$500 for 5 day trip
 

OK Fodorites, here is the challenge: I would like to take the kids (17 & 21) away for 5 days in early August and have VERY limited budget. The 3 of us have access to a car, can put gasoline and a couple of splurge meals on charge cards, outside the $500 budget. Will be departing from Central Ohio, I-71 & I-70. Would like to limit driving to whatever is within 8-9 hour driving range.The budget must include hotel, most meals. Would not be adverse to using Priceline to maximize hotel spending budget. The girls are serious urban dwellers, but Chicago is definitely out, we go frequently to visit family. We also visit Cincinnati and Cleveland pretty regularly, so they are out. Suggestions for this trip? Thanks in advance!

If you want beach, then head east. You have your pick. Maybe Washington DC for couple of days and few days south of it for beach fun.

If you want a big city only, Atlanta.

$500 for meals and 5 nights in a hotel (i.e., $100 per night for 3 people) pretty much rules out urban areas.

but realistically, $500 for 3 people for 5 days?

If you pull it off, let us know.

Good luck!

I don't know how much are the road side motels these days but if you want to stay anywhere near a spot that has something going, you will end up spending around $100 per night just for lodging.

I"m also thinking Washington DC. No charge to see the monuments etc as I recall. Load up your cooler before you leave and refill at stores for drinks and snacks. Eat big breakfast out- it's cheap- buy sub ingredients for dinners sometimes. Just my ideas off the top of my head... At 17 and 21 are they able to help out with a couple of expenses?

Go to Salvation Army and buy a used tent, sleeping bags. Go to Costco and buy some bulk snacks. Gas up the car and drive for about 3 hours. Camp for 5 days. That <might> maybe get you under $500.

Toronto? Plan on 60 some odd dollars for a room via Hotwire, add Taco Bell and you have a vacation :)

No kidding. I don't think you can afford hotels and meals for 3 people.

A camping trip really is the only thing that will fit your budget. Are there any state or national parks that are within your driving distance?

Even if you could find a $50/night hotel room that sleeps 3 people (questionable proposal), that leaves less than $17 per person per day for everything else.

If you could find a beach locale that rents out condos, you could eat in & save some $. Priceline/Hotwire might also work.

You might try a cabin in the North Carolina mountains, but maybe revise your stay down to 2-3 nights and plan on bringing groceries. The mountains are so different from urban! Try vrbo dot com. You could even go ruby and sapphire mining in Franklin, NC, and maybe the girls would find something good enough to get made into jewelry!

My thought as well. I'd shorten the trip to a long weekend so you'll have a more realistic budget to work with.

Nashville?
You could stay at the Best Western near the airport, not convenient to downtown but nice clean hotel and right around the corner from the lake. Less than $70 per night for AAA members.
ooops, just checked and their pool is closed....maybe try Best Western Suites near Opryland around $80. At any rate, there is some good affordable lodging all around Nashville if you don't mind driving a few miles into the city.

www.bestwesterntennessee.com

But if they spend $80/night on a hotel, that only leaves $6.50 per day per person to eat!

Check into a KOA Kamping Kabin. Toss your sheets and pillows in the car and kamp in a little kabin with beds and electricity. Walk to the restroom/shower. Grill burgers or make sandwiches. Lots of fun and a great way to camp without all the gear.

No way can you do this in a city. And 8 hours of driving means at least 4 full tanks of gasoline for the whole trip. Have you calculated that cost?

You are within about 4 hours of some nice state parks in Ky and WVa -- lodge rooms can be had for $80-100. Save on gasoline by staying in a bordering state instead of driving farther, shorten the trip by a day, and you may be able to keep it close to $500. (I know you did not ask for this advice, but if there is a balance on your credit card now, do not use it for a "splurge.")

BW suites near Opryland has a $65 per night rate if you book 14 days in advance, so if you are considering Nashville it's definitely the place to stay, continental breakfast is included and there's a fridge & microwave in the room and a Sonic Burger down the street! 99c shakes!

You can just make this a challenge for your daughters "how low can we go!", like finding the best burger signs with good deals etc. Finding online coupons for attractions ahead of time, searching "free things to do" etc. As long as they realize it's a low-budget trip, you can do it and have fun with it. '
Hope you come back with a trip report all about "HOW WE DID IT ON A HUNDRED BUCKS A DAY!"

P.S. Days Inn Nashville North is one of the better days inns, with micro & fridge, and you can use the ORBITZ $100 OFF FIVE NIGHTS coupon and get a room for 5 nights for $300, all taxes included. This coupon can be used in other cities if you decide otherwise. Note that in some places, the coupon with orbitz comes out to more than just booking directly with the hotel, so check both.

The Orbitz coupon code is EQUALITY100 valid on stays of 5 nights

My poor parents took us camping for two weeks every year in an old stinky canvas tent, cooking on a grill and eating pretty basic stuff. Three kids under 10.

