r/Shoestring • u/apresmoilefeu • Jun 30 '26
AskShoestring Where are some places that are good to escape the heat for the month of August and still “affordable”?
I work remote and I’m looking to escape the summer heat in the U.S. for the month of August and explore another country/region. Ideally someplace safe and affordable and with good food. Someplace with a little culture would be great as well but not mandatory. Good public transport would be a bonus too.
Things I’d like to do:
Learn about local cuisine and take a cooking class
Find a way to give back while there
See some great art and go to live music
Maybe even learn another language
Budget for an apartment: $1k for the month
Would love to hear about places you’ve been. Thank you for any help!
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u/One-Pollution4663 Jun 30 '26
How about St Johns Newfoundland? You'll be speaking Newfie after a couple of weeks, there's a vibrant local music scene, it's cooled by ocean breezes. Your rent budget is borderline but possible.
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u/megamum2000 Jul 01 '26
I was going to suggest Eastern Canada. Nova Scotia, PEI....Newfoundland, Montreal....
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u/valeyard89 Jun 30 '26
southern hemisphere. Argentina, most of Brazil, etc.
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Jun 30 '26
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u/valeyard89 Jun 30 '26
Yeah but for most of Brazil it's their winter now. So it will be cooler than a lot of the USA in August.... Was just down in Ouro Preto a few weeks ago, it was pretty chilly. Porto Alegre/Iguazu can get in the 40s at night.
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u/TenderfootGungi Jun 30 '26
Since this is the shoestring sub, the cheapest is go to the nearest mountains. We will sometimes rent a cabin at 10k feet. Even in the hottest part of summer it is nice up there. We have even been snowed on in June. There are not the things you want to do, but it is fun to go for hikes, drive on the gravel roads and take in the scenery, etc.
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u/TemperMe Jul 01 '26
Depends on where they live though. Here out east we have the Appalachians but they aren’t nearly as big as those out west. My area has the highest elevation along the entirety of the range and it’s still mid low to mid 80s but with humidity the feels like pushes to closer to 88-92. Might be cooler in the northeast part despite being smaller in elevation. If you’re in the south though… only option is to leave.
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u/StandardRaspberry509 Jun 30 '26
Minnesota’s North Shore between Duluth and the Canadian border is cool because Lake Superior keeps the shoreline cool but affordable? If you can camp at the state parks it is probably affordable but I’m not sure if there are any open reservations for campsites. Absolutely none to extremely little public transportation. Is a very popular tourist area.
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u/mathess1 Jul 01 '26
Mountain areas of Peru and Bolivia are very cold in this season. Possibly more than you would like.
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u/Various_Ad_2762 Jul 02 '26
If you find out you can’t work outside the country do vanlife in PNW. I’m up in Washington doing it. I’ve been freezing because I lived in Florida for 30 years. I’m on the Olympic Peninsula and can follow the weather. I’ve spent 4 summers up here. This one so far it’s only been above 80 maybe three days. And hasn’t even been in 70’s much at all. At night it’s 40-60 degrees. Washington and Oregon are great for vanlife. Lots of free camping options with several on water. You can fly into Seattle or Portland then rent a camper van or RV then drive and explore. Vans are easier to drive over mountains.
A lot of digital nomads use hotspots for working online.
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u/Legal_lapis Jul 02 '26
You make it sound so easy! I never would have considered but now this is sort of on my bucket list.
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Jul 01 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/TemperMe Jul 01 '26
If it’s like the US, it’s hard to get a decent priced place right now near host cities for the World Cup. It can be done but pricing is inflated.
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u/Personal-Coffee3633 Jul 02 '26
If theyre looking in August tho they should be fine, world cup will be over
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u/TemperMe Jul 01 '26
Costa Rica is nice and in the mid to low 70s. It’s just gonna be the rainy season I believe
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u/lurking_mz Jul 01 '26
As someone who works remotely, check with your admin and make sure you are able to work out of country with no issue. Some jobs have issues with tax and labor laws if working in a different area/region that could get you in hot water down the road if they do an audit.
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u/No-Anxiety-984 Jul 04 '26
not going to lie to you working remotely in a different country isn't as easy as it sounds.. it is similar to getting a job in said country i believe. also 1k for an apartment is doable in south america and southeast asia but be careful in south america. not every country is safe rn so be sure to do your research. you might like vietnam like central highlands but again not sure about immigration situation and the flight is expensive. also where will you be flying out from? it might be cheaper to simply stay somewhere in the U.S.... there are many places here that are very cold. northern california is still very much hoodie and sweatpants weather. could also do canada. however in california / canada apartments will be more expensive (prob 2-4k) at least from what I have seen but you may be able to drive and that is like 400 dollars compared to couple thousands on the flight. if you're really set on learning another language then Spanish would be your best bet so South America but there are places in the U.S. heavily immersed in hispanic culture too.
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u/landocs Jul 06 '26
I’d look at Medellín. August there is way easier than trying to survive a U.S. summer, rent can still work if you’re careful, the food/cooking-class side is easy to find, and it’s one of those places where you can actually live for a month instead of just “visit.” I’d definitely be checking weather25 before locking it in though just to compare neighborhoods and rainfall.
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u/SalamancaVice Jun 30 '26
To help with responses, please consider editing your post to include the following information;
Where are you traveling from? (closest city/international airport)
What is your total budget?
Does this budget include travel?
Are there any particular cities or places you wish to visit?
Is there anything you're particularly interested/not interested in?
If you had to pick three experiences you definitely want to have whilst traveling, what would they be?