Calling all Americans or people who have been to America!

Even though big cities can be more expensive to stay, I would still think about finding a hotel on the outskirts of your desired city. The prices should be much more reasonable.

What type of weather do you like? Personally, I would advise going as close to the end of March as possible because many states will be in mid-to-early spring and the weather should be fairly sunny, yet not hot. If you are mainly thinking of relaxing, I would saying something on the coasts. This way you have the option of visiting the beach if the weather is nice, or a few other relaxing environments. For those natural beauties, I second a few that have already been said California, Arizona, Nevada, Florida.

Overall, find a place you most want to go to. There are always a way to work with prices and find solutions to what would seem like greater expenses.

 

Fairbanks, Alaska it is!!

 

Yea...stay on the outskirts. Most cities have some sort of public transportation to the suburbs, so you save money by not driving much. And it usually is relatively low fares to take trains or subways into the city. And always look for the free activities in the city, like the park or some museums. You don't need to go to gift shops, so save money without having to buy trinkets. Plus pictures last longer!

 

It is expensive, but Alaska is SO gorgeous! ... In the summertime, anyway.

 

Bean town!!! I was born in Boston. Lived there till I was 10.

Just don't think that all people are like those in Boston. You won't here "please" or "thank you" much over there. People in Boston are just always uptight and they don't really care for one another.

It's a great city, don't get me wrong.

Just a tip, don't move the kitchen chairs...

 

I LOVE Milwaukee. I know it well, since I used to live there and still go to school there.

There's Miller Park depending on the time of year.
There are the domes--they're like giant greenhouses. They have live music there too.
The Spy themed bar called The Safe House
The beach on Lake Michigan
We have a Zoo.
We have a bunch of music venues, big and small.
We have a planetarium at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
There are rides you can take down the river.
and tons more stuff

Also, all the smaller towns around Milwaukee are very nice and likely cheap to stay in!

Edit: Chicago is also just a train ride or bus ride away!

 

Oh and don't forget to buy a map.

 

City hotels are gonna be expensive. So you could spend several hours in Orlando, drive off to the next destination late (hopefully sober) and hit up a motel about an hour outside say Tampa. Get some rest, then on your way.

I have to second the east coast being a...less friendly part of the world. On the streets there is generally a "don't talk to me attitude," but in a bar at least you could socialize/party.

If i can suggest something off the beaten path, try some college towns. They are unique in their own ways, quirky, and have as much to offer in entertainment (aside from pro sports and concerts) and americana as most big cities.

 

YEP the kitchen chairs. In the neighborhood I lived in, you only had limited parking outside on the street. You put a kitchen chair outside in your spot (which kinda came with your rent) so nobody would park there.

If you have balls enough to move the chair and park anyway, you'll come back to your car on blocks with broken windows.

My mom personally threatened a lady who took our reserved spot at the YMCA. She told her it was our spot, move to a different one, or so help her God she'd regret it. The bitch put it in park and walked away. My mom slashed all four of her tires on the sidewall and drove away.

That's how we do in bean town. :badgrin:

 

I mean if you're in new york, you could hit up all the tourist spots and talk to other tourists and you'd probly have a good time. Just don't expect to talk to the locals much. It's also insanely crowded. Boston probably less so but one option there is you could also make the short trek to cambridge where harvard/mit is.

Also in new york state is ithaca, an ideal college town. Partial to ann arbor myself, but it's probably a drive from anywhere else decent to visit. I really love these campuses because they're small enough to have room to breath, not get hopelessly lost, and for actual natural scenery - it's not all skyscrapers but 200+ year old historic buildings. It's not all corporate restaurants or insanely overpriced food either, like you'll surely run into in big cities.

There are young, brilliant people all over and diversity is mandated. No one will give you crap for your accent or sexuality or whatever. There's also serious partying at night.

Consider the west coast also, which is pretty laid back. Berkeley and boulder are lovely college towns near major cities. San Fran and west hollywood are expensive, but there's a ton of tourist spots and night life and of course, the pacific ocean.

But really, you can't go wrong on your trip. Just stay away from detroit.

 

I live in Minneapolis, Minnesota. You should come here but in the summer, it's way too cold in January to be able to enjoy it. It's really nice in spring-summer though. We have many lakes, and we're #2 after New York City for theater (If you're into that).

Right now we're -6 °F (-21 °C) around the day time.

 

I would recommend Chicago but man that can get expensive real fast

There are hostels in the city and plenty to do. Go to Lincoln Park Zoo for free and so on. The sights are amazing in the summer. Walk up and down the LSD walk...but outside of that eating can get expensive and you do need to be careful where you travel

Museum Row is awesome

Foxface

 

^ Don't forget Navy Pier. You can actually be *there* for free, but you'll probably feel your wallet getting a bit warm. If you're going on a date or hanging with friends, I'd highly suggest it.

 

If you really want to save money while travelling try couch surfing, the people are freindly they also can help you with tips about the city area you are staying in

https://www.couchsurfing.org/

just join up and then as a member you get to stay in a persons home for free, then you just pay food/travel

 

You could always google something like "Cheap things to do in ____(enter city here)" and a lot of states/cities have tourism sites with things to do. That's probably not as specific as you wanted, but I hope it helps. I just don't really know what cheap means to you and, usually when my family goes on vacation, we go all out so haha