What can I do with 3k?

so, I recently became interested in travelling, I live in the USA, so I was thinking... where could I go and how long could I last traveling the USA, by myself. with $3,000.
I don't think very long because I know gas can be alot, then some food, I can just sleep in my car. hotel every so often for a shower.

India. An amazing country with so much to see. 3000 will go along way and you could travel and eat in relative luxury.

a reply to: saiyankev

use avg. mpg and gas prices to see how much it costs you to drive yourself 500 miles or so. Then see how far/where you'd want to go.

Trains or buses could be another way to travel and enjoy the sites more (since you wouldn't have to drive yourself), or you could always fly to Cali or to Canada (Toronto maybe?) and stay somewhere for two weeks.

As an American i personally am aprehensive about going to some other foreign countries though. Not Europe so much but many other countries - our gov/military have created a lot of hateful people scattered about who have lost friends/family due to our unjust/illegal military actions

originally posted by: saiyankev
so, I recently became interested in travelling, I live in the USA, so I was thinking... where could I go and how long could I last traveling the USA, by myself. with $3,000.
I don't think very long because I know gas can be alot, then some food, I can just sleep in my car. hotel every so often for a shower.

Depends on how frugal you are. Last year I flew to Atlanta from Seattle for $11.30, bought a car, and drove 6788 miles from Savannah to Delaware to San Antonio to Seattle stopping in lots of places like Gettysburg, the UFO Museum in Roswell, etc. It took 30 days. The average cost was about $250 per day. That paid for a $100 motel, $50 in gas at 28mpg, food, entrance fees, etc. We did not scrimp on food and often ate in nice restaurants, and once in awhile the hotel was much more expensive. Hotels at the River Walk in San Antonio are much more expensive, for example. This was for two people. You could cut that in half by sleeping in your car and in half again if you scrimped on food and only got the cheapest available.

In terms of foreign travel, if you choose that route, I wouldn't worry about it. I was in Egypt (and the Sinai) four weeks before the revolution, in Jordan, and then Israel. I've been in Turkey and Greece, too, and NOWHERE did I feel the least bit mis-treated as an American. People on the street were extremely friendly, quite the opposite of what one might expect. Not wandering alone in the countryside and refraining from being a jerk can go a long way. I met some very cool people.

a reply to: saiyankev

Actually, you can travel through the US quite well on $3,000. I'd advise you to look up the methods touring musicians use, specifically the poor, upcoming artists. Of course, the larger cities are going to be more expensive. But this is where social media & traveling websites can help out. There are websites & traveling "groups" all over the world that may offer free or heavily discounted rooms (particularly if you don't mind sharing rooms).

And this can be increased dramatically if you're involved in any type of art or entertainment. As in, more strangers will be willing to help you if you're traveling as a photographer, poet/spoken word poet, activist, musician, have a youtube channel, or are making a documentary. You may even be able to find someone who's willing to sponsor your trip if you document the trip & mention your sponsors in it.

Depending on the weather, you can also spend some nights in camping grounds. A lot of parks have free or extremely cheap camp grounds where all you have to do is register there (so they know that someone is going to be there). I personally like to haggle with nearly empty hotels and motels, since it's better for them to rent a room at half price than not to rent one at all.

Oh & for food, eat cheaply. Treat your money like it's gold. Get cheap but lasting things like bread, peanut butter & jelly, bunches of bananas, large boxes of cereal, etc (your cooler will be your best friend). You'd be surprised how much $ you can save by drastically reducing your food costs.

I love to travel. And one of the first things I do when scouting a new place to travel is look for the free entertainment in that area. Plus I love large parks, so I look for the national parks and state parks too. There's also the historical sites, which can ironically be very cheap or even free. I typically avoid "tourist traps" because of the high costs & long waits, and instead try to live like the locals do. That can save you a lot of money too. That includes things like taking the bus or subway when in city limits.

Sorry my post is so unorganized. Hope this helps.

EDIT: One more thing! Greyhound can be your best friend too! LOL Gas costs for driving your car around the country might end up being your biggest cost. So if you map out specific cities first, you can just take cheap bus trips between the cities. Then use the cheap public transportation in each city. This will help more if you're mostly visiting large & medium sized cities. A lot of smaller cities don't have good public transportation & are very spread out (as in, major "sites" might be 4 to 7 miles apart).

I'd recommend you try a 1 or 2 week "test" trip first, just to get a better idea of what works for you.

You can do a lot!

Where would you be departing from? Maybe you should check out Michigan's Upper Peninsula!

When I lived on the road 3k would have made my life like paradise. I worked from place to place and sang the blues as a busker in downtowns USA. It's been 25 years and Judith from St. Louis....I still think of you everyday.

I envy you and your coming adventure!

a reply to: saiyankev

All inclusive Cancun. About $2300 for two. Flight included.
All the food, beer, and cheap booze you can handle.

originally posted by: cmdrkeenkid
You can do a lot!

Where would you be departing from? Maybe you should check out Michigan's Upper Peninsula!

Summertime in norther Michigan is magical. Leland is amazing, Petosky, Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes, Mackinac Island. Lots of great memories there. Travers City during the Cherry Festival! And pie...........

Hotels are the big expense. You can stick to one chain and get free nights like stay 4 nights and get the fifth free.
Continental breakfasts will save you big time.
Take a cooler and fill it with free hotel ice, then pack lunches.
I would also recommend Washington dc. Lots to see there and almost all the museums are free. Definitely use the subway and bus system because parking is expensive.
3k should be plenty for a nice vacation.

a reply to: saiyankev

There isn't anything to do in CT but, if you were going by, you could stop at the Foxwoods or Mohegan Sun casino and camp out in the parking lot...

a reply to: olaru12

Did the same for a few months, when I was 20.
Carol in Louisville.....22, long red hair, green eyes..........Oh, what might have been.

a reply to: saiyankev

If you want to expand your horizons then get out of your own country. You could go a lot further traveling another country.

originally posted by: Nexttimemaybe
India. An amazing country with so much to see. 3000 will go along way and you could travel and eat in relative luxury.

