Budget Travel Tips (on a graduate stipend!)

[MidwesternAloha]

Hello everyone, I thought I'd create a thread where we could share tips for traveling (home or elsewhere) during graduate school.  This might be good for people in long distance relationships, moving away from home for the first time, or just trying to live off a graduate stipend.

 

One thing I recently discovered is great for military families.  You have to be active duty or have a dependent ID card, but Southwest airlines offers EXTREMELY reduced pricing for a limited number of seats on flights.  They're not available during the holidays/peak travel, but I'm talking like, $88/each way.  It's great for when you find out you have a long weekend, one day in advance, and want to go home to hubby/family.  (There's a large military community on this forum, so that's why I included this tip).  You have to call 1-800-I-FLY-SWA to get the pricing, though, and be somewhat forward about stating you want that special pricing.

 

On that note, does anyone have an airline/travel rewards credit card?  Can anyone recommend one?  I am thinking of just getting one with Southwest, since that's the airline I am most loyal to, but I am open to other cards that offer greater travel rewards.

 

And who here has traveled by train (Amtrak)?  Any tips for saving money?

[VulpesZerda]

My job now basically pays me a graduate stipend so I'll chime in!

I have the Bank of America Travel Rewards card - earning 1.5% every time I use the card with no restrictions whatsoever. When I charge a hotel or a plane ticket to the card I can redeem my points.

For shorter trips by bus or train I always search on Wanderu to get the best price. For airfare, I use Momondo and Google Flights for maximum flexibility which ultimately gives you the best price. I follow Airfare Watchdog on Twitter for tons of flight deals. They also do email lists! Couldn't recommend them more.

My last plane ticket was purchased from STA travel (which is a student-only travel site similar to Student Universe). This flight (to Europe) was so freaking cheap, and I bought an international student discount card off them which is widely accepted for little discounts here and there.

[TakeruK]

I just signed up for a airline credit card a few months ago. I plan to have this card for a year (first year fees waived) and then cancel it and maybe get on another airline rewards card. I am currently on the United MileagePlus Explorer card (offered through Chase bank). If you spend $2000 in the first 3 months, you get 50,000 bonus miles, which is good for two round-trip flights within the US. There's also some bonuses for adding a secondary cardholder (e.g. spouse) and you earn decent miles towards United. United is my US airline of choice because they are in the same airline alliance (Star Alliance) as my Canadian airline of choice (Air Canada).

 

For personal travel, we save money by combining work travel with personal travel. For example, the only two times I've been to Europe were for conferences (one in France, one in England). For both trips, I stayed in the country for two weeks--the first week was the conference then my spouse flew out and the second week was vacation. It effectively reduces the cost of the flight in half since I don't have to pay for my flight!! Also, I earn reward points when I fly for work so we try to use reward points (and credit cards like the one mentioned above) in order to get my spouse's airfare for free or discounted.

 

Another tip is to do your research carefully. In some places, the "CityPass" is a good deal -- gets you in a lot of places for cheaper than paying face value and you also get to skip the line. But in others, the CityPass contains admissions to things you're not interested in and it's far better to just buy tickets yourself.

 

You can also book hotels for cheaper if you book in advance. However, most of these discounted prices require a payment upfront and if you end up not traveling, you will lose the money (well, you will have to apply it to another booking, but they won't refund it). However, some credit cards (like the one I mentioned above) has automatic travel insurance that will let you cancel your book under some circumstances. It's also handy to note that if you don't want to take the no-refunds risk, you can usually book at the AAA member price (if you have AAA membership) for almost the same price as the 21 day advance purchase price (I've found that it's usually $5 more per night) but it's completely refundable.

 

Overall, I think the number one tip is to make sure you get something out of every dollar you spend. The other credit card I had also had points and last summer, we redeemed them to buy a projector for a home theatre system. In the first 2 years we were here, we have been able to redeem about $800 worth of stuff from Amazon from our credit card purchases. I charge everything on my card, even $1.75 coffees because why not. I noticed that the biggest expenses are groceries and eating out so I got a credit card that gives me 1% back in points for all purchases but 5% back for restaurants.

 

Finally, another money saving travel tip is to go to grocery stores while traveling to get supplies like water bottles, snacks, etc. It's a huge ripoff to buy them at tourist traps! Depending on the trip, we try to buy sandwich materials and other lunch foods and eat them for breakfast and lunch, so that we have more money to have a nice dinner while on vacation. Maybe making your own sandwiches doesn't sound appealing for a vacation, but given that a lunch at a restaurant can be around $30-$40 for the two of us, doing this even just two or three times is enough to splurge on other things! And making it into a nice picnic makes it more fun!

[juiceboxrampage]

I use Google Flights and Kayak to search for cheap flights. There's also a few cheap airlines that are not offered on sites like Kayak, so I search on their websites individually (Southwest, Spirit, and Jet Blue are a few I can think of).

