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

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

Waffle_King — Wed, 16 May 2007 08:40:15 -0800

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.

By: chrisch

chrisch — Wed, 16 May 2007 09:07:44 -0800

How about a bicycle tour? It would definitely be adventurous, but you may not consider this relaxing. Good luck!

By: mingshan

mingshan — Wed, 16 May 2007 09:30:53 -0800

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.

By: notsnot

notsnot — Wed, 16 May 2007 09:56:21 -0800

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.

By: zem

zem — Wed, 16 May 2007 10:24:08 -0800

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).

By: lgyre

lgyre — Wed, 16 May 2007 10:29:23 -0800

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.

By: allkindsoftime

allkindsoftime — Wed, 16 May 2007 11:22:03 -0800

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.

By: rhizome

rhizome — Wed, 16 May 2007 11:48:46 -0800

Joshua Tree

By: mdonley

mdonley — Wed, 16 May 2007 15:27:10 -0800

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.

By: exphysicist345

exphysicist345 — Wed, 16 May 2007 15:55:56 -0800

In July, don't head south, head north. Camp. National parks.