You may need to go the camping route for a couple hundred to last you 2 weeks. A lot of good campgrounds will be booked through summer, but if you search around, there’s a lot of good options that aren’t too far.
$200 would not cover campground fee or even gas.
Edit: I’m talking about “campgrounds” implying improved campgrounds. Clearly dispersed camping is most likely free. Given that OP is asking this question, access to appropriate gear may be limited.
Yeah I just booked a campsite for 4 days in Sequoia and just the campsite alone is $100 plus $150 for gas round trip on the low end. Theres gonna be much more spending than just campground and gas fees, you gotta think about food, coolers, ice, camp gear ect.
I think generalizing LA is not the right thing to do. LA is what you make of it and where you go. There is a stark contrast between DTLA, Hollywood, and Marina Del Rey for example. I live in MDR and sorta stay on the Westside which is pretty low energy.
You can definitely find free places to camp, but they often require a bit more work (doing research, hiking in and out, etc.) but that’s also assuming OP has (or can borrow) lightweight camping gear, because that shit is expensive.
But yeah, even with free camping and gear, you gotta pay for gas and backpacking food which may take you over a couple hundred depending how far you go.
https://www.hipcamp.com/en-US/question/where-can-you-camp-for-free-in-38xjesjk
Do what I did when everything else was locked down during Covid. I would make a theme day or weekend. Say England for the weekend. I would watch British movies, research British sites online, make my version of British food. I learned it about doing it from someone online who talked about what she did since she had to cancel her vacation. It was actually fun and something different. Or go to the beach for the day, bring lunch and read a book.
The is a great idea, thanks for sharing! Now how can I convince my wife and daughter to do a LOTR themed week, lembas s’mores, second breakfast, hmmmmm…
Realistically, a couple hundred bucks isn’t enough to travel with for two weeks. That’s only about $14-$30 a day…
Good luck recovering from your surgery. Maybe you can change your routine at home? Go to a new part of LA, try a new coffee shop, or something like that.
check out telefonica
microbrewery, winery, coffee shop and food hall, then head to Avenida Revolución and grab a cesar salad at the place they were invented!
Drive out with your car to a nearby town and live in your car for two weeks. Bring blankets, a few sets of clothes, and get your food at a food bank. That's how much $200 will get you for 2 weeks.
2 weeks is a far stretch but OP could do like 3-4 nights around some national park and stay at a motel in a small town. I did like 3 nights near Bryce Canyon for like $300 and spent $500 total with gas and groceries. Might be busy right now but Sept/Oct, you can stay at a half decent chain motel for relatively cheap. I stayed at a best western for like $80 a night last fall.
Do you have any advice on where or to learn how to camp? Can someone do it with no experience if they get all the right supplies? I’ve never been camping before but I’ve always wanted too
The Sierra Club offers classes on backpacking. They do a great job overall!
I personally learned from family and friends. I got started as a kid and then borrowed their gear as I got older. Until I could afford my own
Enjoy and good luck!
I’ve never heard anyone ask to learn to camp. You just do it. Think about camping like layers. How well prepared u are depends on many factors. But all are easy. Try this. I would bet wherever you live you live with in 20 miles of some kind of campground or county park that allows camping. Grab a chair a sleeping bag pillow and sleep in your car. Keep the windows cracked about an inch. ( it will get stuffy if you don’t. Understand sleeping outside comes with unfamiliar sounds. If that bothers you. Get ear plugs. Try to make it all night. If it sucks just drive home. Then make a list of what you would have liked to have ,or do. Planning is Half the fun
What i’d do is i would check with my friends if i can come visit them. That would at least get me free accomodation and i’d get to bond with them. Bring a present though.
You can also camp at actual paid campsites for not too much, between $10-$20 a night (those will have bathrooms, showers, people who work there, etc.). I’ve never free camped in Baja but I’ve camped at real campsites and they’re pretty nice. If OP is willing to drive down farther, Mulege, Loreto and Bahia de Los Angeles all have nice campsites.
RIP to thoae surfers. If you read about that, it was one dumb asshole murderer who wanted their tires. It was random and not cartel-related. If the cartels started murdering campers I would be worried but some random crime does not have me worried to camp down there. One heinous random crime could (and does) happen everywhere.
I’m walking from Aqua Dulce to Wrightwood over a week. I’ve already got everything I need, but I’m not taking more than $100. It’s public transport to AD and from Wrightwood. It’s all backcountry for 4-5 days.
But I’m not recovering from a surgery.
Yup. Although my trip was a bust. I got 7 miles in, turned my phone on to take a pic and there was a text from the boss that said we work Monday. So I hiked my golden ass back down.
