain

Budgets trips for a one of a kind adventure! Well, as far as I know everyone loves to travel as far as they can but has limited budget on their pocket. As I searched in the net, I found out that Thailand remains so popular with backpackers. Maybe if you want so, you can visit there.

thursdaysd

@kja - but New Orleans in July and August has the same problem as DC. For a foreign feeling in North America I would head for Montreal or Quebec City, or possibly parts of Nova Scotia.

mlgb

What about Mexico City/Puebla? I think you will find inexpensive flights even in July August from LAS. And you probably won't need to stay in a hostel.

MmePerdu

Try looking at airfares here for a better idea about flight prices for your dates: http://matrix.itasoftware.com/

mlgb

Kayak Explore allows you to search from your home airport and set a price cap. I don't know if ita does that.

https://www.kayak.com/explore

MmePerdu

I suppose it depends on how you like to search. I like the calendar of low fares and not sure I'd want a price cap search. Sometimes it pays to pay a bit more for airfare and economize somewhere else. In any case, I want to see them all, including fares from nearby airports which can result in surprisingly different fares.

MmePerdu

...and check all the sites, no reason to limit the search to one.

MmePerdu

Here's another: https://www.skyscanner.com/

marvelousmouse

I haven't been to Iceland during the summer, so I don't know about temperature. And I found it expensive food wise. But I know Icelandair has had a sale going on, so you might be able to make that work. Maybe Quebec/Montreal? Vancouver Island? The exchange rate is in your favor.

Santa Fe is probably not enough of a change, but depending where you are in Nevada, you.maybe be able to catch Amtrak. With a budget like that, the less you spend on transportation the better.

suze

Coastal Mexican resorts are well above 80 degrees that time of year.

You can get a simple Mexican hotel for ~$25/night in Puerto Vallarta. You'd need another $30-40/day to eat and get around. Plane fares out of Las Vegas are around $450 in August.

That gets you sun, heat, and out of the US within your budget and is a friendly, safe city to visit solo (I go there twice a year).

Not a lot of history but plenty of art and nature there.

MmePerdu

A higher elevation in Mexico will likely get you better weather.

At sea level, Puerto Vallarta, av. high in August is 93˚ & 12" of rain for the month: http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/w...Jalisco-Mexico
Airfare from Las Vegas 400-450.

Oaxaca at 5,000', 83˚ & 5" of rain: http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/w...-Oaxaca-Mexico
Airfare from Las Vegas from about 250.

A colonial city with a great cultural scene, lots of good restaurants, few tourists that time of year and likely lower hotel rates than PV. You can eat well on $20 a day. City is very walkable.

suze

Of course, that's all true, just depends if you'd like a beach or not.

And as far as PV hotels, in the summer (low season) you can get the local places, a simply single room for $15-25usd per night.

mlgb

I wonder if Ecuador would work for you, try COPA airlines. They fly from LAS via Panama City to Quito.

July and August are the drier seasons in the Andes.

Quito will have the history and Art. You can take inexpensive tours or local buses once inside Ecuador. There are a few trip reports you can look at on the SA forum. You might want to do several days in Mindo, which is a very reslaxed town a few hours from Quito with great nature and warmer weather. It is busy on weekends. I would go there during the week and Quito on the weekend. Otavalo is also good for local culture and hiking.

Once in Ecuador you will find expenses are quite low.

kja

Sorry, I wasn't paying sufficient attention. thursdaysd is right -- New Orleans would not be a good choice for July or August.

AmandaDwain

I love to wander around the world by myself. So refreshing, no stress. Just living a life the way I wanted.

rhemakaelle

Thnak you for all the detailed and helpful advice.

I'm now making 2 lists, one for within the US and one for outside the US!

So far going to decide between the cities mentioned in Canada, Mexico, and Ecuador.
Oaxaca is looking more attractive because it seems to get less rain than PV.

Thanks for the flight ticket links. I'm looking into those right now.

MmePerdu

Here are my Oaxaca blogs, a really lovely city:
http://www.travelgumbo.com/blog/port...my-of-a-trip-1

suze

Absolutely. August/September is most definitely the rainy season in Puerto Vallarta.