Frugal Travel

rainysparadigm · 03-23-2008, 09:38 PM

Prior thread conversation encouraged this one:
what frugal things do you do when you travel?

For example, I prefer to stay at cheaper hotels with a few exceptions. If I were going somewhere where the hotel itself is part of the attraction like Las Vegas, or I stayed at a historic hotel that had the club downstairs. But in general motel 6 is fine with me - I'm just going to be sleeping there! And of course, if you know someone in the area, try to crash on their couch

Other things, we try to buy snack items (crackers, fresh and dried fruits, trail mix etc) to take with us so we are less inclined to stop at convenience store for munchies or fast food to pick up something quick to eat. If there's a microwave available in the hotel, then microwavable foods are good to bring along. I'm considering buying a single burner to use for warming up soups, chilis etc in places that dont offer microwaves - anyone do this?? instead of bringing food, you can also stop at the grocery store once you reach your destination and pick up items, which is still cheaper than eating out every meal.

same goes for drinks, we have two thermal pitchers one for hot water for tea making and one with coffee. this is for winter travel of course. in summer, we try to do the same with cold drinks.

i bring my laptop so i can pickup wireless in wifi areas and look up things, instead of paying for cyber cafes etc.

Of course, its not all steadfast rules, when you travel, you do have to splurge and have fun too - but i generally prefer to spend my $ on the attractions and not so much on the necessity parts.

I'm sure others can come up with interesting tips

rstlne · 03-24-2008, 12:03 AM

On my last two trips, I used coupons from Expedia when booking the motel room. You may have to be a bit flexible in your travel plans but online deals can save money.

gt0163c · 03-24-2008, 05:10 AM

I regularly use Hotwire to reserve rental cars when I visit family in Atlanta. Never had any trouble and the prices are very good.

I try to take snacks with me, especially a sandwich for on the plane, and stop at grocery stores for food when I can. If you can find a grocery store with a bakery and a deli, you can buy just enough bread, meat and cheese for a sandwich. If you add a piece of fruit from the produce section, you can get a good meal relatively inexpensively. This works out best if you don't mind sandwiches without condiments. Otherwise, grab a few extra when you do stop at a fast food place.

For cooking in a hotel room, the coffee pot that most rooms have will furning you with hot water that can be used for many, many things including oatmeal, instant soup, "easy mac". I also have an immersion heater (little coil thing that you plug in and will boil liquid very quickly) that I travel with. It's meant for making hot water for tea, but does a great job on heating any liquid.

When I'm traveling for business, I try to stay at a hotel that offers not only free breakfast but also food in the evenings. If my work schedule works out well, I can get two free meals most days.

lucille · 03-24-2008, 05:46 AM

If we are going to be in a larger city I try to use Hotwire or Priceline combined with betterbidding.com and tripadvisor.com to find the best place to stay. You can use betterbidding.com to reverse engineer what hotels Hotwire & Priceline are offering and what are the typical going rates so you can submit a fairly low rate & get it. I use tripadvisor.com to get a good idea what the hotel is really like. It also usually has good tips on where to get cheaper parking, what the hotel's hidden fees are and what is nearby.

Rack rate in Chicago for 3-4 star hotels is about $350 a night. I have been able to consistently get rooms for around $100 a night. That is cheaper than the 2 star scary looking Best Western in downtown Chicago.

We do take a cooler when we drive on trips. We load it with bottled water and soda we bought at the grocery store. That is so much cheaper than buying at convenience stores & truck stops. We also pack munchies and sometimes sandwiches for the driving part of the trip.

