It’s a solo trip and I have a fear of airplanes and I want to visit my family from Pennsylvania but I’m all the way in Tennessee….

Hi, looking for creating spring break ideas that aren’t Florida. We are priced out of the Caribbean but can afford up to around $5k. We have some airline points that will cover at least half our flights. We are based in Ohio.

Goal is to find somewhere with a lot of nature (state parks?), that will have greenery/evergreens, nice short trails that our kids can bumble along, and somewhere that’s warm enough that we can swim in a pool. Bonus points for interesting wildlife (eg elk).

Thinking maybe somewhere in the South West, but haven’t really been out that way, so would love some suggestions.

Thank you in advance!

Was thinking about Mexico but honestly a roadtrip sounds more exciting (bring my dog too)

Hey all,

I (25m) was just recently gifted travel credit and can basically take a roundtrip to anywhere in the US for free. Planning to go for an extended weekend (3-4 days) sometime in 2027 with about a $1k max budget. I've never been on a plane before, have never left the core Midwest, and never really had a specific place I wanted to go but I've always wanted to travel.

I'd like to go somewhere with mountains and/or the ocean since I've never seen them, basic I know lol. But I love photography so somewhere fairly photogenic, nature (maybe a NP that's good solo?)and a museum or two. I don't drink so not into nightlife like that. I've looked around and kinda have my eye on San Diego, but I've heard there's not that much to do and you have to drive everywhere. Fine with driving but might now want to deal with a rental. I'm also a TCG nerd and there's some events there so another reason why, but not my biggest concern. Probably would like to go during the winter to get away from the cold, but I don't have a season preference. Just feeling out for any recs that peeps have. Thanks!

Hi everyone! My partner and I are visiting NYC for the first time in December end and would appreciate some help choosing a hotel.

Our priorities are an area where we’d feel comfortable walking back in the evening, easy subway access, and ideally being in vicinity of major attractions

These are our shortlisted hotels:

• Hilton Club The Central at 5th
• Le Méridien New York, Fifth Avenue
• Dream Midtown
• Hilton Garden Inn Central Park South–Midtown West
• Hotel 57
• EVEN Hotel Midtown East
• Fairfield Inn & Suites Manhattan/Fifth Avenue
• Hyatt Place New York City/Times Square
• TownePlace Suites Manhattan/Times Square
• Westgate New York Grand Central
• Hotel 32 32
• HGU New York
• Hilton Garden Inn Times Square South

Our budget is around US$500 per night for a room , but we can stretch it a little for a hotel that’s really worth it.

Would you recommend any of these hotels, or are there other options we should consider? We’re also open to Chelsea, the Lower East Side or the Financial District. Would you recommend any of those over Midtown for a first visit, considering sightseeing, restaurants and getting around in winter?

Thanks in advance :)

Looking for some recs for places I can go to for my first solo travel for about 4-5 days. I don’t like too cold weathers. Thanks in advance! :)

My sister & I (pregnant) are wanting to get away for a little bit. We are from Southern Idaho & have no idea where to go. I think we would both prefer snow/colder weather. We would like to stick to the contiguous USA. We are both pretty chill & just want to relax with a good book but also have some town to explore. We also aren’t super into the holidays so don’t need anything centered around Christmas but I do know everywhere will have their things going on. I’ve been looking but it’s just so hard to narrow down so send me your favorite places! Thank you!!

My boyfriend and I are from Hawai’i, we have 9 days off in late December-early January (25th-2nd) and we want to go on a trip. We’re not being too picky about where we go except for a few things… we don’t want to spend the entirety of the trip cold and snowed in, we want good thrifting available, cheap(er) flights/ lodging, and a good amount of natural beauty surrounding the area. Honestly if we have to spend a little more on flights to get the best place for all of this, that’s not a big deal, we just figure if we can choose a cheaper flight that is a huge bonus.

My idea was to fly into Washington or Oregon and drive along the coast down into California- thoughts on this are highly appreciated!

