Cheap holiday to the US - any ideas?

[BrandX]

I'm thinking of taking a nice long 3-week holiday on my own to the USA this year, or maybe somewhere completely different, I really haven't decided for sure.

Trying to search the internet for "cheap holiday to the USA" is useless, I've tried four search engines and they all bring up page after page after page of commercial links; there are so many of them I can't find any guides by real people, so I thought I might as well start by asking here.

I've got about £3,000 to play with; I could spend more but I'd prefer to spend less if I can. The only thing I'm even halfway sure of is that I'll probably fly with British Airways because they seem to have the most transparent pricing.

I think I want to get away from the main tourist traps, but I don't even know what I want, I don't really care about sightseeing or theme parks. Anyone been there? And if so, where did you go?

 

[kanewolf]

What month are you considering?

The beaches on the Carolinas are nice in June/July. New England is nice in summer. The mountains (hills to some) in Virginia are nice in the summer.

Arizona and Florida are fun in March because baseball training camps are active.

 

[BadActor]

If you don't gamble, going to Las Vegas can be a really cheap vacation. Every Casino has some kind of free attraction, rooms and meals are often discounted, and their are tons of attractions that cost very little or nothing. Grand Canyon and Lake Havasu are nearby. Branson, Missouri is also know as the entertainment capitol of the world. Lots of shows, restaurants, and things to do and see. Motel rates are reasonable, especially in the off-season. Best to go between May and September, though. If those aren't your thing, There are numerous National and State Parks, hunting/fishing destinations, camping, RV rentals, even houseboat rentals. You could never experience everything here in a lifetime.

 

[Wisecracker]

British Airways - London to Charlotte, North Carolina, is a relatively short flight. By auto from there you are less than 3 hours from the tallest mountains east of the Mississippi River, or the Outer Banks on the Atlantic Coast. You can fly pretty much anywhere in the States out of Charlotte (it's a major airline 'hub') if you are so inclined.

Otherwise, it depends on how you wish relax --- Good food, spirits, music, arts, sports, outdoor recreation, etc

 

[ComputerSecurityGuy]

Well, flying in, Charlotte, Atlanta, Dulles (Washington DC) and JFK (New York) are the main airports, but there are a lot of smaller ones. It really depends on what exactly you want to do. If you are a museum/monument sort of person Washington DC is the place to go. If you are a urban/entertainment sort of person either New York and the rest of what we call the Eastern Seaboard (nonstop city, more or less, from Richmond to Boston) is the place with most of that. California has it too but costs more in terms of plane tickets. If you are a nature/parks fan then I would go over to Utah/Arizona on account of the large number of parks, monuments and famous spots for that. Beaches are mostly south Atlantic, in North Carolina and Virginia. Stay away from Vegas, most of California, and Florida. Those are the most touristy spots. A few other tips- hotels in the US get much cheaper the farther you move from airports and cities. A lot cheaper. Also I would go in the offseason, usually after Labor day (1st Monday in September) until December (excepting the fourth week of November around then, so basically until mid November), and January until April around Easter. The exception is New England, the Great Lakes, etc where you want to go "in season" since otherwise you are going to have a cold, miserable time with your schedule interuppted by snow. Hope this helps and I didn't provide too much or little context!

 

[BrandX]

Thankyou kindly Kanewolf, BadActor, Wisecracker and CSG. At the moment my mind is a blank, but I'm going to read through all these suggestions again properly tomorrow and start narrowing down my options. I'll come back and ask for more advice later.

 

[samjiang22]

you can join WWOOF. WWOOF is an exchange - In return for volunteer help, WWOOF hosts offer food, accommodation and opportunities to learn about organic lifestyles. Many countries have national WWOOF groups.

This is a cheap way to travel.

 

[4Ryan6]

Since you shot down sightseeing you killed my suggestion which was to go see the Grand Canyon, I live in the US and have always wanted to go see it for myself, many have said the pictures just don't do it justice!

All the other suggestions are great.

 

[rockukerry]

Book USA holidays and package deals with OSKINGS.com now to enjoy the holiday of a lifetime. Get online cheap flight usa and canada at affordable rates.

 

[wanamingo]

The United States is simply so large that without any idea of what you want to check out you can do or see almost anything.

For cheap and for a hiker spent a week or two in a national park, check out some of the massive trails, like the Appalachian (Although Im not very fond of the southern united states)

 

[BrandX]

The United States is simply so large that without any idea of what you want to check out you can do or see almost anything.

For cheap and for a hiker spent a week or two in a national park, check out some of the massive trails, like the Appalachian (Although Im not very fond of the southern united states)

Thanks Wanamingo.
I've pretty much given up on the idea of going to the USA now because of the tourist waiver form you have to sign. It's so outrageously Draconian than I am actually offended by it (you must accept that you may be deported at any time for any reason whatsoever and waive your normal legal rights) and because I've been arrested several times (never convicted of anything - not so much as a parking ticket) I would have to visit the US Embassy in London. Most people just lie and sign the waiver because the US has no access to the UK police database (and I have no record anyway) but I suspect due to a stupid coincidence, my name may be flagged on US security force databases.

I don't know where to go now, Canada is cold.

 

[BadActor]

Not so cheap and not to the US, but it doesn't get any better....

http://www.fourseasons.com/content/fourseasons/en/properties/borabora/photo_and_video/?gclid=Cj0KEQjwosK4BRCYhsngx4_SybcBEiQAowaCJVfz8Y6JTW7PCd-AdE1IFWgTLXCVGVEtxWk__y7gAgcaAiTI8P8HAQ&source=gaw_bor_photos_videos_18225862&KW_ID=swf680qRk_dc|pcrid|70564242442&s_kwcid=AL!4732!3!70564242442!e!!g!!four%20seasons%20bora%20bora&ef_id=VxGZJQAABNV9p9BT:20160416014509:s