50 days and $10,000

Old Sep 6th, 2002, 06:28 AM
  #1  
melissa
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50 days and $10,000

Where would you go for a vacation if you had 50 days and $10,000 to spend? I am trying to brainstorm some ideas, and I thought that it would be helpful to hear about what you all would do.

Thanks,
Melissa
 
Old Sep 6th, 2002, 06:41 AM
  #2  
xyz
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At first glance, this sounded like an opportunity for a dream trip. Then I realized the numbers, so the simple answer is: Not any place too expensive.

$10,000 divided by 50 days is only $200 per day. And that's not counting air/train travel. That's not whole lot to work with.
 
Old Sep 6th, 2002, 06:50 AM
  #3  
Ellen
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I would probably go to Canada. The dollar is incredibly strong there, so you would actually have about $15,000 to spend. I would work my way across the country with a rental car (get better rates for a monthly rental) and stay in B & B's. If I lived on the west coast, I'd try to go to Cumberland Island (Victoria), Vancouver, Banff, Lake Louise, Calgary, and Moose Jaw (just because!). On the east coast: Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Quebec City, Montreal, Toronto. Otherwise, I would just get a rail pass and Hostel my way around Europe.
 
Old Sep 6th, 2002, 07:23 AM
  #4  
lisa
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Wow, lucky you.

Actually, while $200 a day is not much in major cities like New York or London, in most of the world it's more than ample.

It would depend somewhat on what time of year I'd be travelling. But I'd try to get one of those round-the-world tickets for around $2000 or less and spend about 10 days on safari in Kenya and Tanzania (this would be the priciest portion); about 14 days hitting the highlights of China including a few days on the Yangtze; 10 days in Thailand with a side trip to Angkor Wat; 8 days in Australia divided between Sydney and the Great Barrier Reef; and 8 days on the South Island of New Zealand.

You could definitely do this for around $10,000 if you stay in moderately-priced accommodations. 2afrika.com has some very affordable safari packages for under $2000, and you can do it even cheaper if you are willing to rough it a bit more. China and Thailand are both very inexpensive, and pacificdelighttours.com has some great prices on Asia packages. And Australia and New Zealand can also be experienced very inexpensively since the exchange rate is so good.
 
Old Sep 6th, 2002, 08:16 AM
  #5  
lisa
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I'd get in a car and travel across the US. I'd stay in some of the larger places, but mostly in out of the way places, in hotels, motels, cabins and campgrounds. I'd see as much of this great country as possible. And probably have $$ left over...
 
Old Sep 6th, 2002, 08:41 AM
  #6  
melissa
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Wow, thanks for the wonderful ideas!

Some more info that might help:
We will be taking this trip next June - August. It will be my husband and me (in our early 30s). We each have about 75,000 FF miles to use on USAirways, so the $200 a day is just for lodging, food, car/train, entertainment.

Please keep the ideas coming!
Thanks,
Melissa
 
Old Sep 6th, 2002, 08:45 AM
  #7  
xxx
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oh. $200 per day for 2 of you. that is different. and you are using miles. June is a VERY peak time for overseas travel. If you want to get a seat using miles, you need to book it NOW. Those seats sell out unbelievably fast--even after 9/11. If you are looking to just hop around the USA, the miles aren't going to go very far at peak time. Maybe 2 or 3 flights a piece and that is it.
 
Old Sep 6th, 2002, 08:49 AM
  #8  
Ann
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I would go to Thailand. You can easily live on that for 50 days.
 
Old Sep 6th, 2002, 08:50 AM
  #9  
Ellen
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You don't say where you are flying from, where you have been before, or what your interests are. More info please. Otherwise, this is a waste. I could suggest spending some time in Washington DC as most of the attractions are free and the metro system is excellent (and cheap), but if you have already been there, then I am wasting my time.
 
Old Sep 6th, 2002, 08:54 AM
  #10  
Sarah
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I would probably do an Asian exploration as I have visited many European and middle eastern countries already.

Dying to see the cook islands, New Zealand, Thailand, Japan.

I spent 10,000 in two weeks last year on Oahu and Kauai, with a group of 5 others(mostly cheapy condos), so I am not sure how far that would go in 50 days. I do remember the days of 1000 for a month in Turkey, early 90's but sleeping on hotel roof tops at $2. a pop is kind of over for me . ...Unfortunately, so are the 10,000 holidays bull market where are you?

 
Old Sep 6th, 2002, 08:54 AM
  #11  
xxx
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I don't think 75,000 miles is going to be enougho quickly to get two of you out of the country. While $10,000 initially seems like a lot, divided by 2, that's only $100 per day. That amount alone can go quickly just on food alone.

