Hey all, my partner and I are looking at travelling for a period of 2/3 weeks however we are on a "tightish" budget of approximately $5000 for the both of us. We would look at travelling around November from Melbourne, Australia. We would love to look at the US but given that we are on a shoestring budget would anyone be able to recommend where in the US and what kind of economical yet decent accom we could look at. I am also open to suggestions in terms of other countries we can look at exploring. We aren't really the "lounging around on beaches and shopping" kinda people.. but more like looking around heaps and an adventurous holiday. I would appreciate any suggestions.
Cheers
drs06
1
ger_power
Hi
i would suggest that your budget may be doable for 2 weeks but not if your trip goes for the extra week or if your planning an east coast trip....a quick look at skyscanner puts return flights at approx $US1000 each to west coast (LA) and $US1500 to east coast (New York). Also it would be winter in the US so that may not appeal to you. a 2 week trip to west coast (minus the $2000 for the flights) would work out at just over $100 a day each which is ok.
have you considered an Asia trip....SE Asia or India......much cheaper to get to from melbourne and certainly cheaper for day to day travel and in my view much more sights/attractions to see and more adventurous.
2
james2020
The USA is a huge country. Is there a region in particular you have in mind? What do you want to see? Cities? National parks?
What do you mean by adventurous? Extreme sports? Being immersed in a different culture? Good nightlife? A lot of places are as adventurous as you make them.
I assume your budget is in USD not AUD. Assuming your flights are around $1000 each that leaves you will $100 per person per day (based on staying 2 weeks), which seems reasonable.
There are plenty of places I could suggest that easily fit your budget have "lots to see" and could be considered adventourous (India, Nepal, Myanmar, Ethiopia, Mexico...). If you provide some more details people will be able to give you better information.
3
travelinstyle46
Not enough relevant info on which to make suggestions.
Is your budget AUD or US dollars? Does it include airfare or not?
What are your interests specifically? ie. hiking or clubbing etc. "looking around heaps and an adventurous holiday" is meaningless.
If you were into say technical rock climbing, then camping in Joshua Tree National Park near Palm Springs, California would probably be doable on your budget for 2 weeks with a few nights spent in Palm Springs for nightlife thrown in. But you have to be a lot more specific about your interests if you expect to get any worthwhile answers.
4
drs06
Sorry guys about the limited info.. I should have been more clear:
My budget was in Australian dollars. I was hoping that it would include airfares..and if one were to consider US a quick look showed airfares to be reasonable at this moment - nevertheless not less than approx $1500pp (in AUD).
@ ger_power - SE Asia we have most definitely considered and yes I agree this would be a lot more economical than US/UK. India we arent keen on because we are from there;-)
@james2020 - sorry I should've said, by adventurous I kinda mean a LOT of sightseeing, walking around, being immersed in different cultures, yes some adventure sports if we can afford it- Would places Mexico work out to be significantly cheaper than other cities in the US.
@travelinstyle46 - hope iv answered a few of your questions such as airfares and that my budget was quoted in AUD. Like i said we are definitely more the "hiking than clubbing" kind.. not really interested in shopping but we are foodies. we are also into photography, 4 Wheel Driving to make things a little clearer.
Hope I have kinda clarified the vagueness. Look forward to hearing your suggestions.
5
cowantimmy12
mighty Aussie $ is worth more than the US$
so now is a good time to go
but now is not November
you need to consider weather conditions in November
no good getting cheap flights & hotels if snowed in
unless that is what you want
what about Hawaii - sort of US
or New Zealand
6
travelinstyle46
If your budget is $5000 AUD for both of you and airfare is $1500 pp., then you'd be down to $2k before you stepped off the plane.
In November the only place that would make sense in the USA is the southwest. Generally speaking that would be good for hiking but not particularly for 'foodies'.
OK, suppose you could get to Palm Springs for your $1500pp airfare. A car rental for 2 weeks will cost $7-800US. You can't really get around without a car. A night at a Motel 6 will cost $50-55US in Palm Springs. Assume first night and last night only. $110 total.
A camping permit for Joshua Tree (or any other park you might visit in the area and camp in) $10 per night minimum. For 12 nights that's $120. Supermarket food for 2 weeks, buying a foam cooler to keep stuff in at your camp site, a few beers etc., say $20 per day for 12 days is $240. That leaves about $750 of your $5k not accounted for. Gasoline for the car depending on how far you choose to drive during your 2 weeks. Entertainment, restaurant meals, etc. etc.
Even camping it would be very, very tight. To me it simply doesn't make sense to consider something where the airfare eats up 3/5ths of your entire budget to begin with.
Pro tip
Lonely Planet
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