WORKOUT -
Ran outside in Santa Barbara -
8.0 miles/1:12
part trails, more on that in the next post
In the race on Sunday, Pam mentioned that she had all her travel plans ready to go for the Boston Marathon on April 15th.
Then Sheila mentioned Boston after the race when we were all hanging out.
Then StuftMama talked about Boston in a post a day ago so I figured I had better get a move on and make some travel arrangements.
I had such a great time last year with my parents that I didn’t know if I really wanted to do the race again, at least for awhile. I kinda get that “Don’t mess with a good thing, just let it be” feeling on some things, but I ended up registering when it opened and have been putting off making travel plans for too long.
Brandon from Claim Your Journey emailed me recently and asked about traveling cheaply to destination races. I wrote a post with more tips here, but a few more that I will add:
Start planning EARLY.
If you choose a smaller, more cost effective race, there might be fewer choices of hotels and flights. For example, the Eugene Marathon is a great, smaller big-feel race, but Portland it is not. There aren’t that many hotels in Eugene (it’s not a big town) so if you wait until the last minute, you’re going to be left with the priciest option while the more affordable places sell out.
If you’re staying with other people, consider renting a house or condo.
Sarah and Co. do this for Eugene – with a group of people, it can end up being cheaper to rent a little house. Plus, you have a full kitchen to cook meals and more space in general.
We’re going up to Mammoth Mountain this weekend, and every time we go, we rent a condo on VRBO. You can (try to) negotiate prices with the owner, and it’s always more affordable than the Mammoth hotel options since we go with a group.
Check surrounding areas and airports.
When searching for flights, check nearby airports for the best airfare. I’m in Orange County, CA, so I’ll check all the way from LAX to San Diego. Even if you have to rent a car, it might still save you money to fly into another airport.
Also if you can, be flexible with your travel dates – this can save a ton of money. Air travel and especially hotels can be more affordable mid-week as opposed to weekends.
Be aware of the little things that add up to big expenses.
If you’re on a strict budget, plan for the little expenses and try to avoid them. Can you pack lighter and do a carry-on instead of the checked luggage that cost $25 each way? What about getting a book from the library or borrowing a few magazines from a friend instead of spending $15 on them at the airport?
Bring your own water bottle, drink mixes and snacks, skip the $10 airplane Wi-Fi, pack Starbucks VIA instant coffee for the hotel, or take the subway/metro instead of a taxi. Ask a local (or Yelp) for authentic, affordable restaurant suggestions instead of the overpriced hotel joint. Purchase the kids’ souvenirs beforehand so you don’t end up with little selection and large prices at the airport.
Some of these things might seem a little cheapwad, but I’ve paid $4 for a watery cup of coffee (plain.black.coffee) in Vegas before a race and done the $8 box of crappy plane snacks before. That stuff adds up and you’re not getting a great value to begin with!
If I spend $4 on a cup of joe, I want it to be a killer latte or at least see a celebrity while I’m ordering…
{Coffee/Art in Oregon – instagram: SKINNYRUNNERSR}
For our trip to Boston, I ended up finding cheap tickets out of LAX (my least favorite airport, bah) and flying out late Saturday night and coming back Tuesday night. Not the greatest connection or airport, but they were $100-150 cheaper than other tickets.
I also did Name Your Own Price on Priceline (my favorite) and booked a hotel for $80 per night cheaper than the advertised price.
Boston 2013, here we come!
Any affordable travel or race tips to add?
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{ 38 comments… read them below or add one }
I’m running Boston for the first time this year and am so excited (even though training in the winter has been really hard)! I hope I see you in the corrals
Great tips, thanks for sharing! Boston sounds so much fun, you’ll be great!
Staying with friends in Boston is my cheap way to run the marathon–hope to see you there!
I wish I was going to be home when you all run boston! I’d love to watch it someday and meet up with my favorite bloggers! These are all great tips especially for people like me who have to travel a lot to go back and forth to home. If I book my tickets early enough, I only pay $48 each way!
These are all awesome tips and are greatly appreciated. Traveling to races is a lot of fun, but the cost adds up. This year I’m trying to only run one race that I need to rent a hotel room for and am not planning to run any races that I need a plane ticket for to save money…and that money will in all likelihood be spent on more races. When I travel I try to pack granola bars and other foods for breakfast so I don’t have to buy breakfast…that can save upward of $5/day, depending on what you like to eat for breakfast.