 

Many folks have recommended putting your browser in incognito mode when you're buying tickets, since there's rumors that websites will increase your ticket costs if you've been browsing tickets for a while.

 

You can use couch surfing websites instead of getting a hotel. If you're going somewhere for a conference or a university visit, you can also ask the organizers if they can put you in touch with folks that can house you.

[shadowclaw]

I second using kayak to search for cheap flights. The website also keeps track of flight prices and patterns, so they can try to predict if prices are going to rise or drop and offers recommendations on whether to buy now or wait.

Using Trip Advisor is a good way to get reviews for cheap hotels to see if they're worth staying at or if you should run away. It's also a good way to find little places with a limited web presence.

I also recommend cooking while on trips if you can. It might not matter for a short trip, but longer trips will much cheaper if you don't eat out all the time. Even if you're just eating sandwiches like TakeruK suggested, you will really save money.

Also look into public transportation as opposed to taxis or rental cars. I spent time in Belize and saved lots of money taking the bus to get between towns and to different tourist spots. Instead of spending $60 on a cab to get where I needed to go, I spent $5 on a bus ride.

[rising_star]

I've found that many hotels are willing to match the price you find on hotwire or hotels.com if you book with them directly (either via phone or using the hotel's website). I also always ask about discounts at hotels when checking in. I've gotten discounts for being a Sam's Club member, AAA member, etc. It never hurts to investigate what those options are and see if anything might apply to you. 

 

For flights, Kayak and Google Flights are good resources, but I also always check JetBlue, Southwest, and Spirit, which aren't listed on those sites. I'm partial to flying Southwest but, I definitely vary it based on what's the least expensive.

[dat_nerd]

I've liked using AirBnB instead of hotels. It's cheaper and a great experience when staying with a local.

[VulpesZerda]

I've liked using AirBnB instead of hotels. It's cheaper and a great experience when staying with a local.

Wow, I think you just saved me a few hundred dollars for a conference trip in NYC. Did you feel nervous about it the first time you used it? I've never couch surfed before, but I'm pretty open to it - is this pretty much the same thing?

[victorydance]

^ Not really. It's more of a transaction than couch surfing. You pay for the room/apartment and that's the deal. Couchsurfing is more like "do you have a place for me to sleep?" You also have the choice of renting a whole apartment on airbnb.

Edited March 5, 2015 by victorydance

[ss2player]

AirBnB is fantastic, would highly recommend. I saved a postdoc in my lab from $450/night hotel fees for AACR. :-D

[dat_nerd]

Wow, I think you just saved me a few hundred dollars for a conference trip in NYC. Did you feel nervous about it the first time you used it? I've never couch surfed before, but I'm pretty open to it - is this pretty much the same thing?

It is like couch surfing, except that you pay and you usually get more space. Sometimes you rent a room in someone's house or apartment, other times you can rent out a whole apartment or house. The first time I used it, it was actually a friend who brought up the idea. Four of us rented an apartment for a conference, and it was well worth it.

 

Second time I used it, I was traveling alone in another country and was a little nervous. I rented a room in a lady's house just down the street from the conference, and really enjoyed getting to meet someone local. I plan on doing something similar the next time I'm traveling someplace with expensive hotels.

[allinduetime]

I've liked using AirBnB instead of hotels. It's cheaper and a great experience when staying with a local.

 

I always try to stay airbnb now. It's just a lot better value than a hotel most of the time. You can stay in the neighborhoods that interest you the most, and have a lot more space than a hotel. I've used airbnb in Portland, ME; Asheville, NC; Warwick, NY; and Montreal. I also just had my family stay at a 2 bedroom airbnb apartment in NYC when they came to visit me. I feel like it's very safe due to all of the social networks and identity confirmations involved. I've never had a problem, highly recommend.

[TakeruK]

It might just be my experience, but I've looked at airbnb for all of the conferences I've been going to recently and I have yet to find a better deal with airbnb if I want a place near the conference center (i.e. usually downtown) and if I want my own place (i.e. not just a room in an existing family's house). These conditions are the same as if I just shared a room at the conference hotel (super convenient to be able to just go downstairs instead of having to commute). I usually pay $80/night for conferences if I share a room at the conference hotel with a friend but most airbnb places come out to about $100-$140 per night.

[VulpesZerda]

It might just be my experience, but I've looked at airbnb for all of the conferences I've been going to recently and I have yet to find a better deal with airbnb if I want a place near the conference center (i.e. usually downtown) and if I want my own place (i.e. not just a room in an existing family's house). These conditions are the same as if I just shared a room at the conference hotel (super convenient to be able to just go downstairs instead of having to commute). I usually pay $80/night for conferences if I share a room at the conference hotel with a friend but most airbnb places come out to about $100-$140 per night.