Do you have an economical car in good condition? I'd pack it up with an ice chest and hit the road.

It would help if you told us where your home base is, so we know where you've all ready been.
 
Old Sep 6th, 2002, 09:01 AM
  #12  
Katie
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Just a note, I was able to use FF from Delta on a 3 leg trip, the same number (25,000) as for a roundtrip. I am going from San Diego to Cincinnati for Christmas, then to WDW for a few days before going back to SD, all for the same 25,000 miles. You may want to check it out with USAir.
You could fly into SF, drive throughout CA (Yosemite, Sequoia, Big Sur) & the west (Utah, Vegas, Gr Cyn, Bryce, etc,) fly to Hawaii from LA or San Diego (after Disneyland), then head home.
 
Old Sep 6th, 2002, 09:10 AM
  #13  
melissa
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Here is some information that was requested:

We live in Philadelphia, so we have been most places on the East Coast of the US. We have also been to London, Paris, Rome, Tuscany, Germany, Switzerland, and the Canadian Maritimes.

We were able to get by nicely for 5 weeks in Europe for about $7000, so I was hoping that I could find somewhere to go for 7 weeks for $10,000. We can spend less time if necessary.

We love to do almost everything from theater and nice dinners to hiking, swimming, museums, sightseeing, etc.

Hope that helps~
Thanks again!
 
Old Sep 6th, 2002, 09:10 AM
  #14  
travellyn
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That would be my dream trip! I'd fly to Europe, lease a car, and do a driving trip through France and Italy.

I did a similar trip through Southern Germany, Austria, and Switzerland for 30 days 16 years ago. My husband and I took a tent and sleeping bags so we'd have more flexibility in lodging. We camped less than half the time; most nights we spent in small B&Bs and rented rooms in people's homes.

Hostels would have been an option if we hadn't wanted to sleep together. Usually, we use public transportation, but we wanted the flexibility of getting into small towns and villages without regular service.

You don't need big bucks, even in cities. My husband and I took a short trip to France last year, and stayed in Paris for $60 a night. The room was basic, but well-located, clean and safe. We had good meals for $25 for the two of us at lunch, and we bought prepared foods (and good wine) for dinner.

We had to economize on our trip 16 years ago. Now we don't, but we do it anyway, because we can then afford more travel, and usually have a better time. When you're camping, using public transport, and staying in people's homes, you get a better flavor of what a place is like.
 
Old Sep 6th, 2002, 09:13 AM
  #15  
Ally
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Two words: Costa Rica.
 
Old Sep 6th, 2002, 09:23 AM
  #16  
xxx
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Two more words: South Bronx
 
Old Sep 6th, 2002, 10:50 AM
  #17  
Kris
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If I had that amount of time and your budget, I would probably go to Eastern Europe-Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary. Inexpensive food, lodging and transportation, not as crowded as Western Europe. It can be hot and humid in the summer and budget hotels will not have a/c.

 
Old Sep 6th, 2002, 10:52 AM
  #18  
Sarah
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Hi Kris what is Poland like in winter, just how cold does it get and during which months?
 
Old Sep 6th, 2002, 10:53 AM
  #19  
travellyn
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I asked my husband this question and he said he'd bank the $10,000 and spend the time hiking the Colorado Trail (just under 500 miles).

Actually, for 50 days on the trail, you'd need several hundred dollars worth of food, extra socks, etc. So for the 2 of us, we could bank about $9500. I also realized that a 50-day vacation would be a lot more precious to us than the $10,000.
 
Old Sep 6th, 2002, 11:03 AM
  #20  
cg
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New Zealand and/or Australia. I have a couple friends who just got back from their honeymoon in NZ. The exchange rate is incredible over there, and July/August is the low tourist season since it's winter, making the deals even better. My family did a driving trip around the South Island in August when I was a kid. We rented a small RV and just headed wherever we wanted. The campgrounds were all relatively cheap and had kitchens, showers, etc. It was a wonderful experience.

Our friends who just got back from there said that for the two of them, a dinner that would cost $100 here was about $35 (appetizer, two entrees, wine and dessert).

Australia is also great - I spent a semester there in college and was definitely living on a shoestring. They're set up for the backpacker lifestyle, so they've got some great hostels. Most of them have regular rooms as well as the dorm-style rooms, as long as you don't mind going down the hall to the bathroom. They were about $35 AUD pp, per night. The buses (i.e. greyhound) are a million times better than in the states and are very easy to get around on.

Have a great trip!
 

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