These are great tips!! I realllly want to run Boston! I’m saving up the money for next year
Nice tips! When I travel I try and pack my own food as much as possible. It’s a lot easier on road trips because I can just pack a cooler full of my own food. I actually went to Mammoth Mountain last weekend and did that
We also brought leftover food from our fridge that probably would go bad if we didn’t eat it and we ate it up there instead of going out to dinner at night. Definitely helps.
Have fun in Mammoth! One of my favorite places
I am running Boston with my dad! We are driving from the Detroit, MI area. It will be about a 13 hour car ride, but we are driving my step mother’s mini van w/ my dad, step mom, son, husband and infant daughter. It just made sense to drive.
And since we will have a car, we are staying about 15 minutes outside of Boston. My husband will drive my dad and I to the bus location for athletes village, then drive himself, my step mom, my son and our daughter to the green line and take it downtown to be at the finish.
Definitely picking off days to fly helps cheapen ticket options. You can also sign up for rewards through airlines, etc. so at least you get something out of spending the big bucks when you have to.
I used AirBnB to rent a room or a house Invite Link – https://www.airbnb.com/tell-a-friend?airef=1x1fjz272dczz5
We usually rent a room in someone’s house and aside from saving a ton of $$$ the location is usually a ton more convenient than a hotel would be.
I always pack oatmeal & almonds because usually even the most ghettofab places have a device you can boil water with.
Also, I often scoop out the local Groupon/Livinig Social etc sites for a destination I’m traveling to for any good dining deals. I like to eat out when I travel and I like deals so works for me.
Great post with some frugal tips! I travel for work a bunch & while they usually foot the bill on most things, I keep my eyes peeled for ways to save. Most hotels will extend free wi-fi or even a breakfast/coffee coupon if you just ask when you check-in, especially if you’re going for an event. If you need a cool travel app, “Around Me” is good for finding grocery stores which always cuts down on food (& booze) bills while out & about.
As a person who tends to roll with the punches, this is fabulous advice.
I am planning for a big marathon in October and I will definitely put these into practice!
I’m running Boston too!! Hope I get to see you during the race! Thanks for the Travel tips. We are flying up Sunday morning and going back Monday night to save money on a hotel- it’s only an hour flight out of NJ for us though. Definitely have spent wayy too much on airport magazines.
Boston?! You’re in? Bean town hangout fo sho (Pam, you too!!)
It’s funny that this happens to be your post for the day because I just booked a flight to Boston and Im curious on what your tactics are for using the Name Your Price tool on Priceline. Im not really sure how to go about the bidding, do you check out the average going prices first? What star level do you pick?
yes i always check what the hotels are going for and in what area of the city. then when i start bidding i go with the highest star level and work my way down. i figure if you want the best deal, they should reject your price once or twice, otherwise you’re bidding too high to begin with. but priceline tells you before you bid what the average price of a hotel in your area and star level goes for. so if its like $179, ill try 89 first and then up my price, expand my search area, lower the stars, etc.
Oh god, Boston travel. That just reminded me. I don’t know that I’m totally prepared to drop that much money right now.
(Priceline for flights works really well too, btw.)
You can pack a variety of foods to bring with you, too. I brought some of those Jif To Go things with me and they were no problem. Bananas and apples got through fine.
I was wondering how travel effects your legs and if you add any time based on jet lag or anything like that.
I personally get pretty worked up and nervous about flying…it’s getting a lot better, and I’m not afraid of it, other than the fact that you are strapped into a CHAIR in the SKY. My stomach always feels the effects, so I eat bland (not than I need an excuse to grab a soft pretzel at the Philly airport EVER), but it definitely throws things out of whack.
as a travel agent I encourage my clients to do some of these things to save money. Good tips!
VRBO is a great site! It is amazing how cheap you can stay in a town with a few friends using it. The advantages of a house or condo over an apartment are huge!
I wish I had more “cheap” race travel tips. I think it’s always to go with friends and split costs as well as bring as much food as you can. I kept my race schedule to races I can drive to right now, so I miss less work time and don’t have to book flights.
