u/Evening_Wrangler_830

Hiii guys! My bf and I are college students planning a trip to Seattle for our 5-year anniversary this August. We’ve been looking at hotels/Airbnbs and some of these prices are kinda insane 😭

Does anyone know of any hidden gem stays, budget hotels, or good areas to stay in either in Seattle or nearby? We’re okay staying outside the city too, especially if it’s near the light rail since we’d probably use that as our main transportation.

We’re hoping to stay under $200/night if possible for 2–3 nights. Any recommendations or areas to look into (or avoid) would be super appreciated. Thanks!!

Hi guys! My bf and I are planning a 5-day road trip in August from Reno to Seattle and back. We have never done a road trip this long before, so this will be a big one for us (the most we've done is Las Vegas -> Reno).

We want help figuring out the best route and must-see stops along the way there and/or back. We are open to inland routes, coastal detours, or mixing both!

We are also broke college students, so we're mainly looking for free/low-cost stops like hikes, viewpoints, and small towns :P

We’re also trying to figure out good cheap places to stay overnight along the way (small towns/cities that are affordable but safe) since we’ll likely break up the drive instead of doing it all in one shot.

Here's a rough plan of what we want to do:

• Drive Reno → Oregon (overnight stop somewhere) → Seattle
• Spend 2–3 days in Seattle (one day being a day trip to Mt Rainier for hiking)
• Drive back to Reno (overnight stop in Oregon again?)

Some questions:

• What are the best scenic stops between Reno and Seattle?
• What are good budget-friendly towns/cities to stay in along the route?
• Is Cannon Beach realistic for this trip or too much driving?
• Any routes we should prioritize over just taking I-5 both ways?
• Do we need an AWD car for this route in August, or is a regular sedan fine?

Thanks!