Lodging for the budget traveler

First of all :
-it may be a good idea to order directories by mail or to print them, it'll be practical on the road.
-To print rebate coupons for motel/hotel rooms (it's the internet version of the guide you can obtain by going to a roadside Visitor's Center) : http://www.atsicoupons.com/
-don't forget to pick-up your free motel/hotel rebate coupon guide at each state's visitors center and ask for cheap places, restaurants and stuff. A smile goes a long way with someone who's been there all day answering the same questions over and over.
-take advantage of any AAA membership, AARP or Govt employee discounts in motels
-usually the smallest cities have cheaper rates, try to stay in the suburbs instead of the big cities.
-remain polite while bargaining, being pushy and rude won't give you a better rate and definitly not a better service.
-always take a look at the room/cabin before paying.

Here are a few ideas on where to sleep if you're on a budget :

CHEAP MOTEL ROOMS:
-motel 6 (usually the cheapest room among the big chains):

-Budget Host Inn : they have cheap room but they're not so many of them, pick-up a directory when you see one because I didn't find any url

-Interstate Inn and 1st Inn (cheap rooms, sometimes not very clean):

-Mom & Pop Motels : usually roadside motel rooms, frequently old even crappy, relatively clean depending on the owner and the location, kitsch decor but cheap and gives you the opportunity to chat with locals.

MEDIUM RATES MOTEL/HOTEL ROOMS
-Red Roof Inn

-Super 8 motels

MEDIUM-HIGH RATES MOTEL/HOTEL ROOMS
-Days Inn

-Econo Lodge, Sleep Inn, Clarion, Quality Inn, Rodeway Inn,
Comfort Inn

-Howard Johnson

-Best Western

HIGH RATES MOTEL/HOTEL ROOMS
-Ramada

ALTERNATIVES TO HOTEL/MOTEL ROOMS :
-hostelling

-YMCA/YWCA in big cities sometimes have rooms for travelers : http://www.ymca.com/index.jsp &

-University residence (usually during summer)

-B&B's are a great alternative for motel rooms, but they're usually much more expensive than motel rooms


CAMPGROUNDS AND CABINS
-Camprounds and RV Parks :

-Campgrounds directory

-The Campground Network


-KOA Camprounds directory (usually between 20-35$)

-National Parks, National Monuments and State Parks

-Bureau of Land Management campgrounds (usually between 5-12$)


FREE CAMPING/SLEEPING IN THE CAR (in other words if you like adventure):

TRUCK STOPS
are havens for travelers in the US : they sometimes rent rooms, or you can just sleep in your car in the parking lot, they have clean showers, cheapest gas, cheap food, souvenirs, camping supplies, maps, private phone cabins, laundromats, 7/24...
note : I know Flying J has a frequent fueler program, you can order a frequent fueler card for free that gives you rebate on gas and products, I'm sure other truck stops have that kind of program too. Don't forget to ask for a free directory it's always practical to have it on the road.

-Flying J

-TA Travel Centers

-NATSN

-Pacific Custom Brokers : www.pcb.ca

Ok I guess that's enough for one day:-)
Have a nice trip and drive safely!
Gen:-)

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Mark

What accommidation is considered cheap and what expensive?
Is 60$ expensive for a non-fancy hotel?

The price of motels will depend upon a number of factors, including where and when you are booking. On average $40-60 is a pretty typical number for a budget motel, while you can often pay up to $100 for a more moderately priced room. However, if you are booking on a weekend, in a major city, or when city is hosting a convention or other event, prices can and do go up.

i used microtel hotels to be fairly priced at about 45 to 50 a night and they was very nice indeed.

Also palm springs have cheap hotels

don't know if someone posted this already, but if you know someone who works at a hotel you can get thier friends and family discount

Thanks for the excellent post. I was looking for a cheap motel. All I want is room to sleep for the night and that's it. I don't care about the "continental breakfast" they have. I wonder how people even eat that. Amazingly unhealthy stuff.

Some have continental breakfasts that are really just a roll or a muffin, maybe cereal, and that's about it. But I have seen full-spreads with bacon, sausage, eggs, fruit, pancakes, waffles, cereal, etc.

I'm not much of a breakfast eater myself. I like to get an early start and I'm particularly not interested in breakfast so early in the morning so the "free" breakfasts don't really interest me.

