Where Should I Go?

[nexus]

Hi everyone,

I have all next week off from work. I was offered a permanent position at the company I'm a temp for and I asked to take a week off between finishing one role and beginning another role. I feel like I should spend at least a couple of these days travelling, but where on Earth do I go? I'll be doing this adventure solo.

Given the same circumstances, where would you go?

Here are some facts that might help you point me in the right direction.
--I have about $110 Southwest Flight Credit (just FYI, may not need to fly anywhere. Also not opposed to using another airline.)
--26 years old. Single. No dependents.
--Never been skiing/snowboarding & not interested in starting
--Located in CA. Would fly out of SFO or OAK (SFO because I can take BART)
--I'm 1 night away from a free stay at a hotels.com location (so basically book a stay, get one free at this point).
--My trip would only span Mon 2/13* to Fri 2/17 at the very most. I have commitments keeping me in town over both weekends.
--Looking to avoid rain where possible.

I'm also not opposed to staying home, sleeping in, and just working out or day drinking -- or both. You know, take the "recharge and decompress" route? I just feel like it would be a wasted opportunity since I won't have another opportunity to have so much consecutive time off probably until December or next year.

My ideas so far:
Vegas, Mexico (not sure where), Nashville... that's all I got.

Thanks for any insights!
*I could fly out 2/12 Sunday night if need be

[SKL-HOU]

VEGAS!

[Vindicated]

You have a tough decision to make!

If I were in your position, I'd consider cities or specific sights I'd like to see.  Also, the budget is an important factor.  Is this going to be a mustachian vacation?

Cheap ideas:
 - Spend a few days in a new city:
I did a 2 night trip to Chicago a few months ago with my wife, and we had a lot of fun, and saw a lot of museums, only spending about $200 total.  (Had free hotel rooms through IHG rewards).
 - Visit friends/family:
If you have people you don't see often enough.  Whenever I have a free weekend, I try to drive the ~2hrs to the city where a lot of family and friends still live.
 - Travel to see a Show:
If there is a band you love, and they're playing a city you want to visit, you can knock out two birds with one stone (or money-wad).

Expensive ideas:
 - Iceland:
I want to go to Iceland, and my wife doesn't.  It's a priority for me, even if I have to go alone.
 - Tokyo:
You can get a ticket to Tokyo for ~$1000, iirc.  It's pretty English friendly to navigate the Yamanote line, and you can ask just about anyone on the street, or train, for directions.  Many Japanese are happy to give you suggestions for where to go, and like to practice their English with you.

Lazy idea:
 - Day drink, and binge watch all of the shows.

Whatever you choose, have fun!

[retiringearly]

If you do Mexico, I highly recommend Puerto Vallarta.  I have been there several times & always enjoy it.  Beautiful weather, great restaurants, friendly people.  I have never felt unsafe there.  Take a look at Google Flights for airfare.

[nexus]

Mexico -- Thoughts or perceptions on travelling there with the whole Trump drama? I feel as though they might not be quite as friendly...?

Vegas -- Leaning towards Vegas because I can get a super cheap* room for a weekday stay.

Friends/Fam -- I don't know anyone far away enough that would warrant a flight. I have a buddy that lives two hours away near the beach, but it hasn't been beach-y weather as of late.

Music?! Blake Shelton is playing in Bakersfield Thursday 2/16, then in Los Angeles Friday 2/17. I could grudgingly drive to Bakersfield, or fly to LA but I have to be back in town Friday night/Saturday morning. Hm...

Brainstorm: Fly to Vegas (one way maybe $75, flight credit covers it), spend a day or two there. Rent a car and drive to Bakersfield (approx. 4 hours), attend concert Thursday night, get up and drive rental back home on Friday (another 4-5 hours).
Estimation:
Flight: free
Hotel: Tuesday, Wed, Thurs (75/night vegas, $100 Bako): $300 (round up resort fees)
Rental: 2 days...idk $60??
Concert ticket: $50?
Vegas spending money: $500
Gas for rental: $50-100
Uber from LAS to hotel: $20
My max spending guestimation: $980. Honestly seems like a waste doing all of this by myself.

*Luxor sends me emails for $29/weeknight

[Vindicated]

Mexico -- Thoughts or perceptions on travelling there with the whole Trump drama? I feel as though they might not be quite as friendly...?

Vegas -- Leaning towards Vegas because I can get a super cheap* room for a weekday stay.

Friends/Fam -- I don't know anyone far away enough that would warrant a flight. I have a buddy that lives two hours away near the beach, but it hasn't been beach-y weather as of late.

Music?! Blake Shelton is playing in Bakersfield Thursday 2/16, then in Los Angeles Friday 2/17. I could grudgingly drive to Bakersfield, or fly to LA but I have to be back in town Friday night/Saturday morning. Hm...