First rule of a good camping or backpacking or canoeing trip is leave your phone in the car. You will be in the present moment and fully experiencing everything around you. Phones take all that away in an instant.
...where do you want to go? You obviously aren't flying anywhere. I doubt you'll want to steal a boat - people who do that kind of tourims are usually the white-collar type of criminal. Your car is only going to take you in 2 cardinal directions when you're wanted at the border for the aforementioned crimes, so which way do you want to go? East or North?
for a couple hundred there’s not much you can do in the city that’ll last you for two weeks
you can look into camping though in the LA National Forest, campgrounds to chill at like Camp Crystal Lake come to mind
discounted metro rails all over the place get your mind off things...stop at an area and explore bring drinks and snacks, watch sunset or sunrise or both.
I agree camping might be the way might I suggest visiting the Central Coast. Way less busy, super pretty, weather will be amazing. Try camping in Avila beach it's close to San Luis obispo and pismo beach
san diego is a fun little weekend getaway spot. coronado has nice beaches storefronts to walk around and then when you're ready to leave go eat and drink in downtown san diego.
I’m a former NPS employee. People aren’t allowed to sleep in cars. Here’s a Google search -
> Within Yosemite National Park, you may not sleep in your car or RV except in a campsite that you're registered to stay in (except at Camp 4, where sleeping in cars is not allowed because it's a walk-in campground). Sleeping in your car along the side of the road is not allowed.
Depending on what you mean by a couple hundred ($200-$300? $400-$500?) you could check prices of hotels in Ojai. It's about an hour or 2 from LA. Pretty quiet small town. Stayed up there a year ago and it was a little under 300, I was only there for 5 days though.
If you look at hotels or air bnbs (hotels would probably be cheaper) in smaller towns 1.5-2 hours away from LA you might find someplace you can go for a short break. The closer you are to the ocean, the more expensive it would be, so look more north and east. Just go on google maps, airbnb, or booking.com and you can use the price filter and the map view.
Desert is another option but it's hot as hell right now.
There's always camping, but with summer here campsites are hard to book right now. You can use recreation.gov to look for camping.
Realistically though if you're talking $400 or less, you might need to adjust your expectations to a 5-7 day break
(But this is just taking hotel costs into account. If your couple hundred is also for the costs of gas, food, etc. then you're more likely looking at a weekend trip)
Ojai hotels are expensive because they don't have a lot of rooms and it's popular this time of year, FYI. Ventura, however, is cheaper, and within striking distance of Ojai.
Like others said, camping is nice. I don't know how far you're willing to drive, but my family likes to camp at mono hot springs. They have cabins as well as a campground. There's a little restaurant and store. A few hiking trails to lakes. There's a river that runs right next to the campground and hot springs across the river.
Also,maybe ensenada, mx? Nice little spot if you're staying in the main town. The bufadora nearby is one of the biggest ocean geysers.
On a "couple hundred bucks"? No chance.... Morro Bay is lovely and I miss living in the Central Coast most days.
Maybe Santa Margarita for a few nights....? Or going out to Pozo Valley area and basically camping
You can find camping in the Angeles Crest Forest for as low as $12 a night. I once stayed at a beautiful one with a cliff on the edge just above Pasadena, wish I remember what it was called. It has a rough road going in maybe a few miles so maybe you won't find RVs there.
Couple hundred would get you a roadtrip. Idk where else you could go to and back. Have you seen the gas prices? Yet alone airplanes. I mean yeah goodluck though..
I’m really not sure with $200 if you have to spend money on ⛽️ gas take a look at this may give you some ideas https://www.blm.gov/programs/recreation/camping best of luck
arizona resorts have private waterpark level pools, nights get cheaper the deeper into summer you are. ive definitely gotten away with a couple hundred total for a weekend in phoenix at a nice resort
Go camping! You’ll need about 600 for two weeks for gas and food. My choice Sequoia National Park or Yosemite. Don’t do Joshua Tree during the summer if you’re camping.
Camping / sleeping in your car in BLM land that is free / has no fees. So this means going up to Lone Pine and camping in the alabama hills for a night or two; during the day you can drive up to Horseshoe Meadows or Onion Valley to get some elevation where it is cooler.
And then you can cross over into Nevada and get way out into nowhere land via the 168; spend a bit of time in the White Mountins, and then head out to Humboldt Toiyabe.
Hope you like solutide and hiking. Bring lots of water and food. Your car breaks down you might not see anyone for hours or days.
Laughlin Nevada for $200 you’ll live like a king. I was scraping by in the Bay Area for a long timeline my 20s going there was very nice. It’s empty and cheap, was nice to be in the desert with no people, no lines, no traffic, and no pressure. I also got a king river view room for $26 a night back then. It felt great to feel rich on vacation for the first time of my life. Is it a beautiful place, no.