But I do think some of the chains have done a good job providing a more interesting breakfast with some healthy choices. I'll leave it to those with more experience staying at, and eating at, these places to chime in on which chains have more healthy choices available.

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Originally Posted by dinesh75

I was looking for a cheap motel. All I want is room to sleep for the night and that's it. I don't care about the "continental breakfast" they have. I wonder how people even eat that. Amazingly unhealthy stuff.

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That's all I look for too. The only amenity I want is Internet access, so I usually stay at a Super 8, the entire chain advertises free wi-fi but it doesn't always work. Now that more and more Motel 6's have wi-fi (3 bucks a night) I'll probably start using them too, they are generally cheaper than the Super 8.

Motel 6 has no breakfast, just free coffee in the lobby. Super 8's have varying amounts of breakfast, all I grab is a glass of OJ and a cup of coffee unless they have a waffle machine, then I'll eat one of those.

I will not stay in either chain inside cities, they are usually in less desirable areas, run down, and not particularly cheap. I try to avoid my overnight stops in cities whenever possible. If I absolutely have to stay in a city, I'll eat the $100+ bill for something like a Hampton Inn.

Motel 6 tend to be cleaner than Super 8 in my experience. I only use the latter as a last resort or if they are modern enough that you can get away without them having been cleaned since they were opened. Good news that Motel 6 are installing wifi...

Wifi is now in almost all company-owned Motel 6 locations ($2.99 a night) and in quite a few franchise locations (often free). The company locations are a lot cleaner and nicer than they used to be, but the price is reflecting that - Accor is trying to go upscale with the Motel 6 brand now that they sold off Red Roof. It's still spartan when it comes to other amenities but for a place to crash for the night it suits the bill. Super 8 is getting pricey in a lot of locations and the quality is quite variable.

I'm on a trip right now - I stayed in the Super 8 in Van Buren AR ($64, very well maintained but heater fan was noisy), Motel 6 in Holbrook AZ ($40, also very well maintained, free wifi was unusable in the evening but fine early in the morning, shower stall, no tub), and Motel 6 in Yuma AZ ($53, very well maintained). I also stayed in the Big Texan motel in Amarillo TX ($57, not worth it, had to steal wifi from next door, not very well maintained, its draw is the old West decor, see attachment). Posting this from Yuma. Prices include AARP discount and tax.

Was the Motel 6 in Holbrook, AZ straight off I-40? I am going to be going through there soon and am looking for a cheap place to crash.

Yes, it's at the northeast end of town out by the airport - exit 289. You can't miss it, it's a big one, over 100 rooms. Don't buy gas at the Chevron next door, it's 30 cents cheaper at the Circle K about a mile back in toward town. Your room key gets you a 10% discount at the Denny's next door. As Denny's goes, it's a decent one.

GLC, Thanks for the local news!

Mark

Quote:

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Originally Posted by glc

Wifi is now in almost all company-owned Motel 6 locations ($2.99 a night) and in quite a few franchise locations (often free).

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In 2007 I found that more than 80% of places I stayed - hostels, campgrounds, small motels - had Wifi, and only once was I asked to pay, $3 per night. That was at the hostel in Taos NM.

Now so dependent on my computer, it is the first thing I ask. :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by glc

I also stayed in the Big Texan motel in Amarillo TX ($57, not worth it, had to steal wifi from next door, not very well maintained, its draw is the old West decor, see attachment). Posting this from Yuma. Prices include AARP discount and tax.

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I was thinking about staying there on my upcoming trip, now I'm wondering....

Wifi is a major plus for me, too. I took a Texas road trip a few months ago and two of the places I stayed, Ramada and Days Inn (I think), both promised wireless availability, but in both places it died out and I couldn't find it again - at the Ramada, I was fortunate to tap into someone else's.

I've stayed numerous times in Holiday Inn Express, including my Texas trip, and it's the only place on that trip with constant wireless internet. They are more expensive but the accommodations and hotels are much nicer than the lower priced places. Breakfast usually has a nice selection, lots of juices, boiled eggs, hot breads, biscuits, cereals, lots of fruits, and some have meats and scrambled eggs, milk, coffee and tea. Not bad, really, although I don't always eat breakfast. On some stays, I've been known to go down in my PJs and bring the goodies up to my room. Sometimes it's rather crowded in the breakfast area, sometimes it's okay.

