Could use some budget tips

[Swimalie]

I need some budget help. My husband "has" to go to his niece's wedding at a hotel in Florida May 17th. We are trying to figure out how to do this as inexpensively as possible and looking at him flying down on Friday the 16th and flying home Sunday the 18th. The closest airport to the wedding is Panama City, FL but he can drive up to 2.5 hours if the price is right for the flight. The hotel, at $155 per night, can't be lowered so that we're stuck with that part. I've briefly looked at rental cars and they are around $100 for the 2 days. I have never crossed state lines with a rental car, is there a fee if he lands in Alabama and drives down?

Right now we're looking at flight to Dothan at $407, rental car around $100 and 2 nights at the hotel for $310. So we're over $800 and no gift included yet!.

Any tips would be appreciated. Please help me get this trip price down.

Edited to add that since he told me he "had" to go last month, the airfare has gone up by $100.

 

[poohfriend77]

I need some budget help. My husband "has" to go to his niece's wedding at a hotel in Florida May 17th. We are trying to figure out how to do this as inexpensively as possible and looking at him flying down on Friday the 16th and flying home Sunday the 18th. The closest airport to the wedding is Panama City, FL but he can drive up to 2.5 hours if the price is right for the flight. The hotel, at $155 per night, can't be lowered so that we're stuck with that part. I've briefly looked at rental cars and they are around $100 for the 2 days. I have never crossed state lines with a rental car, is there a fee if he lands in Alabama and drives down?

Right now we're looking at flight to Dothan at $407, rental car around $100 and 2 nights at the hotel for $310. So we're over $800 and no gift included yet!.

Any tips would be appreciated. Please help me get this trip price down.

Edited to add that since he told me he "had" to go last month, the airfare has gone up by $100.

I assume driving is out of the question? If so, i don't think there is much you can do to get lower airfare, other than just keep checking other flights/airports.

Is there another relative he could share a room with? That would cut costs a bit. And if he could somewhat coordinate flight times, maybe he could share the car rental as well.

 

[Swimalie]

I assume driving is out of the question? If so, i don't think there is much you can do to get lower airfare, other than just keep checking other flights/airports.

Is there another relative he could share a room with? That would cut costs a bit. And if he could somewhat coordinate flight times, maybe he could share the car rental as well.

We talked about driving but it would mean at least 1 night in a hotel each way which adds in another $200 and he would need another day in the hotel for the wedding. So that would equal close to the cost of the flights and more time off work, which is not always easy for him to get. He is not close to any relatives to ask them to share a room (his mom is sharing with his sister). I asked him about his mom picking him up at the airport and she won't drive on highways so he'll need a rental car.

Thanks. Keep the ideas coming. I just checked other airports in the area and they are all around the same cost.

 

[mco65]

no fee for crossing state lines in a rental car that I know of. I have done that a few hundred times with no problems.

 

[Swimalie]

no fee for crossing state lines in a rental car that I know of. I have done that a few hundred times with no problems.

Thank you. I wasn't sure since the rental car said there "might" be a fee.

 

[worm761]

I am in that area. Check Fort Walton Beach airport and Pensacola Airport. We find Fort Walton Beach to be the least expensive option usually.

For the car rental, check out Car Rental Momma.com. My best friend always books through them and gets great rates!

 

[Swimalie]

I am in that area. Check Fort Walton Beach airport and Pensacola Airport. We find Fort Walton Beach to be the least expensive option usually.

For the car rental, check out Car Rental Momma.com. My best friend always books through them and gets great rates!

Great. Thank you. We did check Ft Walton Beach airport and the prices are close to Dothan and the same drive time. But I'll check Pensacola (he did his officer candidate school there so he knows that area) and I'll check the car rental place you suggested.

 

[Happyjen27]

While it might be nice if he were to stay in the same hotel as the rest of the guests, is it possible he doesn't HAVE to? I'm certain guests local to the area are not staying in that hotel, they are probably staying at their home. I understand the logistics of why he would want to, but there might be other options. Or, he could do one night in a cheapie hotel, and one night at the event hotel. Or even Vacation Rental By Owner (VRBO) for an apartment for the weekend.

Have you checked out Greyhound bus for the trip? It might be cheaper than flying. Also, play with the arrival/departure days a bit, it might make for some savings. Or even the train. I once took a flight one way to Chicago to get there in a hurry, but took the 13 hour train ride home to save $170.

Can he contact a family member and look into sharing a car with someone? It's a bit of swallowing pride, but, if they are all staying at the same place, maybe something can be worked out?

