5 Great Vacations For People On A Budget

My bank account and my lifestyle don’t always agree. My lifestyle wants to travel to fabulous places, buy nice clothes and sip expensive cocktails. My bank account wants to disappear like Lindsay Lohan’s sanity. And I know I’m not the only one who ain’t got no money in the bank. Rent is sky-high, the economy sucks (no matter what anyone says) and necessities like caramel lattes, Betsey Johnson heels, and trips to the hair salon are darn costly. But, luckily, I know how to save, especially when it comes to going on vacay.

After the jump, check out some budget getaways that don’t involve camping in mosquito-infested swamps and living on fast food.

1. Iceland

When my best friend, who is something of a travel guru, suggested we go to Iceland I was totally taken aback. Then I did a little research and learned that Iceland is absolutely gorgeous, with world-renowned hot springs, breathtaking mountain views and an abundance of green. If you are more of a party person, the country is also known for having some of the best nightlife and most beautiful people in the world. So why is it cheap? A while back Iceland’s government completely fell apart and the banks had a total meltdown. Things haven’t gotten back to normal and, although it sucks, you can support the faltering economy by going there and living it up. Everyone benefits, see?

2. Las Vegas

Although Sin City can be like a bad and very weird dream, it’s a cool place because it can be as cheap or expensive as you want. Sure, some people eat $100 hamburgers and buy gazillion dollar clothes in the Bellagio but Las Vegas is small so staying somewhere off the strip, even if it is kind of seedy, isn’t too inconvenient. Plus, the seedier parts of Vegas are just as fun as the rest, but without the pretension. If you want to splurge, spend your money on a good show, not at the slots. Oh yeah, and try one of those mega buffets. Just once.

3. Central America

After taking a history class about this area in college I became obsessed with traveling to Central America. It has an extremely diverse and beautiful climate and, in certain areas, you can go from arid desert to lush rain forest after hiking for just one day. I have a friend who stayed at $5 huts in Guatemala on the edge of a huge rain forest where, at night, she could hear monkeys. Belize has tons of places to stay for under $50, even $20, and meals are generally less than $4.

4. New Orleans

For obvious reasons, Hurricane Katrina set this area back quite a bit, making it a very inexpensive travel destination. A quick search of a New Orleans tourism site yielded lots of places to stay that cost less than $50 per night. Best of all, rebuilding efforts have created lots to do. Travel + Leisure recently rated this city highly in categories like “friendliness,” “diversity,” “singles,” “cocktail hour,” and “live music scenes.” That’s pretty high praise, don’t you think? [New Orleans Online]

5. Cape Ann, Massachusetts

Maybe I’m getting a little sentimental here, but I have so many good memories of going to Cape Ann with my family, I just had to put it on this list. If you’ve never heard of it, Cape Ann is like Cape Cod’s less commercial, quieter and—let’s face it—better little sister. My favorite town is called Rockport because it has beautiful beaches with an abundance of cute, little galleries and amazing hiking trails. You can stay on Wingaersheek Beach, which has the whitest, cleanest sand I’ve ever seen in the Northeast, for $100 per night. The beach is right near downtown Gloucester, America’s oldest fishing port, which has really good restaurants and nice harbor views.

Original by Nikki Dowling

The Frisky