Four Budget Vacations Ideas for Under $1000

For those with more time on their hands, we recommend taking a repositioning cruise. Every now and then, a cruise liner needs to change locations to meet demand, so it takes an overwater journey from one port to another without returning to its original port of departure. You get to spend more time at sea but also visit less popular ports of call and save money while doing so.

For example, Norwegian’s Norwegian Star takes a 14-night trip on March 30 from Los Angeles (San Pedro) to Miami and makes stops in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico; Acapulco, Mexico; Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala; San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua; Puntarenas, Costa Rica; and Cartagena, Colombia, via Panama Canal. Inside cabins are selling for $679 per person. Depending on where you live, positioning flights might run you $200 to $300. For example, if you’re as far away as New York City, Google Flights can get you there for around $200.