 

[Swimalie]

While it might be nice if he were to stay in the same hotel as the rest of the guests, is it possible he doesn't HAVE to? I'm certain guests local to the area are not staying in that hotel, they are probably staying at their home. I understand the logistics of why he would want to, but there might be other options. Or, he could do one night in a cheapie hotel, and one night at the event hotel. Or even Vacation Rental By Owner (VRBO) for an apartment for the weekend.

Have you checked out Greyhound bus for the trip? It might be cheaper than flying. Also, play with the arrival/departure days a bit, it might make for some savings. Or even the train. I once took a flight one way to Chicago to get there in a hurry, but took the 13 hour train ride home to save $170.

Can he contact a family member and look into sharing a car with someone? It's a bit of swallowing pride, but, if they are all staying at the same place, maybe something can be worked out?

Sadly, he's the only one that has to fly to get to the wedding (yes, we're the black sheep who moved away from "home" heehee), so he can't share a rental car. I think the cheap hotel near by might be an option that I'll look in to. Since he'll have a car, it is doable easily. The wedding is a destination wedding so all will be coming in for it but most will only have a 5 hour drive. I'll check Greyhound. Thanks.

 

[msmama]

Have you checked different airports on your end as well as the far end? If you're in N. Virginia - could you do BWI?

Is your husband military? (You mentioned officer candidate school). If so is there a chance of hopping on a military transport (I know it's generally not reliable transport).

Good luck.

 

[njmom47]

If it's any consolation, car rentals usually drop about 2 weeks/10 days before your reservation starts. It takes time, but you can usually find good deals. Google "car reservation codes" or something similar to that...or join the rental places "club" and play with codes and coupons. You can usually save your reservation and cancel if you find a better deal. I would think they're all free, but we joined the "Emerald Club" for National.Are you a member of AARP or AAA? They might have discounts. Sometimes discounts can be found through your employer (we have Plum Benefits and Working Advantage).

Also, do you know the "rules" for airfare? Book on a Tues or Wed, if you can pick up tickets at the airport that might be cheaper, book about 54 days before your flight. You can join sites that email you about airfare prices.

I am not saying these are hard and fast rules, but that seems to be the general recommendations.
Good luck!

 

[Swimalie]

Have you checked different airports on your end as well as the far end? If you're in N. Virginia - could you do BWI?

Is your husband military? (You mentioned officer candidate school). If so is there a chance of hopping on a military transport (I know it's generally not reliable transport).

Good luck.

Thanks. I did check other airports around and the prices were about the same as him flying closer to home. I'm hoping I an drop him off and pick him up, too to save more. He's no longer military

If it's any consolation, car rentals usually drop about 2 weeks/10 days before your reservation starts. It takes time, but you can usually find good deals. Google "car reservation codes" or something similar to that...or join the rental places "club" and play with codes and coupons. You can usually save your reservation and cancel if you find a better deal. I would think they're all free, but we joined the "Emerald Club" for National.Are you a member of AARP or AAA? They might have discounts. Sometimes discounts can be found through your employer (we have Plum Benefits and Working Advantage).

Also, do you know the "rules" for airfare? Book on a Tues or Wed, if you can pick up tickets at the airport that might be cheaper, book about 54 days before your flight. You can join sites that email you about airfare prices.

I am not saying these are hard and fast rules, but that seems to be the general recommendations.
Good luck!

Good tips on the rental. I will check through USAA and others like it and see if we can find a lower price. I'm checking the airfare prices now since it's a Tues and they are about the same as yesterday. Right now we're at 58 days until the trip so he's getting close to that magic date of booking. We don't know what time the wedding is even, though. No invitations have been mailed. Knowing more details would help. The only things we know came from my husband's mom.

 

[tomgreen41]

I need some budget help. My husband "has" to go to his niece's wedding at a hotel in Florida May 17th. We are trying to figure out how to do this as inexpensively as possible and looking at him flying down on Friday the 16th and flying home Sunday the 18th. The closest airport to the wedding is Panama City, FL but he can drive up to 2.5 hours if the price is right for the flight. The hotel, at $155 per night, can't be lowered so that we're stuck with that part. I've briefly looked at rental cars and they are around $100 for the 2 days. I have never crossed state lines with a rental car, is there a fee if he lands in Alabama and drives down?

Right now we're looking at flight to Dothan at $407, rental car around $100 and 2 nights at the hotel for $310. So we're over $800 and no gift included yet!.

Any tips would be appreciated. Please help me get this trip price down.

