LA to NY -- Four Swedish Guys

[Per]

We are planning a roadtrip from LA to NY. We have the basics covered but we don't know how much certain things will cost. What we need to know is for instance how much a motel room (four people) costs per night? Thats all for now..

[Robert Schaller]

You can find accommodations beginning at about $30 USD. The average cost of newer, modern lodging is probably between $50 and $100 per night, but many cities will have cheaper rooms as well, with a few exceptions in very popular cities and areas. Prices tend to be higher during vacation and tourist seasons.

[imported_mikael]

I recently travelled NY-FL-CA with 2 friends and among the most important tips I can give you is this: COUPONS.

When crossing state lines (atleast on the interstates) you will find information offices and a wealth of coupons. The most useful will be the catalogue of coupons for motels and you will usually be able to find lodging in the $50-$60 range if you're not too picky. Bring airmattresses and sleep on the floor to save a buck instead of paying for extra beds.

Getting an AAA membership might be useful aswell, as the motels who you don't get coupons for will usually have a 10% AAA discount.

Only bother with hostels if you're there for meeting people, as the condition of most we lived in was horrible. Although I can heartily reckommend the one in Hermosa Beach in LA. Say hello to the Moroccan for me if you stay there. :D

Don't hesitate to send me an email if you've any other questions as my memory of the details is still relatively fresh.

Lycka till! :)

[Marc_767]

Hello folks! We are 4 finnish guys planning a roadtrip across the American continent in May and June, and 1 thing we have wondered is it possible for us all 4 guys share 1 motelroom or should we get 2 rooms instead and what kind of rooms American motels usually have?

Marc

[AZBuck]

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forum.

You're going to find American motel rooms fairly spacious by European standards, and a typical room will have two king or queen sized beds which will each comfortably sleep two. So you could make do with a single room for the four of you. On the other hand, it is typically just a single room with a single bath/toilet and the TV will be in the same room as the beds, so there may be a bit more togetherness than you might like, and you will all have to agree on when to sleep and when to be awake. But you can also find rooms for considerably less than you may be used to and it may be worth while to get two so that some of you can turn in early while others stay up. You might want to experiment the first few nights with both arrangements and see what works for you in terms of cost and psyche.

AZBuck

[Marc_767]

First of all, thanks for a really quick answer. Will there be difference in the price for a room when all 4 of us are staying in 1 room instead of when only 2 are in the same room, ie. should we always tell how many of us are going to stay in the room or is the price per room regardless the number of visitors?

Marc

[AZBuck]

That will depend on the motel chain and even occasionally on the individual motel, but as a rule-of-thumb the lower priced motels (Motel 6, Super 8, Days Inn, etc) will charge an extra fee for extra people, typically $10-15 to go from 1 to 4 people sharing a room (on a base rate that is around $40-50). At the other end of the scale, higher priced motels will not, but then they're charging on the order of twice as much to begin with. Always ask, sometimes you can negotiate the price. Another thing you should consider is joining AAA - the American Automobile Association. I think the basic memmbership is about $65, but most motel chains offer a 10% discount to members, and this should more than offset the cost on a long trip like yours, plus they're handy to have in your corner should you need maps or services. And, yes, I'd recommend that you always tell how many of you are going to be staying in the room.

AZBuck

[Marc_767]

Ok, that clarifies things, thanks alot for your kind help.

Marc