These great getaways offer big fun with little money. We’ve collected choices all around the country, so a wonderful vacation is always right around the corner, even if you only have a day or two.

●San Diego, California

San Diego’s near perfect summer weather, the free beaches of Coronado Island, and the museums and outstanding zoo in Balboa Park all add up to a memory-making a quick getaway for families in Southern California for kids of any age.

●Providence, Rhode Island

Providence is perfect for families, especially high school kids since the capital city is home to a wide range of colleges, where they can get inspired with schoolyard tours and museums.

●Estes Park, Colorado

Known as the base camp to Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP), Estes Park is only 90 minutes from Denver International Airport, but has a real Color ado mountain village feeling with plenty of outdoor activities to fit any member of the family. Families can try hiking in the national park on their own, booking a mountain bike ride, learn fly-fishing, or try rafting (乘竹筏) experiences

●Houston, Texas

If you think Houston is only a business city, you’re in for a surprise when you visit it with your family. Start your visit at Discovery Green, an urban park designed for kids, with everything from $5 kayak (皮划艇) rides on gentle Kinder Lake to special toddler (学步的儿童) play-group hours. The Children’s Museum of Houston is one of the best in the country, with indoor and outdoor space where they can have hands-on fun.

Glenn, born in 1921, grew up in Ohio. He started his flying career (生涯) as a fighter pilot for the US Marine Corps. He won medals for his brave service in World War II (1939-1945) and the Korean War (1950-1953). After that, Glenn took a dangerous job as a Marine Corps test pilot, flying new planes to see if they were safe. In 1957, he set an air-speed record by flying from Los Angeles to New York in less than three and a half hours.

In the late 1950s, a “space race” began between the US and the Soviet Union. Both countries wanted to be the first to send a human into space, including to the moon. In 1959,Glenn became one of the seven test pilots chosen to take part in the US’s first space program.

In 1961, the Soviet Union became the first nation to send a person into space. Glenn’s chance to go into space came on February 20, 1962. By that time, another American, Alan B. Shepard, had flown in space, but he had not circled the earth. Glenn’s flight was aired live on television and radio.

Glenn’s flight showed that the US space program was as good as the Soviet Union’s. He became a hero. Cities across the country threw parades (游行) for him, and President John F. Kennedy invited him to the White House.

In 1974, Glenn was elected to Congress. Glenn returned to space in 1998, when he was 77. He spent nine days on the space shuttle (航天飞机) Discovery. Glenn went so that scientists could study the effects of space travel on older people. He holds the record for being the oldest person in space.

“Glenn spent his life breaking barriers (障碍),” said President Barack Obama. The president also praised Glenn for inspiring future leaders in space exploration.

If you’re looking at Mercer’s top 20 livable cities as inspiration for your holiday, you would miss out many great places. According to Mercer’s latest Quality of Living Survey, Moscow ranks 167 and Beijing only 119, yet both provide visitors great pleasures. Meanwhile high-ranked cities such as Kobe or Seattle may be easy places to live in, but offer little excitement to tourists.

Actually, many of the world’s most livable cities are a little dull. The world isn’t dashing to visit Canberra or Montreal. In fact, none of the world’s 10 most visited cities appear in Mercer’s top 20. Obviously, considerations for enjoyable holiday hotspots are different from those that make cities comfortable places to live in.

This should be no surprise, since the various livability lists aren’t concerned with tourists or even native people. Mercer, for example, is a Britain-based consulting company whose lists provide multinationals with information about where to start their businesses. “The success of international business is mainly influenced by necessary things such as ease of travel, communication, personal safety and good public services,” says Slagin Parakatil, who leads Mercer’s research. “In short, Mercer’s rating is mainly determined by whether the cities are attractive to businesses, and have good schools, hospitals and nice offices.”

Still, Mercer’s Quality of Living Survey has its uses for tourists, since it also looks at natural and cultural environments and entertainments. It ranks public transport and infrastructure (基础设施) particularly high, a consideration shared by the World Economic Forum in reports on tourism and travel competitiveness. This includes hotels, rental-cars and even ATM numbers, all of which make a place friendly to businesses and visitors.

The United States will have more adults aged 65 and over than children by the year 2035, the US Census Bureau says As the American population ages, the demand for services and care for older adults is growing.

SenCura is a company that provides non-medical at-home care for seniors in the northern Virginia area. Cliff Glier founded the company 12 years ago. He says its services include help with bathing, transportation, getting dressed and planning and preparing meals.

Hollie is one of SenCura’s professional caregivers. She visits 88-year-old Olga Robertson’s home every day for three hours. Robertson says she likes having Hollie’s help.

“Well, she cooks for me and she does a good job. She takes me to appointments (约会) and things like that and whatever I want to do. Sometimes, we go to walk in the mall if it’s cold out in the winter time.”

But when Hollie is not around, Robertson still has a caregiver—a robot named Rudy, who can have a conversation and also tells jokes and plays games and dances with Robertson.

In addition to keeping Robertson mentally and physically active, Rudy provides services 24 hours a day. He watches for lost things, reminds Robertson about her doctor’s appointments and tells her when it is time to take her medicine. The robot is a little more than one meter tall. It has a screen that makes checking in with family and caregivers easy.

Anthony Nunez is the founder of INF Robotics, the company that created Rudy. He says the idea for the robotic caregiver was inspired by what his own mother lived through when his grandmother got older.

SenCura’s Cliff Glier met Nunez and his team at an event more than a year ago. He became interested in introducing Rudy to his own customers. Glier says Rudy is not competition for human caregivers. He says the robot is there to help but cannot do all the things that caregivers do, like bathing and dressing seniors.