My mother later admitted that my dad had to put a bit of brandy in her coffee to get her through the mess from all the dust and dirt.

However, we survived and as kids had just the very best of times seeing America. Blessings to my parents to what they did for us.

We did it too. 4 kids. One year, Dad took up our family AND a friend's family to set up camp - and then went back from home. Two moms and seven kids in two campsites (and a variety of tents) camping in the mountains for a week.

I still love camping. The KOA Kamping Kabins eliminate the smelly tent and having to set up camp though. It's a great way to "camp" without all the stuff - and still have real beds to sleep in.

We did it too. It was what we could afford. We even camped on sightseeing trips (upstate New York, Lancaster County). Those were great trips and tremendous memories. We kept it up, even through grad school. I admit, it is not the way I like to travel now, but I admire my parents for having taken us on those trips and vacations rather than just saying they couldn't afford to travel.

I can't suggest a specific location, but I have used Name Your Own Price on Priceline to get perfectly fine rooms at Laquinta for $39 per night. Those had two beds and included breakfast.

Study up on bidding for travel before bidding, though.

Priceline only guarantees a room for 2 and they give you the room they have available. That may be a king bed. And, they have the right to not allow you to stay in the room with 3 people.

Camping is a great way to go. We still do this. You can even rent gear from places such as REI if you don't have your own or don't know anyone to borrow from. There is no reason at all for tents to be smelly, etc. Find a campground at a lake and take some fishing rods. You can catch your own dinner:) Some campgrounds even have toilets and showers in case you can't do without those.

Another idea is to go backpacking. Basically camping without a bunch of other people and IMO, much nicer. Again, you can rent gear if you don't have it. But it would be something new to try.

There's always Motel 6 - pack a cooler and buy ice to keep milk cold. You can have cereal and milk for breakfast that way. :-)

Lee Ann

Yeah, I think the general tone is that $500 isn't sufficient for a hotel and meals in restaurants, but with ingenuity and lowered expectations, you can have a nice time.

Priceline won't work for the OP as they have 3 people. PL only guarantees room for up to 2 persons.

OTOH, if you try Hotwire, you can specifically put in "3 persons" and they'll only list hotels that can definitely sleep 3.

aliska - is there anywhere you can go where you can stay with friends or family? Okay, maybe not for 5 nights but even for 2 or 3 nights out of the 5? That way, you'll have more $ to spend. And since you have family in Chicago, why not go to Chicago and use it as a base (and stay w/family for free) for 2 days, then do a 3-day trip from Chicago?

Recently, DH & I took 2 trips, one to Omaha and one to NYC. We stayed w/friends on both trips. Those ended up being really budget trips for us!

I like the idea of cabin camping at a state park. That along with a cooler of food should come in on budget. Why not try to find a place 2-3 hours away instead of 8-9? That could help keep costs down too.

I have a different suggestion. Can you do this with another family? If you pool your resources you could go on VRBO and rent a place for 4 nights with 2 or 3 bedrooms and a pull out, and split the costs. They have kitchens and you can do most meals at home. I went with my husband and 2 other couples to Cozumel last summer. We rented a house with 3 bedrooms and 3 baths and it cost us about $700 a couple for a week.

I can;t imagine anyplace that has a hotel for 3 for $50 per night (leaving you only $50 per day for food for 3 people - which would cover supermarket premade sandwiches or fast food places). I mean think about it -$5 per meal for 3 people equals $45 per day.

It seems you need to either do something free (any relatives you can visit for several days?) - or cut the trip down to a long weekend somewhere - and your budget is still minute.

$500 isn't the max, there's a credit card available for some meals.
If it were me and money were tight, I'd stick closer to home instead of spending $150 on gasoline. How about Louisville or Lexington, with day trips to state parks or lakes nearby?

With the Orbitz deal, you can get a little motel in Bowling Green, Kentucky for $150 plus taxes, including pool and a mini-breakfast for 5 nights. Pretty amazing. Take a day trip to Louisville, a day trip to Mammoth Caves etc. It's nice just to get away.

Why not just go to Hocking Hills ? If you are looking city, Pittsburgh may also be a close-by option. Also, rafting on the New River in W. Va.

Regarding the issue with beds on Priceline, we did our homework on Bidding for Travel and were pretty sure that we would get the LaQuinta based on the area and star level we were bidding.

With three people, I think it would be pretty easy. You should always call the hotel direct with specific requests once you've obtained a Priceline reservation. You can always go for a rollaway if needed.

Why not consider a camping trip to the Hocking Hills, plenty of hiking and other things to explore... Mid way thru the camping take the short drive to Logan and visit the Dairy Queen for a treat.. You may even come home with a few bucks in your pocket.