Ideas please, trip in January for family of 5, around $3-3500ish
 

Cross posted so I apologize if you see this twice -

I need ideas please! I've toyed with so many thing and can't decide.
We want to surprise our kids with a trip for Christmas. We would be taking the trip in January. Some info -

- 5 of us, kids are 13,9, and 6
- we live in west TN
- we will be going in January
- would like to keep budget around $3-3500ish
- we visit the gulf coast beaches and smoky mountains a lot so something different than that
- my kids love to travel, we don't mind driving a bit, visiting different places, etc. we are pretty flexible

Any ideas would be great! Thanks in advance!

I responded to your Disney thread already. Are you skiiers? City people? My first thought is somewhere like NYC but that is partly because I grew up in a rural community and a city would have been exciting at that age. I think a lot depends on weather preferences and whether or not flying is in the picture at all.

How about DC? The fact that most, if not all, attractions, are free really stretches a budget, but a lot depends on whether your kids are at all interested in museums and monuments.

Yes I'm still debating on the Disney and your other reply made me think about it even more.

Flying with 5 of us seems so expensive I don't know if we can swing it.

DC is where my 13 year old is dying to go, it's somethings we def want to do - but I wasn't sure about January there??? We are Tn people lol so we are not use to cold cold temps.

We have never been around snow much either - we hardly get a dusting here. I think the kids would love to see real snow - and maybe tubing etc but we live so far away from any of those places I'm thinking budget wise I'm not sure if we could swing it - would love to know if anyone had suggestions about that as well though!

And same with nyc - I so badly want to go there as well - we live in a teeny tiny rural town! But again wasn't sure on January weather Etc.

Count on driving somewhere. Chicago. DC.
How long are you going for? If expenses mount, cut your time and pack it in.'

I like cities like New York around New Years because IF the weather is horrible, it usually doesn't shut down stuff, there are tons of indoor attractions, and there are usually still holiday displays or shows going on. (I have not been to NYC, but that's my pick for January this year). Also- and this may not be true of New York- but I can usually afford to stay at really nice hotels that time of year that during the summer would be a no go. I don't know about sledding, but ice skating would be fun if they haven't been. I grew up with snow, but I am really only a fair weather skiier.

I love DC and I've been there in all kinds of weather. I don't like it as much in the winter because DC is a lot of outside walking and my favorite part- the memorials- is not quite as fun. But that would not matter as much to first time visitors, and my bias is admittedly that I'm really into food and shopping. DC is special but not my top pick for either. If your kid is into the museum thing, though, that's what I would pick because it would be a whole lot cheapper than wdw, and I LOVE the Smithsonian.

If you are not going to drive, I would start by looking for low air fares. Use one of the sites like Kayak or Travelocity for most and use the Southwest low fare calendar for them. Be flexible and pick days to go/come home that fit your pocket.

Then look for car and lodging see what works for you. Some places have great packages if you can go before Christmas or fly out on Christmas day.

Assuming you fly from Memphis, you can get flights to Orlando for $241 each in Jan (total $1,205). 3 nights in a 2 room suite at the Holiday Inn Across from Universal is around $450 for 3-nights. Park tickets are $818 for 2 days (or 870 for 3 days). Leaves you around $1,000 for taxi/rental car and food. Tight, but doable. Your kids are great ages for Universal.

Thanks so much you guys.

My husband works for ups and we have some great discounts available through his work for travel options. Hotels, and then tickets for Disney/universal if we chose to go that route.

I think we'd rather drive wherever we go just because I know it takes longer but the costs vs 5 plane tickets, we would have our own car, etc.

The problem with NY and even DC in January for people from warmer climates is that you definitely needs warm clothes, preferably including boots....and you likely don't already own them.

I'd see if could make San Diego work (Disneyworld is of no interest to me). There's a lot to see and do and the weather could be anywhere from OK to glorious.

Exactly what I had thought about the cold temps - we have no warm clothes like that at all.

DC may or may not have snow in January, but you will need winter coats at the very least... there are a lot of indoor activities, of course. But it would be a shame not to walk around the monuments, so yes, perhaps it;s not a good choice this time around. Ditto NYC.

To not have to deal with weather/clothes in January, you'll need to stay south somewhere. None of the cities north would work. Southern California is a fine idea, but perhaps too long of a drive for this request?

I'd seriously consider the Disneyworld/Orlando idea.

Thanks for the suggestions i think you guys are right we would more enjoy dc and nyc if we waited on those.
I think we will focus on the Florida area for now!

You're right about CA I'm afraid I'd rather wait till we could fly there.

I just think the weather thing is overblown. We live in NC and certainly have enough "clothes" we could layer and go to DC. Boot? If it happened, go to Target and get some cheapies.
WDW is gonna eat through that which is fine if you want an amusement park. The kids are old enough to enjoy some tourist destination with some education rather than the beach and Smokies. IMO. Our grandson could not get enough of Washington (at 11 or 12). It is an exciting place.

Agree with Gretchen- I would think the only clothes you would need would be a cheap hat, gloves and scarf. Wouldn't think Tenessee is much warmer than where I live- you probably already have jeans, sneakers/leather boots, sweatshirts, and a jacket. You can layer leggings or tights under the jeans if you plan to do a lot of walking. It's a waste to have boots and a heavy parka in most cities, because then you have to deal with both while inside- and those are usually the most expensive winter pieces.

Agreed on the cold weather fears - you say that you live in Western Tennessee. Only major city there is Memphis. Average high/low in Memphis in January is 50 and 33. Washington DC is 43 and 29. That should not be a deal breaker.

The major difference is potential snow, and let's face it, snow is just frozen rain lol. If you have appropriate clothing for walking outdoors when it's cold and raining, you would be ok in DC in January.

Have you looked at actual airfare for January? Flights from Memphis to Baltimore are as low as 220 on Southwest - and DC is an easy train ride from Baltimore. You won't need a car in the city, so that's an expense you can forget about. Basically 1/3 of your budget is airfare, leaving over 2000 for hotel/food and attractions for a week. That is very doable.

Another idea is Denver - again, flights are about 210 from Memphis in January. You would not need a car in the city as they have a good light rail system, but you would want a car for 2-3 days to drive into the mountains. Temps in January in Denver are 45 for a high and 18 for a low. You'd be fine in the daytime, just need an extra layer at night. If you go that route, I would visit Estes Park mid-week for 2-3 nights and visit Rocky Mountain National Park. That would be a major change from Great Smokey Mountains, and you would virtually have the place to yourself mid-week in the off-season. They have a small tubing area in the park as well. And temps are just slightly colder than Denver during the day, about the same temp at night.

For $3000-$4000, you might be able to do a Caribbean cruise from New Orleans or Galveston if you can drive to those ports. Norwegian, Royal Caribbean, and Carnival have 5-7 day cruises to the Caribbean/Mexico from those ports.

I also think DC or New York would be good even in January. I think DC might be more budget friendly. Since there are 5 of you, an apartment rental in DC might be more cost effective than 2 hotel rooms. If you drive to DC, you might also consider a stop in Williamsburg on the way to or from.

How long are you willing to take your kids out of school? I'd think unless you fly, you'll need 5-6 days total trip time at least.