Value Travel: Alternative Vacations

Money may be tight, but plenty of folks have chosen to cut back on lattes, gym memberships or new clothes rather than skip out on vacation. So you can’t afford your pre-recession dream trip right now. That doesn’t mean you can’t have a terrific alternative experience (that also happens to save you money). Here are a few ways to cut back—but not cut out—your vacation this year.

Pre-Recession Dream: Adventurous African Safari
Yaycation Alternative: Everglades Safari Adventure

Unless you live within an easy hop of Africa and have a truly no-frills style of traveling, satisfy your wildlife desire with a trip to the Everglades National Park. The 1.5 million-acre area, designated an International Biosphere Reserve, World Heritage Site and Wetland of International Importance, is the largest subtropical wilderness in the United States. The Everglades’ wealth of animals include endangered and threatened species, such as the hawksbill turtle, American alligator, West Indian manatee and Florida panther.

What to do? Start with a ranger-led activity, which range from tram tours to nature walks, full-moon bike rides to canoe explorations, starlight walks to kids’ programs. Afterwards, you can investigate on your own on the many trails and waterways within the park. Make it a true safari and camp (fees start at $12 per night, depending on where you camp and how many people in your party), or stay in a hotel in one of the communities that border the park.

Private vehicle entrance fee is $10 and is good for seven consecutive days.

 

• Explore the Everglades, one of the most exotic spots in the United States.

Stig Nygaard

Pre-Recession Dream: Chic Paris
Yaycation Alternative: Charming Montréal or Québec City

Paris may be on your mind, but you can save beaucoup by visiting Montréal or Québec City for your Francophile fix. While the Euro is worth $1.28 (down from $1.60 a year ago), the Canadian dollar is worth $0.79—cutting the spending down considerably.

Sure, you’ll miss the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame, but Montréal’s Biosphère and Olympic Park as well as Québec City’s Basilique-Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Québec should satisfy your appetite for cool architecture and Gallic cathedrals. Besides, think of all the chic cafés and French cuisine!

April hotel rates range from $54 to $235 per night in Montréal and $47 to $186 in Québec City. April round-tip airfares to Montréal start at $302 (from New York), $430 (San Francisco) and $486 (Los Angeles). Round-trip airfares to Québec City start at $274 (from San Francisco), $460 (Los Angeles) and $472 (New York).

 

• Francophiles on a budget will love Montreal’s Notre Dame.

Rene Ehrhardt

Pre-Recession Dream: San Francisco High-End Shopping
Yaycation Alternative: Smart San Francisco Shopping

It’s cheaper to leave your heart in San Francisco than to leave your wallet there. With the abundance of shopping districts and cool Fog City neighborhoods, you don’t have to keep to the pricey Union Square area. While Union Square may have big stores with brand recognition (Macy’s, Nordstrom, Tiffany, Neiman Marcus), it’s the small, unique boutiques that will have frequent sales and items you can’t find everywhere.

Start in Chinatown for an eclectic mix of teas, home décor and make-as-you-watch fortune cookies. Then move on to funky Haight Street for a blast from the past with tie-dye shirts, punk gear and funky modern duds. Speaking of funky, next visit the Mission District (specifically, along Mission and Valencia streets) for Latin flair, offbeat boutiques and furniture shops. Finally, move on to swanky Fillmore Street, with its luxe mélange of eco-clothing stores, interior design boutiques and ritzy vintage clothing stores.

Pre-Recession Dream: Discover Nordic Nature
Yaycation Alternative: Northern Road Trip in Iceland

Iceland used to be considered one of the most expensive destinations in Europe, but due to the country’s economic collapse, prices are now 50 percent of what they once were. The best time to travel there is now, before inflation spurs price increases—and while Icelandair is offering some terrific package deals. Instead of taking a Nordic vacation in Denmark, Norway or Sweden—why not consider Iceland?

 

• A picturesque Icelandic town on Ring Road.

Diego Cupolo

If you’ve got the time, a road trip around Iceland’s 830-mile Ring Road, the only route that circles the island, is your bet for adventure. With landscape ranging from bizarre to beautiful, you can see geysers, glaciers and even stop to soak in the Blue Lagoon, one of the country’s most-photographed places.

Next: Wine-tasting Locally, Chicago Urban Adventure, Romantic St. Lucia and Yosemite Trekking