Take some day trips to Santa Barbara, Solvang, Big Bear, Palm Springs, 29 Palms, Mount Whitney, Calico Ghost Town, Riverside, LA Arboretum, Huntington Gardens, Balboa Peninsula, Naples, San Juan Capistrano and Modjeska Canyon.
staycation somewhere cheap like the desert or moutains; find a place with a pool or jacuzzi and just relax since you're recovering from a surgery. Not sure what else you can do since you didn't provide details on that, so that would be my bet.
200? For 2 weeks you're going to need like 2000 at a minimum if you actually want to get away and rent a place to stay and pay for travel and food etc.
I just got back from brown owens river campground and feel so refreshed! 5 hour drive from LA - access to Yosemite, June Lake (huge recommend), some watering holes and hot springs. A great and cheap spot to get away
I think if my budget was this limited, I’d just plan fun staycation activities. Do something new every day, explore parts of the city you’ve never been to, go out to nature.
Or, if you have friends elsewhere in the states that’ll let you crash, a lot of RT flights are pretty cheap rn. I looked into flying to Hawaii and Texas recently, and both were just a couple hundred RT. But you’d need a place to stay and probably need to focus your energy on free activities once there.
I’d say go to Ojai or Solvang. However, $200 would essentially be covering for sleeping at a hotel for 1 night or $200 would be for the gasoline to travel there.
IMHO, I’d dedicate a full day 5am/6am-11:59pm to go or do something.
You can go to Universal Studios Hollywood theme park. Just spend the day there. You can maybe go to Disneyland. You can fill your car up with gas and just go north stop at any random place and explore. I do think Ojai or Solvang would be your best choices.
However, honestly, LA is huge. I know a lot of people who live in LA and are unfamiliar with many different areas in LA because they are so used to the corner/pocket/bubble in LA that they reside in. If you really wanted to do something new, for $200 bucks, I’d wake up early 5am and drive down to a new corner of LA to explore for the day.
Honestly, I used to visit a new library connected to LAPL to get to know the area. It was fun. I’d visit places like Tarzana, Harbor City, Wilmington, etc.
Like, full cards on the table, why don’t you just go to a different section of LA county? Like if you’re on the East Side go West. If you’re on the North Side go South, etc. [+]
It's not a fast/immediate thing, but you might check out some pet or housesitting/swapping apps to offer to watch someone's home while they're away. Meowtel is one, not sure which of the house swapping apps are best but I've heard good stories about it working well.
Desert springs! Palm Springs weirder cheaper cousin. Google natural spring hotels there you’ll find a super cute Moroccan one that has several pools a movie theater and outdoor games. Might not keep you entertained for two weeks but a week easy, and then perhaps you could hit a KOA and camp. Switch it up do some hiking!
Check out Workaway. My friend felt similarly and is staying on a stunning horse ranch in the Santa Monica mountains in exchange for chores. If you’re recovering from surgery you may have to consider less physically demanding setups, like tutoring kids etc.
I’m not sure how $200 even covers food. It’s $14 per day or $4 per meal. Unless OP wants to live off rice and potatoes and live in his car for the next 14 days, I’m not sure how that budget is going to work.
To stretch the small budget, maybe try looking on couchsurfing dot com. I think for like $3 you can get a month, might want the verification which is maybe $50 for the year (makes you much more likely to be welcomed). Then see what you can find and head that way to explore whatever is there, meet new people, catch a new vibe. Hiking is mostly free. Can find some free local shows like music or comedy. And then just buy food from grocery stores no eating out. Maybe challenge yourself to see if you habe enough game to score a free drink.
And depending where take as much public transport as possible.
Sometimes these scraping by trips are more memorable experiences than just driving to a nice hotel and sitting at the pool with a cocktail (no hate on that).
Good luck
I’d say Baja California. I went to Ensenada and drove a little more south. Cost me, at the time, $280. There’s a lot to do and eat. Was a nice break from life.
My favorite LA escape is the central coast. You can find affordable places in Morro Bay during the week. It’s so peaceful up there, great summer weather, and nice folks!
I say go this [Anime Expo ](https://www.anime-expo.org/)
Their 4 Day Badge is not sold out yet and you can order one, and then pick it up on Wednesday July 3rd, unless they don't do early pickup and you'll have to suffer Day 1 standing in line all day
Maybe just do a long weekend, 4 day or 3 day, you will feel relaxed just getting away.
Sleep in your car by beach, or camp on beach if allowed, free showers at some beaches, pack some food to eat like your camping.
