Budget travel tip #7: Take the airport shuttle—or even better the bus

On my recent trip to New York, I grabbed a cab from the airport into Manhattan, and it cost me $55. Yikes! This is a lot when you consider there was only one person in the taxi. At the end of my trip, I opted for a airport shuttle to the airport, and it cost me only $25. When you're traveling solo it makes no sense to take a cab to or from the airport. It's almost always cheaper to take a shuttle or even better the public bus or train.

The joy of dining out alone

I recently found myself alone in New York City--a wonderful situation when you're a mom who almost never steps out of the house without a kid tugging at her leg. I was there to speak on a panel featuring travel industry experts and to do a segment on summer travel for NBC New York.

From the moment I stepped off the plane, it seemed as if every hour was filled with one work commitment or another. I hardly even had a moment to miss my kids who were back at home with their dad. But on my last night, I was completely free and so I decided to treat myself to a dinner out. Some people fear dining out alone-they worry they might look sad and dejected without a companion. Me, I love it. I can order anything I want. No one can say, "We can't both get the pork chop so why don't you get the roasted chicken." I like to look for restaurants with a bar because it's more comfortable to eat alone at a counter rather than at a table. Often the bartender or the lone diner sitting next to you will strike up a conversation. I also always bring reading material, typically a stack of magazines.

So where did I go? Otto Enoteca Pizzeria, which dishes up inventive antipasti and pizzas served in the Italian equivalent of a brasserie in Greenwich Village. I pulled up the last stool at the bar next to who I think was a professor at New York University, just a few blocks away. At least that's what I was able to pick up from the neighboring diner's conversation with the bartender. On the other side of me, a couple dreamily stared into one another's eyes.

While flipping through gossipy celeb rags, I savored a bowl of penne topped with a heavenly sauce of roasted tomatos, capers, chiles, and anchovies. Dessert? Of course! I enjoyed every single bite of the banana toffee and caramel gelatos layered with brown butter pecan crumble, mascarpone cream, and a coffee bourbon sauce.

Budget travel tip #6: Improve fuel economy

During this summer driving season, regular gasoline retail prices are projected to average $2.21 per gallon, down about $1.60 from last summer, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. This makes gas seem like a good deal. But regardless of the prices at the pump, any time you're on a road-trip the cost of gas adds up. Here are some tips from AAA on ways to save by improving your car's fuel economy.

• Inflate tires according to the recommendation in the owner's manual or as shown on a label attached to the driver's door pillar. Underinflated tires are a safety hazard and can cut fuel economy by as much as 2 percent per pound of pressure below the recommended level.
• Spark plugs must be in good condition. Some will last for 100,000 miles, but many need to be replaced more often.Take care of car-care "incidentals" that can affect fuel use. For example, a defective radiator thermostat can waste gas by extending the engine's warm-up time or decreasing the engine's operating temperature. A stuck brake caliper can create drag, which also wastes fuel.
• Check the air filter twice a year, or more often in dusty conditions. A dirty air filter increases fuel consumption and can cause poor performance.
• Cruise control may be a fuel-saving option if you drive a lot on open roads. Maintaining a steady speed conserves fuel.
• Maintain steady speeds for the best fuel economy. A car uses extra fuel when it accelerates.
• Travel at moderate speeds on the open road. Higher speeds require more gasoline use to overcome air resistance. Remember, however, speeds slower than the flow of traffic can create a traffic hazard.
• Use the air conditioner only when needed. Air conditioning dramatically reduces fuel economy. Most air conditioners have an "economy" setting that allows the circulation of unchilled air. Many also have a "maximum" or "recirculation" setting that reduces the amount of hot outside air that must be chilled. Both settings can reduce the air conditioning load—and save gas.

Want to travel the way you did as a kid?

It's time to put on my Best Western spokesperson hat...

The hotel chain and AAA are offering one family the chance to find out how road trips have changed during the last 60 years by giving away a week-long summer trip. The “Retro to Now” road trip sweepstakes will turn back time this summer and send one family on the vacation of a lifetime--starting in the past and ending in present day.

Now through May 31, travelers are encouraged to log onto www.bestwestern.com/roadtrip to submit a picture of their family on a road trip or vacation. Ten finalists will be chosen from the submissions and posted to the Web site, where they will be available for the public to vote on. The photo with the most votes on June 12, 2009 will win the “Retro to Now” road trip prize.

The “Retro to Now” road trip will start in “retro” style, complete with an old-school vehicle, paper maps and car games, as well as other familiar supplies of yesteryear. Mid-way through the trip, the vacationing family will fast-forward to “now” and be equipped with a modern vehicle, GPS device, DVD players and all the conveniences of modern day.


The grand prize winning family will receive a road trip for four, including airfare, transportation and accommodations, hitting some of North America’s most popular landmarks.

For official rules, visit www.bestwestern.com/roadtrip.

Budget travel trip #5: Opt for the smaller car

When you're piling the family into a car for a road trip it might be tempting to opt for the roomier SUV parked in your garage. But if your family's fleet also includes a smaller car consider driving it instead because you'll pay less for gas. Your SUV might get 20 miles to the gallon while your little four-door sedan gets 30 to 35. You'll pay about $2.75 to drive 25 miles in the SUV and only $2 in the smaller car. If you're driving 1,500, you'll save $45 in the smaller car—and emit a lot less CO2. (fuel cost based on gas price of $2.30 a gallon.)

