Frugal Travel: Where Would You Go for Five Days?

Frugal Travel Where Would You Go for Five Days - picture of Niagara Falls

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Do you ever think about where in the world you would travel if you had an unlimited amount of money and time?  I’ll tell you were I would go.

First of all, I’ve always wanted to go to the Maldives and I know the clock is ticking since it is basically sinking into the ocean.  And second, I would probably go to see the Great Pyramid of Giza because I think it’s crazy.  Other regions of the world I want to visit include nearly all of Europe that I haven’t seen, the Norwegian Fjords, basically all of Iceland, and several regions in South America.  Of course, parts of Asia would make the list as well.  I would love to go to Thailand, for example, and I have always wanted to see the Terracotta Warriors in China. <Fun Fact: I am slightly obsessed with the Terracotta warriors>

Unfortunately, my travel plans are rarely based on crazy dreams and are mostly based on reality instead.  For example, all of our trips revolve around credit card rewards which basically limits us to places our points and miles can actually take us.  And beyond those details, I typically choose locations that won’t cost us much out of pocket once we get there.  Boooooorrrriiinnnnggggggg.

Where Would You Go for Five Days?

But I’m not just limited by our relatively small travel budget; we’re severely limited by time as well.  After all, even though I’m self-employed, I still have to work.  I mean, self-employment is awesome, but the fact that I am a one-man show means that no one is here to pick up the slack when I’m gone.

And since my husband still has a regular 9-5 job, he has to ask off work and plan around other people too.  That means that we are limited by time and money – a double whammy when you love to travel.  But even though it can be difficult, we somehow manage to make it work.

With that being said, I recently learned that we’ll have 5 kid-free days in July to do whatever want.  Of course, my brain started going crazy with ideas.  The problem is, we can’t go too far away because travel time would eat up too much of a short trip like that.  In addition, I don’t want to spend much money at all because I already have our travel expenses mostly mapped out for 2015.  Here are a few options I’m currently considering:

Las Vegas and San Diego

Since I play myVEGAS Rewards on Facebook religiously, I have around 200,000 points to burn.  That’s easily enough for three free hotel nights in Las Vegas during the week, plus several meals and maybe even a show.  <I really have no desire to gamble.  There is plenty of free stuff to do while we’re there> Once we left Vegas, I would then use my surplus of Starwood Preferred Guest points (we currently have around 85,000) to book two nights at the Four Points in San Diego for 3,000 points per night.  We would fly for free with our Southwest Rapid Rewards points, but we would need to rent a car for at least part of the trip.  Total Estimated Cost: $300

Niagara Falls and Canada

I’ve been to the west coast of Canada, but never to big cities like Toronto or Montreal.  And since I would also love to see Niagara Falls, I think we could work up a trip that includes both Canada and the U.S.  I would also love to spend a few days at the Westin Harbour Castle in Toronto using SPG points.  It is a whopping 10,000 points per night but I hear the area is beautiful. After that, we would probably visit Ottawa, Montreal, and maybe Quebec city. We would need to rent a car for at least part of our trip, but I do have enough American Airlines miles to pay for our airfare in its entirety. Total Estimated Cost: $500

Mexico

The fact that we have the Southwest Companion Pass means that we could both fly to Mexico for very few points and around $150 out-of-pocket.  And if we did, we would probably stay at the the Westin Lagunamar Ocean Resort Villas & Spa, Cancun for 10,000 SPG points per night.  When you book four nights free with SPG points in certain categories, you also get the fifth night free which means we could easily stay 5 nights for 40,000 points.  We would, however, need to spend money on food and entertainment since this resort is not an all-inclusive.  Total Estimated Cost: $500

Hawaii

I have always wanted to go to Hawaii, but I tend to shy away from the idea since it is known as a pricey place to vacation.  I have enough hotel points and airline miles to make the trip mostly free, but how much would meals cost?  How much would it cost to rent a car?  Honestly, those kinds of details tend to freak me out.  Starwood does have some pretty swank choices in Hawaii, including the Sheraton Kona Resort & Spa at Keauhou Bay at 10,000 points per night.  And since we could stay the 5th night free, 5 nights would only run 40,000 SPG points.  I need to think more about this one.  Total Estimated Cost: A LOT.