The free breakfast hotel/motel chains I've been to are Holiday Inn/Express, Fairmont/Marriott, Best Western, Ramada, Days Inn, maybe others, but I don't remember which ones.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lifemagician

In 2007 I found that more than 80% of places I stayed - hostels, campgrounds, small motels - had Wifi, and only once was I asked to pay, $3 per night. That was at the hostel in Taos NM.

Now so dependent on my computer, it is the first thing I ask. :)

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You mentioned the hostel in Taos. I thought of going there, but it's really out of the way for me, but instead, I think I might give a try to the one in Santa Monica. Has anyone stayed there? It's not far from the beach, the pier, and city hall, so it's appears to be a good location. Where does one park the car? It appears to be in the heart of a busy section. I think I'll give them a call but I'd like to hear opinions from others, too.

Alexa, whenever in LA I stay at the USA hostel on Schader, between Hollywood and Sunset. Clean, welcoming and secure. (The only place where I have found power outlets inside each locker, to secure your valuables while recharging them.)

They have a daily free shuttle to Santa Monica beach, and great activities most days and evenings, many of which are free.... and others modestly priced to cover costs.

You need to book though, it is a popular place.

Hi,

The original post by Quebec Gen mentioned accommodation at "university residences".

Does anyone know where to find out any more about that?

Any info much appreciated for our first trip from England to New England :-)

Welcome to the RTA forum!

Sometimes colleges and universities will rent out their dorm rooms if they have extra space. It usually is something that you'll find during summer when classes are not in session. Not every school does it, but there are at least a few that do. Contacting each school directly is the only way I'd know of to find out where this is an option.

Thanks Michael.

Yes, that is what i'm hoping for. I'm really looking for something similar to the following:

http://housing.london.ac.uk/cms/shor...residence.html

(which should be pretty handy for anyone coming to London on a budget who doesn't want to pay for frills they don't want).

Does anyone know of anything similar in the US please?

Budgeted trip to america, 1 week, how much need to bring??

Sorry...I tried numerous google search terms and couldn't find anything better than this guide. And, really, it's not a lot of help but, hopefully, will point you in the right direction.

It does sound like a good idea to compile. Hmmmm....

Quote:

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Originally Posted by traveling2u

Budgeted trip to america, 1 week, how much need to bring??

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The best I can do is direct you to this post with tips on how to create your budget. We all travel differently and have different goals, things we want to do, etc. so the cost can vary broadly.

After you've come up with your projected budget, feel free to come back here and post it so we can help you figure out if it's realistic.

Oh, and welcome to the Roadtrip America forums!

Thanks loads for all the effort PNW Judy.

They estimate $55 a night which doesn't seem that cheap compared to a motel does it?

Ok, you're getting something a bit different but they suggest you need to bring your own bed linen and stuff too which reduces the value further for anyone arriving by plane.

Interesting note 5 at the end of the article:

"Don’t overlook retreat centers operated by churches or non-profit organizations. For instance, a Catholic retreat house in the college town of Flagstaff, Arizona, has individual rooms with kitchen privileges for as low as $20 per night."

Anyone had any experience of these? Or a directory of them?

These sorts of places are usually pretty specific to one area, and aren't really a chain type operation that is condusive to a directory. In other words, you pretty much have to inquire locally.

I have occationally seen those places included in directories with other Hostels, so that's probably your best bet for that sort of thing.

As far as $55 for college dorm rooms? That sounds a bit high, but there could be advantages, particularly in terms of location. If you've got a place thats in the heart of a city, motel rooms could be much more than that.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mestizo

"Don’t overlook retreat centers operated by churches or non-profit organizations. For instance, a Catholic retreat house in the college town of Flagstaff, Arizona, has individual rooms with kitchen privileges for as low as $20 per night."

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There are two great hostels in Flagstaff. This one is my favourite, but you can check out the other here.

Am typing this from a $29.99 + tax motel (very clean, microwave, fridge, wifi, tv, etc.), with the compliments of the coupon in the Hotel Coupon Guide picked up at a rest area on 380, south of Cedar Rapids. This is only one of many publications like it available all over the USA and on the internet.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lifemagician

Am typing this from a $29.99 + tax motel (very clean, microwave, fridge, wifi, tv, etc.), with the compliments of the coupon in the Hotel Coupon Guide picked up at a rest area on 380, south of Cedar Rapids. This is only one of many publications like it available all over the USA and on the internet.

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Excellent report from the field!

