What’s up readers?

So you want to take a killer vacation this summer, but you’re a little short on the dough-re-mi, if you know what I’m saying.  You’ve scraped together some money from that part-time job, selling some of your worldly possessions on eBay and even doing a few things you aren’t too proud of to get just enough to hit the trail this summer.

You Could Be Walking This in Costa Rica

So where should you go? Where will your dollar stretch further than our friend Mr. Armstrong?

We’ve surveyed our travel experts and came up with 10 destinations to stretch your dollar the furthest this summer. Now it’s your turn.

STA Travel (courtesy of American Airlines and Albee Adventures) is giving away an adventure trip for two to Costa Rica.

What do you have to do to win?

1. Read the top 10 recommendations from STA Travel below.

2. Suggest your cheap destination for summer travel in the comment section below.

On Friday, April 10, we will select one comment with a cheap destination suggestion at random and at  5 p.m. CDT, we will announce the winner of the trip on the blog. Make sure to use a valid e-mail address when you comment as this is how we will contact you if you’ve won.

After the winner is announced, we will add the 20 best suggestions to the list below.

To get the juices flowing, here are ten of the cheapest summer travel destinations as recommend by STA Travel experts:

1. Buenos Aires, Argentina – Often called the Paris of the South, Buenos Aires offer similar beauty, but with less of a hit on your wallet. We’re talking about amazing wine for $2 and multicourse lunches for under $5.

2. Atlanta, Georgia – You’re staying domestic, so that cuts a little off of the airfare and you can stay cheap too, but combining the staples of breakfast and lunch in one meal is a real cash saver. Atlanta is home to the original Gladys Knight and Ron Winans’ Chicken & Waffles and you can find the delicacy in other parts of the city for less than $9.

Awesome View in Guatemala

3. Costa Rica - Considered an eco-oasis, Costa Rica is a mecca for those looking for adventure and eco-friendly travel. Besides the cheap and eco-friendly accommodations, Costa Rica’s public transport is dirt cheep, so you can ditch the rental car.

4. Miami, Florida – Miami is a cultural melting pot with inhabitants from all over the globe. One of the things they brought besides amazing food (can you tell we like food at STA?) is the concept of hostels. Miami is one of the few cities in the U.S. with a wide selection of hostels, starting at $19 a night.

5. Guatemala – When all of your friends are planning their trips to Jamaica or Acapulco, bring a new destination to the table – Guatemala. Ever since their economy started to pick-up in the late 1990s, Guatemala has become more modern and still flies under the radar of many travelers. Lucky for you, it is still an undiscovered destination and you can get a hotel for just $30.

6. Las Vegas, Nevada – Vegas, Baby, Vegas! Not only can you potentially make a little money on vacation, you can score tons of cheap meals and drinks. Many casinos offer complimentary drinks and I’m sure you’ve heard of the famous cheap buffets on The Strip.

7. Denver, Colorado - Free Beer. Is there anything else we need to say? Head to Denver and take the MillerCoors Brewery tour and get some free beer samples.

8. New Orleans, Louisiana - The Big Easy can be easy on your wallet, too. Besides the free people watching on Bourbon Street, you can get beer for only a buck.

9. Cancun, Mexico – I know what you’re thinking – How can some of the most beautiful beaches in the world be cheap? Right now, the U.S. Dollar is equal to about 13.55 Mexican Pesos, so you can partake in tequila shots for less than a dollar and score an all-inclusive resort for much less than you thought.

10. Cleveland, Ohio - Not traditionally thought of as an ideal destination for summer travel, the addition of the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame has made this place a, “must visit.” Plus, the city is full of cultural neighborhoods with cheap food of every origin from Polish to Irish and Italian.

Now it’s your turn. Add to our list and on Friday, we will announce the winner of the free trip to Costa Rica.

