# Where would you vacation for $2,500? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 18, 2010, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-would-you-vacation-for-2-500/561129 "2010-11-18T19:07:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-would-you-vacation-for-2-500/561129/1 "2010-11-18T19:07:28Z")
So, here’s the thing - I found four thousand dollars on the side of the road last week. Just sitting there, still tightly bundled, as if they were straight from a bank teller’s desk. Strangest thing I’d seen that weekend, and I had a very strange weekend. Called the police, they collected the cash, and assured me that if no one claimed it in a couple of months, I could keep the money. So far, no one’s claimed it, and I suspect that this is the sort of thing that will be claimed quickly or not at all. I mean, wouldn’t you _notice_ if you’d lost four thousand bucks? It looks like I might be getting a windfall in a couple months. 🙂 I know it’s poor form to spend money you haven’t got, but it can’t hurt to dream, right? So: Say I took a bit over half that money - $2,500 - and budgeted it for a vacation. Airfare, hotels, everything. Where would you go, in my shoes, and why? In particular, what city or cities? (I’m a city guy - nature does very little for me.) With this kind of cash, I could go pretty much anywhere I wish - so where should I wish to go? I should add, perhaps, that I only speak English - I’d certainly make an effort to learn how to say “please,” “thank you,” and “oh dear Ford, I believe my appendix is about to rupture,” in the local tongue, but I’d want to be someplace that I could get by fairly well with English and emphatic gesturing. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-would-you-vacation-for-2-500/561129/2 "2010-11-18T19:17:13Z")
Would help if we had some idea of where you’re traveling _from_. If you’re already in NYC, for instance, it would save me the trouble of recommending NYC. Also, distance is a factor in airfare; if your destination is San Francisco, airfare will burn up a good deal more of that $2500 if you’re flying from Atlanta than if you’re traveling from Phoenix, leaving you less to spend on hotel and stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Attack_from_the_3rd_dimension)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-would-you-vacation-for-2-500/561129/3 "2010-11-18T19:17:55Z")
[Ocracoke Island](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocracoke_island) and the[Outer Banks](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outer_Banks). It’s not that far from D.C., but it’s a different culture, and it’s beautiful. Plus you could[learn to surf](http://www.surfhatteras.com/). ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-would-you-vacation-for-2-500/561129/4 "2010-11-18T19:22:51Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > Would help if we had some idea of where you’re traveling _from_. If you’re already in NYC, for instance, it would save me the trouble of recommending NYC. > > Also, distance is a factor in airfare; if your destination is San Francisco, airfare will burn up a good deal more of that $2500 if you’re flying from Atlanta than if you’re traveling from Phoenix, leaving you less to spend on hotel and stuff. Of course, quite right - I’m in DC, and thinking of spending 10-12 days on the trip including travel time. And although I’m certainly interested in neat places in the US, I’m particularly interested in more distant destinations. So long as I’m willing to stay in hostels or cheap hotels, $2,500 should get me just about anywhere. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-would-you-vacation-for-2-500/561129/5 "2010-11-18T19:28:42Z")
> [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](#): > > [Ocracoke Island](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocracoke_island) and the[Outer Banks](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outer_Banks). It’s not that far from D.C., but it’s a different culture, and it’s beautiful. > > Plus you could[learn to surf](http://www.surfhatteras.com/). Neat! I might want to learn to swim a bit better first, though. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![llcoolbj77](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/eb9ed0/32.png) [@llcoolbj77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/llcoolbj77)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-would-you-vacation-for-2-500/561129/6 "2010-11-18T19:37:26Z")
