So the DB and I want to take a trip together next summer (since he went hiking in Scotland without me this summer). The problem is we're having a hard time coming up with ideas. We'd like to keep it under 3k. Has anyone gone on any cruises that are under/at this price but nice? For that matter can anyone recommend a cruise line.
I've done Vegas a lot (family lives there)
He went to school in hawaii, so neither of those seem that exciting. Basically I just need ideas of where to go since I'm drawing a blank and he keeps telling me that whatever I want is fine.
:duh I just need ideas on where to go! My mind is so blank.

I don't know where you're from, but I'm from New England and I always think that's a nice place to get away... especially if you go to Boston or Nantucket.

We went on a cruise a few years ago, it was with Carnival and we went on the 7 day mexican riviera cruise leaving from L.A. it was without a doubt THEE best holiday we have ever been on. Everything was just out of this world! I can't wait to be able to cruise again!!
Another place I LOVED was the Rockies in Canada (mainly Banff and Jasper National Park) absolutely beautiful there! A hotel up in the mountains is just wonderful, really breathtaking views!

There are a few places I would love go, Thailand, New Zealand, Switzerland. Of course I haven't been to any of them but they look like fantastic places.


ETA: Our cruise price was around $700 each, it did cost us another $700 each for the flights but that was because we had to fly from London to L.A.

well i don't know the first thing about cruises, our family always kept it short and simple when it came to vacations. i have been to mountain lake (near blacksburg, va) 2 times and i loved it. that's where they filmed about half of dirty dancing (other half was somewhere in nc) and there was so much to see and do!! canoeing kayaking hiking swimming they do dirty dancing weekends, and they have a great country breakfast buffet with biscuits and gravy that make me :drool. plus you can fish there and if you catch a big enough one they will make it into your dinner!!! just a suggestion.

Disneyland!

DH and I did a 2 week vacation to Southern California for $2k. It's all about knowing the area and finding the inexpensive stuff. Also, military discounts are awesome. We went to Disneyland, California Adventure, Six Flags Magic Mountain, Seaworld and Universal Studios. We also went to a concert and almost made it to the beach but stayed in to play in the 2 person jacuuzi tub instead. :P

There are a lot of hiking and outdoor activities if you prefer those instead.

Cruises to the Caribbean during hurricane season are fairly cheap. You can keep it to $3000- just watch the drinks. I went last year and ended up having my whole trip re-routed due to a hurricane, but it was still awesome and kind of an extra adventure.

Otherwise, maybe somewhere in Canada? Montreal or Vancouver are my favs.

The mountains in TN are beautiful and there is so much to see and do if you are outdoorsy.

What about Germany, fly into Munchen, go to the AFRC resort inGarmisch and spend some time there.

Washington DC area? So much to do and see. Must see is Monticello by the way.

i just wanted to add this website on here for you. If you find a destination....
www.homeaway.com is a great site to use to find a place to stay other than a hotel. Good luck. DH and I are going on a criuse in Sept. and the military rates are outstanding right now...you can get GREAT deals.

Thank you guys so much for all of the ideas! I've started researching and making a folder to show the DB (yes I'm that anal) when he finally gets home from Scotland (lame vacation without me :P)

What about going to Gate 1 Travel and checking out their packages? I've also heard that Contiki Holidays is a great tour company.

You could easily have some awesome adventures somewhere in Europe for 3K. If you go to your local bookstore, you can find the book "Europe On A Budget" and it was pretty much written by students. There are lots of hostel options as far as lodging goes, but they also include hotel info too if you aren't into the hostels. I know DB and I prefer to steer away from them.

Good luck! I love researching travel options. :D

We stay at hostels and B&Bs a lot overseas. They are pretty nice, just do your research... Cruising is relatively inexpensive... I love Carnival, relaxed but not tacky or anything if you want to cruise. Eat as much as you can and float around. You could easily do a weeklong cruise for under $3000... My other fave would be Disney World, but I'm a kid at heart... You could stay at Shades of Green, the military resort and get cheaper tickets through them, they even have an aafes store, lol. :)

So the DB and I want to take a trip together next summer (since he went hiking in Scotland without me this summer). The problem is we're having a hard time coming up with ideas. We'd like to keep it under 3k. Has anyone gone on any cruises that are under/at this price but nice? For that matter can anyone recommend a cruise line.
I've done Vegas a lot (family lives there)
He went to school in hawaii, so neither of those seem that exciting. Basically I just need ideas of where to go since I'm drawing a blank and he keeps telling me that whatever I want is fine.
:duh I just need ideas on where to go! My mind is so blank.

If you want to go with cruises, you should deal directly with the cruise line. Go ahead and find the best price wherever you can, and then take that back to the cruise line.

Carnival/Princess tend to be all ages, Disney tend to be very family-heavy, and Holland America tends to be mostly the older, retirement set. That's a heavy generalization and I'm sure you can find exceptions, but mostly, that's what you'll find.

I've used Gate1 Travel and been very happy with what they offered. They just sent out a new flyer that has some GREAT prices and offerings for well under $3K. I was thrilled with the 10-day Turkey trip when we went 3 years ago, but when I looked it up today, they're now charging extra for the "optional" things that were included in the price of our tour. Oh well, things are more expensive now. But I'd have to say it was the most culturally fascinating thing I've ever done, but I think Turkey in the summer would suck, heat-wise.

I am very intrigued by their trips by rail, especially the 8-day Budapest, Vienna and Prague by rail (think that would be cool as heck). The cost is about $1100 each person, but there's a discount if you book by Aug 31. http://www.gate1travel.com/central-europe-travel/default.aspx

Surprisingly inexpensive is this tour to Belgium. It allows for lots of time on your own, but the optional stuff isn't very expensive either. http://www.gate1travel.com/europe-travel/antwerp-brussels-rail-7danrbrur.aspx#

This one also looks like fun, with relatively inexpensive add-ons, for Paris, Amsterdam and Brussels: http://www.gate1travel.com/europe-travel/paris-amsterdam-vacation-8dparbruamsr.aspx#

I spoke to Gate 1 last week and they said they're opening up their trips for next summer in a couple weeks.

Princess Cruise Lines is FABULOUS. Recommend them in a heartbeat.

I've never done a cruise but I can tell you that you could easily do Thailand for under 3k. The enchange rate is AMAZING so basically everything is half of dirt cheap :D