If we have to stay in smaller cities or on the road I have been more happy with Hampton Inn. It is about $20 more a night but well worth it. Comfort Inn & Country Inn both used to be our road hotel of choice but we have stayed at way too many that were dumps and in disrepair. Hampton throws in a pretty decent breakfast, has free wifi and most have an indoor pool and hot tub.

khorrell · 03-24-2008, 06:02 AM

I splurged and bought a cooler/warmer that plugs into my car. Even when we brought a cooler, I would get frustrated on really long drives because I like my drinks cold. The cooler is adaptable to plug into an outlet, so you can chill the cooler ahead of time. It is also handy for big parties, moving, or giving the fridge a really good scrub. I haven't used the warmer setting yet but I can imagine situations in the future...potlucks come to mind.

rstlne · 03-24-2008, 07:58 AM

Getting food from a grocery store is an inexpensive way to take care of meals when traveling. However, part of the attraction of travel is sampling the local cuisine. While I was in Maryland, I happened to find a good, inexpensive place for crabcakes just outside of Baltimore. If you have friends living in the area, you can ask them for recommendations too.

dapooh1 · 03-24-2008, 05:11 PM

When I travel, I often take Clif or Luna bars along for food. I'm not a big fan of lunch so I'll usually have the meal bar and a piece of fruit for a cheap/fast/easy meal on the road. I'm planning on taking about a dozen bars with me when I head to Europe.

Also, I usually travel to places where I'm visiting friends/family who provide lodging. For my summer trip, I'll get to spend a few days with a friend at her family's house.

khorrell · 03-25-2008, 08:10 AM

rstlne - where did you find the crabcakes? I'm always looking for less expensive crab!

Thanks

rstlne · 03-25-2008, 08:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by khorrell

rstlne - where did you find the crabcakes? I'm always looking for less expensive crab!

Thanks

Wish I could remember the name of the place. I was there 6 years ago. I think it was in Odenton, MD, but along a rural road, not in the center of town. The funny thing is what I actually remember from my experience that time. In one of the parks in the area, I nearly fell into a pond while going for a geocache because it was on a small island with a log as a makeshift bridge. After I was done with that, I went down the road and found a bar and grill place. That place was small and unimpressive-looking but they had good crabcakes, although, that area being south of Baltimore, I'm pretty sure most places around there have decent crabcakes.

shayob · 03-25-2008, 11:39 AM

If we're driving we bring along beverages and snacks to avoid having to buy. However this August we are getting married and going on a honeymoon and won't be driving but we bought our airline tickets WAY early to save there and we bought the Entertainment Book for the area where we are traveling to to save money on attractions and restaurants. The book cost us $20.00 and we already figured without even using for meals we more than paid for the book with attractions we already planned on going to, add meals on top of that and it's a great deal!

03-23-2008, 09:38 PM	#1
rainysparadigm Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 55 Reputation: (12)	Frugal Travel Prior thread conversation encouraged this one: what frugal things do you do when you travel? For example, I prefer to stay at cheaper hotels with a few exceptions. If I were going somewhere where the hotel itself is part of the attraction like Las Vegas, or I stayed at a historic hotel that had the club downstairs. But in general motel 6 is fine with me - I'm just going to be sleeping there! And of course, if you know someone in the area, try to crash on their couch Other things, we try to buy snack items (crackers, fresh and dried fruits, trail mix etc) to take with us so we are less inclined to stop at convenience store for munchies or fast food to pick up something quick to eat. If there's a microwave available in the hotel, then microwavable foods are good to bring along. I'm considering buying a single burner to use for warming up soups, chilis etc in places that dont offer microwaves - anyone do this?? instead of bringing food, you can also stop at the grocery store once you reach your destination and pick up items, which is still cheaper than eating out every meal. same goes for drinks, we have two thermal pitchers one for hot water for tea making and one with coffee. this is for winter travel of course. in summer, we try to do the same with cold drinks. i bring my laptop so i can pickup wireless in wifi areas and look up things, instead of paying for cyber cafes etc. Of course, its not all steadfast rules, when you travel, you do have to splurge and have fun too - but i generally prefer to spend my $ on the attractions and not so much on the necessity parts. I'm sure others can come up with interesting tips

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03-24-2008, 12:03 AM	#2
rstlne Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: New Jersey Posts: 364 Reputation: (115)	On my last two trips, I used coupons from Expedia when booking the motel room. You may have to be a bit flexible in your travel plans but online deals can save money.