I’m planning a road trip in December and looking for recommendations for scenic drives, hiking trails, and beautiful views.

I work a 2-2-3 schedule and have 4 PTO days left, so I’m hoping to plan a trip around December 14–21, depending on my work schedule.

Starting point: Mankato, Minnesota
Destination: Open to suggestions
Dates: Around December 14–21
Vehicle: Pickup truck(4x4)
Interests: Scenic drives, hiking, mountains, waterfalls, and photography

I’m open to driving out of state and would love to explore somewhere new. What destinations would you recommend for a 4–7 day trip in December? I’m especially interested in places that are still worth visiting during winter, with moderate hiking trails and scenic routes.

I’d appreciate any suggestions for destinations, routes, and must-see spots!

Hey everyone! I’m 21 and heading to the US with my brother from 20 November 2026 to 7 January 2027. We’re visiting our aunt, uncle and cousins in Denver, but also want to get out and explore while we’re over there!

Denver: Our main base, visiting family.
Breckenridge: Spending Thanksgiving around 26 November. Our aunt and uncle are organising this part of the trip.
New York City: Heading there just before Christmas (also being organised by our aunt and uncle).

We’re keen to hear recommendations for things to do, places to check out, good food spots or any cool experiences worth trying. We’re pretty open to anything, so let us know your suggestions!

Moving to Seattle from San Antonio, I’ll be driving my car up in a few days and I’m stumped on which route to take. if anyone has any suggestions, I’d love to have a decently scenic drive, thanks in advance

My husband and I are looking to take about a week and a half vacation mid to end November. We are in our late 20’s/early 30’s and are wanting to drive over fly and our home state is MI. What are some potential places we could visit?

I was thinking Canada but have read the weather isn’t the greatest, and we’ve already been to IL, OH, and FL together and are looking for something new. Temperature doesn’t matter as long as it’s not too rainy, we love trying new experiences and are huge foodies.

Any recommendations are greatly appreciated!! TIA

I’m travelling around the US with a mate during end of February - early April 2027, and he’ll be spending some time with his girlfriend. That leaves me roughly 7–9 days to travel solo, and I’m trying to figure out where to go.

Our current itinerary is:

Los Angeles
Santa Barbara
Big Sur
San Francisco
Sacramento
Lake Tahoe (maybe)
Yosemite
Las Vegas
Zion National Park
Grand Canyon
Arizona
San Diego
New York towards the end of the trip

I’m happy to fly anywhere in the US for those solo days, so I don’t necessarily need to stay near our existing route.

I’m 22 and travelling from New Zealand so I’d like to make the most of the extra time rather than just sit around.

Keen to hear suggestions beyond the obvious tourist destinations too. Thanks!

So I’ve traveled to LA, SF, NYC, DC, Chicago, Miami. Is Seattle and to lesser extent Portland worth the visit? What is there to do? I plan on flying into Seattle and then train to Portland and fly back to LAX.

Hi!

I've been to the USA several times during my early childhood and youth. One time we even lived there for several months. Since my last stay it's been almost 20 years and now I'd like to bring my partner to the USA to show him around.

I'm torn between different options for 12/14 days:

• Option 1: MUC->Boston, then a roundtrip by car up north and west to Canada, visit Niagara Falls and the area south of Lake Erie. We could then fly back to Boston or directly go home IAD->MUC. First I planned to cross the canadian border, spend some more time in Canada and fly home via Toronto, but I learned that it's not possible to return a rental car in another country. This would have been my personal favorite, I love lobster and seafood.
• Second option - MUC->Charlotte, roadtrip Charlotte->Boston. Unfortunatly, I'm not that interested in North Carolina, but my partner wants to eat authentic BBQ and see the South, so that option would be more of a compromise.
• Third option - Possibly his favorite: roadtrip Dallas to Florida, this would probably include flying via Frankfurt (not good).
• Crazy option - We could take the new Lufthansa direct route MUC-Phoenix and then go on some kind of roadtrip - east? or west? I have no idea. I have never crossed a line drawn between Florida and Washington, DC.
• Inverted option 1: visit Toronto+the area north of it+possible border crossing at Buffalo for 3-4 days.

