Like most people, I was once a broke college student – but I also learned how to have fun when short on Pesos.
Being involved in spring break & student travel for more than a decade, I’ve picked up even more unique ways to save money while traveling which I’ll share with you here in this post.
Sometimes, these things do cut into convenience or luxury factors, but never ever the fun factor – in fact, once practiced, you will see my money saving tips actually ADD to the experience.
Selecting the right Spring Break Trip Package is the very step
1.) Cut out the airfare portion of the trip.
This tip alone with cut the overall price of your package by 50-75%. Immediately start planning a trip within the US OR think about hopping one of those Mazatlan Spring Break Party Buses (they go from Austin Texas or Phoenix Arizona) if you want to leave the country.
2.) Figure out the transportation. Is Greyhound an option? Sure, it takes a day there and back, but it’s $150 round trip. If you don’t have a sport utility you can borrow for the gang, think the bus. When did we all get so snobby that we (unlike our parents) can’t take a bus anywhere – well, you can. They didn’t have an IPOD, a lsptop, or a cell phone either to keep them occupied. Think of Greyhound as a rolling study hall. Heck, I am in the 6 figure range and I routinely take the bus to South Padre Island from our home office in Austin – why? I get 6 hours of uninterrupted work done both ways, and it’s $70 round trip…it costs me that much to drive my Lexus one way.
Chances are, however, you won’t have to even consider the bus. If there are 4, 5 or even 10 of you going, start scanning the vehicles your friends have. Anyone with a 4 door car is a potential car pool leader. ASK people to ASK their parents to borrow the huge, gas guzzling SUV. While you might say “15 MPG sucks, we can’t drive that to Florida or Texas” – yeah you can – because you are splitting the costs of the fuel 6 to 8 ways with that many people inside.
Let me do the math for you. If you lived in Minnesota (that’s a heck of a drive to South Texas) the road trip is 3000 miles round trip. If your SUV gets 15 MPG, and you have just 6 people going with you, and we will go ahead and assume (based on TODAY’s gas prices, and these are dropping by the way) $2.50 per gallon.
The math on your fuel expense in a gas hog SUV:
3000 miles
divided by 15 (since 15 miles per gallon)
=200 gallons of gas
x $2.50 per gallon
= $500 in gas.
Divided the $500 by 6 people going
500/6 = $84 in travel costs per person.
Now, if you are person that is using YOUR vehicle OR your parent’s vehicle, that isn’t the total expense, and don’t you dare allow your friends to abuse your being so nice (or Daddy) by putting 3000 miles on their truck and not taking care of “business”
With this in mind, we’ll take the $500 gas bill and add to that other costs & fees of traveling on spring break via my road trip idea – PRE COLLECT FOR ALL COSTS – a few morons will get so wasted by the 5th day of the trip they are out of money, and you are not their bank (nor is anyone else – and it’s not like you can strand them, so PRE COLLECT 1 week before the trip on all costs or DO NOT allow them to go.
1.) Car Washes – 1 full service when you arrive, 1 full service when you get home. $40for the pair. Full service includes $20 per wash with a vacuum, hand wash/dry & quickie armour all. In fact, www.paradisetowingcompany.com actually offers this service for just $15 if you decide to go to South Padre (they are right next to the Inertia office on the Island)
the rig will stink when you get back from fast food bags and people all farting from it.
$40
2.) Oil Changes – you’ll need one after 3000 miles. Budget $30
$30
This takes your transportation budget to $570.00, or $95 per person. See how EASY it is to get these fees – $84 vs. $95 is just $9 per person, but AFTER the trip these people will be broke & full of excuses and not help you. Think of that person that always is out of money (but still at the bar) or bumming smokes or gonja. It’s just the way some people are.
Now, you can get clever by searching out (like a good shopper would) that the Inertia Tours spring break package to South Padre Island includes a $75 gas card for a 2 bedroom condo.
You’re back down now to just $84 per person for transportation – this is in lieu of a $500 flight. The days of $300 flights are simply over folks – so that’s not worth getting into. Road trip it.
2.) Bigger groups mean lower prices. This also is simple math. If you have 6 people splitting the cost of a condo instead of 4, that’s 33% cost savings per person!
A few more points – get WAY more than 6 people – say – get 24 – that’s (4) condos of 6 per unit. Guess what – (I shouldn’t tell you this) – get the pricing off ANY travel website (their retail price) and then call them and say look – I have 24 locked people – I want your best possible deal with value in mind. Don’t start talking “cheap” price or anyone that is quality directed (like Inertia Tours or other quality travel companies) will get turned off. We are business people – and we like to sell quantities like any other business. In this scenario (at least with Inertia) I can tell you that 24 people vs. 6 people traveling would go (on average) $35 per person cheaper. PLUS the person (you) that puts it together would go for only $55. That’s a TREMENDOUS savings – for the identical travel package.
Your friends can hardly fault you for getting them $35 off their trip (or 10% off) now can they? You deserve a free trip for all the hassle of dealing with probably a jack ass or two in this group.
This a a 3 or 4 pointed trick:
1.) You gotta work hard to get a big group – it takes some work, some fielding bitching, and organizational skills – but very, very do-able (Inertia has 50+ student reps that do this every year proving its more than doable)
2) The right attitude when you call the travel company. Ask for the groups manager or the group department. DO NOT ASK for “cheap” or “group discount” – simply state your situation. You have an abnormally large group (our average group is 8 people, so don’t think 8 people means money off) and want the best possible package (and of course price) for bringing in these people. Being a smart ass won’t help – being NICE, and being a group leader WILL.
