Is Budget Travel Still Possible?
With sky rocketing airfare costs, additional airline charges, and food costs, it makes me wonder if budget travel is really still possible. You know the kind of travel us lower middle class working people make. We love to travel, but we don’t have the money to frequent the four star hotels. We look for the bargain, but are there really bargains out there?
In July 2003, I took my first vacation totally on my own. I took a four night trip to San Francisco, and it was wonderful. I was a recent college graduate, and even with my job, I didn’t have a lot of money. Still I wanted to go. After many online searches and phone calls I had my trip planned:
Round Trip Airfare Indianapolis-San Francisco: $200– Northwest
Four nights at the Adelaide Hostel: $100
Food Budget: $150
MUNI Pass: $5
Airport Shuttles: $25
Total: $480
Now of course this doesn’t include spending money or other costs. The food costs were low because I used the kitchen at the hostel, and I could actually have leftovers. It was an awesome trip and it was the start of my budget travel adventures. I was able to see the city, meet new friends, get out of town for a few days, and do it all without breaking the bank. Now I fear I will never be able to do that again, and many young people will not have the opportunity I had. My curiosity got the better of me, and I decided to see what budget travel face now. I was surprised by what I found next.
Same trip, same days, five years later.
Airfare: $271 Air Tran
Four nights at Adelaide: $136
MUNI Pass: $18
Food Budget: $200
Bus Passes: $40
Total: $665
In five years, the cost has gone up $185 dollars. That is if I want to take the Air Tran flight, and I do not accrue any more airline fees, and I’m okay with not getting to San Francisco until 11:00 at night and taking a red eye back. If I want a better flight and not having to take another day of vacation, that means the cost will at least be $750. That now means a $270 difference. fine i could ake the BART instead of a shuttle…but that if I am getting in at 11:00, do really want to be walking from the Bart Station at midnight…by myself…with all my luggage? What if my plane is late? The last BART train leaves SFO at 11:53.
Now, if hostels are not my thing. I would need to look for a budget hotel. This would make the price even higher. If I were travelling alone and staying a decent Union Square budget hotel, like the Adante at Jones and Geary, the nightly rate would be $99 per night minus fees. That would end up being around $450. Their rooms are pretty small, so if I were travelling with another person I would consider a suite. That is only another $30 a night, but now the charge just for lodging is $570. Now that is better than a $200 a night Union Square hotel. Hotwire.com may help you find a cheaper hotel, but you have to be careful. Their idea of “East Union Square” migrates into not so nice areas so be careful before you book. Good neighborhood or not, $109 a night for a three star hotel can still be steep with the ever rising airfare costs. Not to mention staying in a hotel will add to your food cost. No grocery shopping or leftovers will be there to pad the charges. Once again that puts the overall charges (if I am travelling alone) to at least $979. How is that on a budget? That is a four day trip for ONE person from Indianapolis to San Francisco.
I’m lucky. I’ll still have to take the hit on the airfare, but I can get a break on the lodging in San Francisco. However, what about the rest of the budget travelers?
Now that I’ve depressed myself, I ask the question again: Is budget travel still possible?
