I've got the week after Labor day off, live in Seattle, and am looking for budget friendly vacation ideas. It'll just be me (thank goodness!), and I'm amenable to either driving my car somewhere or flying. I've spent quite a bit of time on the WA and OR coast, so something different would be nice, although I won't rule out a waterside holiday. I'd like to keep the budget to $1500 or lower. I'm not a fan of extreme heat or humidity, and I like good food, scenery, museums, etc (I'm not looking for an "adventure" - rock climbing, etc.)

Any ideas?

Hi sgirlie, I have no idea where you have been before but have you considered Portland OR? Or what about Vancouver BC or have you already been there. Another thought is Lake Tahoe in N CA. I prefer the northshore to the southshore. Had a family member who was in Boise, Idaho for awhile and loved it. But I have never been there so have no knowledge of the food or museum situation. SF would be lovely but it does get expensive although there sure are ways to economize but it would probably be over your budget.
I sure understand about not want extreme heat and humidity. I can tell you where you do NOT want to visit in September, the Sacramento Valley, LOL. It gets sooo hot. I am dreading it.

Hopefully someone will come along with some better ideas then I have. Best wishes.

How about fly to Ketchikan (RT air from Seattle is about $390 right now), then travel by ferry up the inland passage? You could do a round trip, or fly back from another city. We really enjoyed the ferries...they have very reasonably priced cabins. Lots of info at www.akmhs.com. For that matter, you could easily do an actual cruise...Expedia is listing some at that time for as low as $700 for a 7 day Inside Passage cruise, RT from Seattle. Might be a bit chilly, but no crowds, no hassle, no spending time getting to and from lodging onshore. We have traveled inland Alaska and the passage, and were surprised to find that the Alaska we were dreaming of was the southeast, not inland...glaciers, whales, native culture, etc. Wait, I think I want to go!

That's really quite a reasonable budget, you have a zillion options.

Remember that flight cost is often not related to distance anymore -- according to Travelocity you can fly from Seattle to Boston and back that week for under $300. Subtract $100 per night for a hotel booked via Priceline, and you've still got almost $100 per day for meals and activities.

a real departure from your location could be the southwest. have you though about flying into phoenix ( for the grand canyon or towards tucson to see great saguaro )

or las vegas and hitting the high desert? Southern Utah, just driving is gorgeous. Check out Moab.

the crowds will be gone, it will still be very warm (probably 90) but still beautiful, you can get reasonable hotel rooms a small rental car for the week with that amount of $.

all you need is light clothes that breathe and lots of water to drink.

conversely, you should be able to find an island package for that price or even costa rica.

I flew Seattle to Oahu for $329 RT a couple months ago, stayed at a Waikiki hotel w/ kitchenette for $100/night. Lots of historical tours, etc. in Honolulu besides the beach and all the beautiful scenery.

I've often flown down to San Francisco and just kicked around in the city for a few days. With that budget you could even book some spa appointments.

By car, maybe I'd head east over to Mazama, Winthrop area and stay at a lodge.

My first choices would be San Francisco, New York City, or Las Vegas (as a base for exploration mentioned above). However, since you are willing to drive, consider a destination overlooked by most Seatteliters--Glacier National Park and the Canadian Rockies (using Banff as your headquarters).

The Icefields Parkway, between Lake Louise and Jasper, can be investigated as a day trip from Banff.

Consider returning to Seattle via little-traveled WA 25, which follows the Columbia River from its source to Miles.