I’m running Boston, too! We are staying with some family friends who live about 40 minutes outside of the city. Not ideal, but it sure is cheap! I’ll keep my eyes peeled for you
My budget doesn’t allow for airline travel to and from races. I only go to races within driving distance. We pick one marathon per year to run, although this year DH wants to run another one. I booked our hotel through Priceline. That was my first time doing that. I try to bring as many snack as possible and stay where we have at least a mini fridge.
I grew up in Mammoth!!! In middle school, every other week we would go skiing instead of attending school. Free rentals/fittings, free ski passes and lessons. If we went without the school, we just had to show our school ID and ski passes were $2. We were spoiled rotten, but they don’t have the ski program anymore
Have you looked into flying into the airport there? They have some good deals at certain times during the year. You should try to make it to Slocums for a cocktail/drink and food. They make all their fruit juices in house and used to have some killer cocktails 
Have the most fun ever in Mammoth!!!
Oh my goodness, I should have read this a couple days ago. Boston is expensive!!! It was actually cheaper for us to stay an additional day. Ugh. Maybe I should pay you to do my travel planning. he he.
Hi there!
I used to work for a hotel and if your arriving late call ahead to make sure they know to save your room. Often when big events happen they over book. If your arriving late they might give away your room. Also, join their rewards program before you book their less likely to give away your room. It doesn’t hurt to ask for a free upgrade I find sleeping in a junior suite is a nice way to real after a race!
I’m taking the train up to Boston on Friday or Saturday. It’s a 11 hour trip from Richmond VA but I’m really excited about it, I love trains and it’ll give me a chance to catch up on life on my computer.
I’m staying with Friends who live a little outside of the city.
WE SHOULD HAVE GOTTEN A HOUSE TOGETHER with stuft mama and all the other fun girls, that would have been awesome. Too bad I’m awful at planning. Maybe next year.
We’ll have to at least get together while we’re up there. Maybe coffee on Sunday or dinner after the race. We’ll see.
I’m also running Boston!! I can’t wait!! I just wish my glute and hamstring would heal, so I could get training! Ugh–I am so far behind. I booked a place to stay through VRBO, which I’ve used before and love.
I’d say to sign up for the hotel’s rewards program. They’re free and offer discounted rates and sweet perks.
I’ve been using AirBnb recently for my trips to Singapore and Hong Kong – fantastic finds and the local hosts were very helpful with suggestions on places to hang out, eat etc. Also, I bring along some snacks for both the travelling and the trip – I’m vegan so sometimes finding vegan options can be problematic and it’s cheaper to buy little items like these here than abroad. I mean how different is a Nestle granola bar here vs abroad?
I feel so much better knowing you just booked your flight and hotel. I haven’t done either yet!! Whoops!!
I found fairly decent airfare and I found a sweet place on airbnb.com — my favorite! Have you used it?? You totally should!
i never have used it, we just always use vrbo but a lot of people have said really good things about it.
So, this post just kicked my but into gear and I literally just booked a flight for $385, which I think is decent from San Diego. I also found an adorable room above a coffee roaster (which is basically heaven in book) on airbnb for $55/night and a balcony. The host is also willing to drive me to the marathon start, which he’s done for marathoners in the past. He has great reviews and the place looks super cool. I’m telling you, AirBNB is the way to go!
and apparently I can’t type or spell today.
Thanks for posting this! I also need to book Boston flights…. Better get on that!
$80 for a Boston hotel over marathon wekend is a steal! I was just there for work two days ago and the closest hotel I could find to my conference was $179. One of the biggest expenses about Boston is the cabs. Try to avoid them at all cost and you will save a good deal of money! Boston has decent public transportation and it’s cheap.
oh it wasn’t $80, not even close! i just got it for $80 off the original price. it was ridic pricey!!
We just made our Boston travel arrangements yesterday. It was actually cheaper for us to fly into Albany (Southwest had a sale, but blacked out marathon weekend for the the 3 nearest airports), stay overnight there, and rent a mid-size car to explore Upstate New York and Vermont for a couple of days before the marathon than it was to fly into Boston and stay in a hotel. Even the condo/apartment rentals are twice the normal price that weekend!
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