The Best Destinations for a Budget Traveler in the US

Hopefully you have read my explanation of what makes a place a great budget destination.  It will help you understand some of my reasoning for why I picked these places as great destinations. Things that help make a destination great for me are the ease in which you can be immersed in the culture. I also like places where there are many things that can pass the time for little or no money.  The ocean, National Parks, waterfalls, and anything to do with nature are great attractions that never break the bank.  However, I want to include all types of destinations, so I will try to include cities and amusement park destinations as well.  Knowing how I do these blogs, it will probably end up taking more than one post to go through them all!

San Antonio, TX

This is the perfect city for a budget traveler.  It's main tourist attractions are all free.  Of course there is the famous Alamo, which is a symbol of American history that you can feel and see the instant the Alamo comes into view.  The famous San Antonio Riverwalk is another free attraction.  One could spend hours walking among the shops, bars, and restaurants along the river. The less famous but even more unique attraction is the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park.  The park includes four Spanish frontier missions that were built to spread Christianity to the natives, and were used in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. The food scene here is also really good with delicious Mexican food and a great BBQ scene. If you stayed in the downtown area, you could walk to almost every major destination in the city.

Orlando, FL

Admission to Disney and Universal can be a bit high and may scare you away.  Don't let it. Orlando generally has the lowest hotel prices and flights in the country.  You can spend all week exploring Disney and Universal, so find a cheap flight, stay at a cheap hotel, and pack your lunches every day. Try not to buy food at the resorts, enjoy the rides, and you could easily make a trip to Orlando on a budget.

Las Vegas, NV

Las Vegas flights and hotels are almost as cheap as Orlando, so your wallet won't be hurting too much here.  Unlike Orlando, you don't have to worry about spending your money on admission. You could spend a day or two walking up and down the strip through the mega casinos without spending a dime.  Hoover Dam is close by and also worth a stop.  The real adventurous could also make a day trip and go to the Grand Canyon. Top secret Area 51 is nearby, as is the town of Rachel, NV, which is home to the Little A'le'inn.  Maybe you could spot a UFO.  The food in Las Vegas is diverse and mouth watering, bring at least some money to explore the various food places in town.  If you have to gamble, The Strip isn't that budget friendly so head down to Fremont Street to gamble with the low rollers, and to check out the light show that happens every night.  If you do stay here, try to find a cheap casino on the strip.  The desert can be hot, and having to walk a long way through the heat can ruin your fun.

Eureka Springs, AR

This small town in Arkansas is a great place for someone who wants a slower relaxed vacation.  You can stroll along the many shops or restaurants in town. After that head out to see Thorncrown Chapel and Christ of the Ozarks.  Both are very impressive.  There are also many lakes nearby where you can get out on the water.  Eureka Springs has some unique historical hotels, so stay in one like the Crescent Hotel and you may even run into a ghost.

Yellowstone National Park

I already gave tons of reasons why going to a national park is such a great idea for a budget traveler. I won't list them all here.  25$ gets you and anyone else in your car into this great place.  There is no place like Yellowstone on Earth.  You can see the famous Old Faithful Geyser, check out Mammoth Hot Springs, and visit Yellowstone Lake. There are plenty more geysers and unique geological formations here that I can't list them all.  The wildlife here is very diverse and very up close in personal.  Traffic can come to a crawl because a herd of buffalo may be crossing the road.  You could also spot numerous moose and elk in the area pretty easily if you are paying attention.  There are numerous hikes around canyons, waterfalls, and geysers, so the budget traveler should be happy here. Jackson Hole, Wyoming is close by which offers access to the Grand Tetons and whitewater rafting on the Snake River.

Depending on what kind of trip you're looking for, all five of these destinations are great places for a budget traveler to visit.  They offer a wide variety of things to do, and if you plan accordingly, they can be nice, cheap, and fun spots for the budget traveler to see. I'll talk about some more fun places to see tomorrow, and I hope to put up a travel guide for each of these places eventually. I'm hoping these short summaries will give you an idea of where you may want to go for your next trip.

As always, thanks for reading!