So my son and I were scheduled to go on a mission trip in March. It was originally postponed due to safety concerns and is now canceled altogether... Our airline tickets were non-refundable and non-transferable, and have to be used by 10-31-26.

Since the OB knows stuff, what are some good ideas for an inexpensive very last-minute 3-5 day trip with a 23 yr old? What would you do for $1000? or $2000?

I was thinking somewhere west like Colorado (hiking, fishing, kayaking) but I'm open to pretty much anything from freshwater, saltwater, mountains, and even a hunt if I can swing the funds. We've also talked about Big Bend, just letting the tickets expire and driving out there.

I would be focused on getting the value of the plane tickets out of it. Mission trip flights could be $$$$. Can you go international with the flight credit?

Thanks all for the ideas so far.

The trip was to Central America, ~$1000 each for air fare so yeah we could potentially go international. We could still do something like that but don't have a ton of extra money at the moment. Would also need to be relatively close to stay in the 3-5 day window.

This sounds awesome! We just went to Port O'Connor a few weeks ago and caught reds and trout.

Is this the outfit you used? https://marvidacabo.com/

Great looking fish! Were y'all on the Oso Blanco?

RED AG 98 said:

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Great looking fish! Were y'all on the Oso Blanco?

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We originally booked a boat that was the equivalent size of the Oso Blanco. As our trip got closer, they let us know that boat was no longer in their fleet. So they put us on the Never Give Up. But they honored the Oso Blanco price. Good example of them being a quality outfit.

I need to add that the seas were very rough. You do need to use some seasickness prevention.

Dramamine? Patches? Bracelets?

Sadly, we didn't do anything for the Cabo trip and we suffered for it. Just had never needed it before. Good thing the fishing was good.

I've been on one more trip since then in the gulf. Did the scopolamine patch and it worked great.

That sounds pretty cool. We have have zero fly fishing experience -- is that ok? We could probably hit local shop a few times for beginner lessons beforehand but obviously there's not a lot of time to learn much...

Is this the outfitter you used?
https://fishcolorado.com/

RED AG 98 said:

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That sounds pretty cool. We have have zero fly fishing experience -- is that ok? We could probably hit local shop a few times for beginner lessons beforehand but obviously there's not a lot of time to learn much...

Is this the outfitter you used?
https://fishcolorado.com/

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I went to Durango last Fall, absolutely awesome time! I fished, rode horses, ate at tons of great places, hiked and watched football at the local bars. You can't beat the weather or scenery this time of year. Next time I go I'm gonna do the train ride.

RED AG 98 said:

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That sounds pretty cool. We have have zero fly fishing experience -- is that ok? We could probably hit local shop a few times for beginner lessons beforehand but obviously there's not a lot of time to learn much...

Is this the outfitter you used?
https://fishcolorado.com/

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Check out a kayak/fishing trip on the Devil's river here in TX. They have guided treks in your price range and provide a lot of the gear you'll need.

I haven't done it yet but it's on my list of things to do with my sons.

Cabo is fantastic and reasonably priced. We fish with El Budster

On my list for sure! Trying to use these airline tickets first but will absolutely circle back. New hobby for us and we're hooked.

My dad and I always bonded over baseball. We have taken a few trips over the years, A&M/Tennessee finals of college world series, we are huge cardinals fans so we went to see cubs/cardinals at Wrigley right before they renovated and put in jumbotrons. We also went on a week long road trip to see baseball hall of fame induction, football hall of fame and Gettysburg all in the same week. I think baseball hall of fame was my favorite I got to hear all his stories about where he saw each player plan as we went through the hall. Lots of stories about Musial, Ted Williams and seeing Maris hit a home run in 1961. Really cool experiences.

We also had a trip planned to attend old yankee stadium before they tore it down and something came up and couldn't go, still wish we could have made that one.