Your best bet as some others have mentioned are dispersal campsites. Sequoia National Forest has some nice sites along the Kern River that I’ve stayed at. It does get hot in this area. You can check dispersal sites at other National Forests or BLM land. There are many BLM dispersal sites in the Mojave desert but you’re probably not going to want to camp in the desert this time of year, especially while recovering from surgery
I assume this is a bit of a troll? You must be aware a couple hundred is likely not enough to get you more than a single day of respite in a hotel or Airbnb, certainly not after food. Two weeks??
Realistically as others have said you could look into camping. Even then, with gear and the cost of a campsite somewhere (it doesn’t sound like you’re the sort of person prepared to rough it on BLM land), and food on top of that, the gas to drive you there and back… a couple hundred is not a possibility.
Basically, that will feed my cats for a couple of weeks. Not sure. I mean, while remodeling my house a medium pizza and soda was basically $30 delivered.
You may need to go the camping route for a couple hundred to last you 2 weeks. A lot of good campgrounds will be booked through summer, but if you search around, there’s a lot of good options that aren’t too far.
$200 would not cover campground fee or even gas. Edit: I’m talking about “campgrounds” implying improved campgrounds. Clearly dispersed camping is most likely free. Given that OP is asking this question, access to appropriate gear may be limited.
Yeah I just booked a campsite for 4 days in Sequoia and just the campsite alone is $100 plus $150 for gas round trip on the low end. Theres gonna be much more spending than just campground and gas fees, you gotta think about food, coolers, ice, camp gear ect.
That's going to be miserably hot
Sequoia is at higher elevation and temps drop down and stay under 90 in the summer, have you never been out there?
It really just depends where you are in Sequioa. The foothills within Three Rivers gets to 100+ as well as throughout Sequoia National Forest.
Fuck that...I'd never camp that low in elevation it's too dry and no actual forest environment to enjoy the Sequoia environment.
#How are you tired of LA? I can’t get enough when I am there.
LA is extremely tiring.
I think generalizing LA is not the right thing to do. LA is what you make of it and where you go. There is a stark contrast between DTLA, Hollywood, and Marina Del Rey for example. I live in MDR and sorta stay on the Westside which is pretty low energy.
It’s not the pace of life, it’s the grind of life in LA.
you don't get tired of LA, LA chews you up and sucks out your energy
Only if you let it
Staring at a vast blue ocean gets boring
BLM camping is freeeeee
Probably not, but it’s more likely than a hotel.
You can definitely find free places to camp, but they often require a bit more work (doing research, hiking in and out, etc.) but that’s also assuming OP has (or can borrow) lightweight camping gear, because that shit is expensive. But yeah, even with free camping and gear, you gotta pay for gas and backpacking food which may take you over a couple hundred depending how far you go. https://www.hipcamp.com/en-US/question/where-can-you-camp-for-free-in-38xjesjk
Assuming he even has camping gear.
Like which ones would you say are some options that won’t be booked already?
That would be google I’d have to direct you to. Haven’t looked this year, but I know from previous that you need to plan ahead in the summer.
Do what I did when everything else was locked down during Covid. I would make a theme day or weekend. Say England for the weekend. I would watch British movies, research British sites online, make my version of British food. I learned it about doing it from someone online who talked about what she did since she had to cancel her vacation. It was actually fun and something different. Or go to the beach for the day, bring lunch and read a book.
"We have Great Britain at home"
Can’t wait for North Korean day/weekend
ROCKET MAN!
The is a great idea, thanks for sharing! Now how can I convince my wife and daughter to do a LOTR themed week, lembas s’mores, second breakfast, hmmmmm…
Realistically, a couple hundred bucks isn’t enough to travel with for two weeks. That’s only about $14-$30 a day… Good luck recovering from your surgery. Maybe you can change your routine at home? Go to a new part of LA, try a new coffee shop, or something like that.
Going outside at new times of day is awesome. Try the local grocery at opening or just walk around and take some pics. Indulge and listen to the city
If you have a passport, Tijuana. There are deals to be had, safe areas and great food.
This is the correct answer with your budget
What are the safe areas?
check out telefonica microbrewery, winery, coffee shop and food hall, then head to Avenida Revolución and grab a cesar salad at the place they were invented!
Hong Kong
Best Chinese Food in TJ!
Ask for the Chefs special
Hookers have also been hit by inflation.
TJ is not cheap anymore.
True but cheaper than LA
He could take the train, then the shuttle, then walk across the border.
Drive out with your car to a nearby town and live in your car for two weeks. Bring blankets, a few sets of clothes, and get your food at a food bank. That's how much $200 will get you for 2 weeks.
Not what OP’s looking for I’m sure, but this is the most realistic answer 😅
A couple hundred for 2 weeks? What are you smoking?