Mark

Most motel chains have a web site.
According to motel6.com, the rooms are $37.00 a night. They can get up to $43.00 a night in a big city.

Ralph, look up the Motel 6 in Moab, UT and plug in some different dates. I think you may be unpleasantly surprised how costly that one can get.

I have not see a Motel 6 for less than $35 a night in a long time, and I frequently see them in excess of $50. Wherever you are getting your $37 to $43 info is either incorrect or you are taking it out of context.

Coming back from a 28 days around the USA trip, I wanted to add two little things to this topic.

First, about Truck Stops, here's a site I, sadly, found too late which has all the link you gave on the same page: http://www.allstays.com/c/truck-stops-locations-map.htm

And for wi-fi, what I did was to use the Starbucks. You get free wi-fi and the only conditions is you need to have used your Starbucks card in the last 30 days. So I bought this card (the card itself costs nothing, you have to add value on it, so I put the minimum: 5$) and bought a coffee the first day. Then everytime I was close to one (and they are everywhere, especially if you go to relatively medium/big cities) I went there and just used my free 2 hours of wi-fi per day. Never got bothered by the employees for not buying anything but if I had been, I would have bought a coffee (which it's still cheaper than paying it at most hotels).

To find if there's a wi-fi Starbucks near your location, go to their site: http://www.starbucks.com/retail/find/default.aspx and check the wireless hotspot box.

Hope that can help.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by js_cooldude

Coming back from a 28 days around the USA trip, I wanted to add two little things to this topic.

First, about Truck Stops, here's a site I, sadly, found too late which has all the link you gave on the same page: http://www.allstays.com/c/truck-stops-locations-map.htm

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That site was only one of many I checked out before embarking on my trip... however, it gives very little information as to the services available at each truck stop. Not all welcome campers... in fact, only about 55% do.

I purchased The National Truck Stop Directory - The Trucker's Friend; $14.95 posted free to US addresses. It not only gives location, address and phone (with free email updates), it also states whether they have showers (ladies and gents), a restaurant or fast food outlet, and whether it is 24hr or not. Furthermore it states for every truckstop whether they welcome RV's and campers (no tents), internet cafe or wifi, and a myriad of other services available.

Allstays map for Pennsylvaia shows fewer than 20 truckstops, whereas the Directory lists almost 200 - 105 of which welcome RV's and campers.

Having the hard copy has been a great help to me, when I have found that my intended destrination for the day was just not going to be reached. Without having to find another wifi hotspot (hopefully free), I have the directory which instantly tells me what services are available, and where.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by js_cooldude

And for wi-fi, what I did was to use the Starbucks. You get free wi-fi and the only conditions is you need to have used your Starbucks card in the last 30 days. So I bought this card (the card itself costs nothing, you have to add value on it, so I put the minimum: 5$) and bought a coffee the first day. Then everytime I was close to one (and they are everywhere, especially if you go to relatively medium/big cities) I went there and just used my free 2 hours of wi-fi per day. Never got bothered by the employees for not buying anything but if I had been, I would have bought a coffee (which it's still cheaper than paying it at most hotels).

To find if there's a wi-fi Starbucks near your location, go to their site: http://www.starbucks.com/retail/find/default.aspx and check the wireless hotspot box.

Hope that can help.

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Try I Love Free Wifi, which is just one of many sites on the net listing free wifi hotspots all over the world.

Lifey who makes good use of all free services

I stayed in three Motel 6s on my recent 24-day road trip. Each of them were under $50 total. Actually the total bill for each hotel was about $49 + change for one night. The totals included the room for one person, plus internet ($2.99), and local taxes. I paid more than $50 at the mom and pop motels, except for one in Tucumcari, New Mexico that cost me a whopping $30.26 which included all taxes and free internet. Best price I found for a nice room with 1950s nostalgia, and had two phones, cable TV, refrigerator and microwave oven in the room. Not bad at all.

The Motel 6 locations were Amarillo, TX, Gallup, New Mexico, and Houston, TX - all just under $50.

Right now seems to be a good time for hotel/motel stays. I was never told there wasn't a vacancy when I just popped in without a reservation.

I also stayed at Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, and Candlewood Suites. Only one cost a bit over $100 per night - Holiday Express in Oklahoma City ($106). I think it was because I decided to extend my stay after I was already there, instead of doing it online. The next time I extended my stays, I did it online even though I was right there in the hotel and received the same rate for each night and was able to stay in the same room, unlike in OKC where they upped the rate for the second and third nights.