A Five Day Trip: Where Would You Go?

Where would you go if you have five days to see anything, or do anything, that you wanted?  To be honest, there are so many places I want to go that it can sometimes be hard to choose.  Unfortunately, I have time constraints and a serious travel budget shortage to work with as well, which means that I can’t plan my dream trip quite yet.

The worst case scenario is that we’ll just sit home and watch hours of Game of Thrones and eat take-out.  Come to think of it, that doesn’t sound half-bad at all.

Where would you go if you had five days off and a very limited budget?  Do you have any frugal trips planned for the near future?

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69 Comments

  1. 5 days, limited budget. I’d go to the Turks and Caicos islands. We had planned to spend our first anniversary there (it’s been 10 hrs for us) but we found a house and I freaked out about spending a bunch of money on a trip. For me, there is nothing better than a little relaxing beach time.

    1. I would love to go to Turks and Caicos! Southwest doesn’t fly there, though =(

  2. This is a constant discussion in the Frugalwoods home! “how many SPG points would it be to….” HAH! I love planning/fantasizing about travel. So, we went to Hawaii (Kauai) two years ago and it was gorgeous, but, you’re right that the food and ground transit is expensive. We bought most of our meals at the grocery store and it was still pretty pricey. It’s also a reallllly long flight (not quite as long for you, but still). It was beautiful though and we loved the hiking/kayaking/snorkeling. Our hike of the Na’Pali coast was the most beautiful and amazing outdoor thing we’ve ever done.

    I’d enjoy going to Japan, China, or Russia–I’ve never been, though Mr. FW went to Japan without me a few years back and loved it. Also, hiking in Norway or the Alps is high on my list. Ok really I’d just enjoy going anywhere!

    P.S. There was a NOVA program on PBS about terracota warriors earlier this month called “Emperor’s Ghost Army.” Have you seen it?

    1. No, I didn’t see it. I have seen a bunch of different documentaries about them, though. One of my friends also went to see them in China so I have seen a ton of pictures! History is crazy!

  3. I want to take my family to see the redwood forests, and I want to take them to mount shasta. I think we’ll actually do that next year! And someday I’d like to go back to the gardens of the alhambra.

    As for me, I dunno, I’m content just watching places on tv if I haven’t already been. Though someday I’d like to do an eating tour of Italy.

    1. I would love to see the redwood forests but WITH the kids. We also thought about the Grand Canyon too but that’s another one I would want to do with the kids.

  4. Alberta, Canada is amazing and might be cheaper than some of the other options. We absolutely loved Banff, Lake Louise, and Jasper. TONS to see, and most of it is amazing scenery so it’s FREE!!

  5. 1. Did you see the Terracotta Warriors when they were in town? I know it isn’t the same as seeing them in China, but it was still pretty cool.

    2. 5 day and a limited budget for us, and we would probably end up in Vegas (in-laws live there so no need for a hotel) or Baltimore/DC area (my sister lives there, so again no hotel). If we were really feeling frisky we might do a quick trip to Ireland and visit our friends over there.

    1. Nope, I didn’t. Just the painted fake ones in the airport.

      I actually thought about Ireland- just not sure about availability on BA in July. What do you think?

      1. June – Sep is peak tourism season… so there might not be availability. But to be honest I haven’t looked. You could always go the insane routing of getting to Boston on SW using companion pass then from Boston to Dublin on Aer Lingus (using 25K r/t avios pp) if there is availability.

        But July is a wonderful time to be there!

  6. I live near Toronto and if you choose Canada you won’t really be able to see the cities you wanted to except for a quick drive through them. There will be a lot of time spent driving on highways. Perhaps you could choose just 2 cities?

    I have 5 days off late in January and zero budget for travel so I will be in my pajamas the entire time and loving every minute of it.

    1. I was worried about that. Two cities would probably work better.

      Hey, 5 days off in pajamas sounds great to me! =)

  7. So many places we like to visit. Hawaii and Ireland are on our list. CA has a lot to offer for a 5 day trip. Sonoma County for wine, or hit one of the beach ares for some surfing.