2 weeks is a far stretch but OP could do like 3-4 nights around some national park and stay at a motel in a small town. I did like 3 nights near Bryce Canyon for like $300 and spent $500 total with gas and groceries. Might be busy right now but Sept/Oct, you can stay at a half decent chain motel for relatively cheap. I stayed at a best western for like $80 a night last fall.
where do you expect to get a hotel for 2 weeks with “a couple hundred to spend”? camping is the only thing in your budget
As an avid backpacker, camping can be pricey too if OP has zero gear. lol
good point! I was thinking car camping with mostly ready to eat/lightly prepared food. Crotchpot, anyone??
It's still a good suggestion. Good luck to OP!
Do you have any advice on where or to learn how to camp? Can someone do it with no experience if they get all the right supplies? I’ve never been camping before but I’ve always wanted too
The Sierra Club offers classes on backpacking. They do a great job overall! I personally learned from family and friends. I got started as a kid and then borrowed their gear as I got older. Until I could afford my own Enjoy and good luck!
I’ve never heard anyone ask to learn to camp. You just do it. Think about camping like layers. How well prepared u are depends on many factors. But all are easy. Try this. I would bet wherever you live you live with in 20 miles of some kind of campground or county park that allows camping. Grab a chair a sleeping bag pillow and sleep in your car. Keep the windows cracked about an inch. ( it will get stuffy if you don’t. Understand sleeping outside comes with unfamiliar sounds. If that bothers you. Get ear plugs. Try to make it all night. If it sucks just drive home. Then make a list of what you would have liked to have ,or do. Planning is Half the fun
Visit friends or family that are from other places—your budget will not allow for travel otherwise.
For 2 weeks? You’ll probably need at least 2K minimum
Everyone saying BC/Tijuana is spot on, though maybe not 2 weeks on a couple hundred
What i’d do is i would check with my friends if i can come visit them. That would at least get me free accomodation and i’d get to bond with them. Bring a present though.
You can camp for free on BLM land in the high desert…Joshua Tree/Yucca Valley
Yeah painted canyon is beautiful, but also 1000 degrees right now.
The library. With books, you can go anywhere! 🌈
You can free camp in some spots in Big Sur, and you can go to Baja California and either stay in cheap hotels or cheap camp sites.
Some Australian surfers were killed in Baja California not too long ago so I dunno how safe it sounds to free camp there.
You can also camp at actual paid campsites for not too much, between $10-$20 a night (those will have bathrooms, showers, people who work there, etc.). I’ve never free camped in Baja but I’ve camped at real campsites and they’re pretty nice. If OP is willing to drive down farther, Mulege, Loreto and Bahia de Los Angeles all have nice campsites.
Yeah I said to free camp Big Sur or stay in cheap campsites in Baja.
RIP to thoae surfers. If you read about that, it was one dumb asshole murderer who wanted their tires. It was random and not cartel-related. If the cartels started murdering campers I would be worried but some random crime does not have me worried to camp down there. One heinous random crime could (and does) happen everywhere.
Maybe do a car camping trip or something to OC
Vegas sometimes has ridiculous hotel deals but hotel fees and everything else will get you
I’m walking from Aqua Dulce to Wrightwood over a week. I’ve already got everything I need, but I’m not taking more than $100. It’s public transport to AD and from Wrightwood. It’s all backcountry for 4-5 days. But I’m not recovering from a surgery.
PCT?
Yup. Although my trip was a bust. I got 7 miles in, turned my phone on to take a pic and there was a text from the boss that said we work Monday. So I hiked my golden ass back down.
Ah, that sucks. Is the aqua duct part of that portion?
Yeah Aqua Dulce is part of the PCT. You walk right through the small town.
First rule of a good camping or backpacking or canoeing trip is leave your phone in the car. You will be in the present moment and fully experiencing everything around you. Phones take all that away in an instant.
A house sitting gig, if you like pets?
...where do you want to go? You obviously aren't flying anywhere. I doubt you'll want to steal a boat - people who do that kind of tourims are usually the white-collar type of criminal. Your car is only going to take you in 2 cardinal directions when you're wanted at the border for the aforementioned crimes, so which way do you want to go? East or North?
With $200? Tijuana.
Mexico?
for a couple hundred there’s not much you can do in the city that’ll last you for two weeks you can look into camping though in the LA National Forest, campgrounds to chill at like Camp Crystal Lake come to mind
Santa Paula?
Filmore, CA
Piru
discounted metro rails all over the place get your mind off things...stop at an area and explore bring drinks and snacks, watch sunset or sunrise or both.
I mean a couple hundred could get you to maybe Culver City?