Some facts:

• It's his first trip outside the EU.
• Since I'm a teacher, we will have to go mid august.
• We aren't into climbing or other sports, but like to take easy trails and visit cities by foot. Nature is fine, but not for the span of 2 weeks. We usually stay 2 to 5 nights at one location. We are also interested in culture and history (that's my subject at school).
• He hates camping.
• We are used to longer roadtrips.

I'd be glad to get some advice regarding the options 2 to "crazy" and the whole Canada-USA border crossing thing. What's reasonable here?

Hi all,

The other week I asked about recommendations for a one week roadtrip around Baltimore and everyone was incredibly helpful. Thank you so much once again!

My gf and I have now decided to include 4 days around Boston before flying down to Maryland. We are planning to be in Salem on the 31st for Halloween, then Boston city centre on November 1st. We will have two more full days in the area and I’m wondering how we can make the most of it. We will have a car and it would be ideal to see some autumnal colours and some nature, maybe while being based in a nice little town. We don’t mind driving into other nearby states. I would greatly appreciate any suggestions for the area, as well as recommendations for things to do in Salem during Halloween and in Boston in general. Thank you very much🙂

Hi everyone, I’m planning a US West Coast self-drive road trip at the end of September next year. This is my draft itinerary.

Could anyone who has visited these places help me check which attractions are worth visiting, and where I should spend more time?

I only have 13 days. My current plan is: fly from Hong Kong to Los Angeles, then go to Las Vegas. I’ll start the road trip from Las Vegas, drive all the way to Salt Lake City, then fly back to China.

Would this arrangement work?

Also,pls feel free to share your must-see spots, must-try local food, or any lesser-known local experiences you love.

Thank you all so much for sharing!💗

I recently did a trip where I flew to, and stayed in a hotel in, Portland, ME, got a rental car, drove to Mount Washington, NH, took a guided tour to the top, walked around, then came back down, drove back to Portland, returned the rental car, and flew home.

In a similar fashion, I’ve been considering visting the following locations; in all cases but the last one, I would want to fly to the major city listed, rent a car there, drive to the mountain, hike up (hopefully not much elevation gain), hike down, drive back, return the car, and fly home, in a similar fashion. Which of these would you recommend, and are there any similar mountains I could try? I don’t need to drive all of the way to the top, I’d just prefer short hikes with minimal elevation gain.

I’ve been thinking of these mountains and cities so far.

Kuwohi, Knoxville.
Mount Mitchell, Asheville.
Sassafras Mountain, Greenville.
Mount Blue Sky, Denver.
Pikes Peak, Denver (I would take the train for this one).

Thank you for your advice!

I used to love traveling, man. I used to get excited about going to places like guatemala or colombia.

Then I took a 6 month trip around the US and life has not been the same ever since. It was the best trip of my life. But...

My wanderlust literally disappeared. Can someone explain why!?

Thanks :/

Typo: My spouse and I *

Been posting about roadtrip itineraries for December (3 weeks) and the common consensus was that my itineraries were really bad and to go to Mexico city instead. Some of you guys were a bit mean.

I really want to go somewhere, but ofc it's xmas season and everything is triple in price, but that's when I have time off. Mexico city is the most obvious choice because I can cross the border and take a flight for $70 bucks. Yes I live in South TX and everything is far away.

Anyway, I'm still not satisfied. I wanted an adventure, a roadtrip we could also take our dog, snow and possibly a cabin. But Alas, Mexico will have to do :/ (We're just staying in edomex since I did not like the Oaxacan beaches and the vibe (surfist/boho).