Costa Rica Photo Credit: baxterclaws on Flickr

Guatemala Photo Credit: AlphaTangoBravo on Flickr

Fine Print:

Two (2) 7 Night Costa Rica Land Only Packages. Winner can choose form one of three set 7 night itineraries: Manuel Antonio, Tamarindo, or Arenal & Tamarindo.  Award includes 7 nights lodging and shuttle transportation.  Passenger is responsible for meals, additional activities and any other fees or expenses.  Travel must be completed by 31 Dec 2009.  Blackouts may apply  26 -31 Dec 2009 .   All other terms and conditions apply.  This award has no cash value. (ERV $1600)

To continue with the movie theme from earlier today, we decided to examine some of our favorite movies for mentions of Miami – today’s destination in the Fastest Finger First Travel Bailout.

We each picked out our favorites and came up with our favorite Miami-related movies:

There’s Something About Mary – Mary, played by Cameron Diaz, the apple of Ted’s eye in the film, is an orthopedic surgeon in – you guessed it – Miami. With portions of the movie filmed in the Art Deco District, the distinctive architectural-style makes it easy to spot this Miami mention.

Ace Ventura: Pet Detective – Jim Carrey plays the Dr. Dolittle-esque Ace Ventura, a pet detective with a penchant for going the extra mile -  no matter the cost. (Usually his dignity.) The movie is based on the abduction of Snowflake, the live dolphin mascot for the NFL’s Miami Dolphins. Many of the scenes were filmed at Dolphin Stadium, which is now how to the MLB’s Florida Marlins, NFL’s Dolphins and University of Miami Football.

Bad Boys & Bad Boys II – An action-packed movie series starring Will Smith and Martin Lawrence, the first movie in this series filmed major scenes at the ultra-swanky Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables – a suburb of Miami. According to IMDB, if you pay attention in Bad Boys II, you can see them pass the Miami Herald building four times during the chase scene on Macarthur Causeway.

Transporter 2– If you’re a fan of action movies, you’ve probably seen this thriller starring Jason Statham. In this installment of the series, Statham’s character Frank moves from France to Miami. During the movie, they take off from an airport in Key Biscayne – although IMDB says one doesn’t actually exist – a small village connected to Miami by the four-mile Rickenbacker Causeway.

Do you have a favorite Miami-mention in a movie? Please share it in the comments below.

Photo Credit: Wyntuition on Flickr

While all those fat-cats on Wall Street take awesome vacations and have crazy parties after getting a government bailout, you’re sitting at home, right? Is that fair?

We don’t think so at STA Travel, so we came up with our own bailout, a Travel Bailout.

Instead of sitting at home while executives jet around the country, you can get your hands on roundtrip tickets to one of five destinations each day next week for just $100 round trip including taxes, fees and fuel surcharge.

The five destination cities offered will be:
– New York City, New York
– Los Angeles, California
– Denver, Colorado
– Miami, Florida
– Chicago, Illinois

At 10 a.m. CST each day February 9-13, on STATravel.com, the destination city for that day will be announced. Then at 12 p.m. CST, you can score a round-trip ticket for just $100 by being one of the first 20 people to call (800) 360-9273.

To qualify for the $100 ticket, you must:
– Be one of the first people to call (800) 360-9273
– Be a full-time student, teacher or under 26 years-of-age
– Own or purchase a $22 International Student Identity Card (ISIC), International Youth Travel Card (IYTC), or International Teacher Identity Card (ITIC) (These will be available at the time of purchase.)

That’s it. And if you miss the first 20, we aren’t going to leave you high and dry. STA Travel is also offering a limited time, online-only sale on one-way flights to the same destination offered in the offline sale for that day. One-way flights will be as low as $25 and round-trip flights as low as $50, depending on the destination and departure cities.

Thanks for reading,

Patrick

Marketing Communications @ STA Travel

Beach Photo Credit: doolittle1989 on Flickr

Money Photo Credit: tracy_olson on Flickr