    1. Yes, that’s why I like the Vegas CA combo. I think that would work logistically.

  8. If we only had 5 days that would limit travel time so I would stick to something in the US, Canada, or Mexico. I would probably go for a beach stay in Mexico or the Caribbean, that always seems to be our cheapest trips. I have never been to Canada so that would definitely be a top pick also.

    1. Mexico is always possible! The problem is, we already have two beach vacations planned for next year and my husband is trying to do something that isn’t beachy. First world problems!

  9. I think I’d do a kid free version of Disney World. When we went, years ago, it was tailored to our son. So going to see things that just my hubby and I want to see would be interesting. If the trip was all expense paid, I’d choose England. I’d want to do London and then see the parts of the country where all the Jane Austin stories took place. But that might take more than 5 days so I might have to stick with London.

    1. I would love to go back to England! We saw a lot when we were there, but there are so many things I would go back for. I would also see a few of the things we saw the first time with renewed appreciation. I LOVE England!

  10. I’d go to Bora Bora. We have friends who’ve been there a few times, and they insist it’s the best vaca spot ever. 🙂

  11. I would probably just do Hawaii, though Eastern Canada would be good in July. I hate travelling in the summer because that’s when everyone else is travelling and it’s nice where we live so why go anywhere? So I would probably choose somewhere that nobody else would go.

    1. I hear ya. It’s nice where we live in July too. I love being home all summer.

  12. With 5 days, I would stay somewhere that easy to get to with minimal travel time. I would love to drive up the California coast!

  13. We have been talking about going to Italy for the last 2 years, I think when we pay off one of the houses that will be our reward. If it were in the states, I’d choose Oregon, never been, but I love the place.

  14. I would definitely go to Hawaii. We lived there for 3 years when I was a kid and I would love to see my old school and the two houses we lived in. Then I’d figure out a way to just stay there. 🙂

  15. We visited the big island earlier this year and it was not as expensive as we thought, especially since so many of the things we wanted to do (hike, snorkel, hang out on the beach) were free (well, almost free if you bring a Target snorkel from the mainland). Relatively cheap eats can be found with Yelp, too.

    Any of your options would be great, of course, but I’d lean towards Hawaii.

    1. Hey, that sounds promising! Where did you stay?

  16. Terracotta warriors were pretty cool! For 5 days, Hawaii is probably out…the flight is too long, though my wife and I really loved it there. We were considering on going to Niagara Falls and maybe up to Toronto/Montreal as well. My brother-in-law lives in Buffalo so we could visit him. I think the drive from Toronto to Montreal is like 6 hours…if we do that hopefully our little one will handle it well. How do your girls handle road trips?

    1. My kids are awesome with road trips. They have been making the 12-13 hour drive to their grandparents since they were babies.

  17. Hawaii would be a very good option for me because I could use points for a flight, and I have a friend who lives there, and it’s easier getting there from the west coast. Plus it’s incredibly relaxing. Staying with a friend helps with the cost of food, and I don’t need much to be entertained there. A little snorkeling, but mostly just soaking up the warm fragrant breezes.

  18. Well, you have a free room in Spain if you want. It’s no London , but it’s pretty good.. 🙂 🙂 🙂

    1. Nice!!! Where in Spain did you guys move again?

  19. Just last week I saw an ad for Morocco! There was a 10 day walking adventure for $750 (airfare not included). You stay with locals and eat meals with them as well. You have a guide and a cook with you for the entire trip. It sounds pretty amazing!

  20. I think 5 days would be too short for Hawaii, but that’s maybe my favorite place ever. Pacific NW was great when we went there in July. If I had 5 days, is probably go to New England. I’ve never been to that part I the country.

    1. Me neither, other than spending time in an airport.

  21. As a Canuck and having lived in Montreal for 32 years, I’m kinda wanting to nudge you in that direction based on your options. 🙂 If I had 5 days, I would love to visit either Aruba or another Caribbean island I haven’t tackled yet. I do intend to visit my bucket list places of Egypt and Bora Bora once I have more time and hopefully before I die.

