Help me impress my GF with a frugal, adventurous, and romantic vacation

May 16, 2007 8:40 AM

I need to plan a relaxing, adventurous and very frugal vacation for my GF and I in late July leaving from So-Cal. Help!

We're located in Los Angeles- I'd love to take us abroad but the cheaper the better at the moment, so maybe camping? I'm open to suggestions. Also, the trip must be "relaxing." Bonus for being romantic as well.

posted by Waffle_King to travel & transportation (9 comments total)

How about a bicycle tour? It would definitely be adventurous, but you may not consider this relaxing. Good luck!
posted by chrisch at 9:07 AM on May 16, 2007

Yosemite NP? It's beautiful and there's lots to see. The Yosemite Bug is a great place to stay with several reasonably priced lodging options, a very nice lodge/lounge area, and tasty food.
posted by mingshan at 9:30 AM on May 16, 2007

Glacier NP is a bit of a drive for you, but if you have the time and a reliable enough vehicle, the western drive - all gravel - is nice. The campground at Kintla Lake is deserted by September, and the Polebridge Mercantile, just outside the western entrance to the park, has really good bread and provisions. The lake, and the hikes around, are about as scenic as you can get.
posted by notsnot at 9:56 AM on May 16, 2007

You could drive up Rt. 1, camp in Big Sur have a day in SF and camp on the beach in Bolinas (for free, if you can find it).
posted by zem at 10:24 AM on May 16, 2007

you could drive to mexico. that would be international, adventurous and cheapish, and if you didn't go to a big tourist area you probably wouldn't even have to camp in order for it to be really cheap.
posted by lgyre at 10:29 AM on May 16, 2007

Mexico is one of the more dangerous places in the world to vacation. If you want to go abroad (I thought Yosemite too, but you did say "abroad"), I suggest driving up to Canada. See Vancouver, head up to the Whistler / Blackcomb area - there's got to be some great camping up around there. Maybe take the ferries out to some islands, do some sea kayaking, see the sights...would be pretty cheap and a great drive up the coast.
posted by allkindsoftime at 11:22 AM on May 16, 2007

Joshua Tree
posted by rhizome at 11:48 AM on May 16, 2007

Not to be snarky, but allkindsoftime, that website you link to is ridiculous - they even misspell Colombia.

WaffleKing: Mexico is gorgeous, comparatively cheap, and happy to accept your tourist dolares. I just got back from Mexico City a few weeks ago and had a fantastic time.

My suggestion: use one of the many Mexican low-cost airlines, many of whom have buses from LA and points nearby right to Tijuana's airport (Wikipedia link to all the airlines that serve it here), to propel yourself to, say, Oaxaca or Zacatecas. Cheap, clean, safe, and frequent buses link the major cities and destinations so you wouldn't need a car, and you wouldn't have to drive to TJ or across a desert to get somewhere deeper into the country - you'd save time, too.

You could also fly to Los Mochis from Tijuana and do the Chepe.
posted by mdonley at 3:27 PM on May 16, 2007

In July, don't head south, head north. Camp. National parks.
posted by exphysicist345 at 3:55 PM on May 16, 2007