Yeah, I could see that bring true some of the time. In my case, the conference is in Times Square so the discounted rooms are still over $250. Unfortunately I'm only going with my advisor so of course we won't be sharing a room. I found an AirBnB that was a 7 minute bus ride away and less than $60 per night! I always look at all the options to double check, but AirBnB will be a great addition to the places I normally check.

[TakeruK]

Yeah, I could see that bring true some of the time. In my case, the conference is in Times Square so the discounted rooms are still over $250. Unfortunately I'm only going with my advisor so of course we won't be sharing a room. I found an AirBnB that was a 7 minute bus ride away and less than $60 per night! I always look at all the options to double check, but AirBnB will be a great addition to the places I normally check.

 

I guess I just haven't had a conference in a place like that yet! I still check AirBnB every time to ensure I use grant money most efficiently but since there are always 6-10 students from my program at every major conference, it's pretty easy to find a roommate (or sometimes I try to room with friends from undergrad that I haven't seen for awhile). A 7 minute bus ride is certainly worth saving $190 per night!!

[VulpesZerda]

I guess I just haven't had a conference in a place like that yet! I still check AirBnB every time to ensure I use grant money most efficiently but since there are always 6-10 students from my program at every major conference, it's pretty easy to find a roommate (or sometimes I try to room with friends from undergrad that I haven't seen for awhile). A 7 minute bus ride is certainly worth saving $190 per night!!

Yes! Hopefully when I'm in grad school I'll travel to conferences with my cohort. Being the only undergraduate in my major who attends conferences is getting old.

[kyjin]

I haven't taken the plunge in trying AirBnB yet; I'm personally a fan of staying in hostels. As long as you don't mind having a bunkbed in a shared room, it's pretty cheap. In my case, I only tend to be in the hostel to sleep anyway, so amenities aren't a big deal for me. I've been pretty lucky in hitting some fantastic hostels in Canada, Japan, and Germany for various conferences an events.

 

I also heartily recommend getting a rewards card for whatever airline you fly on most frequently. I have a United Explorer Card, and the free bags and tons of bonus air miles really make it worth it for me. Usually I book flights for conferences and such on my own, so I can use my card and get the extra miles that way.

[gr1277]

For cheap hotels, I've been using Priceline for the last four years and I've paid between $36/night (Minneapolis) to $78/night (in cities like Chicago and New York). In the US, I haven't paid more than $78/night for a hotel and I've booked hotels in ~20 different states. Usually, I go for the Express deals, but I've booked through Name Your Own Price many times. I never stay at a hotel with less than 3* and it's always a great deal. I've also used the Name Your Own Price option on flights and it's worked out (enough though the layovers are crappy). 

 

Everyone in my cohort is amazed by the fact that I've traveled during my MA. It's a priority to me though. I live in a cheap/crappy apartment and I spend my money on traveling. I find the best deals and I'm not picky about where I go. Sometimes, when I feel like traveling, I just pick the cheapest possible destination that I haven't visited yet. At the beginning of January, that meant visiting NYC when it was -20 with wind chill. However, I booked a hotel (three blocks from Times Square) and a flight for cheap because people don't want to travel then. 

 

Also, I LOVE conferences. Yes, they are great for networking and adding another line to your CV. They are also opportunities for free travel. My department offers $1000/year in funding, the college offers $100, and the grad school offers $100. Additionally, I've received $400-$500 in travel grants/awards from different conference organizations. During my second year, I presented at a conference in Flagstaff, AZ and New Orleans, LA, and I actually received excess (I made money by presenting at the conferences). 

 

While working on my MA (making ~$14,000 as a TA), I was able to go on a 2-month 10,000 mile road trip across the Western half of the US and Canada during the summer after my first year and a 1-month backpacking adventure around Ireland/Northern Ireland during the summer after my second year. Also, I went to Mexico City, Washington DC, Nashville, Chicago, Detroit, Toronto, and more. Plus, next week, I'm going to Panama City, Panama for spring break. 

 

Anyway, I just want to stress that it's possible if you make it a priority. 

Edited March 12, 2015 by gr1277

[TakeruK]

Also, I LOVE conferences. Yes, they are great for networking and adding another line to your CV. They are also opportunities for free travel. My department offers $1000/year in funding, the college offers $100, and the grad school offers $100. Additionally, I've received $400-$500 in travel grants/awards from different conference organizations. During my second year, I presented at a conference in Flagstaff, AZ and New Orleans, LA, and I actually received excess (I made money by presenting at the conferences). 

 

Travel opportunities are one of the big reasons why I am interested in academia and grad school Of course, it's not the only reason I'm interested in my work but travel opportunities were one of the big items in the "pro" column when I was considering career options! Also, it was a consideration in my final decision in grad school. Sometimes I feel like I'm in one of the best fields for traveling -- as a planetary scientist, I get to travel for work for conferences, geological field trips, and astronomical observing trips to telescopes, a triple whammy of awesomeness!