Here is your mission... - TravelPUNK Backpacker College Student Budget Travel Message Boards!

**lilwings** · 09-06-2007, 11:33 AM

You have been given the chance to plan a trip for someone. They have a passport, and no responsibilities to anything other than themselves (no kids, pets, job, etc...). You're guidelines are:

1. One week is all you get (this includes travel to and from the destination)
2. $2000 is your budget. You can't take it home with you or save it for something else. You must use it all. It needs to cover everything (travel, lodging, food, drinks, and tacky nick-nacks bought in tourist shops)
3. Unique is good... but not too wild and crazy. Try to avoid those countries mentioned in the State Dept. website warnings.

Lay it on, TPunkers! What would you do?

**omisan** · 09-06-2007, 11:48 AM

What's the point of departure? That greatly affects the cost of the initial flight!

**lilwings** · 09-06-2007, 11:54 AM

Go with your local port-of-departure, if you so choose. Make sure you indicate your route of travel. If you want to keep price down, go with Atlanta. It's a sizable International Airport that's pretty easy and cheap to get to.

... but most importantly, Atlanta has a Bread Company in the C Concourse which has awesome avocado sandwiches. Food. It's the reason I do anything.

**pinknic38** · 09-06-2007, 01:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lilwings

... but most importantly, Atlanta has a Bread Company in the C Concourse which has awesome avocado sandwiches. Food. It's the reason I do anything.

oh my GOD I know exactly what place you're talking about too, I had a sandwich from there in june!

**voyd** · 09-06-2007, 02:01 PM

With just one week, I would avoid anything extremely far like Australia or Asia - where transit time and jetlag would suck up half your week.

This leaves Latin America, a Pacific Island or maybe the EU at farthest. Maybe Africa too, although I'm not familiar with it.

You could do some surf & turf'n in Costa Rica, Belize, Caribbean, Hawaii, etc.

Or maybe hit a Croatian beach or other Eastern European country.

Or hit a really cool site like Machu Picchu or Easter Island. In fact, you could probably do BOTH since one is off the coast of the other!

Ok...so my vote goes to Machu Picchu/Easter Island!

**joe7f** · 09-06-2007, 06:11 PM

^Good call exotic but reasonably close.

In Europe, I would probably say London-Paris or Venice-Florence-Rome.
In the US I would say Vegas with a trip to the Hoover Dam and the Grand Canyon.
If Asia was in the mix, Tokyo/Kyoto/Mount Fuji for Japan, or a Hong Kong-Guillen-Lhasa trip in China.(Personally I didn't find the jet lag to be worse in Japan than in Europe)
In Africa, ancient Egypt tour.

--Joey

**DC_Jessica** · 09-06-2007, 07:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lilwings

3. Unique is good... but not too wild and crazy. Try to avoid those countries mentioned in the State Dept. website warnings.

Way to go and ruin all my fun! The State Dept. Travel Warnings are where I get my best ideas!!! I just don't know how to travel otherwise.

With $2000 for one week, I might do something in the contintental US. Is that boring? I have spent less than that for both of my last trips. I feel I would need more money to do some US locations well, and do more than one at once.

I just found a flight to Morocco on British Air for $700 roundtrip incl. taxes. So I might do that. A remaining $1300 for a week in Morocco sounds choice - good shopping money. [Yes, I'm still thinking about going to Morocco, but only because Hicham brought it up again! And $700!! Whee!!]

**DC_Jessica** · 09-06-2007, 07:07 PM

Wait, I know there have been a lot of suicide bombers (bunglers) in Morocco lately. Are they on the State watch list cause of it?

djphatmatt · 09-06-2007, 07:16 PM

My friend and her husband (he is Moraccan) are going there for 2 weeks in Oct! They tried to talk me into going but I cant afford it yet, thats why Imma hit up Moracco during my backpacking trip in late Spring of 08.

**omisan** · 09-06-2007, 08:19 PM

A simple (yeah, right) trip to Patagonia sounds good

SFO - Buenos Aires or Santiago: ~$900
Regional flights/transit: ~$500
Rest of the money for hostels/camping/food

**lauren313** · 09-07-2007, 10:00 AM

I would go with...

A trip to Norway. Fly from London to somewhere in Northern Norway. Try and catch the Northern Lights. See the beautiful coastline. Ooh, and apparently in the winter you can do snow safaris.

Hmm, sounds like I'm planning this for myself, not someone else!

**joe7f** · 09-07-2007, 02:25 PM

Norway is great but with the 2000 price cap, night one is eat a good meal, night two - 7 is starvation

--Joey

**lauren313** · 09-08-2007, 09:01 AM

Haha, but going from the UK would mean that the price of the flight wouldn't be massive, so more money to spend on food!

**expatben** · 09-08-2007, 01:25 PM

I would do a tour maybe from Belgium. From there on to Adam and finish in Germany.

**worldwidemike** · 09-09-2007, 02:25 AM

Another thing you can do is go to the last minute travel websites, like www.site59.com You might get some ideas there on what's doable for the price.

As for just straight up suggestions on destinations, how about the Galapagos Islands? It's going to be warm whenever you go, it's off the beaten track, and you can find more budget boat trips as well as the lux ones...

worldwidemike

Travel_girl81 · 09-09-2007, 07:55 AM

I get that mission on a daily basis. (I'm a travel agent). For a week I'd say you have a good budget.
Look at it two ways you can either go to an expensive destination, but get there cheap by using a charter airline. ie: Europe, Caribbean
Or got to a cheap destination but pay more for the airfare to get there. ie: central America, Asia