couples vacation

[rosebud5446]

My boyfriend and I have been wanting a little getaway. We're college kids, so we don't have much money. We've thought about anything from a little weekend getaway to disney world to a cruise. Does anyone have any ideas on fun things you have mabye done in the past? We're kind of up for anything. We have no idea on how much these kind of things cost, so if you have input on that or anything else at all so we can get an idea of our options, it would be much appreciated (as always).

 

[RedGambit]

Hiking!

Hello Rosebud,

I will suggest a weekend of hiking/camping. Your location is not stated so I have no idea where you live. If you go on google and type your "state" and "hiking trail" something is bound to pop up. Some of the gear might be a little expensive yet not as expensive as a disney trip. Look up some info and see if you like it

Good luck!

Gambit

 

[Ravin the Poet]

If you want like some place warm, look on sites like expedia.com, for cheap things, plus flights on Spirit airlines can be very very cheap depending where you are going.

 

[luvtofly]

I know you said you'd like a short vacation, but I must pose something that my girlfriend and I absolutely love to do.

First off we both live about an hour apart and her house is located in the snow belt of Ohio...well as luck would have it this past winter I ended up getting snowed in up there and instead of staying at her house....we ended up getting a room of our own at a hotel not 5 minutes from her house for the weekend. it may seem to some like you're not going anywhere or doing anything fun, but for us it is a good opportunity to just relax, not worry about family or friends getting in the way of anything. We especially enjoy the time to talk one on one with no one around to interupt or bug us.

In essence it's our own private getaway

planning on doing it in about a month to celebrate her birthday

 

[SweetErika]

It'd help if you'd give us an idea of your total budget, state (though I seem to connect you with OK for some reason ), and what you enjoy (outdoors, culture/off the beaten path vs. more touristy stuff, activities, etc.).

When we were in college and poor, we took weekend ski vacations, went hiking/camping, wine tasting, to different cities withing driving distance, stayed in B&Bs and did some things in Europe on the cheap (though we were already studying abroad there). We don't like really touristy stuff, so cruises and such aren't our style; we also figure we'd be wasting a lot of money on big meals when we prefer to use the grocery store and eat like locals.

Not going during peak season is a good way to save a lot of money. Also, be careful of sites like expedia because you can often get everything cheaper through the airline/hotel/car rental/activity website directly, and with fewer restrictions in case you have to cancel/change your plans for some reason. They're fine for research, and once in a while you might find a deal, but be sure to price everything individually and read all of the terms before buying anything.

 

[rosebud5446]

Yes, I'm from Oklahoma... middle of nowhere. We enjoy everything really. A roadtrip or something sounds kind of fun, but I don't know where to trip to. I was thinking Colorado since I used to live there, and we could go to small mountain towns and hike and stuff, but it's like a 10 hour drive through Kansas where there is absolutely nothing, so it would be a lame drive. Mabye Go west to Albequrqe then North? I really just don't know.

 

[Yang4yin]

You might look into a trip to Las Vegas. Sometimes you can get a free room, or at the very least, free food, and low cost transportation with some of the hotel promotions.

 

[SweetErika]

You might look into a trip to Las Vegas. Sometimes you can get a free room, or at the very least, free food, and low cost transportation with some of the hotel promotions.

I'm a major bargain hunter, and didn't find any big freebies when we just went to Vegas. We did stay relatively inexpensively, and the food was a good value, but from what we can tell, most of the freebies amount to "buy one get one" unless you're a high roller or are doing things on a special promotion like an invitation-only tournament.

I did enjoy the free drinks, but even those aren't truly free, as they require gambling (and usually tips if you want the waitress to come back in a reasonable period of time).

Vegas can be a good value, but it's not a free/super-cheap destination anymore, unfortunately.

Rosebud, it seems like there are lots of great destinations for a road trip. You could do TN, TX, NM, AR (IIRC, there's some good stuff there), the Gulf Coast (New Orleans might be cheaper since they're trying to revitalize tourism, for instance), etc. If you choose a place you're not so familiar with, the trip will likely be a lot more exciting, even if it requires a longer drive. And, you can always plan to camp, stay at cool places or do fun things along the way.

There's TONS of info out there on how to travel on a budget. I've always done well online (e.g. the FatWallet forums) and with Let's Go books (U.S./regional versions may be available at a library near you). So, I'd suggest deciding on a budget, general timeline, then doing some research to see what appeals to both of you.

 

[pplwatching]

Can you define cheap? When I was in school I let friends stay at my place in exchange for a return favor when the time came. Do you know any friends that will let you stay with them to save some money?

If you can be flexible and perhaps even travel at the last minute, there are ways to get cheap(er) air fare. Sign up for Southwest Airlines "ding" fares, for example. Last week they sent out a limited time special of $69 per person / each way to San Diego. Two ppl to San Diego at that price is cheaper than we could drive.

Otherwise, the camping route can be nice, but with gas prices what they are even that can be expensive.

Mabye Go west to Albequrqe then North? I really just don't know.

Albuquerque

 

[sapos]

what about Hot Springs AK in town it is a little touristy but there is a lot of stuff to do around there, hiking, boating, fishing, historical tours. My wife and I went a few years ago and had a really good time. We are massage therapists and that town is Mecca for our type. It is inexpensive as well. For that matter that in tire state is full of cool stuff to do outdoors.

 

[Visiting_Exec]

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