Have you had a US holiday on a tight budget....

[Pengyslittlebrother]

I guess "tight budget" is relative... I suppose I'm thinking closer to a couple of thousand (plus spending) rather than £6-7k (which I imagine is still at the modest end for a family trip.) Generally that you consider you did it cheaply and it was a success.

I've spotted flights totalling £1000 (3 of us, May) and wondering if it isn't a pipe dream after all.

Where did you go, what did you do?

@MrsGrindah so throw a few Robinson's Squashed in your bag and use those if you/your DC are too precious to drink water. If the OP is on a tight budget wasting $$$$ on fizzy drinks is hardly a priority and if you're thirsty water is the best thing you can drink.

@MrsGrindah I last got a taxi in NYC in October. Use the subway if they're too pricey.

Hang on. Nobody’s being precious. I was just making the point that soft drinks are expensive. You know just trying to be helpful.

We’re about to go. I can’t imagine doing it for much less than we’ve paid. 3.5k Maybe we could reduce hotel costs as we do need two rooms, and have gone mid range.

But looking this morning at the price of tourist passes and cost to get in, I can see the 1k spends we set aside, disappearing very quickly.

I last got a taxi in NYC in October. Use the subway if they're too pricey.

We will, have a wheelchair. I’m thinking subway won’t be an option for us. ☹️

America the beautiful is a pass that covers all national parks which can save you money if you visit a few. We camped in a ready set up camp in national parks or cheap motel/ air BnB just outside. Vegas can be surprising cheap to stay and eat. We did a road trip LA to LA plenty of options - suggest checking travel agent itineraries for ideas e.g trailfinders

@Yabbers you're right, the subway won't be an option for you. NYC subway is very un-wheelchair friendly. It's all steps.

I've been to New York, Orlando and San Francisco (separate trips) as a lone partner with one dc on a reasonably tight budget. Never hired cars used either Uber or Lyft both of which are really reasonable or the subway in NYC.

Food/drinks/entertainment can really be as cheap/expensive as you make them.

The only think I would say as it sounds like you are also travelling as a single adult is to really look at reviews of neighbourhoods and cheaper accommodation as I did want to feel safe coming back to hotels etc in the dark on my own with dc.

This is all really helpful thanks. I'm going to be on a train soon and will read properly.

I had a vague idea of the coast between San Francisco and LA being a good trip. Adding the car on with flight seemed really cheap (the flights I checked were BA but would obviously search around).

I wonder how daunting NYC is compared to other cities. Have stayed in London lots with DC and we often stay in premier Inn in a well connected not fancy place. But I know it well and London is I assume much more manageable than NYC anyway. London musuems are all free so it's a pretty cheap place to be.

We tend to eat fairly cheaply on holiday - sandwiches in parks, street market food etc. Just add more sweets/ice cream than usual to make it fun. One/two restaurant meals. I know that might sound tight but it has always seemed fun enough.

I need to research and have lots of time while I save to do so!

I've just booked nyc for myself and partner in Jan. 4 nights in a 'naice' hotel (Hilton central park) for £1300. We spent 120 extra on seats with leg room and are budgeting 800 for entertainment and food on top. I think it's possible if we're frugal and use discounted multi-experience tourist card things

Fly into somewhere cheap like Pennsylvania or Ohio, pick up a rental car and drive. Greyhound buses are dire, trains not as good as over here. Stay in cheap motels, eat at diners.

Obviously the most expensive thing about NYC is the accommodation. Friends of mine rented a VRBO in Brooklyn for a week; very affordable. Took the subway into manhattan.

If you're not looking at fine dining and staying at the Ritz, it's very doable. Food trucks, etc., make it all the more so.

I live in the Midwest and NYC is one of my "cheap weekends" away. Definitely shop around for good value accommodation; bearing in mind that NYC hotel rooms are typically tiny. With a couple of kids I'd definitely be looking at Air BnB or VRBO. Good luck!

But I know it well and London is I assume much more manageable than NYC anyway.

NYC is dead easy to manage, honestly., because of the grid system. Share a room with your kids, eat slices of pizza for lunch or get a big deli sandwich with fries and share - portions are huge. Lots of street food markets in the evening - Bryant Park and Herald Square areas. And NYC is about walking and looking. Staten Island ferry is free - we had a great memorable pizza on the other side. Get metro cards for the subway. It'll be more than a couple of thousand but not 5k.

I found NY much easier to navigate than London! All on a grid, streets run numerically. Even the subway was easy (some good apps make it even easier)

You would need a car in LA.
I would suggest New York. I think it's cheaper than California. It's a shorter flight and lots to do for free and cheap places to eat and you dont need to drive . You can book a transfer or take train from the airports.

Went to NYC for my 40th in mid June, couple years ago and we had a small budget, only decided two months before that we were going. Stayed at the Holiday Inn on 57th street, spent around £1000 on package deal and around £800 in dollars but we were only there 3 days

Have you looked at Washington DC if you like museums?

We’ve been to NYC pretty much every year since 2013, it’s as expensive as you make it. We usually get flights and a week’s accommodation for £800pp and once there we eat burgers, sandwiches, slices of pizza, etc. We both like that though, we’re not ‘sit down dinner’ people anyway.

An unlimited 7 day subway pass is $32.

I've been to LA and it was an expensive holiday. It's so spread out, there's no centre so we really needed a car. Plus food was expensive.

We spent less in NYC because we walked everywhere and just soaked up the atmosphere. We did splash out on some paid stuff like top of the rock but there's lots to do for free (more than LA I think). We had a lovely reasonably priced hotel (pod39)