I would first like to say that I Love your show and think you two make a Great team.Pauline I love Your Budget/Hip travel mindset and I love Mr Frommers more conservative traditional way of looking at things.
My Partner would like to Take a week off in Mid October and go with our Kids ages 7-10 to a Warm Beach destination,yet where we could have educational attractions within 1-2 hour drive.We have no problem in renting a Car and have about 10 days to do this.
We would like a mixture of Beach fun..yet lots of history near by,markets,museums,colonial cities that sort of thing to teach our kids you can mix fun with Education.Our Budget is about $1900 per person including AirFare and if possible would like a destination we could fly Nonstop from The NewYork/Newark area.
Thank you so much in advance
Joshua Perry
Hi Joshua,
Thanks for your kind message.
October has its plusses and minuses for the type of vacation you're seeking. Prices are very low everywhere there's a beach, as it's off-season for that type of travel. But one of the reasons it's off-season in some areas (notably most of the Caribbean) is that it's hurricane season!
With that in mind, here are two destinations you might consider:
1) Resorts along the Pacific Coast of Mexico: I'm talking Puerto Vallarta, Acapulco, Mazatlan, La Paz and the beach areas surrounding them. Inland from all you'll find Mexican markets, Colonial Villages, etc. Whether or not you can get to them via a direct flight though is hard for me to say off-hand, as service to Mexico was severely cut back during the H1N1 virus outbreak and it's unclear right now how many routes the airlines will restore. However, you'll be in the same time zone (so no jetlag problems) and the educational possibilities in Mexico (not to mention the beaches!) are terrific. A final perk: the Mexican peso remains relatively weak against the dollar, so your money will go further there.
2) Hawaii: A long, long flight I know, but there are now several non-stop ones from the NYC area. October is always low season to Hawaii, and this year the deals should be particularly good as travel to the Aloha State is down a good 25% in the last two years. My suggestion would be to get a beach condo somewhere (the best value for a family) and then hit the beaches, the islands' historic sights (former Royal Palaces, Museums, Volcanoes, Pearl Harbor---what you see will depend on which island you choose).
Though they likely won't involve direct flights, some other areas you might consider include:
-Costa Rica
-Brazil (perhaps Rio and Paraty)
-Panama
-Belize
(The only problem with the above destinations is it will be the tail end of rainy season, so you may have some hours each day to spend inside).
I hope this helps! Have a wonderful vacation, wherever you end up.
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