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You can have fun on a shoestring! Taking a break from your daily routine is important, even when you're being especially mindful of your budget. Autumn is the perfect time for a budget vacation, particularly a scenic road trip amidst the season's vibrant colors. The weather is clear and crisp, and change is in the air! Or maybe you'd like to enjoy one last blast of summertime by heading down to the Florida Keys. Now that we're past Labor Day and beyond high summer travel rates, you can get more for your dollar on airfare, lodging, and car rentals. Take advantage of the season. The options are out there, and Hotwire can help you find just the right discount travel to fit your interests, lifestyle, and budget.
Not sure where to go on your next budget travel vacation? Check out our destination ideas below. Then, enter your details into our FareFinder to find value travel options.
Experience a spectacular New England autumn on even the tightest of budgets. Renowned for its brilliantly colorful fall foliage, the compact region of New England provides endless scenes of nature's beautiful transition from summer to winter. All you have to do is open your eyes and you'll be what the locals call a "leaf peeper." Find the perfect lodging to fit your style, and tour the area by driving, cycling, hiking, or boating. Explore New England's celebrated landscape of farms, orchards, mountains, covered bridges, and colonial and literary historical sites such as the North Bridge, the Old Manse, and Walden Pond. From the picturesque villages of western Massachusetts and their surrounding rolling country hills, to the lakes, mountains, and seashore of Acadia National Park in Maine, you'll find plenty of sites, activities, and festivities to fill your days with fun. Tour a cranberry farm or visit an apple orchard. Take home some of Vermont's famous, pure maple syrup. Enjoy a truly special Halloween in Salem, Massachusetts. Remember to watch out for moose and deer on your leisure drives.
Prolong your summer with a budget trip to the enchanting Florida Keys. You can get there by air, sea, or the 127-mile Overseas Highway — a road trip like no other. Key Largo, the gateway to the rest of the Keys, is the self-proclaimed "Dive Capital of the World." Perhaps the best place for diving is the John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park where you can scuba dive, snorkel, and take glass-bottomed boat tours to get a crystal clear view of the reefs. After an active day, dine on some delectable fish sandwiches at Calypso's or steak sandwiches at Mrs. Mac's Kitchen. Key West, the small, "last" island of the Keys, has a history of smugglers and pirates and a literary cast of characters, including Ernest Hemingway, Truman Capote, and Tennessee Williams. You'll be blown away by the Hurricane house special drink at Sloppy Joe's, a favorite hangout of Hemingway's back in the day. Take a trip on the Old Town Trolley and catch a narrated tour of Key West. The storybook architecture in natural surroundings captures the flavor of the Keys, and the laid-back atmosphere is the perfect backdrop to a low-key, budget vacation.
You don't have to be Willie Nelson to hit the road in style; plan a budget road trip in your region. Get off the freeways and take scenic routes, discover local hidden treasures you may never have visited before. Explore new territory, visit state or national parks, enjoy the fun of an unusual or kitschy roadside attraction, and take the time to find a local eatery. Whether by car or motorcycle, alone or accompanied, the pleasure of traveling down the highway is the freewheeling nature of the trip — when and where you stop is entirely up to you! And that kind of spontaneity can be just the thing to rejuvenate yourself. Chart your own adventure. You don't have to go far to feel like you've gotten away from home. So hit the road, Jack. It's the perfect time of year to tool along the classic two-lane blacktop with the windows down, soak up the gorgeous weather, and take in a particular part of the country mile by leisurely mile. Let Hotwire help you find the discount rental car and budget hotels that match your style of road trip.