I learned a lot of tricks on this trip and when I find all my notes, I'll post them.

Lots of places now have free wifi, including McDonald's, bookstores, restaurants, and state information/rest areas along major highways. Many more places are offering free wifi and I'm sure more will do so in the future. Some cities have the service within their boundaries at no charge.

If you have a pet with you, be prepared to spend a lot more per night in many places. On my return trip, I transported a cat for our local animal shelter. One hotel charged $50 for her (Holiday Inn Express), a Holiday Inn charged $20, the next Holiday Inn didn't charge anything for her but required that all pets be declared upon check-in. Finally, Motel 6 didn't charge anything for the pet. So for four nights with the pet, it cost an extra $70 total - nonrefundable. If the other two places had charged a pet fee, that could have gotten quite expensive.

When I'm on a roadtrip, Im always try to find the cheapest motels.
Motel6 are usually the cheapest however there are cheaper mom and pop motels in smaller towns.
Do any of you have a strategy in finding the cheapest motels on your route?
When its late and Im tired, I don't like driving around and walking into many of them to ask their price.

If you have a laptop and can find Internet access, you can try sites such as hotels.com in addition to checking the sites for the major budget chains.

For people who enjoy traveling and meeting new people, I suggest couchsurfing.org. It is a community of people around the world who are both willing to host guests in their homes, and stay with fellow couch surfers when they are traveling. The site has several checks for security (a credit card donation to verify location, "vouching" for people you've met, recommendations, etc). Its a wonderful idea, and a great community! I wonder why it hasn't been mentioned on here before.

Recently my friends and I found ourselves 600 miles away from home on the first day of a 14 day road trip with a predicament that swiftly needed solving. We were in a bind for money and were trying to figure out where 3 teenagers in a car could park and sleep for the night without being asked to leave. As we listed the ideas off in our heads 2 places stuck out more than any others. We arrived in Newport News, VA and headed straight for the nearest Amtrak station. Since people will be leaving cars over night for whatever reason we came to the conclusion that our car would fit right in and it did. A few nights later we faced the same decision but didn't feel like hunting for an Amtrak and we found our way to the nearest hospital. We found a spot in the back of the parking lot and for the rest of our trip hit 4 more hospitals before we made it back home. We discovered that if you arrive late and leave early the hospital employees will have no problem with you sleeping in the far end of their parking lot. Mind you, in order to sleep there i would not recommend staying any later than 8am.

I've taken 2 long road trips in the past 2 years, and I've saved a LOT of money by getting rewards credit cards before the trip. For example, the Priority Club Visa (from Chase I think) gave us points for getting the card, and more points for using the card one time. We had enough points to stay free twice during our trip.
You must join the hotel rewards programs, which you can do for free on their web sites. Join all of them, and keep your ID number and password in your wallet on the trip. NEVER STAY AT A HOTEL WITHOUT JOINING THE REWARD PROGRAM. Even if you don't get a free night soon, you'll end up getting one later.
We did the same thing with another card for the next trip, and were able to stay at Comfort Suites free also. We used the cards for gas on our trips, which saved us from carrying hundreds of dollars, then we paid off the balance after our trip. Free stays, free credit, and no charges, can't beat that!

I also wanted to mention that we never stay at low-budget hotels or motels unless we have no other choice. Sleep is very important when traveling, as well as staying in a safe place where other people have some class and won't stay up all night or be loud. Cigarette smoke is also a big nuisance for us.
We save money other ways, like food, and make sure we stay at nice places that have free breakfast, and breakfast at nice hotels is always great, with hot items too.
The free breakfast is important for 3 reasons. 1) It gets you up earlier so you're on the road sooner, 2) it saves time over stopping somewhere else, even McDonalds adds up for a family, and 3) it saves money, we've paid $30 for breakfast for the 4 of us at Denny's, etc. - so when we stay at a Hampton or Holiday Inn Express or Comfort Suites for $99, I always take $30 off the price for what we're saving for getting a free breakfast. So to me, it's $69, not $99.
Plus you can eat all you want, AND take cups of cereal, and a bagel and fruit, to eat in the car, which the kids love. And then we don't need to stop for lunch for at least a few hours.

Couchsurfing.org

Be a welcoming host and a good guest.