10 Cheapest Memorial Day Getaways

By Maggie Seaver
May 21, 2019

Memorial Day Weekend officially marks the beginning of rooftop and beach season—and it’s finally upon us! The arrival of this much-needed long weekend is the perfect excuse for a mini getaway, if we do say so ourselves. Headed anywhere fun for the long weekend? Or are you short on plans and kind of wishing you’d put something in the books? Good news: It’s not too late to book a last-minute Memorial Day Weekend trip that’s both relaxing and easy on your wallet.

Discount travel booking site Priceline combed daily hotel rates from all over the US to curated its 2019 list of the most affordable places to visit over MDW. If you weren’t sold on a weekend trip before, these affordable travel recommendations might inspire you to get that carry-on bag out of the closet.

And the top 10 most affordable Memorial Day Weekend destinations are…

1. Houston, Texas

2. Minneapolis, Minnesota

3. Dallas, Texas

4. Orlando, Florida

5. St. Louis, Missouri

6. Atlanta, Georgia

7. Anaheim, California

8. Denver, Colorado

9. San Antonio, Texas

10. San Diego, California

Taking budget aside for a second, Priceline also culled a list of the most popular Memorial Day Weekend destinations (and Dallas made both lists):

1. Chicago, Illinois

2. Atlanta, Georgia

3. Las Vegas, Nevada

4. Houston, Texas

5. Dallas, Texas

Traveling with the fam? Priceline names New York City the most popular Memorial Day Weekend destination for families based on last year’s long weekend bookings. Two of the top five family vacation destinations were also on the “most affordable” list, making them ideal spots for a fun-filled and reasonably priced family trip: Orlando, Florida, and Denver, Colorado.

Choosing an affordable destination is probably the best way to cut back on travel expenses, so don’t turn your back on one of these well-priced locales for a last-minute getaway. But if you’re looking for other ways to curb spending while sightseeing, check out these money-saving travel hacks from NerdWallet—even if your trip’s last-minute. In fact, oftentimes planning a trip down to the wire can save you big time, and these tips prove it.

1. Wait to Book a Hotel Room: If you can stand waiting, being flexible and patient when it comes to accommodations could really save you. Try using an app like HotelTonight to score a fabulous hotel room at a fraction of original cost.

2. Track and Compare Flight Prices: Don’t book your flight just yet—use airline aggregate services like Priceline, Skiplagged, Google Flights, or Hopper to find the absolute cheapest date, time, and airline to fly. (Set up phone alerts to ping you when flight prices drop).

3. Do Free Stuff: Wherever you go, do a little digging to find the coolest free activities and entertainment in your destination. A great (and unexpected) place to start is actually the library, NerdWallet suggests. Some big-city library systems, including Seattle, Boston and Chicago, offer free passes to local museums, zoos, art galleries, and science centers. Also, take advantage of debit or credit card travel perks. For example, Bank of America card-holders get free admission to over 200 museums in the US on the first weekend of every month, thanks to its Museums on Us program.