Leadville Colorado
Fishing, four wheeling, hiking

We've done this a bunch too. Lots of games at Olsen, 3x to the CWS in Omaha together, and lots of games in Houston and Arlington both as well.

I'm going to throw a trip to the Ozarks out there. My wife, 3 kids and I drove up to Jasper, AR in July for a quick summer vacation, and it was amazing....and very cheap. We always prefer to drive, if possible, but if you have plane tickets to use you could fly into Little Rock.

We booked a super nice 3-bedroom 2 bath house on 150 acres with direct access to the Little Buffalo River. The price...a whopping $346/night. There is a grocery store in town, so we only packed clothes, fishing poles and booze (Newton County is dry). The Little Buffalo River is awesome, and that is where we spent most of our time since our kids are still pretty young; however, there is a ton of hiking and other things to do in the Ozark National Forest. We did some hiking on easy trails, but those still weren't exactly a walk in the park. I would have loved to do some of the more challenging trails, but that wasn't possible with an 8, 6, and 5 year old. With as beautiful as it was during summer, I can only imagine what it looks like in the fall with the cooler temps and leaf color changes.

Not sure if this is what you are looking for; however, for the price you can't beat it. All of us had an amazing time and it's probably our best vacation to date. We will definitely be doing this trip again.

link for the house?

Julia Pruitt Garden House on Spider Branch Creek - Cottages for Rent in Jasper, Arkansas, United States - Airbnb

Bird Poo said:

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RED AG 98 said:

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That sounds pretty cool. We have have zero fly fishing experience -- is that ok? We could probably hit local shop a few times for beginner lessons beforehand but obviously there's not a lot of time to learn much...

Is this the outfitter you used?
https://fishcolorado.com/

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Check out a kayak/fishing trip on the Devil's river here in TX. They have guided treks in your price range and provide a lot of the gear you'll need.

I haven't done it yet but it's on my list of things to do with my sons.

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Ooh this is a good one too. Done it 3 times. Last trip was this past June and everyone left the water ready to go again already. If I didn't have a baby coming in the spring I'd already have another trip booked

What outfitter did you use? I want to do a trip with my son.

What airline, what is your home airport?

ccbluewater said:

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Red Ag - Not sure which airline you booked through but in the past I have had some United travel credits that were set to expire, and I re-booked a couple of random flights for around the same value that were within the original travel deadline. After waiting a week or so I would cancel again, and the new travel credits would have a further extended deadline. Have done this a few times with no issues but last time was probably 1.5 years ago. Also, when I tried canceling within a day or two of rebooking it wouldn't extend the travel deadline. May be worth trying if you guys decide not to use the current tickets for another trip.

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Great idea! I had wondered about this and may give it a shot. It is United so maybe there's a chance this still works...

United. Austin is closest but really any of Austin, San Antonio. Houston or Dallas is fine.

Fly from Austin to Grand Rapids, MI.

Beer City, USA

Salmon run (along with Steelhead and Brown trout) in rivers along Lake MI,

Peak Fall Color in second half of October.

Visit Traverse City for beer/wine/restaurants, etc. Could even travel north to Makinac Island and the Makinac bridge. Sleeping Bear Dunes up there, too.

Even jump to Lansing for an MSU game for Big10 flavor, WMU football in Kalamazoo for a MAC game (cheaper).

I could put you in a bow stand or duck blind if you feel like hunting. We should definitely find some birds, deer are hit and miss.

Apple orchards and cider mills are hopping in October too.

I just got back from a trip to Bend, Oregon and there is a lot you can do there with your son. We did a day of guided fly fishing on the Crooked River and it was great. We had done very little fly fishing before but the guide walked us through casting techniques and had us on fish within about 30 mins of getting in the water. Being a total beginner would be no problem and you will catch fish. There are lots of hikes, mountain biking, rafting/kayaking, etc up there this time of year.

We flew United from Austin to Redmond, OR via SFO on the way out and LAX on the way back. Very convenient and uneventful flights.