03-24-2008, 05:10 AM	#3
gt0163c Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Texas Posts: 250 Reputation: (33)	I regularly use Hotwire to reserve rental cars when I visit family in Atlanta. Never had any trouble and the prices are very good. I try to take snacks with me, especially a sandwich for on the plane, and stop at grocery stores for food when I can. If you can find a grocery store with a bakery and a deli, you can buy just enough bread, meat and cheese for a sandwich. If you add a piece of fruit from the produce section, you can get a good meal relatively inexpensively. This works out best if you don't mind sandwiches without condiments. Otherwise, grab a few extra when you do stop at a fast food place. For cooking in a hotel room, the coffee pot that most rooms have will furning you with hot water that can be used for many, many things including oatmeal, instant soup, "easy mac". I also have an immersion heater (little coil thing that you plug in and will boil liquid very quickly) that I travel with. It's meant for making hot water for tea, but does a great job on heating any liquid. When I'm traveling for business, I try to stay at a hotel that offers not only free breakfast but also food in the evenings. If my work schedule works out well, I can get two free meals most days.

03-24-2008, 05:46 AM	#4
lucille Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 511 Reputation: (33)	If we are going to be in a larger city I try to use Hotwire or Priceline combined with betterbidding.com and tripadvisor.com to find the best place to stay. You can use betterbidding.com to reverse engineer what hotels Hotwire & Priceline are offering and what are the typical going rates so you can submit a fairly low rate & get it. I use tripadvisor.com to get a good idea what the hotel is really like. It also usually has good tips on where to get cheaper parking, what the hotel's hidden fees are and what is nearby. Rack rate in Chicago for 3-4 star hotels is about $350 a night. I have been able to consistently get rooms for around $100 a night. That is cheaper than the 2 star scary looking Best Western in downtown Chicago. We do take a cooler when we drive on trips. We load it with bottled water and soda we bought at the grocery store. That is so much cheaper than buying at convenience stores & truck stops. We also pack munchies and sometimes sandwiches for the driving part of the trip. If we have to stay in smaller cities or on the road I have been more happy with Hampton Inn. It is about $20 more a night but well worth it. Comfort Inn & Country Inn both used to be our road hotel of choice but we have stayed at way too many that were dumps and in disrepair. Hampton throws in a pretty decent breakfast, has free wifi and most have an indoor pool and hot tub.

03-24-2008, 06:02 AM	#5
khorrell Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 439 Reputation: (60)	I splurged and bought a cooler/warmer that plugs into my car. Even when we brought a cooler, I would get frustrated on really long drives because I like my drinks cold. The cooler is adaptable to plug into an outlet, so you can chill the cooler ahead of time. It is also handy for big parties, moving, or giving the fridge a really good scrub. I haven't used the warmer setting yet but I can imagine situations in the future...potlucks come to mind.

03-24-2008, 07:58 AM	#6
rstlne Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: New Jersey Posts: 364 Reputation: (115)	Getting food from a grocery store is an inexpensive way to take care of meals when traveling. However, part of the attraction of travel is sampling the local cuisine. While I was in Maryland, I happened to find a good, inexpensive place for crabcakes just outside of Baltimore. If you have friends living in the area, you can ask them for recommendations too.

03-24-2008, 05:11 PM	#7
dapooh1 Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 42 Reputation: (12)	When I travel, I often take Clif or Luna bars along for food. I'm not a big fan of lunch so I'll usually have the meal bar and a piece of fruit for a cheap/fast/easy meal on the road. I'm planning on taking about a dozen bars with me when I head to Europe. Also, I usually travel to places where I'm visiting friends/family who provide lodging. For my summer trip, I'll get to spend a few days with a friend at her family's house.

03-25-2008, 08:10 AM	#8
khorrell Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 439 Reputation: (60)	rstlne - where did you find the crabcakes? I'm always looking for less expensive crab! Thanks

03-25-2008, 11:39 AM	#10
shayob Junior Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 14 Reputation: (16)	If we're driving we bring along beverages and snacks to avoid having to buy. However this August we are getting married and going on a honeymoon and won't be driving but we bought our airline tickets WAY early to save there and we bought the Entertainment Book for the area where we are traveling to to save money on attractions and restaurants. The book cost us $20.00 and we already figured without even using for meals we more than paid for the book with attractions we already planned on going to, add meals on top of that and it's a great deal!