by a.b.
The whisper silence on my blog currently disguises the crazed insane screams of a wedding in progress. Mr. B is a groomsman so off we go to our friend’s wedding.
It’s difficult to keep last minute travel expenses low, but Mr. B and I have figured a few tricks that make it a little more cost effective.
1. Stay in a “residence” hotel. Hotels with full kitchens easily make up for the cost difference by the meal savings. The hotel we’re staying in has a bigger kitchen than we have at home.
2. Check parking costs. While our hotel has free parking, we’ve seen some that have upwards or $26-29 each night. Don’t get sideswiped by this common additional fee.
3. Free breakfast ftw. Even if it’s a continental breakfast, having all of your morning meal/snack covered can be a great cost saver.
4. Take advantage of free wi-fi or computer services. Not all hotels have wi-fi or free wi-fi throughout, but many offer guest computers or free wi-fi in the lobby. Take advantage of the ones that do, but remember not to utilize personal information or passwords on these unsecured networks.
Granted, there is a lot more that can be done, but this is what Mr. B and I do to cut costs on unplanned travel. What do you do?
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
I love and always try to find complimentary breakfasts. It's also a great way to sneak a couple of muffins or whatever out for snacks later in the day.
If nothing else, breakfast is simply too pricey to eat out more than once on a trip. (The other trick, of course, can be simply finding a place with a fridge. Then you can buy some milk, get some disposable bowls, and eat cereal each morning. This can also help reduce meal costs because you can keep some cold cuts/cheese/crackers in the fridge for meals.)
When Tim and I were driving down to Phoenix, we never knew where exactly we'd want to stop. So booking in advance was out of the question. Instead, as we started to get tired, we figured out the closest area and called Hotels.com on the 1-800 number. They found us an affordable place, so we didn't have to drive around.
Also helpful is that a lot of rest areas have fliers of the local areas, which tend to include lots and lots of hotel advertising. We once got a walk-in rate of $39 for a slightly low-rent Best Western. Suited our needs for the night, though.