    1. I would love to go to Aruba too. I’ve checked pricing several times but it always get beat out by something cheaper.

  22. Like you, I have issues with unpaid days off. I’m employed, but as a contract worker. (My boss and the rest of the employees are in a different state.) So any time I take off is unpaid. The only exception is FinCon, where he pays for the day of the con since I hand out stuff related to the company. So basically a tax excuse for being awesome.

    Still, the more he pays me, the more painful it is to miss days. Like the extra ones I spent in NOLA after the con was over, so we could actually sightsee a bit.

    As for quickie trips, 5 days is way too much for Las Vegas. At least, it is if you gamble. The noise gets to you. We’ve gone once a year lately because it’s only about 3-4 hours from Phoenix. This last time, we wanted to do more than gamble. But we stupidly walked a loooong way down the Strip in cold weather when we got there. Our legs were too sore to do much of anything the rest of the trip. Sigh.

    If I had unlimited funds and way more than 4 days, I’d love to go back to London. And Tim wants to check out Amsterdam (three guesses why) where I’d be happy to check out the Van Gogh museum and other such stuff. Egypt would also be cool.

    My problem is that I have pretty bad Restless Leg Syndrome, which is made worse when I’m tired. So long trips can be hell for me. When we went to New York a few years ago, I was really tired on the way back. Tim had to massage my legs, and tears were streaming down my face (partially because I’m more emotional when I’m tired but still…)

    So places like Australia (about 20 hours of flights) are out. Otherwise, we’d probably check out NZ so we could dorkily check out Middle Earth sets.

    1. I would never stay 5 days in Vegas. We did once for a conference and I started to lose my mind! =/ That’s why our plan was to do Vegas for 2-3 days then drive to California.

      I would also love to go to Amsterdam!!!!

  23. Since I am a little biased I’d say… SAN DIEGO!!!! or you guys can do a trip up and down the California coast =)

    Vegas is fun too if you want to just stay in one area… so much entertainment and so many food/restaurant options!

  24. If I could go anywhere and was NOT on a limited budget (haha sorry Holly, changing your question) I would go to the Maldives. Like you, I have really wanted to go there for a while now. We won a trip to Hawaii so we’ll go there (frugal enough, even after taxes). Honestly though, Vegas is the best frugal getaway. I’m impressed by your 200k points because I’m only at about 90k and you started after me!

    1. Nice job on the free trip to Hawaii!

      I play myVEGAS on both of our Facebooks. I literally go back and forth between the two.

  25. I would go to Vegas and stay with my parents. All I have to do is say I’ll bring grandkids and they’d help foot the bill 🙂 You should go to Vegas, and go to Red Rock Canyon out away from the strip.

    1. I can’t do Red Rock- got to stay where MyVegas Rewards lets me!!! =)

  26. Hello Holly,

    I live in Hawaii (Big Island). You are right. It can be expensive. But if you know where to go and budget (which you are a master of), your money can go a long way. Most tourists go over their budget because they tend to eat at the “touristy” restaurants rather than the local ones. I would say $50 per day per person for food (breakfast, lunch, & dinner) is just right. As for the car rental, the average is $50 a day tax inclusive for compact cars (doesn’t include gas). You might be able to rent a car using some of your points too. 🙂 Imagine the sunset on the beach and the waves and the ocean breeze…

  27. for short trips like 5 days, I like to go to Cabo. Since I live in SoCal, flights are cheap, and we’ve done a 5 day trip there before, and it seriously felt like over a week, it was SO wonderful and relaxing.

    1. Yes! You can’t beat a quick trip to Mexico. I went on a 5 day trip this summer and it felt like a week. I think that’s plenty of beach time if you can get there and back quickly.

  28. LeRainDrop says:

    For a 5-day, no-kid trip in July, I would probably pick San Francisco and wine country. Lake Tahoe is also awesome in the summer. I haven’t been in quite awhile, but I remember loving Montreal and Quebec City. Hawaii sound splendid, too, but perhaps a bit too short of a window with travel time included, plus you commented elsewhere about already having other beach vacations lined up for next year. Finally, if you haven’t traveled to New England, you should consider Boston (walk the Freedom Trail!) and day trips to nearby places like Salem, Concord, Lexington, Plymouth, Newburyport, and Gloucester. Good luck making your choice!