Edited to add that since he told me he "had" to go last month, the airfare has gone up by $100.

If you're renting a car, avoid the add ons like GPSand the other extras the car rental companies try to sell you. Can you port over your car insurance to avoid having to buy rental insurance?

 

[Swimalie]

If you're renting a car, avoid the add ons like GPSand the other extras the car rental companies try to sell you. Can you port over your car insurance to avoid having to buy rental insurance?

Good idea. He can take my portable GPS with him. Our credit card covers the insurance so we're good.

I did find flights for $50 less in Tallahassee. Once we know the time of the wedding, we're going to figure out if he can go down Sat morning and come back Sun morning or Friday afternoon and come back Sat night, saving us the $155 for the hotel room.

Thanks all for the tips.

 

[kymom99]

Would he be able to coordinate with one of the other guests to pick him up and forgo the car? Maybe that would be impractical if he flies into an airport 2 hours away.

I am in NKY and we drove straight through in a day to Panama City Beach. Are you sure he can't drive in a day?

 

[disneymagicgirl]

Do u have a Costco membership? I always get great rates thru them for car rentals.

 

[Swimalie]

Would he be able to coordinate with one of the other guests to pick him up and forgo the car? Maybe that would be impractical if he flies into an airport 2 hours away.

I am in NKY and we drove straight through in a day to Panama City Beach. Are you sure he can't drive in a day?

I thought about that, too and asked if his mom could pick him up but she won't drive on highways so that idea is out and he doesn't talk to the rest of his family. It's different. I wouldn't have a problem asking mine but his family is different.

He could drive in a day. It would be about 14 hours. That's really tough to do alone and it would really wear down his car, which is already a POS commuter car (no way is he taking my new car!). And by the time he got down there, he'd have to drive home less than 48 hours away and I wouldn't feel safe with him doing that. The other option that I just thought about is that he could drive to my parent's house and spend the night there. They are a bit out of the way but not by much and it would be a free place to stay. I just don't know if they will be at that house or their house in FL. I'll ask them. Thanks for getting me to think of that

We do have Costco membership. I have found that car rentals are cheaper through USAA, though.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

I thought about that, too and asked if his mom could pick him up but she won't drive on highways so that idea is out and he doesn't talk to the rest of his family. It's different. I wouldn't have a problem asking mine but his family is different.

He could drive in a day. It would be about 14 hours. That's really tough to do alone and it would really wear down his car, which is already a POS commuter car (no way is he taking my new car!). And by the time he got down there, he'd have to drive home less than 48 hours away and I wouldn't feel safe with him doing that. The other option that I just thought about is that he could drive to my parent's house and spend the night there. They are a bit out of the way but not by much and it would be a free place to stay. I just don't know if they will be at that house or their house in FL. I'll ask them. Thanks for getting me to think of that

We do have Costco membership. I have found that car rentals are cheaper through USAA, though.

Why not? When my minivan was new and dh's uncle from Boston passed away I gave him my van so he could take his parents and 2 brothers & 1 sister to the funeral. A few years later his aunt died and they all did the trek again. Why would I care? As long as no one smokes in it and only dh drives, I don't mind helping him out at all. It's now almost 8 years old and still only has 37K miles on it and I laugh that it would be much less than that if it didn't go to Boston twice.
It actually worked out really well in my favor the last time. We got snow here while they were in Boston so I got to use dh's P/U truck 4x4 which was great in the snow.
How about booking a hotel through Hotwire? We have done this many times and sticking with 4* hotels we've never had a bad experience. At that level they're all Hyatt, Marriott, Hilton, etc.
None of my business really but now that you've posted it on a public forum, why does he feel he "has" to go if his family won't even speak to him or pick him up at the airport?
In that situation, I'd sent a card/gift and say sorry I can't be there.

 

[ArmchairDetective]

I too am a USAA and Costco member. Rental car rates can be cheaper through USAA but if Budget Rental is an option I have found rates to be cheaper with BCD# Y9378000.

Also, booking cars and hotels via Expedia UK can save you quite a bit of cash also.

Another option would be to check Groupon for where he is heading and see if you can nab a two night deal for cheap.

 

[ArmchairDetective]

None of my business really but now that you've posted it on a public forum, why does he feel he "has" to go if his family won't even speak to him or pick him up at the airport? In that situation, I'd sent a card/gift and say sorry I can't be there.

I kind of feel the same way. Not everyone is expected to be there at a destination wedding. Respond to the invitation with a nice gift, well wishes, and regrets for not being there. Unless he was planning on using this trip to lighten his black sheep wool.