Did a road trip earlier this year and booked all our hotels before we left, now starting to plan next years trip and thinking walk in the door and get the best price, also gives a bit of flexibility in case of breakdowns or detours, what do u guys think?

 

I don't mind getting a cheap room ($30-$39) I'm only there to get some sleep before moving on. I tend to snack on food throughout the day versus eating meals at restaurants. Always carry bottled water and stop riding when I feel the need to just stop and relax. Road trips are fun if you don't get sucker punched by ***** that might happen. My last mini vacation like that averaged about $80 / day. But gas was also a lot cheaper back then.

 

We're planning a trip (one I had to cancel last summer) riding out to Salt Lk City via Dodge City then taking 50 through Col. 2 stops, one being relatives. Then visiting friends in SLC, then its onto Vegas and a cheap night at a casino. Not much of a gambler here....then Boulder Dam and down into Arizona and a night there, then to the 4 corners and on through Texas, Little Rock, Ark, Memphis, Tenn, Louisville, Ky and on home. All in all nearly 5000 miles in a little over 2 weeks. Taking 3 weeks off so we have some wiggle room....lol. Planning on keeping it cheap, maybe getting some hammocks.

 

+1 Hampton Inns and similar (Best Western/Quality Inn, etc)...try and keep it in the range of = or < $100/nt for 2 including bkfst. I'd say $75/nt is about avg. That is difficult in "resort" towns in high season. I always ask for a AAA discount. Those discounts (plus many other perks) more than pay for the cost of the card each year. Many H-D Dealers have a deal with a hotel or 2...you can find out if you call the Dealer ahead of time.

I probably spend between $55 & $75/day on food/fuel. If I have a drink or 2...which is rare, that number goes up as one would expect. The killer for me are those darn H-D Dealers. I seem to get sucked into their vortex and then blow my wad. Go inside to pick up a koozie (collect them) and usually end up buying yet another logo'd t-shirt - which I do not need!

Another option I have yet to try (but will) are the KOA cabins. http://koa.com/lodges-cabins-cottages/ You get that campground experience, but w/o having to deal with a tent and such. They seem to be pretty inexpensive, but it definitely looks like they book up well in advance so it would take some planning. You need to take your own bedding to put on top of their beds though. And, bkfst isn't included. That makes the motel prices more reasonable if you think about it as the cost of bkfst/coffee on the road adds up in a hurry.

If you are a hotel/motel person, definitely sign up for the free hotel clubs...you get free stays after so many. I have a couple free nights I plan on using this next year. There are always discounts around if you are so inclined to work the system...travel clubs, AMA, HOG, etc...all those memberships come with perks. It often "pays" to work the system if you are inclined to do so.

there are many things that can nickel and dime you on a trip...park fees, laundry and laundry detergent, drinks, batteries, etc. With some pre-planning, you can save yourself some $$. Sometimes it's not worth the space or hassle versus the savings, but sometimes it is. I buy energy bars beforehand, take a small bag of laundry soap, batteries, gatorade powder, etc...stuff I like, but don't want to buy on the road at a premium. I always take a couple of insulated water bottles and fill them with ice and water at gas stations/restaurants when I can. Bottled water is a racket!

 

I did a 10 day ride the first week in October this year and averaged just under $100 a day. That was camping 3 of the nights and splitting a cheap room for 5 nights and a room on my own 1 night. Mostly stayed in Motel 6s. Back east we could get them for $39 a night, but the further west the went up in price. The cheap hotels made campground cabins obsolete. Ate a breakfast in the morning, snacked at fuel stops in the day, and had a sit down dinner at night, with a drink or 2. Bought a 6 pack a couple times and bottle of Jim Beam to drink in the hotels. Probably used more in gas than most would because I covered 5000 miles in the 10 days.

 

I always check around Truck stop, Information Center and Denny or Shone for Discount Motel Book, so list good deals and are major brand motel in the mix. I also make sure that my roadside service is up to date.

Do not sleep on the ground anymore, after 30 years in the Army, and being paid to sleep on the ground, I want my comfort.

Robert

 

I see a lot of dollar menu meals. LOL