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8 Affordable U.S. Destinations for 2024

If you’re a budget-conscious traveler, these locations will keep money in your pocket

people biking by saguaro cacti in tucson arizona
Tucson, Arizona, makes our list of affordable destinations for 2024. Cycling and walking tours are good ways to explore the city.
Visit Tucson
By

Elaine Glusac,

 
AARP
Published November 13, 2023

In the upcoming new year, Americans will travel more, according to Hilton Hotels. Its 2024 forecast notes that 64 percent of respondents to a recent survey said they plan to spend more on travel in the new year, even if it meant cutting back elsewhere. If your new year also entails minding a budget, the following eight destinations offer on-trend travel choices around the country at affordable prices. Bear in mind that prices may change seasonally, so plan ahead to get the best deal.

fried halloumi cheese at the basque market in boise idaho
Sample Basque cuisine at the Basque Market in Boise, Idaho.
Chad Case/Visit Idaho

Boise, Idaho

According to the most recent travel trends report from American Express, food is a top motivator for travelers, and 81 percent of survey respondents said they were looking to try local food and cuisines. For exciting and diverse meals at value prices, consider Boise, where entrepreneurial refugees from Afghanistan, Iraq, Ethiopia and beyond have found success running restaurants. Sunshine Spice Café, an Afghan bakery, has become such a fan favorite for its Turkish bagels, pistachio baklava and saffron cookies that the four Shams sisters behind it plan to open a second location downtown. A previous immigrant wave, from the late 1800s, drew Basque migrants to the region, and their contributions still spice up the culinary scene. Try the house-made chorizos plate at Ansots ($18). The new Avery Hotel revives a 1910 inn including a tavern, which can be entered from the hotel’s alley.

the exterior mendenhall museum in buellton california
Mendenhall Museum in Buellton, California, is devoted to vintage road signs and gas pumps.
Discover Buellton

Buellton, California

About 45 minutes from Santa Barbara in the Santa Ynez Valley, Buellton — once just a gas stop on the Central Coast — has new appeal in the form of wineries, restaurants and hotels. A family-friendly newcomer, the Vega Vineyard and Farm, which occupies a ranch dating to 1853, has goats and sheep that visitors can feed and live music in the gardens (wine tastings from $25). Visitors to Buellton can sample several wineries without leaving town at Industrial Way, a district of former industrial buildings now home to tasting rooms and restaurants. Between sips, head to the beach or visit Buellton’s quirky attractions, including the Mendenhall Museum, devoted to vintage road signs and gas pumps (tours $15), and OstrichLand USA, where travelers can feed the birds (admission $7). The new Hotel Hygge — named for the Danish concept of “cozy” — encourages socializing in the courtyard around a bocce ball court. 

people sitting at tables in the enclosed sculpture garden at the buffalo a k g art museum
The Buffalo AKG Art Museum enclosed its sculpture garden as a town square.
Sharon Cantillon/Visit Buffalo Niagara

Buffalo, New York

New York’s second-largest city holds its own in cultural appeal with new attractions that include the Buffalo AKG Art Museum, recently expanded to double its exhibition capacity (admission is $18 for adults, $16 for 62-plus; some areas free) and to reposition its newly enclosed sculpture garden as an urban town square. Shuttered by a fire last year, West Side Bazaar, a small-business incubator, recently reopened. It hosts a variety of budget-friendly ethnic restaurants, including Vietnamese, Egyptian and Burmese. From Buffalo, take a quick trip to nearby Niagara Falls, where a new $46 million visitor center is expected to open at Niagara Falls State Park in 2024, with a museum, outdoor exhibits and accessible paths (free). Set on 42 acres designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, Buffalo’s new Richardson Hotel occupies a former 1880-vintage state asylum where guests and visitors can take a free audio tour of the grand Romanesque complex.

people canoeing and paddleboarding on the white river in indianapolis indiana
Outdoor recreation in Indianapolis includes kayaking and paddleboarding on the White River.
Daniel Woody/Visit Indy

