Just because the economy isn’t what it used to be doesn’t mean a summer vacation isn’t completely out of the picture. Stretch your budget as far as it will take you at one of these eight summer travel destinations. Choose from west coast metropolises or southland gems for a summer getaway that you won’t have to scrimp on.

1. Asheville, North Carolina

With three airports – Asheville, Greenville-Spartanburg, and Charlotte Douglas – you can compare ticket prices to find cheap flights. Search ExploreAsheville.com, Asheville Travel Blog, and Asheville Budget Travel Planner to get low rates on local hotels and attractions. And if you can fly in with discount airfare, you may be able to afford a rental car for a few days to cruise the all-popular Blue Ridge Parkway, making your trip both memorable and affordable.

2. Los Angeles, California

Hundreds of flights arrive and depart from Los Angeles every day and new airlines, as well as existing airlines, are opening up flights to the city all the time, meaning many more options for you to find cheap airfare. Look to Delta, AirTran, or Southwest to find the lowest price airline tickets. Some of the more popular attractions in LA may be busier this time of year, but if you plan your outings around the peak visiting times you’ll be fine and you may be able to get some sizeable discounts.

3. Yellowstone

If National Geographic can do Yellowstone for cheap, so can you. Summer is a great time to travel to this breathtaking national monument because the weather is beautiful, almost all the park’s roads are open for travel, and the animals will be out from hibernation. Search for cheap flights into either Wyoming or Montana airports, pick a hotel outside of the national park, and stock up on your own food once you get there so you can bring it in for picnics during the day to save some cash.

4. New Orleans, Louisiana

With New Orleans still not completely rebuilt, the city is teeming with great deals. Room rates can sometimes average $133 at a three-star hotel and airline ticket prices as well are going to be low, especially during hurricane season. If you can save on your flights and your hotel than you can really splurge on all the amazing food the city has to offer.

5. Atlanta, Georgia

You know you’re going to be able to find some cheap tickets when you’re flying into the biggest airport in the country, especially considering American, AirTran, Continental, and Spirit have all recently offered discount airfare. You can get the Atlanta City Pass to save money on many of the city’s numerous attractions and you can find some great deals on hotels through the discount airfare sites we just mentioned.

6. Las Vegas, Nevada

Hotels on the strip are suffering and are practically dying for your business, so their rates are low, low, low. And with airlines like Southwest offering tons of flights and seasonal internet sales, you’ll be sure to find low-price airline tickets. Check out the day-of ticket distributors once you get there to get half-priced tickets to Vegas’ top shows. You can live like The King would have while without the cost.

7. Scottsdale, Arizona

The thought of vacationing in 115 degree weather isn’t always too enticing, but when you realize that the city’s highest-class resorts will be cutting their rates down nearly half, and sometimes even more, Scottsdale becomes a destination that’s hard to pass up. Our advice is to stay in the pool all day, or cruise one of the city’s many air conditioned malls, and then soak up the entertainment at night. U.S. Airways is headquartered in Phoenix, so it often offers discount airfare, and Southwest always has cheap flights going in and out of the city.

8. Denver, Colorado

Cities like Denver that thrive on skiers and snow bunnies in the winter still have plenty to offer in the summer, including deals and discounts. You can hike the mountains you’d normally ski, horseback ride, and check out the U.S. Mint and the Denver Zoo. Best of all, Southwest always offers cheap flights to Denver, and now you’ll be able to choose from the discount airfare offered by Frontier and United, which consistently battle for the cheapest airline fares.

And remember, it doesn’t have to be a recession for you to be able to travel frugally. If you can’t make it to one of these affordable travel sites this summer, they’ll be just as wallet friendly this fall or even next summer.

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