The Squeeze
I was recently visiting with a friend who works in the hotel business in Austin, and she and I discussed a trend I’m seeing more of these days: As the national economy feels a squeeze, hotels aren’t necessarily lowering their rates, but they are offering more package deals—reserve two nights and get a third for free, a restaurant credit with a night’s lodging, wine-and-cheese basket in room—that sort of thing. So when you book a room at your next Texas vacation spot, be sure to ask about similar deals.
And while we’re on the subject of a sluggish economy, how has it affected your personal travel plans? Or has it? As for me, I’ve gotten a lot less shy about packing a cooler and making those on-the-road dinners stretch into lunch the next day. As long as I can find ice, this works even if the place I’m staying doesn’t have a fridge.
So: Are you taking shorter trips or staying closer to home? Packing PP&J for breakfast? I’d love it if you’d share your tips for traveling on a budget. And…would you like to read more of this sort of thing in TH?
January 29th, 2009 at 11:52 am
We plan our trips around family visits where we can eliminate hotel bills. From there we plan short (two-hour or less) drives to nearby locations of historic interest (we love 19th century architecture), packing the cooler with sandwiches, drinks and fruit. Like you, we periodically check the ice supply. Budgeting in this manner allows more souvenir hunting at hidden antique stores and junk shops with periodic forays into local art galleries where we just might discover the next biggie before everyone else does.