United States of America Travel Answers

I'll start with a place we unfortunately did not get to last year. We had planned on 5 nights on the Island of Dominica in the Caribbean last October, had plane tickets and bed and breakfast ready, but had to change plans because of a business opportunity. I'm not sure it would meet a true beach environment, but if you are looking for an uncrowded place you might want to check this island out. We would like to get there someday soon!

Can you provide us some information as to time of year? For lakes, I would suggest Coeur D'alene Idaho, St. Mary/Many Glacier area of Glacier National Park, and Lake Chelan, WA or Hood River, OR. For beaches, I would suggest renting a beach house in Crystal Cove, CA in Orange County, CA. However, it may be pricey, so not qualify. Nicaragua and Belize are great options for warm water and inexpensive budget.

It depends on what you ean by "summer", I'm guessing you are from the US so summer will be July / August effectively. May I suggest you have a look at the Philippines which has some of the most amazing beach locations? I realise it is not the best time of year to visit but I am just back from there and throoughly enjoyed it, even in so-called "wet" season.

Personally, I think if you're just looking for a beach and you're in the US already, it's hard to beat the Gulf Coast of Florida. The white, sugar sands that you saw at Dauphin Island extend well down the coast. I like the St. Pete area a lot because it's a nice city with other things to do aside from the beach and the coast faces west there (for sunsets). But I also like spending time in cities. I would say the same of Jacksonville though: nice beaches, low-key, not too crowded and a nice city behind it. Both certainly have people there, but I didn't think it was too crowded. There are also some beaches around San Diego that are mostly outside the tourist radar. Solana Beach is great because there's a nice beach, some hotels around, it's quieter than the party beaches like Pacific Beach, and you can get to Downtown San Diego by train in a half hour. My wife hated Nicaragua. But it's a developing country so, if you're used to what that means as far as the travel and experiences mean. The Caribbean side is supposed to be nice and less developed. But no waves. I liked the Pacific side, as far as the beaches went, and there are some decent accommodations.

"Summer" be aware that is hurricane season in Florida. This year, although we've had no tropical systems or hurricanes, we've had some of the most persistent rains & thunderstorms with some lasting 4, 5 and even 7 days at a time - that is NON-STOP! We finally caught a break yesterday for about 6 hours before another big storm blew ini. It's been raining nonstop with horrible lightning. This is pretty normal during summers here in Florida in the summer time. Wisconsin is good after late July or August when the sun has sufficiently warmed up the beaches/water.

I would like to recommend Bocas Del Toro, Panama, it is a very low key laid back, exotic, bohemian, cheap town that you don't use a car. You walk everywhere or take a boat to other islands. The weather is warm and humid, the water is warm, the food is good and the drinks are good and cheap. There are lots of xpats there too. They use the US dollar as their currency so you don't have to worry about the exchange rate. Good luck on your journey

Love you guys. Some good seeds here. To clarify, we are in the US and "summer" is the ten weeks from June 10 to August 20 that my wife has off from teaching school. Obviously, that shapes the scope of our travels for now.

San Diego. Great city. Lived in Point Loma for 3 years. I go back every chance I get. For me, being a beach type of person, I fell in love with old Cape Cod. Stayed in East Sandwich at the Earl of Sandwich, which not only was laid back, but quaint. A lot of history nearby in Plymouth with lighthouses throughout the Cape. The seashore is a lot different than in California with the beaches having marsh grasses and flowers growing right out of small sand dunes. Each village along the shores of the Cape Cod area has their own history and beauty. Check out my Vt pages for my reviews at: "ENTRANCE TO CAPE COD" - East Sandwich by travelgourmet Also check out all the tips on the Virtual Tourist Travel Guide for all the cities and towns of Massachusetts including the historic town of Plymouth, near East Sandwich and the Cape Cod towns at: Massachusetts Travel Guide

Well, if you decide to get some beach time in North American winter, there are some amazing beaches in Brazil. The smaller towns are better, but the smaller the town the better yor Portuguese needs to be. Something along the Traverse City or Big Bear Dunes area of Michigan might be worth looking into. I've heard great things about Roatán, but have never been there.

Lake Michigan is absolutely gorgeous especially around Traverse City. So relaxing