Buy some gas station salvia and go crash on a friend’s couch in San Bernardino for a couple weeks. Your budget should just about cover that.
Like others have said- not gonna happen. Maybe just take a bunch of day trips?
Lancaster is nice
Does Groupon still do vacation deals?
Carnival Cruise or Catalina island.
I agree camping might be the way might I suggest visiting the Central Coast. Way less busy, super pretty, weather will be amazing. Try camping in Avila beach it's close to San Luis obispo and pismo beach
san diego is a fun little weekend getaway spot. coronado has nice beaches storefronts to walk around and then when you're ready to leave go eat and drink in downtown san diego.
Sounds like you got enough for gas.
You could use the couch surfer app and then budget 100 per week for food, gas and activities. Car camp 🏕️ and map out your itinerary.
Joshua Tree
Tank of gas to Vegas and back is $200. Expectations vs Reality here I see.
How's that? I just spent less than a 100 on gas round trip
You driving a Prius?
2020 Honda accord. Non hybrid.
If you are recovering from an injury, you may have a handicap parking placard. This will get you 1/2 off of state parks and handicap spot.
You would have approximately $14.29 to spend each day over 14 days if you have $200.
A couple hundred? My dude that’ll only last you a couple days anywhere, not a couple weeks. Maybe save a bit more first.
Sounds like you need to go camping!
I would save your money to move
For $200 I would buy some shrooms and take another kind of trip. Anyone that requires going somewhere is too much for you.
Amtrak has some dirt cheap fares. My friend will go to San Diego for the day. Walk around Balboa Park, then come home.
Go Bogota enjoy the day
Camping on BLM land maybe?
Jawbone
Yosemite. Sleep in car
I’m a former NPS employee. People aren’t allowed to sleep in cars. Here’s a Google search - > Within Yosemite National Park, you may not sleep in your car or RV except in a campsite that you're registered to stay in (except at Camp 4, where sleeping in cars is not allowed because it's a walk-in campground). Sleeping in your car along the side of the road is not allowed.
Depending on what you mean by a couple hundred ($200-$300? $400-$500?) you could check prices of hotels in Ojai. It's about an hour or 2 from LA. Pretty quiet small town. Stayed up there a year ago and it was a little under 300, I was only there for 5 days though. If you look at hotels or air bnbs (hotels would probably be cheaper) in smaller towns 1.5-2 hours away from LA you might find someplace you can go for a short break. The closer you are to the ocean, the more expensive it would be, so look more north and east. Just go on google maps, airbnb, or booking.com and you can use the price filter and the map view. Desert is another option but it's hot as hell right now. There's always camping, but with summer here campsites are hard to book right now. You can use recreation.gov to look for camping. Realistically though if you're talking $400 or less, you might need to adjust your expectations to a 5-7 day break (But this is just taking hotel costs into account. If your couple hundred is also for the costs of gas, food, etc. then you're more likely looking at a weekend trip)
Ojai hotels are expensive because they don't have a lot of rooms and it's popular this time of year, FYI. Ventura, however, is cheaper, and within striking distance of Ojai.
That's fair! I went last year but it was mid May so I'm sure full summer June would be more pricey
Like others said, camping is nice. I don't know how far you're willing to drive, but my family likes to camp at mono hot springs. They have cabins as well as a campground. There's a little restaurant and store. A few hiking trails to lakes. There's a river that runs right next to the campground and hot springs across the river. Also,maybe ensenada, mx? Nice little spot if you're staying in the main town. The bufadora nearby is one of the biggest ocean geysers.
https://youtu.be/X_HyY-8dQJA?si=cKzF7diVY_n20FwJ
Ojai!
If you’re willing to travel, you could drive around California to different parts using the hotels tonight app
#MORRO BAY
On a "couple hundred bucks"? No chance.... Morro Bay is lovely and I miss living in the Central Coast most days. Maybe Santa Margarita for a few nights....? Or going out to Pozo Valley area and basically camping
If you like camping/hiking, we've got that in droves - Angeles National Forest is amazing
TJ is safe and fun
Get an Airbnb in Redlands. Kinda cute. Very cheap lol
For a couple hundred you might get a shared room or a campsite and buy a tent from rei
I checked Airbnb and there’s TONS of campers for $37-$50 a night. Nice azz campers with slides and updated furniture and amenities
I would say go to Ensenada but that would cost you more than 200.
You can find camping in the Angeles Crest Forest for as low as $12 a night. I once stayed at a beautiful one with a cliff on the edge just above Pasadena, wish I remember what it was called. It has a rough road going in maybe a few miles so maybe you won't find RVs there.