Brainstorm: Fly to Vegas (one way maybe $75, flight credit covers it), spend a day or two there. Rent a car and drive to Bakersfield (approx. 4 hours), attend concert Thursday night, get up and drive rental back home on Friday (another 4-5 hours).
Estimation:
Flight: free
Hotel: Tuesday, Wed, Thurs (75/night vegas, $100 Bako): $300 (round up resort fees)
Rental: 2 days...idk $60??
Concert ticket: $50?
Vegas spending money: $500
Gas for rental: $50-100
Uber from LAS to hotel: $20
My max spending guestimation: $980. Honestly seems like a waste doing all of this by myself.

*Luxor sends me emails for $29/weeknight

Mexico -
You'd be fine.  The all-inclusive places are very safe, and even if you wondered into the local towns, there will be nearly as many Americans as locals.  You could probably get a flight + 6 night stay for around $1k per person, and be able to use your miles to pay for it.  Find a deal you want on a site like vacationsexpress.com, then call a travel agent and tell them what you want, and what the website says it costs.  The agent will get it for you the same price or cheaper, and organize everything for you.  Make sure to ask the agent if you can use your miles to pay for part of it.  I don't know the system that well, but it wasn't an issue for us.  I've been to Cabo San Lucas & Cozumel, and both were easily worth the money. 

Vegas -
The car rental will easily reach $100 for two days.  Your gas cost estimation is probably low too.

No idea about Blake Shelton concert costs, but $50 seems low.

$500 to "spend" in Vegas?  On what?  I've got some somewhat frugal friends that have gone out to a Casino and ended up dropping $1k in a few hours only to regret the decision.

I'd definitely have more fun with a friend or SO, whichever trip you choose.  I'd probably go with Mexico over Vegas, and I've been to both multiple times.

[Heroes821]

Arizona. It's winter so the oppressive heat is not a problem.

The Grand Canyon is awesome to visit if you've never been, and should be an easy drive from CA. 

Also Sliderock Nation Park in Arizona: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g31352-d103915-Reviews-Slide_Rock_State_Park-Sedona_Arizona.html

I went when I was a kid (14 or 15) and it was a blast. I would totally do it again as a single adult.

Also there should be plenty of other interesting activities in that area of the country or along the drive. One week seems like a long time, but it's not really that long when you include travel time and probably a 1 day buffer of being home before work if you travel out of the country. 

Vegas was meh to me personally, but it's probably because of the MMM in me not wanting to Gamble.

[marielle]

Vegas isn't actually that expensive, but I'm not sure it's something you'd want to do if you're travelling alone. There are a few sights to see and such, but a lot of it is centered around food, shows, gambling, shopping, etc.

If you stay in Vegas on weekdays, Monday - Thursday is SUPER cheap. I'm talking like 4x cheaper than weekend rates.

You can get a week pass on the Monorail and see everything on the strip. Well worth it, because there is a lot of walking. Navigating the strip by car seems...difficult.

You get free drinks if you gamble, so you can sit at the $1 or $5 blackjack tables and play slow. Only if you can control yourself of course...

If you go to Vegas, maybe rent a car and drive to the grand canyon? Or spend $250 for a helicopter tour to the grand canyon (from Vegas)? The hoover dam is pretty cool, and a lot closer to Vegas. You can camp by the lake near the dam if that's something you're interested in. A couple years ago we accidentally found a dirt road that led to the lake with the rental car. I might be able to find it online if you're interested.

[nexus]

Mexico - Duly noted, I'll do some research.

Grand Canyon - I was in AZ in November and road tripped from Tucson to the Grand Canyon. I was only at the GC for a day, but saw a lot. I didn't get to see the sunrise/sunset though.

Car rental - Averages $30/day for a tiny car that'll get 30+mpg (Enterprise). Vegas to my town is just shy of 560 miles. Let's round up (600mi/30mpg) and say I use 20 gallons. 20 gallons * $2.75/gal (its $2.39 in my town right now) is $55. I could fly into Vegas using my flight credit, get up Thursday morning, rent the car, drive the 4-5 hours to the concert, stay overnight and then return the car on Friday evening. I can't imagine the rental + gas + general admission concert ticket running more than $200 combined. Still, sounds exhausting.

Vegas - I stay away from tables and just play penny slots. $20 takes a lot longer to blow through on those kinds of machines. Overall, the Vegas appeal just isn't there this time around. If I could sucker some friends into going with me, it would be a different story. I'm not a social butterfly so it would just be me wandering around. There are some local casinos I can go to instead. Sure, they lack the flare of Vegas, but I'll lose money there just the same and still be able to make it home in time for dinner.

Hm, I think I'm just a homebody. Maybe I can plan two or three individual day trips next week (MWF) instead. The more mellow and relaxing I can make next week, the better off I will be.