Help finding a cheap, August family vacation for 7?
So, there will be 2 adults and 5 kids. We are looking to go the first week in August. We have been to many places surrounding NH ( home state) from Maine to North Carolina....
We have been to every New England state, Washington DC, Virginia, and North Carolina.
We are clueless for a place to vacation. We like the beach, but could do without if was cool. We are also not really the camping kind of family, so that's out. Flying is also expensive, so we are looking with cheap flights out of Boston or for somewhere within driving distance ( up to maybe 15 hours) we are used to long car rides so we can do farish.
We also woul like to keep this costing as low as possible, the budget is about $3,000- $4000, but we would LOVE to keep it lower!
Lastly, none of us have passports so Canada is out of the picture ( or any other foreign country for that matter)
Thanks in advance!

What are your interests? Is the cost estimate inclusive of air fares?

You might want to take a look at lastminutetravel.com and travelzoo.com for deals.

How about NYC? It will be pretty hectic with 5 kids, and hot, of course, but you didn't list it as a place you've been, and hotel rooms are fairly moderately priced this time of year.

The cost would be total, or so we hope. We would really like to keep costs low. We dont really have particular interests, just want to go somewhere exciting but also relaxing with a lot to see. We were thinking about Las Vegas.... and experiences? also, does anyone know any places to get cheap airfare? An all inclusive would also be fantastic, but I know theyre arent many in the US.If we were to do an all-inclusive, I would be willing to spend a bit more since in would also include food!

NewbE: We are not huge fans of the city, and even though I did not list it, we have been on a short trip there before. We also travel to NY state regularly...

Honestly, assuming you are talking about a week long trip $4000 for 7 people won't get you "All Inclusive" anywhere. And with today's high fuel prices which equates to high airfares if you fly someplace at the very least you are going to use almost half your budget just for the flight. I don't mean to sound harsh but you should think strongly about destinations you can reach by car in a day's drive.

Also, just because you've been to a state once doesn't mean you can't visit it again. Have you thought about going to one of the Finger Lakes or one of the Lakes in Maine?

Or, perhaps rent a cottage on Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard or Nantucket. Maybe visit one of the seaside towns along the New Jersey Shore or, Rehoboth, Asseteague or Chincoteague Beaches in Delaware?

Las Vegas -- in August, for a family of seven. Not something I'd personally ever consider. Rooms would be cheap though (for a reason).

Maybe the Michigan Upper Peninsula

With your budget and your family size, I'm not sure how you can go anywhere with a flight. Driving to Boston, parking and flying will eat more than 1/2 your budget. So that means you need to drive. You won't get

Go North!

Quebec City? More like Europe than Europe.

Nova Scotia?

Montreal? Philadelphia but they speak French. This may or may not be an advantage.


Toronto and Niagara Falls? an icon and perhaps the most ethnically diverse city in North America. Fabulous markets, good art museum, great ethnic food, harbor island with amusements, and all the Canadians will be at their cottages, so you shouldn't have a lot of competition for lodging.

Oops, just noticed you don't have any travel documents, Hmm, that does limit you, doesn't it.

How about Burlington, VT and Lake Champlaign?

West Virginia? Running rapids and mountains

Really, you have covered the East Coast geography, so how about developing some new interests: car or horse racing? hobby conventions (model trains, planes, scrapbooking) Military history museum?

How about Ohio? Their Amish country is better than PA, arguably the best small art museum in the country is in Toledo and free. Cleveland has the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and a great art museum. One of the great amusement parks in the country is Cedar Point near Sandusky? Have you been to Greenfield Village? You could cross over to Dearborn, MI and see it. Follow the route of the Erie Canal across NY state on your way back home, and visit a winery on the way.

But get your passports before this time next year. It is so limiting not to have one, and you could go to someplace exotic for what you want to spend.

With 7 people and such a small budget you really need to forget flying. And IMHO Las Vegas is a terrible place to take a pack of kids - never mind the 100 plus degree temps. (You said you wanted cold. That means north - not the middle of a desert in August.)

If it were me I'd head for Maine or the northern Adirondacks - where you can easily drive - and you may find some budget prices. (There's nothing wrong with repeating visits - when we were kids my parents took a cottage in Sag Harbor (LI) for 8 years in a row - and we loved it every year. (I think it's a great vacation destination for kids - but don't think that your budget will cover that area - since a 2 bedroom condo would take almost your entire budget.)

Looks like there is something for nearly everyone at Saranac Lake. http://www.saranaclake.com/
Whiteface Mt. and North Pole were among my favorites when I was a kid.

My SIL just found an apartment that sleeps 5, for next week in Ocean City NJ, for less than $2000. I bet you could find something similar on a last-minute basis.

Try surfing the vacation rental pages at some OC realtor sites. Ideally you want to stay, say, between 1st and 15th street and east of Central Ave to be within walking distance of the boardwalky attractions. Farther south is nice, too -- beaches are less crowded -- but driving to and parking near the boardwalk can be problematic at times.

Get youself a cottage rental in the Finger Lakes...

Great room deals in Vegas but it's so hot you can't even really spend more than a short time out at the pool, and drives to Valley of Fire, Hoover Dam, Lake Mead etc are also thwarted by the intense heat and sun.

West Coast would be $2100 just for airfares so that's out.

How about something up in the White Mountains or thereabouts? Don't the winter ski area resorts have great deals in summer, with pools and tennis courts and hiking trails and chair-lift rides etc?

Everyone, thanks for all the help so far. We are still indecisive about what we are doing... may I also add though, that my family is part of Armed Forces Vacation Club ( AFVC) and are SOMETIMES able to book condos for $396 a week depending on availability and size (a lot of places don't accommodate 7 or 8 people)

Well, I just checked Southwest for flight to Chicago in early August. You could get something as cheap as $238 per person depending from Boston, or as cheap as $225 per person from Manchester - depending on your dates. Figured Manchester might be closer or at least have cheaper parking than Boston.

So flying from Boston could be done for just under $1700 for all of you, or from Manchester for about $1575. There's alot to do in Chicago, or you could drive a few hours to Michigan and spend a week there (Lake Michigan has some nice beaches).

However, flying doesn't really make sense when you consider that Chicago is 17 hours away by car. It would be way cheaper to just drive yourself and save the flight/rental car cost. I'd say anywhere along one of the Great Lakes would be nice, it'll be a bit cooler along the lake than further inland and most towns have something to do. That is assuming you want to get out of the Northeast for a change.

Boston to Vegas was over $400 so that's out of the question.

http://gonewengland.about.com/od/nhf...merunlimit.htm

Cooperstown, NY?

Look at the RI or eastern CT coast. Plenty to do in the area and some rentals are within your price range.