Budget travel tip #4: Stay at hotels with pools

My kids and I recently visited Disneyland. At about 3 p.m., after riding It's a Small World three times, my daughter said, "Let's go back to the hotel and swim in the pool." After paying over $200 for admission for myself and two kids, I wasn't about to give up on Disneyland. But I realized that on a family vacation all children really need is a swimming pool and they'll be happy. When you stay in a hotel with a pool, it offers great free entertainment and you can easily skip out on some of the pricier attractions.

Budget travel tip #3: Find free things to do

New York's Staten Island Zoo is free on Wednesdays after 2 p.m.

A family of four vacationing in New York City could spend $47 to explore the Natural History Museum or they could hop on the ferry to Staten Island and take in views of the Statue of Liberty and not spend a dime. If you're traveling on a budget, it's wise to look for free activities in your destination. Convention and Visitor Bureau Web sites are great resources for listings of parades, festivals, fairs, art shows, outdoor movie screenings, parks, museums that don't charge admission, and more. In fact, many sites offer a rundown of free things to do. Here are a few lists from city's around the country.

Chicago: Free and Easy Chicago

Los Angeles: 20 Free Things to Do

Memphis: Free Things to Do

New York City: Young and Free

Oahu: 101 Free Things to Do

Orlando: Free Smiles Await in Orlando

Philadelphia: Top 10 Free Attractions

San Antonio: Free Fun

Washington, D.C.: 100 Free (and Almost Free) Things to Do in D.C.

Budget travel tip #2: Never pay for your kids' meals

Why pay to feed your kids when you don't have to? There are many restaurants dishing up free meals for children.

The best way to locate those places when you're on the road is by clicking on kidsmealdeals.com. You simply type in a zip code or a city name and the day of the week and presto you have a list of places.

In Austin, Texas, for example, you could take the family to the hip Japanese restaurant Zen and any kids under 12 years old eat for free. Or in New York you could fill up at the retro diner EJ's.

Budget travel tip #1: Collect pressed pennies

Pressed pennies—could there be a better souvenir for penny-pinching travelers? These coins that are flattened and imprinted by special machines cost about four quarters and one penny. And they certainly fit into anyone's suitcase. You won't be paying a fee for your extraheavy suitcase filled with your pressed penny collection.

The first elongated coins in the United States were created at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Illinois held in 1893, and now you can find machines in museums, souvenir stores, zoos, aquariums, and amusement parks all over the world.

Tip: Use pre-1982 pennies. They contain more copper and hold their (new) shape better.


**This is the the first story in a series featuring budget travel tips. I'm trying to get myself into a frugal mindset because this summer I'll be going on a Mississippi River family road trip on a budget or $150 a day. Please feel free to offer up your best budget travel tips in the comments.

Is it possible to travel on $150 a day?

Our itinerary for this summer's Mississippi road trip is set, and now we're onto figuring out the budget. And, well, it looks as if things are a little tight in our household. With our mortgage about to adjust to a higher rate, we'll have less extra money to spend. Sound familiar?

And so we have decided to make this a super-budget trip. We hope to make it all the way from the headwaters to the mouth on $150 a day. This will include hotel, food, gas, and entertainment. It doesn't include the money we'll have to spend to fly ourselves from San Francisco to Minnesota or from New Orleans back to San Francisco. Luckily, the low-fare carrier Southwest Airlines can get us to all these places so our airfares shouldn't break the bank.

I imagine that many traveling Americans will be counting their pennies this summer, so I hope to offer up some real-life tips based on my experience.

Stay tuned...before we hit the road I plan to start posting budget travel tips, so I can start learning how to travel on a shoestring.

Mississippi River Road Trip: Planning Stage

My husband and I have decided to drive the Great River Road with our two kids—ages 4 and 6—this summer. We plan to follow the network of roads that trace the Mississippi, from the headwaters in the northwoods of Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico. We'll pass through 10 states and cover more than 2,500 miles—and we'll do it all in two and a half weeks.

Last week, we started to map out our trip. We used Google Maps to determine distances between locations and typed up our itinerary in a Word document. We stayed up late one night trying to determine how to fill up our time.

Should we hang out in St. Louis for two nights? Where should we stay between Memphis and New Orleans? How close is Baton Rouge to New Orleans? Looking at tiny maps that filled the small computer screen on my laptop, I struggled to visualize our route.

At 1 a.m. I said to my husband, "Maybe we should get out a map. A paper map? Do we have one?"

From a closet I pulled out an old lunch box where I store a collection of maps—and dug up a AAA United States map. We cut Post-it notes into thin strips, labeling them with the dates that we'll be on the trip. And then we started to stick them onto the cities we'd like to visit. We moved the notes around until finally our itinerary became apparent in a meandering trail of scratch paper.

Stay tuned for more reports on our upcoming vacation. We'll start the drive on June 20 at the Mississippi headwaters in Minnesota.