Indianapolis

After April 8, 2024, it will be 20 years before Americans will again be able to experience a total solar eclipse. Indianapolis, in what’s called the path of totality, has been deemed an official eclipse viewing site by NASA. The space agency will broadcast live from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (admission $15), while other celebrations will take place in parks and museums across the city (free). Home of the NCAA, Indianapolis will host the Olympic swimming trials (June 15-23) as the top American swimmers compete for a spot on the team bound for the Paris Games (tickets from about $56). Indy also offers plenty of outdoor recreation. Frank’s Paddlesports Livery rents kayaks and canoes to use on the White River (from $20), and in 2024, the city will complete a $100 million overhaul of its extensive bicycling network. In the 1888 train station, the Crowne Plaza Indianapolis at Union Station maintains original Pullman cars as rooms.

downtown macon georgia at sunset
Otis Redding, Little Richard and James Brown each got their start in Macon, Georgia.​
Visit Macon

Macon, Georgia

Expedia Group calls 2024 the year of “dupe” — or duplicate — destinations, which offer the appeal of the originals but with fewer visitors. In that category, consider Macon a musical stand-in for Nashville. Here greats including Little Richard, James Brown and Otis Redding got their starts. The recurring Macon Music Review show at Grant’s Lounge covers the classics ($10). In 2024, the new Otis Redding Center for the Arts is scheduled to open, including an outdoor amphitheater for public performances. Architectural highlights include the Greek Revival 1842 Inn, which has a complimentary cocktail hour featuring the house specialty mint juleps. Macon is also the gateway to Ocmulgee Mounds National Historic Park (free), preserving prehistoric American Indian ceremonial mounds and earth lodges. It is expected to be elevated to national park status.

brightline trains in the orlando florida station
Brightline train service recently arrived in Orlando, Florida, providing a car-free way to travel the state.
Brightline

Orlando, Florida

Booking.com says that 76 percent of travelers want to travel more sustainably. Now they have a way to do so in Florida. Brightline, the intercity high-speed rail line that connects Miami to West Palm Beach, was recently extended to Orlando. The train offers travelers a seamless way to connect to popular destinations in the state, including Fort Lauderdale, a hub for many low-cost airlines (the three-hour train trip starts at $79). Orlando will always be a theme park destination, but a number of new cultural developments offer entertaining alternatives, including the acoustically advanced Steinmetz Hall and the Fringe ArtSpace, a year-round venue run by the seasonal Orlando Fringe performing arts festival. The Meliá Orlando Celebration hotel caters to all ages with an infinity pool and a children’s center with arts and crafts.

people in bathing suits enjoying hot springs in saratoga wyoming
If you’re interested in a communal bathing experience, look no further than Hobo Hot Springs in Saratoga, Wyoming.
Wyoming Office of Tourism

Saratoga, Wyoming

Among the biggest trends in wellness travel — an explosive category expected to be worth $1.3 trillion annually by 2025, according to the nonprofit Global Wellness Institute — is communal bathing. Soak for free in Saratoga, about 125 miles west of Cheyenne, home to Hobo Hot Springs, a natural pool that’s open 24/7. Or book a spa treatment (from $85) to gain access to the tepee-shaded thermal pools at the Saratoga Hot Springs Resort. Set on the North Platte River between the Snowy and Sierra Madre mountain ranges, Saratoga attracts nature lovers with affordable ways to recreate, including hiking in the Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest and fishing in the area’s famous trout waters. Even skiing is a deal here; lift tickets at Snowy Range start at $49 (free if you’re 70 or older). The Hotel Wolf, established in 1893, still hosts travelers and slings drinks in the frontier-channeling saloon.

a historic house in tucson arizona
The Tucson Presidio Museum offers tours of Sonoran-style homes.
Visit Tucson

Tucson, Arizona

One of Tucson’s oldest neighborhoods, Barrio Viejo, will receive National Historic Landmark designation next year. Colorful adobe houses built between 1860 and 1900 fill the neighborhood, where architecture fans can take cycling or walking tours to get acquainted with Sonoran style, which features shady heat-resistant patios and courtyards. (The Tucson Presidio Museum offers walking tours from $20 to $30.) Take a self-guided tour of the local galleries and enjoy a coffee amid vintage typewriters at Exo Roast Co. Of course, there’s much more to see beyond the neighborhood, including some of the more than 350 species of birds that have been sighted along the Tucson Birding Trail. Trimmed in mid-century-meets-Western style, the Downtown Clifton hotel offers pedestrian access to central Tucson, including Barrio Viejo, and a lounge that locals have called the “living room.”

Elaine Glusac is a freelance writer in Chicago who regularly contributes to AARP.org and writes the Frugal Traveler column for The New York Times.

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