Loved loved loved Prague. Nothing I didn’t like about it. Tel Aviv was totally kick ass too, if you are a bit more adventurous. Hated hated hated this little shit hole called Wein, Austria. Found out later it was Vienna. :smack: Still hated it. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-would-you-vacation-for-2-500/561129/7 "2010-11-18T19:38:21Z")
> [@Mr.Excellent](#): > > Neat! I might want to learn to swim a bit better first, though. 🙂 If you’re going to learn to surf and have $2500 to throw at it, for god’s sake don’t bother with Cape Hatteras and the ice cold Atlantic. [Nosara, Costa Rica](http://www.safarisurfschool.com/) - no wet suit required - the water’s as warm as bathwater. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-would-you-vacation-for-2-500/561129/8 "2010-11-18T19:44:54Z")
> [@llcoolbj77](#): > > Loved loved loved Prague. Nothing I didn’t like about it. Tel Aviv was totally kick ass too, if you are a bit more adventurous. > > Hated hated hated this little shit hole called Wein, Austria. Found out later it was Vienna. :smack: Still hated it. I’m working really, really hard to avoid making a “The Third Man” joke here. 🙂 I’ve been thinking about visiting Prague ever since I learned that DC’s future streetcars were being stored there, actually. My mind works in strange ways. ---
**Author:** ![Scubaqueen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c0e974/32.png) [@Scubaqueen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scubaqueen)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-would-you-vacation-for-2-500/561129/9 "2010-11-18T19:48:58Z")
the heck with keeping any of it back: air fare to australia (or at least part of it) so i can finally dive the great barrier reef!! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-would-you-vacation-for-2-500/561129/10 "2010-11-18T19:50:43Z")
You lucky bastard! Get thee to Thailand. Once the flights are dealt with, it’s damn cheap to hang out, and it has everything anyone could want - elephants, the weather, the scenery, the beaches, the food, the culture, elephants, great diving, good beer, fantastic nightlife, good infrastructure, elephants, water sports, rock climbing, trekking, elephants, etc. etc. I’d be there like a shot. You can get by with just English too. ETA: did I mention the elephants? ---
**Author:** ![Loisseau](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/2bfe46/32.png) [@Loisseau](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loisseau)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-would-you-vacation-for-2-500/561129/11 "2010-11-18T19:51:49Z")
Fly DC to San Juan P.R., rent an economy class car at the airport, drive southeast to Palmas Del Mar( 45 min drive) [.numberOfAdults=1&tab=prices&arrivalDate=11-22-10&hotelId=337568&validate=false&destination=Humacao%2C+Puerto+Rico"]Palmas Del Mar]([http://www.hotels.com/hotel/details.html?reviewOrder=date\_newest\_first&roomno=1&departureDate=12-03-10&destinationId=1438285&rooms](http://www.hotels.com/hotel/details.html?reviewOrder=date_newest_first&roomno=1&departureDate=12-03-10&destinationId=1438285&rooms)[0) Enjoy for under $2500 ---
**Author:** ![Walkabout](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/46a35a/32.png) [@Walkabout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walkabout)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-would-you-vacation-for-2-500/561129/12 "2010-11-18T19:57:59Z")
I spent $2600 for my 10-day trip to Tunisia last spring. That included everything - airfare, hotels, food, plus a private driver/guide/interpreter and car for a tour of the south of the country. I stay in cheap hotels and eat street food, mostly, though, so YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![pbbth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f9ae1b/32.png) [@pbbth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pbbth)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-would-you-vacation-for-2-500/561129/13 "2010-11-18T20:01:04Z")
I recently spent some time in Helsinki and found it to be fabulous and very easy for a native English speaker to visit. I highly recommend it. If it were me the next place on my list is London. After that we are considering France or Germany and then in 2012 we are going to be in Sao Paulo to visit my sister in law when she is stationed there with the foreign service. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-would-you-vacation-for-2-500/561129/14 "2010-11-18T20:01:41Z")
