Hope me ride out the holidays

September 28, 2011 9:06 AM

Ideas for a single person to go somewhere over Christmas break.

I usually have a hard time over the holidays. My girlfriend and I split up (amicably) recently (so those plans went out the window). My family doesn't get together over the holidays and I don't want to stay where I am (rainy, cold and dreary). Can you suggest places within the US that would be great to explore and preferably on the cheap in mid-late December? Unfortunately winter is high season for travel so anywhere popular (big cities like NY or a ski resort, or international travel would be out of my budget).

I'm fairly outdoorsy and hike quite a bit so roughing it is no problem. However camping is generally difficult during this time. Is there a way to swing Hawaii during this time?
I have a few-several hundred bucks to spend. Ideas?

posted by anonymous to travel & transportation (7 answers total)

I was going to suggest Club Med Turkoise but I don't think that would qualify as "cheap". That said I had a total blast there as a single guy but it was 12 years ago.
posted by smoothvirus at 9:12 AM on September 28, 2011

If the "in the US" bit is a budgetary issue and not a "I don't have a passport" issue, Cheap Caribbean often has stupidly cheap rooms in the Dominican Republic. Like $20 a night all inclusive cheap ($10 pp/night, double occupancy). Airfare can also be incredibly cheap, depending on where you're originating and your exact dates.
posted by wierdo at 9:32 AM on September 28, 2011

If you're interested in sustainable agriculture and able to get yourself to Hawaii, I think WWOOF can be a pretty great way to travel cheaply--you volunteer working on an organic farm a few to several hours a day in exchange for room and board. I don't have any experience with the Hawaii organization, though.
posted by Vibrissa at 9:41 AM on September 28, 2011

Maybe Arizona, especially the Grand Canyon. I used to live near Phoenix and am partial to the Superstition Mountains, which has the usual outdoor stuff; a lake; the Apache Trail, which is very cool if you like mountain drives; history and the legend of the Lost Dutchman Gold Mine.

Or some place with a hostel. I haven't yet stayed in one, but I'd like to try it. Besides very cheap rates, I get the idea that hosts and guests are often sociable with each other. One pace to start looking is hostels.com.

Galveston is pretty cheap. It's probably one of the few places in country where middle-class person can live across from the beach.

For something different, you could Google "free volunteer travel"
posted by maurreen at 10:04 AM on September 28, 2011

Vegas is a pretty good place to go by yourself. I went there alone for Thanksgiving a few years back and enjoyed it quite a bit. There are always good deals for Vegas.
posted by sacrifix at 12:26 PM on September 28, 2011

You can ski for cheaper than staying at a resort prices. Many smaller chain hotels have packages over the ski season that involve ski bus commutes (45min-1hr) so you pay nowhere near hill prices.

Other than that, if you can pay for higher airfare you can stay in places like Thailand super cheap but you just have to pay to get there.

Mexico is probably much cheaper than Hawaii if you are looking for hot and interesting, and costa rica as well.

I would go with cheap skiing- having an activity to do is good, or going somewhere diFferent and far enough away that you don't have 'happy holidays' in your facethe whole time.

Pico Iyer said Ethiopia was a beautiful place to be at that time of year when he was trying to escape the holidays himself.
posted by bquarters at 12:46 PM on September 28, 2011

What about mexico? THere's usually cheap packages or flights, and if you want to be outdoorsy instead of resort-y you totally can.
posted by Kololo at 8:12 PM on September 28, 2011