Hitting the Open Road, 1500 Style

Today, I leave on a trip. I’m heading to lovely (even if it is super cold) Madison, Wisconsin to visit my sister for the weekend. On Monday, I’ll drive down to Chicago to test a new computer system that I designed. I’ll then head down to Memphis, Tennessee to visit my other sister who is attending college there. Finally, I’ll head back to Colorado. My trip got me thinking about frugal travel. Even though my work is paying for most of the trip, I live by the same rules; frugal travel all the way. Without further ado, here are some ways I love to save big bucks when traveling.

Roll your clothes: I read about this one recently and just had an opportunity to try it out. It works fantastic; I packed 7 days worth of clothes and it didn’t even fill up a carry on. Instead of trying to fold clothes in ways that fit the suitcase, you just roll em’ up and stick them in. The clothes pack much more efficiently than folding and they come out unwrinkled. Take carry ons and avoid the baggage fees that almost every airline now charges.

Fly Southwest: Southwest is usually cheaper than other airlines, but the benefits don’t stop there. They have no change fees if your plans are altered and depending on what type of ticket you purchase, you can get a full refund or a credit if you cancel. Even if I’m not sure about the exact dates I’ll be flying, I book way in advance to get the cheapest ticket. If my plans change, no problem with Southwest. Remember that your first two bags fly free with Southwest too. Fly other airlines and you’ll be paying up to $50 extra to check one bag on a round trip flight.

Embrace the road-trip: If you’re traveling alone, driving may not be economical. However, a car with four people in it hardly uses any more gas that a car with just a driver. Compare that to buying four airline tickets and often, you’ll come out ahead by driving. Toss in the fact that you won’t need a rental car at your destination and that just adds to your savings. Long distances with children can be trying (understatement?). I’m not a fan of those DVD players in minivans, but for a trip over 250 miles, I’ll throw a couple movies on the tablet and hand it over to the kids. Even better, load some educational games.

Rent cars with Autoslash.com: I always wondered why you don’t have to give car rental companies a credit card when renting. I still don’t know, but Autoslash takes advantage of this fact. Here is how it works. You book your rental with Autoslash as far in advance as you can. Every day from that point on, Autoslash checks rates and automatically rebooks if the rate goes down. I’ve used this service a couple times and I saved at least $50 off of the original rate that was low to begin with. Autoslash doesn’t work well in some areas yet, so be sure to compare with Kayak at the time of booking.

When renting a car, always pick the cheapest model: Here is a situation that has happened to me at least 3 times. I get to the rental counter and the employee badgers me to upgrade.”No! No!! No!!!” is my answer. When they finally give up, they then announce that they are actually out of all the cheap cars and they have to give me the one they were just trying to up-sell me for the same price. Extremely sleazy if you ask me (is this even legal?) so don’t get taken on this one. Also, don’t strangle the employee after this happens!

Forget the rental car: If you’re in a big city with good public transportation, forget the rental car altogether. Use public transportation. Google Maps works great for helping you navigate unfamiliar locales by public transit.

One of my favorite things to do is see a city by bicycle. Check out the accompanying photo. Seeing Chicago’s truly magnificent lakefront by way of the bike path is really awesome and easy to do with Bcycle. Again, Google Maps will even show you bicycle routes. One suggestion: Bring a helmet as Bcycle doesn’t offer them.

Megabus it: Have you heard of megabus yet? Megabus is a bus service that goes between many major US cities and is adding new routes all the time. Also, it is awesome!

Here is how it works. Ticket prices are all different. The first tickets sold for any route are very cheap, often as low as a couple dollars. The prices go up from there, so the earlier you book, the better. I’ve been able to go from Madison, Wisconsin to Chicago, Illinois for $2!! Had I driven, I would have spent almost $20 in fuel alone. The benefits don’t stop there though. The buses are clean, comfortable and most have free Wifi. So, instead of spending your time behind the wheel throwing curses at other drivers, sit back and get work done or read a good book.

Forget the expensive hotel: Some of my friends are obsessed with staying in really nice hotels when we travel. This drives me nuts. When I’m at a national park or whatever, the only thing I’m doing in the hotel room is sleeping. All hotel rooms look the same with the eyes closed. Now I don’t recommend staying at the Bates Motel or the Bedbug Inn, but Super 8 and Motel 6 are just as clean as everything else. Still worried? Check out tripadvisor to make sure the place isn’t a dump and the bedbug registry to make sure you’re not going to bring home any new friends.

Check out VRBO and airbnb: These are sites that let private individuals rent out their property or just rooms. The 1500 family uses them all the time and has never had a bad experience. The places are usually cheaper than hotels, but the best part is that you get a stocked kitchen. Hit the local grocery store and save a bunch of money on eating out.

Confession: I can’t sit still. I love to hit the open road. It feels like freedom to me. Whether it’s a place I’ve been to 10 times or a new city, I love to explore.

Travel is awesome, but it’s also a luxury. The way I look at it, there are two options:

1. I could take one vacation a year; stay at an expensive hotels, eat out constantly and indulge in other luxuries that will be forgotten soon after the trip (I’ll bet people remember the good times with family more than they do flying first class).
2. I could take multiple vacations, but do it in a frugal way. I’ll visit with old friends, make new ones, see things I’ve dreamed about since I was 7 (Hello Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, free by the way) and be able to do it many times per year because I’m saving money on the stupid stuff.

I’m going with option #2!

See you in Madison or Chicago or Memphis or…