I want to do [this](http://www.uwo.ca/cstudies/tp/). Five-week French immersion course next summer in Trois-Pistoles, Québec, put on by the University of Western Ontario. Conveniently, it costs $2250\*, including accommodation with a host family, which leaves just enough for gas to get there and back… [sub]\*Actually, there’s an additional preparatory week that I’d probably need, which is another $425, because my French is somewhere between “rusty” and “completely seized up”, but I’d still be up $2500…[/sub] Edit: but that’s what _I’d_ do. For you, I recommend a youth hostel for a week in either San Francisco or Helsinki. Both cities are beautiful and highly-recommended. ---
**Author:** ![LH75](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lh75/32/4438_2.png) [@LH75](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LH75)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-would-you-vacation-for-2-500/561129/15 "2010-11-18T20:04:10Z")
My wife and I spent 5 days in Las Vegas this last summer. We stayed at the MGM Grand, spent our days at the pool and our evenings exploring the Strip. We took a day trip to the Grand Canyon all for under 2500 dollars. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-would-you-vacation-for-2-500/561129/16 "2010-11-18T20:08:46Z")
Personally, I’d spend more than a mere 5 days on Martha’s Vineyard. But I don’t think that that amount of money would get me more than about 10 days there. If I had to pick a city vacation, it would be to San Francisco. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-would-you-vacation-for-2-500/561129/17 "2010-11-18T20:26:49Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > You lucky bastard! > > Get thee to Thailand. Once the flights are dealt with, it’s damn cheap to hang out, and it has everything anyone could want - elephants, the weather, the scenery, the beaches, the food, the culture, elephants, great diving, good beer, fantastic nightlife, good infrastructure, elephants, water sports, rock climbing, trekking, elephants, etc. etc. I’d be there like a shot. You can get by with just English too. > > ETA: did I mention the elephants? Sounds neat. Hey, does anybody know if Thailand has elephants? I mean, it seems like a neat place, but if there aren’t any elephants, I can’t say I’m all that interested. ---
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-would-you-vacation-for-2-500/561129/18 "2010-11-18T20:55:11Z")
Wow. . . some of you way over pay for your vacations. . . eesh. And trust me: it’s not that I stay in trashy hotels and eat street meat- I definitely stay in nice hotels and eat great food while on vacation. Anywho, [10 days in Egypt, $1699.](http://www.travelzoo.com/vacations/africa/922054/?utm_source=top20_us&utm_medium=email_top20) Use the extra savings to get a bad ass massage and a few epic dinners while there. > [@](#): > > This 10-night escorted tour provides a great overview of the country’s ancient history and exotic culture. Here’s all that’s included: > > Roundtrip airfare to Cairo from New York City > Intra-Egypt flights and all ground transportation > Six nights in 4- and 5-star hotels, including four nights in Cairo and two nights at an all-inclusive Red Sea resort > Four-night Nile River cruise on an upscale ship > 22 meals: 10 breakfasts, six lunches, six dinners > English-speaking Egyptologist tour guide throughout > Trip highlights include tours of the Great Pyramids and Sphinx of Giza; visits to the archaeological gems of Luxor, Edfu and Aswan; and optional snorkeling excursion to Sharm el Naga beach, renowned for its coral reef. ---
**Author:** ![llcoolbj77](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/eb9ed0/32.png) [@llcoolbj77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/llcoolbj77)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-would-you-vacation-for-2-500/561129/19 "2010-11-18T20:58:12Z")
> [@Mr.Excellent](#): > > I’m working really, really hard to avoid making a “The Third Man” joke here. 🙂 I don’t get it??? Seriously. But that happens often. My brother and I did a 7 week tour of the continent. We only passed through “Wein” on the way to Prague. Our experience there was mostly the train stations. Everyone was so rude. It was dirty. The coffee sucked. For the rest of our trip we kept talking about that shithole, known as Wein, Austria. We were enlightened by a few sniggering englishmen that we were referring to the city of lights. :smack: It was pretty hilarious in retrospect. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-would-you-vacation-for-2-500/561129/20 "2010-11-18T20:59:47Z")
> [@Mr.Excellent](#): > > Hey, does anybody know if Thailand has elephants? I mean, it seems like a neat place, but if there aren’t any elephants, I can’t say I’m all that interested. Well, even Detroit has elephants! You just have to know where to find them. 😃 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-would-you-vacation-for-2-500/561129.md?page=2)