    1. I like those ideas.

      I would actually LOVE to go to Boston and that region. Never been but I know so many people who love it.

  29. 5 days on a limited budget..I’ll probably go somewhere in South Asia. Try some exotic cuisines and sleep under the stars 🙂

  30. The Maldives are high on my list too. It’s so hard to narrow these things down. I lucked out getting to see the Terracotta warriors and Thailand right out of college on my 7 month tour of Asia with the musical Cinderella. I say go for Hawaii. Might be a little more pricey, but really, who doesn’t love Hawaii?

  31. That’s a tough one. If budget weren’t an issue there are so many places I’d go. The Maldives are definitely up there and would love to go to Asia as well as Russia…my wife thinks I’m crazy on that one! With budget limitations, I’d love to go to Vancouver as I’ve always wanted to see it, though we really want to go to SF and go wine tasting so it’d be between those two I think.

  32. Having been to both, I’d say Hawaii and Niagara Falls are definitely worth the trip. My dream destination is Machu Picchu in Peru. The architecture, construction and location of that city has always fascinated me.

  33. I would definitely go to Mexico. I have not been there yet and the plane ride is a lot less cumbersome for us than a Hawaiian trip, although, Hawaii is definitely on my bucket list as well.

  34. catherine says:

    I think you’re seriously underestimating how large Canada is if you think you could do Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa and quebec city in one trip! However I do think you should come! Toronto/Ottawa is do-able, as is Montreal-Old Quebec city (my vote, Old quebec is wicked). Let us Canadian bloggers know if you end up choosing Canada and we’ll help 🙂

  35. Where do you live? Hawaii isn’t that crazy for food and cars. Check out rental prices. The lodging and air tickets are the worst part. There’s plenty of small places to eat that are affordable if you do your homework. Plate lunch and all that jazz. The touristy areas like Waikiki are more pricey, but the Big Island has lots of local options. You can spend as little or as much as you want, depending on if you want to just walk on the beach or if you want to do fancier stuff.

  36. Ben Luthi says:

    We’re just finishing up our five-day stay in Hawaii and it’s been lovely! 🙂 The rental cars aren’t too bad if you can use rewards points, and if you can get a hotel room with a kitchen, that drops the biggest expense. If I were to have another five-day trip next week, I’d probably go to New York (just for the food).

  37. I would go to South Korea! I have never been to Asia. South Korea is the top of list followed by Philippines where the new seven wonders of the world is found. Have you been to any Asian countries? What can you suggest?

  38. I’m lucky that I live in a country where travel is very cheap (Hello from the Philippines!) But I really, really, REALLY!, want to go to Japan and five days for that wouldn’t be enough for me. I think it helps if you have friends or relatives to where you will be going because that could slash down your accommodation costs. My next dream destination is Hawaii and Greece.

  39. I’m thinking about doing a trip using SW CP to the Carribean during end of April when my wife has spring break. What’s the latest with sw/airtran flights to mexico/Caribbean?

    1. Right now you can book til sometime in June! Do it! We are going to Jamaica Spring Break on Southwest- March 31-April 6th.

  40. StacyShine says:

    I have the SW CP and Starwood points.
    I have done the math backwards and forwards to get to a beach destination in the spring.
    Winner:
    The Westin Cancun (not Lagunamar) is 34,000 points for 5 nights for a Royal Beach Club room –it comes with an extensive buffet breakfast. On the quite end of the Cancun strip close to Club Med and snorkeling area. No need for rental car as we can take the bus. I am hoping our out of pocket costs are one addition meal a day and snorkeling type activities.
    I can’t wait to swim in the ocean.

    Other alternative, if using other airline points, I would go to Kona Sheraton on the Big Island. Rental cars can be cheap. Food is the biggest expense. Bring a cooler and go to public parks and grill up a BBQ while listening to the waves and feeling the tropical breeze on your skin.

    1. I’ve looked into both of those! Excellent decision. I love Mexico, even if I have to pay. Free is obviously better. I bet you will have a blast!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  41. Oh sounds great, i always wish i have a lot of money and i can travel around the world.

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