I always feel much more like I've gotten away if someone else does the driving, as in planes & trains. Buses on rare occasion. Driving can just make it seem like work if the destination is too much like home. But most of those in the link above do look like fun.

We spent a fun weekend at the Inn at Meander Plantation in VA. They had a cooking school that was great. It wouldn't be convenient from Boston area, but maybe something like that but closer???

I don't really think you can do hardly anywhere for $500 for 5 days, when that has to cover all expenses but how you got there. You'd be hard-pressed to even do that in the small town in Ohio where I was raised, since chain hotels on the highway cost about $100 a day around there.

Hard to say without knowing what appeals to them but I'd suggest Washington DC. It is usually very pleasant weather end of October, and lots of sightseeing you can do (much free) and you can do a lot with minimal walking. More or less, you can get around to the monuments and museums on a cheap bus that circulates on routes around them, but you would have to walk in the museums themselves some. But you'd have to walk anywhere unless you just do some kind of trip where you just sit on a porch and look at things or something. Which is possible in more rural areas, sure, you want something maybe near the mountains or someplace pleasant for that. And then you have to get there which isn't easy and will eat up that cost for a car rental, even after air fare. And some of those really nice inns are not cheap. I haven't done that kind of thing back east, only west where you can really have some great mountain views from your inn. Even in Vermont, the places I've stayed didn't have that great a view, but they weren't the expensive places. I wouldn't have wanted to just stay at the hotel all day.

I've visited Newport RI and that's not a bad idea but touring those old mansions is just as much walking as touring museums, I think. Which they sort of are.

YOu can't do DC that cheap, either, you can get hotels for around $250-300 a night at that time, but that's your whole budget right there.

I'm thinking some nice inn for a few days at home might be nice. Because those buddy passes aren't that easy. My nephew works for an airline, and nowadays with crowded flights, they may involve long layovers, trying to figure out which plane might have some empty seats, which might not be the time or days you want, etc., or even convoluted routing maps. I can't even imagine doing that for two people together. They are standby, you know, even then.

For some reason that links to a 16 day Galapagos Cruise in April.

But how do they feel about cruises in general? Short cruise to Bermuda perhaps?

Buddy passes entail the chance of not knowing if you are going until the last moment, running to the gate, grabbing any available seat, not checking in luggage, knowing the code of conduct, violation of which results in a black mark for the donor, checking the loads on the return flight from the moment you arrive, booking a car for a few days longer, just in case.

Rinse, lather and repeat for every connection.

Buddy passes have the lowest priority of all the pass riders.

With the 737 Max grounded, and airlines generally using smaller planes, empty seats are not easy to come by.

Throw in a mechanical, operational or weather related cancellation and you can face a very long day paying airport prices for garbage meals.

I would recommend aiming for a spot in Northern Maine - take advantage of the lower rates with the mid-week stay during peak foliage season. There are some foliage maps you can reference too - I can't share links yet as I don't have enough posts. Find a rustic spot - they can drive around and look at the foliage through some rustic areas and they even have beautiful routes to take advantage of too with those maps.

Of course you would, MaineLuxuryRentals. Advertising is why there's a mechanism to prevent it, why you can't share links yet.

Mme, Did you triangle that poster?

No, was trying intimidation first. Have at it.

OK, I did it!! We'll see if anything happens.

No need to triangle the post. We contacted them yesterday explaining the rules. Anyone is welcome to participate on the forums including commercial enterprises, as long as they don't advertise or post links to their company. Nothing in the post above breaks those rules.

It has nothing to do with advertising a business... anyone new to the forum is limited in how much they can post at the start.

I flew standby once, and it was in 1998, when flying wasn't the challenge it often is today. I was with the employee of the airline and she ended up being able to use her seniority to get me on a flight home (after spending the night in the Vegas airport) that had one seat. She had to wait for the next seat. If she had taken the first seat, I wouldn't have been able to get the available seat based on her seniority (she had over 20 years with the airline). Please do not use buddy passes for your parents.

hello guys! I’m looking for a weekend family activity where we could spend funny day. We have kids 10 and 12 years old, I want to surprise them with something new

Welcome to Fodors. Instead of tacking on to an old thread you really should start a tread of your own. Plus you have not given us anything useful to work with. WHERE are you starting from? What do you mean by a 'funny' day -- Fun, or silly or exciting??? Since we don't know what you've done in the past - har to recommend something 'new'. Do you want to drive, or fly or ?? What sort f budget do you have?

Soooooo - start a new thread and provide the missing information

it would be great to have something like driving a car or airplane simulator. something exciting not silly

Holding my ideas until OP, PiterE, starts new post. The title on this thread is misleading and isn't attracting new posts.