If you are calling for the peak week of spring break, the last minute, or the most sought after property – you also will get less traction with a group.
3.) Call the travel company and ask them what’s for specials on spring break. I have this Uncle that’s a real miser, my Uncle Steve – he’s a mechanic and not a rich guy. He loves Texas-style diners. Why? Immediately upon sitting down, he doesn’t even ask for a menu. He simply says “what’s your special?” WHATEVER IT IS – he gets it. Why? Well, not only is it cheaper, 10 out of 10 times its frickin huge portion, and 9 out of 10 times it’s pretty damn good -maybe one of the best things the diner has.
I never did this before eating out frequently after college with my uncle, but the more & more I starting eating my lunches out with successful, older businessman I noticed them doing EXACTLY the same thing – automatically ordering the special. Guess what? It’s the only way I eat out now – a bit more adventuresome, and almost always super good!
Same goes with Travel – they run PAINFUL specials sometimes to move a hotel or condo that’s not as popular OR to push out the remaining rooms that they guaranteed with money down. Call them and say look – here are my spring break dates, I have about this many people, we want a road trip, what’s on special – we will travel anywhere in the USA and are open to your accommodations on special.
This little trick can save you 40% -it’s a REAL way to save money on travel – those specials, “hot deals” or whatever they call it on their store (website) look for them – they might have some this or that restrictions – see if you can make it fit. Usually, you have to call them. Not text, not email – pick up the phone. Be nice on the phone and the phone rep will be more than happy to help you – phone sales people make the same amount per trip on specials as regular trips – so their ability to make money is enhanced when promoting really superb deals their company has. I’m writing this to not only help you, but I hope you’ll call me – I might be the President of this Company but I’ll be damned if I won’t get sell you a trip myself & provide you with some of the Country-Service I was brought up to give. 800.821.2176 ask for Chad, say you wrote my blog and are looking for me to help you. I will. I might live a long way from you, but I’m a Texan transplanted from Northern Wisconsin and with that comes a value set I hope to demonstrate you’ll appreciate.
Being 100% hardcore on your destination & accommodations will in fact raise your price.
4.) Book a condo whenever possible & not a hotel room
For one, hotel rooms just suck. They have 2 double beds and shitty little bathroom. In the US, we are stuck in a “hotel room” state of mind, (Europeans are not, for example) through the billions the hotel industry spends telling you to stay in a hotel room (you pay $150/night for a bedroom – logically that’s just plain stupid when your full apartment on campus is probably what, $20 a day?
Remember, boarding houses at the turn of the century rented “bedrooms” and then they started being called “hotels” and selling “hotel rooms” as this sounds nicer. Same goes now, the rooms are usually “suites” or “mini suites” instead of hotel rooms. They are bedrooms.
Condos are not (almost never ever) “cheaper” as in the cost per night over a hotel room is almost always more. It’s the savings a condo gives you (the increased value) that will by far save you money if you consider all the costs of just having a bedroom instead of having a full spring break condo with a full kitchen and living room.
A full kitchen means you can make simple, basic meals or snacks – you don’t have to eat our or eat disgusting fast food. Also, that fridge will save you MEGA bucks on spring break – think of all your beer or the pitcher of margaritas cold in your own fridge. Condos don’t restrict you drinking at their pools with your own party beverages like hotels do. This can save you a $100 to $200 for the week.
A full sized living room means you will likely hang out & drink in your condo before the bar rather than going earlier. Herein lies more dollar savings for you & your friends.
Spend a bit more on your accommodation style choice to not only save money – BUT have more fun – much easier and less invasive to invite those cute boys or girls over for a brew to hang out than to come over & sit on your bed (even if that IS your ultimate goal hahahahahaha!)
5.) Shop for groceries at the Super Wal Mart on the way to your destination (but within an hour away so no spoilage obviously). Yeah, they lack organic food worth a damn, but let’s be realistic here – you’re unlikely to eat that healthy or work out (despite what you say when you leave) and eating a sandwich you made in your condo is much cheaper and healthier than fast food.
Yeah, I fucking hate Wal Mart and their rapists ways, too, but this is a blog on saving money folks – and one thing I do respect Wal Mart greatly for is their operational efficiency – that efficiency saves us money – and did you know that Wal Mart is leading the charge in forcing companies to use less packaging by packing “more” into each box. They are, so let’s support that effort. They aren’t doing that for you or I nor the environment – they are doing it to make more money, and good for them! Yes, I’m an Eco-guy, deal with it, it doesn’t make me a bleeding heart liberal, either, it makes me smart.
This also goes for beer, ice, cups, etc. Please don’t use any Styrofoam and you don’t need a cup for your big drink – Inertia Tours supplies a re-usable souvenir cup at check in for FREE. If you & I don’t start on our environmental issues – no one will. Buy easy to fix & eat food – think sandwiches, chips & salsa, and breakfast cereal.
YES our trips have meals, but its only 2 a day…and you’ll get hammered and want food. Rather than being tempted by late night (and ultra fattening) fast food, get some convenience items like Pizza, Lunchables, chips, even ice cream. Almost ANYTHING is better than fast food for your body.
While this list isn’t exhaustive, it has alot of ideas to make your spring break travel plans this year ultra affordable instead of thinking “I can’t go this year because of money” – you can, it just takes some planning and forethought to go for low cash & have a memory of a liftetime.
Inertia Tours is here to help you plan such a vacation. Our website is http://www.InertiaTours.com, or call us toll free 800 821 2176 – or email us info@inertiatours.com
Thanks for the read, and I hope you find our ideas helpful.
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