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Be sure to look at www.nps.gov/parks.htmlYou can fnd out where the national parks are geographically and see what you can fit in along your route. The many national parks are a great way to see varying landscapes and beautiful scenery across the country.Happy planning!
Thanks to everyone for the help!Quote:
Originally Posted by vambo25
We took a chance on holiday autos, so far it seems like a good deal.
They dont have cars themself but arrange deals through rental agencies.
Our deal is with National.
-4 weeks
-unlimmited milage
-taxes
-required insurance
-additional driver
-full size car
-drop off fee (199$, usually near 1000$!)
A total of 1869$
A lot cheaper then any deal i found on nationals own web page.
They dont rent out to american/canadian citizens though.
This is quite fascinating. Thanks for sharing what you learned --that is a great, great rate!Quote:
Originally Posted by Tezza
Mark
Syv gave you a good suggestion on the national parks. If you are going to go to more than 3-4 of these parks on your trip, you'd save money by getting a National Parks Pass here.
Great rates!! I would get it in writing that this covers ALL expenses so you don't get fooled by any additional must-haves when you go to pick up the car.
Hi!
You guys have been a great help in planning this epic road adventure of ours, but you are not through with me quite yet I`m afraid...
As of now our plan is to stay in whatever motels/hotels that comes our way, without reservations as we would like to be able to change the route as we go along. We are fine with paying an average of 100$ a night for the both of us, is this realistic and will we be able to find places within the price range in June/July without reservations?
Also, does the quality of the motel chains vary a lot? ( I read some Motel 6 reviews on the net and they took a real beating, to put it mildly)
Again, thanks to everyone!
Best regards
Tezza
I'm a tight-wad. That's one reason why I usually camp. If I do stay in hotels, they are almost always the cheapest hotels I can find. I have stayed in many Motel 6's. I have never had a problem with them. They aren't fancy but they are clean, the TV works, the shower is hot, and they often have a pool. What more do you need? (If they had coffeemakers in the rooms instead of having to go to the lobby for your morning cuppa joe, they would be perfect, imho.) I think those negative reviewers are the type that want a champagne experience on a beer budget.
Now, I know some travelers here really need to have access to internet connections and other business-type services. If you need those, you won't find them at Motel 6.
I've stayed in nicer places. Usually when my former work would send me to conferences out of town. So I've stayed in premium hotels a lot so I can make the comparison from experience. Quite frankly, I'm never more comfortable in their beds, their pillows are never that much nicer, nor are their showers enough better, to pay those premium rates. The exception to this is if you're staying for awhile instead of just for a night. I mean, there's a time and place where a fancier, resort-style hotel is worth the money. If you're staying a weekend or more and will have time to make use of amenities. But, if it's just a place to get some shut-eye for the night, the inexpensive chains are just fine, imho.
I really enjoy searching out cute, little mom-and-pop types of hotels but, quite often, especially if I'm on a bit of a speed run, I don't have time for that.
The inexpensive chains I've stayed in the most and have always been satisified with are Motel 6, Days Inn, and Super 8. Just like anything, there might be some bad ones in those chains but I haven't found one yet myself.
As for reservations, if you think you are going to be stopping for the night in an area where rooms might be tough to get....like a touristy-area on the weekend, for example....you might want to get reservations. I will sometimes get a reservation, just in case, but keep close at hand the phone number and cancellation policies so, if my plans change, I can cancel and still get a full refund.
The only places where you might have to pay more than $100/night for a decent room are in the heart of major metro areas...usually the downtown core areas. And some remote tourist areas (the Grand Canyon, for example). The outskirts of cities, airport areas of cities, and most any other place along the way will plenty of good lodging in the $40-80/night range.
Personally, I don't like making reservations in advance, unless it is a busy place with limited lodging, or I know exactly where I want to be on a given night (which is rare) and I want to save money by shopping for reservations online. The Editor wrote an article with his thoughts on making reservations in advance that you should check out.
As far as where to stay. Gen wrote a great outline of places to look for budget sleeping in this thread. You shouldn't have any problem keeping to a 100/day budget. Personally, I'm not a big fan of Motel 6, but many times they are the cheapest place in town and I've stayed in a lot of them. Motel 6 keeps its costs down by charging extra for every little thing, like having 2 or more people in a room, or the basic items like soap and shampoo that you'll find in almost any other motel room. I think a lot of times you can find a much better value at Independant motels or at the chains that are just a small step up, like a Budget Host, Red Roof, or Econolodge. About the only chain I actively avoid is Days Inn, simply because I've had too many experiences with rooms that just are not clean.
I've had 4 people in rooms at Motel 6 with no extra charge. And, yes, they were registered. Maybe not all of them do this?
And, well, I always pack my own shampoo anyway so I don't worry about using the hotel stuff. But I always use the hotel soap and I have never been charged extra at Motel 6 for their soap.
Odd.
I have never been to a Motel 6 that didn't charge more for a 2nd person, and an even higher rate for 3-4 people. Since I'm poor, I've stayed at quite a few of them in several different parts of the country, and every single one I've ever been to has had the same policy as far as number of guests.
As far as the other things, like soap and shampoo, I don't think its a big deal. But generally, even budget hotels will provide small items like that for free, at Motel 6, on more than one occation I've been pointed toward a vending machine.
They aren't big things, at least not big enough to get me to stop staying there altogether, but they are significant enough that I'll spend $10 more to stay at other motel.
I agree with Midwest Michael on this one -- Motel 6's success lies in the perception that it is cheaper -- the Wal-Mart approach to lodging, but they often charge extra for amentities that are included in the basic room charge of the other chains. Plus, they don't offer any of the amentities that I prefer when I travel (at any price) {tubs, breakfast bar, high-speed Internet, free newspapers, etc.} and if compared line item by line item are nearly always more expensive than the some of the "higher priced motel chains" like Best Western or Holiday Inn Express, etc.Quote:
Originally Posted by Judy
Mark