Ideal Vacations: Galveston Island, Texas, Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon

You don't have to fly to Hawaii for fun in the sun (and rack up a steaming pile of credit card debt paying for the trip). There are plenty of easy-to-reach, cheap vacation options right here in the continental United States. The options listed here are just a drop in the bucket - but they're enough to get you started.

Galveston Island, TX

Does the name Texas make you think of warm, sunny beaches? It will once you've been to Galveston Island! Boasting such events as a Summer Beach Concert Series and the AIA Sandcastle Competition, Galveston Island makes a great family-friendly vacation spot. Schlitterbahn Water Park is the first year-round convertible water park, with indoor sections for use during inclement weather - so you can recline in the 80-degree waters of the Wasserfest Heated Indoor Season and enjoy that tropical feeling even if the skies outside refuse to cooperate. What's more, you can have your sandy beaches and warm Gulf waters for a fraction of what you'd pay at most Florida resorts. And Galveston Island is located just an hour's drive from Houston, for those who enjoy the big city nightlife - not to mention big city shopping.

Las Vegas

In Las Vegas you can soak up all the sun you can stand, and the nightlife has to be seen to be believed. For the vacationing family with children, Circus Circus makes a great place to stay - an entire floor of the hotel is dedicated to carnival-style games for the kids. Food and lodgings tend to be incredibly cheap in Vegas, so if you can avoid the urge to gamble away your paycheck you'll be amazed by how little you spent on your vacation here. After all, the 39.2 million people who visit Las Vegas annually can't be wrong.

Grand Canyon

When you're done having fun in Vegas, hop over to Arizona for a tour of the amazing Grand Canyon. After all the big city hustle-and-bustle you'll be ready to enjoy the spectacle of awesome natural beauty. Most visitors stay at the South Rim, where you can hike the Rim Trail all the way to the bottom of the canyon and back in two days. The North Rim is considerably higher and at 8,000 feet of elevation is not recommended for visitors with breathing or heart problems; however, if you don't mind the height the view of the Canyon from here is breathtaking. And if all that hiking makes you a little too warm, you can always join a guided river raft trip. Rafting options are available for novices and experts alike and range from smooth to white water.