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If you are like me, you are watching your travel budget carefully, asking where you can go that’s interesting but affordable. Southern California would be a good possibility for your summer travel planning. SoCal offers beaches, amusement parks, Hollywood and many other attractions.

Another possibility would be Hawaii. You can almost feel that warm ocean water right now, but remember that there are offsetting advantages to the Golden State. For a discussion about differences between California and Hawaii vacations, check out the SoCal Vacations Guru. The beaches in SoCal do not have as many rock outcroppings and the sun is less intense (as is the humidity). As we noted, the Hawaiian waters are warmer, but in the middle of summer, the cooler California water can be more invigorating.

The beaches are just one of many attractions to be enjoyed in Southern California. Don’t forget about the seven world-class theme parks waiting for your visit. You will find world-class thrill rides at Knott’s Berry Farm and Six Flags Magic Mountain; the Six Flags roller coasters are particularly plentiful. Both offer many coasters and other fun rides. You won’t find as many true thrill rides at Disneyland as at the other parks, although Space Mountain and the Matterhorn Bobsleds certainly qualify.

You won’t find many roller coasters in Hawaii, although surfing on the North Shore of Oahu in winter would qualify as a thrill ride. It may be that California offers more ways to trim the budget, but sometimes there are great Hawaii vacation packages to be found on the internet or in the newspaper Travel section.

I’d like to make a suggestion for a vacation destination where you can find a great deal of variety in the type of local attractions offered.  Everybody has different goals for their summer travel.  Some of us want to visit Disneyland and some just want to relax on the beach.  Others love to see historical sites and still others love to play golf.

Summer California actually offers activities in all of these categories.  There are many golf courses between the Pacific Ocean and Palm Desert.  And, of course, you’ll find plenty of beach action for sun worshipping.

Another obvious destination is the Disneyland Resort, which includes Downtown Disney and Disney’s California Adventure (by the way, Disney is spending like a billion dollars on a major renovation of California Adventure over the next several years).

If you haven’t been to Anaheim in several years, you’ll be amazed at the changes.  California Adventure exhibits the diversity of California culture, from citrus orchards to downtown Los Angeles to the northern California Wine Country.  You will observe an international blend of cultures in the visitors at the parks and at Downtown Disney.  It is a great place for people watching—a veritable cultural melting pot.

Speaking of a cultural melting pot, Southern California is a concoction of people and cultures from around the world.  There is a particularly strong presence from Pacific Rim countries, but Europe, Asia and Africa are likewise well represented (not so many folks from Antarctica).

You’ll find quite a number of ethnic communities scattered throughout Southern California, and worth a visit in your summer travel activities.  The first community that comes to mind is Chinatown, just north of the Los Angeles central business district.  Just to the east of downtown is Little Tokyo.  Koreatown lies on the west side of the 110 Freeway.

Take time out of your schedule to drive down to Orange County to visit downtown Santa Ana, portions of which will remind you of a medium-sized city in Mexico.  Nearby Little Saigon offers shopping and dining with a Vietnamese and Southeast Asia influence.  There are no-doubt many other ethnic area in the Southern California melting pot.