Sightseeing in the US on a budget?
I would love to see more of the country and spend a month or two traveling to states I've never visited. The spirit is willing but the bank account is weak! Any ideas on how two can travel cheaply by car and find reasonably priced accommodation and meals for stopovers? I wouldn't need anything fancy, just functional. No fleapits!
I'm not a tourist trap kind of girl. I like quieter nature spots and historic buildings, not crowds and busy cities or theme park attractions. I'd rather be outdoors than in. States I've visited include AR, AL, CA, and TN. Anywhere different that would suit my pocket would be great.
Research on travel sites and blogs, look up "best parks in the USA" and that sort of thing to find all kinds of hidden gems. Make a list of the "must see", "would be nice", "maybe" and "avoid" places, then work out a route.
Travel:
Learn to drive lightly on the gas, and refill only when you need it (but be careful not to run out this way). Think about hostels or motels, and if that's too low-brow, look at budget hotels.
Meals:
Look up reviews of restaurants before you go. Type into Google the town name, plus "restaurant" or "diner" or "fast food", plus the word "review" and look for a review site. This helps you avoid the terrible meals.
Other stuff:
Think about camping, the USA is gorgeous. Look up historical tours and that kind of thing. Avoiding big cities will definitely help your budget.
I would pick a time when you want to go, and then decide on a few places you definitely want to see and research if anything is going on in those towns/area around the time that you will be there.
I like to look on local newspaper websites, local chamber of commerce websites and sometimes larger cities have an entertainment type paper that has a website too. I usually find these by googling them.
Lastly, if you like historic buildings and museums you might be interested in Auburn, NY. (Not sure if that's too far from you.) But we have campgrounds nearby (cheap lodging) as well as many hotels and lots of museums! You can find out more on tourauburnny.com. Plus there are a LOT of things to do in the area too. You can also check out tourcayuga.com.
Good Luck, Happy Travels!
Put up a map of the country and throw a dart or two at it. Go to those places (they will probably bee small, out of the way places) and look around. You will most likely find great things because you will have no preconcieved ideas of the place, especially if you end up in a tiny town. Look around and write a blog of the local diners and stuff, that makes it even more interesting.
I do these two things and it is fantastic. Don't be afraid to sleep in your car in small towns, it is OK.