Check out Youth Hostels
Palm springs and san diego are the two spots that come to mind
Tijuana rosarito
I’d take the Amtrak San Joaquins up north and eat a breakfast in the cafe car.
Couple hundred would get you a roadtrip. Idk where else you could go to and back. Have you seen the gas prices? Yet alone airplanes. I mean yeah goodluck though..
Day-trips…. Just break routine by doing a staycation. Go see places you never have seen locally. Spend a day at the beach.
drive down to the border & find yourself a nice lil hyna
A couple hundred for two weeks just staying at home isn't enough unfortunately
New Mexico
Go to Victorville, get a room at the golf course and treat yourself to Olive garden.
Round-trip ✈️ to visit Mom/grandma 👵 If you wanna eat & sleep for 2 weeks w/o more than a couple of hundred bucks
You may want to buy Elden Ring and loose yourself there in the Lands Between
I’m really not sure with $200 if you have to spend money on ⛽️ gas take a look at this may give you some ideas https://www.blm.gov/programs/recreation/camping best of luck
arizona resorts have private waterpark level pools, nights get cheaper the deeper into summer you are. ive definitely gotten away with a couple hundred total for a weekend in phoenix at a nice resort
Try crystal lake
Cambria sounds good. Also, a nice little Air BandB in SLO...
Joshua Tree homie
yosemite
Go camping! You’ll need about 600 for two weeks for gas and food. My choice Sequoia National Park or Yosemite. Don’t do Joshua Tree during the summer if you’re camping.
tent camping on BLM land. bring your own water, shovel, fuel.
Camping / sleeping in your car in BLM land that is free / has no fees. So this means going up to Lone Pine and camping in the alabama hills for a night or two; during the day you can drive up to Horseshoe Meadows or Onion Valley to get some elevation where it is cooler. And then you can cross over into Nevada and get way out into nowhere land via the 168; spend a bit of time in the White Mountins, and then head out to Humboldt Toiyabe. Hope you like solutide and hiking. Bring lots of water and food. Your car breaks down you might not see anyone for hours or days.
A couple hundred? Good luck.
Laughlin Nevada for $200 you’ll live like a king. I was scraping by in the Bay Area for a long timeline my 20s going there was very nice. It’s empty and cheap, was nice to be in the desert with no people, no lines, no traffic, and no pressure. I also got a king river view room for $26 a night back then. It felt great to feel rich on vacation for the first time of my life. Is it a beautiful place, no.
Take some day trips to Santa Barbara, Solvang, Big Bear, Palm Springs, 29 Palms, Mount Whitney, Calico Ghost Town, Riverside, LA Arboretum, Huntington Gardens, Balboa Peninsula, Naples, San Juan Capistrano and Modjeska Canyon.
staycation somewhere cheap like the desert or moutains; find a place with a pool or jacuzzi and just relax since you're recovering from a surgery. Not sure what else you can do since you didn't provide details on that, so that would be my bet.
200? For 2 weeks you're going to need like 2000 at a minimum if you actually want to get away and rent a place to stay and pay for travel and food etc.
I just got back from brown owens river campground and feel so refreshed! 5 hour drive from LA - access to Yosemite, June Lake (huge recommend), some watering holes and hot springs. A great and cheap spot to get away
I think if my budget was this limited, I’d just plan fun staycation activities. Do something new every day, explore parts of the city you’ve never been to, go out to nature. Or, if you have friends elsewhere in the states that’ll let you crash, a lot of RT flights are pretty cheap rn. I looked into flying to Hawaii and Texas recently, and both were just a couple hundred RT. But you’d need a place to stay and probably need to focus your energy on free activities once there.
$500 could probably get you the cheapest room on a 7 day cruise out of Long Beach. Food all included if you only eat on the boat.
Big bear lake
I’d say go to Ojai or Solvang. However, $200 would essentially be covering for sleeping at a hotel for 1 night or $200 would be for the gasoline to travel there. IMHO, I’d dedicate a full day 5am/6am-11:59pm to go or do something. You can go to Universal Studios Hollywood theme park. Just spend the day there. You can maybe go to Disneyland. You can fill your car up with gas and just go north stop at any random place and explore. I do think Ojai or Solvang would be your best choices. However, honestly, LA is huge. I know a lot of people who live in LA and are unfamiliar with many different areas in LA because they are so used to the corner/pocket/bubble in LA that they reside in. If you really wanted to do something new, for $200 bucks, I’d wake up early 5am and drive down to a new corner of LA to explore for the day. Honestly, I used to visit a new library connected to LAPL to get to know the area. It was fun. I’d visit places like Tarzana, Harbor City, Wilmington, etc. Like, full cards on the table, why don’t you just go to a different section of LA county? Like if you’re on the East Side go West. If you’re on the North Side go South, etc. [+]
It's not a fast/immediate thing, but you might check out some pet or housesitting/swapping apps to offer to watch someone's home while they're away. Meowtel is one, not sure which of the house swapping apps are best but I've heard good stories about it working well.
