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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. There you will find theme parks, beaches, great weather and a lot more.

Another possibility would be Hawaii. Although those warm beaches are hard to resist, there’s not as much variety in vacation options as California. There’s a friendly comparison between vacations in California vs. Hawaii at the SoCal Vacation Guru that you might find interesting. Keep in mind that there are way fewer underwater rocks to worry about in the California surf, and the humidity and sun intensity are a little easier to handle in the summer. As we noted, the Hawaiian waters are warmer, but in the middle of summer, the cooler California water can be more invigorating.

Hawaii does have an advantage with such beautiful natural countryside and vegetation, enhanced by the local Polynesian culture. However, the California coastline, mountains and desert are quite beautiful as well, and the place is a melting pot of cultural diversity.

Southern California offers much more than great beaches. Don’t forget about the seven world-class theme parks waiting for your visit. In particular, Six Flags Magic Mountain and Knott’s Berry Farm top the list for thrill rides, with the Six Flags roller coasters being in especially great abundance and variety. You’ll discover many intimidating coasters and thrill rides at Knott’s and Six Flags. 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. California is probably a more budget-friendly summer travel option, but now and then you really do need to get over to Hawaii.