Exactly what I was gonna say.
Gotta be India.

Maybe Peru.

I will go with Asia and would probably say Thailand. say you get a return flight for 1k, the rest will see you living a good back packers life for 2-3 months. I did a recent cycle trip in the Philippines and I actually struggled to spend my budget. I could get a meal of egg fried rice with sauces and prawn crackers for 0.57pGBP. Thailand is just as cheap if not cheaper.

Good beaches, safe, cheap and the people "tend" to be nice. Chaing Mai is a favourite destination for many people I know who cycle a lot and they really like the town as it has very healthy food and lifestyle. You can also pop over to Cambodia whilst you are in that part of the world..

It depends what you want I guess, even if it was a "Lads, ladettes" holiday I still would go with Thailand as lets be honest there are far worse places to get drunk and enjoy the night life on the cheap..

My 2pc worth


RA

originally posted by: blupblup

originally posted by: Nexttimemaybe
India. An amazing country with so much to see. 3000 will go along way and you could travel and eat in relative luxury.

Exactly what I was gonna say.
Gotta be India.

Maybe Peru.

Peru is not a good idea for now. Remember, El Niño will make a mess in that area in the next months.

originally posted by: Nexttimemaybe
India. An amazing country with so much to see. 3000 will go along way and you could travel and eat in relative luxury.

3 grand will buy you a lot of dysentery

a reply to: saiyankev
You would be surprised how much you can do with $3000.00. Several years back, I got a great European 30 day tour, dirt cheap, and did it by myself, for under $2000.00.

You have to learn how to spend smart. First travel cheap. Take a train, tube, or a bus. It is slow, but far more scenic. You get to meet some pretty cool people, and you don't have to drive, or worry about traffic. Learn to enjoy walking, if you don't like to walk now. Stay away from any tourist traps. Walk two or three blocks away from were all the tourist are gathering, and you will find that most things will be significantly cheaper.

Don't carry all that money on you. Just carry some light change for emergencies and quick meals. Most places take debit cards for all purchases, no matter how small. If you get a hotel room, go cheapest, cleanest, safest. Remember a hotel room is just for sleeping. Why pay extra for a room with a view, when you are going to spending the majority of you time in the room sleeping or washing up. Check out hostels.

Pack very, very light. No matter how little you pack, you will find you have packed too much. Especially if you are a woman. Most hotels have complementary washers and dryers, if not, wash your clothes in the sink or tub. Roll in towels to get out the extra water and hang them were they will have air circulating around them, and they will dry by morning. You are traveling, so get out there, see stuff, make memories.

Use your cell or computer to find deals, find local attractions, history and lore. Ask the hotel staff about where to go, what to see, and where to eat. Check with the hotel about transportation. Most have complimentary transportation within a certain mile radius of the hotel.

Take some zip lock bags with you, not just for wet and dirty clothing, but for packing meals. When I was traveling Europe I always ate breakfast from the complimentary breakfast offerings. I used my zip lock bags for packing a snack, and a lunch for the day. The only meals I paid for was dinner, and I ate almost all my meals in pubs. The food was good solid fare and much cheaper than eating in the restaurants.

Two very important things to remember:
1. Don't sweat the small stuff.
Craps happens. Nobody remembers the perfect vacation or trip. It is the trips where everything went wrong, or something really unexpected, or crazy happened, that you remember. So #1, there are no bad vacations. Some are just more memorable than others.

2. Don't waste time on taking pictures.
If there is a sight that you really want to keep, as a memory for yourself, buy a post card. Listen carefully to me on this. Your friends are not going to want to see a thousand pictures of your trip. I don't care what they say, they don't. You will never get the picture that is going to capture what you are seeing and feeling, so take your pictures with your eyes and store them in your mind. So #2, your trip is your trip. You will be able to talk about it if someone really wants to hear about it, and few will.

Make your memories and store your pictures in your mind where they will always be available to you. Don't waste time, or ruin the beautiful pictures you will store forever by futzing around with a camera.

Now go do your research and take that trip of a life time. Tell us all about it when you get back. No posting while making memories. Oh, and take a journal. it will come in handy if you meet someone you really want to stay in contact with, or if you want to send a thank you card. You never know. Your trip may awaken your inner muse.

Forget about buying souvenirs. They are a waste of money and nobody cares about them anyway.

If you are young and I think you are. Use that $3000 as start out money. Talk with one of the larger temp employment services and plot you a route across the country. Work a week here, work a there. Most of them pay by direct deposit, so you know your gonna be paid. Some of my daughters friends did this and went from the right coast to the left coast.

Hell if you did it right you might keep a large portion of that $3000 or not.....Vegas looms Large.

I live in Michigan, every summer since 2005 I take $500, get on my motorcycle and hit the road. I've been to Colorado, (stayed with a friend there) Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Minnesota, Mississippi, Florida, Nebraska, Iowa, South Dakota, Wyoming, Wisconsin, DC, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Alabama. I have camped but mostly stayed in hotels. The best prices are in the smoky mountains. You can get a decent hotel for $60 that includes continental breakfast. I'll usually pack some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches form continental breakfast for lunch. I'll usually but one good meal a day. If you share the hotel cost with a friend you can stretch your money. For me it's the best way to travel and see things. If you fly you miss so much, you just ge to a destination but on the highway you meet so many people and see so much that you never see at home.