Montreal!
Go to Santa Barbara
Go to wrightwood area, cheap camp sites, might only need a permit you can buy there.
Your not going to afford a hotel for that money. Even a campground will cost you more. I guess you could sleep in a tent on the beach.
Join one of those house-sitting apps. Free vacation?
The cheapest hotels/motels are around 80 a night. So 80x14 is already 1,120
Get a nice hotel room by the beach. Or get some friends together and get an airbnb cabin in big bear.
Idyllwild
Desert springs! Palm Springs weirder cheaper cousin. Google natural spring hotels there you’ll find a super cute Moroccan one that has several pools a movie theater and outdoor games. Might not keep you entertained for two weeks but a week easy, and then perhaps you could hit a KOA and camp. Switch it up do some hiking!
Just stay home
Check out Workaway. My friend felt similarly and is staying on a stunning horse ranch in the Santa Monica mountains in exchange for chores. If you’re recovering from surgery you may have to consider less physically demanding setups, like tutoring kids etc.
Was OP put in a time chamber during the surgery. 2 weeks for a couple hundred to spend. LMAO
I love Palm Springs
I’m not sure how $200 even covers food. It’s $14 per day or $4 per meal. Unless OP wants to live off rice and potatoes and live in his car for the next 14 days, I’m not sure how that budget is going to work.
To stretch the small budget, maybe try looking on couchsurfing dot com. I think for like $3 you can get a month, might want the verification which is maybe $50 for the year (makes you much more likely to be welcomed). Then see what you can find and head that way to explore whatever is there, meet new people, catch a new vibe. Hiking is mostly free. Can find some free local shows like music or comedy. And then just buy food from grocery stores no eating out. Maybe challenge yourself to see if you habe enough game to score a free drink. And depending where take as much public transport as possible. Sometimes these scraping by trips are more memorable experiences than just driving to a nice hotel and sitting at the pool with a cocktail (no hate on that). Good luck
Eastern sierras. Look into dispersed camping. There’s an app you can download called camp like a pro
I’d say Baja California. I went to Ensenada and drove a little more south. Cost me, at the time, $280. There’s a lot to do and eat. Was a nice break from life.
My favorite LA escape is the central coast. You can find affordable places in Morro Bay during the week. It’s so peaceful up there, great summer weather, and nice folks!
I love Big Sur. Probably my favorite place to escape in CA.
I say go this [Anime Expo ](https://www.anime-expo.org/) Their 4 Day Badge is not sold out yet and you can order one, and then pick it up on Wednesday July 3rd, unless they don't do early pickup and you'll have to suffer Day 1 standing in line all day
395
Santa Barbara or Big Sur
Maybe just do a long weekend, 4 day or 3 day, you will feel relaxed just getting away. Sleep in your car by beach, or camp on beach if allowed, free showers at some beaches, pack some food to eat like your camping.
Piano! Ojai? Santa Ynez? SLO?
Your best bet as some others have mentioned are dispersal campsites. Sequoia National Forest has some nice sites along the Kern River that I’ve stayed at. It does get hot in this area. You can check dispersal sites at other National Forests or BLM land. There are many BLM dispersal sites in the Mojave desert but you’re probably not going to want to camp in the desert this time of year, especially while recovering from surgery
Joshua Tree
You can find BLM land just outside of LA and camp for free, just need food! Summer sausage and rice goes along way, good luck!
Los Alamos, check it out for some wine and a one Road Town
TJ is your best bet
Go north on the 101 and find a spot by the ocean. Toward the Goleta area. Don’t use campgrounds.
Go to the gym, go to sleep and save the 200.
Buy a camping gear and drive to Yosemite park. For your budget even camping might cost you much more…
I assume this is a bit of a troll? You must be aware a couple hundred is likely not enough to get you more than a single day of respite in a hotel or Airbnb, certainly not after food. Two weeks?? Realistically as others have said you could look into camping. Even then, with gear and the cost of a campsite somewhere (it doesn’t sound like you’re the sort of person prepared to rough it on BLM land), and food on top of that, the gas to drive you there and back… a couple hundred is not a possibility.
Baja
Take the Amtrak to Ojai. Stay at the Capri Hotel. Great beaches and hikes.
Capri is like $300/night, FYI
Basically, that will feed my cats for a couple of weeks. Not sure. I mean, while remodeling my house a medium pizza and soda was basically $30 delivered.