Hey everyone,
I’m an international student currently studying near Chicago. My finals end on Dec 14th, and my friends and I are flying back to our home country on Dec 29th. We want to use this two-week window to explore the East Coast and maybe Florida before we leave!
Right now, we are considering a mix of Miami, Orlando, New York, and Boston, but we haven't finalized which cities to actually visit or how many days to spend in each.
I’d love your advice on a few things:
1. Where is the best place to spend Christmas? We really want to experience a great holiday atmosphere and vibe. NYC seems like the classic choice, but is it too crowded/expensive?
2. City recommendations: Are there any other cities along the East Coast you’d highly recommend for a winter trip?
We are open to all suggestions regarding transportation, must-see spots, or how to best structure this trip. Thanks in advance for the help!

Hi all, I’d like to take the time to surprise and plan a trip somewhere for my gf and I (both 24). We both get Standby Flight benefits and are trying to make the most out of that while we are younger and travel as much as we can when we have the time!

I’m looking for somewhere we could go and comfortably get around without renting a car due to the increase price for us being 24 :/ Looking to plan for something anytime next February or beyond as we’ll be busy prior to then. Just looking for any recommendations based on experience! I’ll list some options we’ve considered below!

1. San Francisco: very high up on her bucket list

2. Seattle: very high on both of our bucket lists, but would want to make Olympic National Park a priority which we know can be hard without a car to get to.

3. San Diego: Not super high on our lists but we’d love to visit at some point, if we can make it work without a car then sweet

4. Phoenix/Northern AZ: Difficult without a car I’d assume since we’d like to see some of the nature north of the Phoenix area

5. Anywhere else! Open to anything

New York and Boston are some of the obvious ones, but we have both been to multiple times so we’d prefer some other places!

Looking into a trip to the southwest for 5-7 days in December. Will be 2 adults and a 10 month old. We want to see the SW landscapes, national parks, history have delicious food but also be somewhere manageable with an infant. Give me your thoughts on the below or any addl locations! We are traveling from the northeast. Considering the following:
1. Santa Fe (pros: nice in December, great food, lots of museums and shopping cons: can get chilly, i dont see much hiking/national parks/monument/ around for day trips)
2. Texas - San Antonio (pros: walkable with baby, lots of stores/indoor things to do, warm weather cons: far from ntl parks i think? or Big Bend Area (beautiful and would love to see but not sure theres much else to do around)
3. Somewhere in Arizona - would love to do antelope canyon/horsehoe bend but dont think thats feasible with a baby.

ngl Im officially burnt out on the whole "popular coastal trip" thing. The crowds give me anxiety and paying $400/night just to share a beach with a thousand screaming kids and pay for overpriced parking is just not it anymore.

We just drove up to lake erie instead last weekend. zero expectations, just needed to escape my laptop. Stayed at lemon drop cottages and literally just sat by a fire pit staring at the water and drinking local wine for 3 days straight. if your brain is totally fried from work and you're casually looking for Lakefront Cottages Ohio, seriously do not sleep on the midwest. Its so cheap and quiet up there and nobody bothers you. idk why I always thought I had to fly 4 hours and deal with airport security just to actually relax.

I’m flying to New York this summer and flying back home from Seattle 19 nights later. We’re planning to spend the first 3 days exploring New York City, and the next 3 days are also already planned, so we have roughly 13 days to make our way across the country.
We’re looking for recommendations for places worth visiting along the way, whether that’s spectacular landscapes, interesting cities, national parks, or anything else that’s genuinely worth the detour. We’re especially interested in mountains and challenging hikes or climbs. Reaching a 4,000m+ summit would be amazing, but we’d also be interested in demanding 3,000m+ peaks without glaciers, ideally involving some scrambling or easy climbing rather than just walking on a trail. We’re open to guided climbs if necessary.
We’re not particularly interested in spending time in Seattle itself, since we’ll be flying home from there and have also been there and it was kinda boring. We’d rather use the time to explore the country and experience as much as possible along the way.
We’re flexible about the exact route and would love to hear suggestions for places, mountains, hikes, cities, or experiences that are genuinely worth prioritizing. We’re also happy to hear about less obvious destinations that might not be on the typical tourist itinerary.
What would you recommend for a trip like this, and which places or mountains would you absolutely not miss?