New England on a Budget - Getting Around Boston

As of 2013, Boston, Massachusetts has a population of 636,000 people in 90 square miles. The Greater Boston Area is estimated to have a population of 4.5 million people, making it one of the most densely populated areas in the United States.  Due to how densely populated the area is, driving and parking in Boston is insanely difficult...

If you are traveling to Boston and do not plan to visit any region outside of the Boston area you do not need to rent a car. Not renting a car will save you money and keep you on a budget. Boston is a great city to use the MBTA or T train (subway).  Children under the age of 12 ride the subway FREE of charge. You can get a weekly card for $19 that gives you unlimited usage of the T train (subway) and the inner harbor ferry service. There is a harbor ferry service that runs from Logan Airport to Downtown Aquarium to the Charlestown Shipyard. We took the Harbor Ferry and enjoyed getting to see Boston from the water.  My son really enjoyed riding up top of the ferry, even though it was raining! The T train runs from Downtown Boston to outlying areas such as Cambridge.

Boston is very compact so you can walk the city easily. We walked the Freedom Trail the afternoon we landed in Boston.  It is very simple, just follow the colored pathway.  The Freedom Trail is 2.5 miles long and has 16 historic sites along the trail. There are maps all around town or you can download an app for the Boston Freedom trail. We just used a map. We prefer the north end of the Freedom Trail. The north Boston neighborhoods are very quaint and historic. 

If you have a rental car, as we did the day we flew in to Boston you will have to deal with parking in Boston.  Parking is VERY expensive!  Parking near downtown Boston in June 2014 was $35. Remember I am a budget conscious traveler?  No way I am going to pay $35 to park.  I found the Nautica Parking Garage near the USS Constitution museum (five minute walk) for $12 for 4 hours. If you take your parking ticket to the museum they will validate it and save you some money. 

Driving in Boston is insane as well.  We found the streets to be in disrepair. Drivers drive wherever they desire. Frequently drivers would be driving along the shoulder of the road. Our GPS redirected us through the warehouse district and we found potholes as big as the hood of our car! If you rent your car from Logan Airport you will have to pay a toll to go through the Ted Williams Tunnel ($3.50 in June 2014) or you will have to go the long way to get to Boston which in traffic could take you 45 minutes - 1 hour.

New England On A Budget - Getting Around Maine, Massachusetts, & New Hampshire

We spent 11 days in June 2014 in beautiful New England.  During our vacation we traveled by planes, trains, automobiles, and boats. I did a lot of research on methods of transportation in New England. Listed below is what I found:

• Cruises - Several cruise companies offer cruises that depart from Boston and go to Canada making stops along the coast of New England.  After doing research, I decided this would not be a good option for my family to stay within a budget.

• Amtrak - Amtrak leaves the Boston North station  and will take you to several stations between Boston and Brunswick, Maine. I opted not to take the train because I wanted to be able to see more of the area than the train would have allowed.  You can visit the Amtrak website to see fares but they were comparable to renting a car for a week. If you opt to take the train instead of renting a car, from Logan Airport you will take the Blue Line to the Orange Line and then to the North Station.  

• Ferries - There are over 3,000 islands off the coast of Maine. With so many islands, a ferry service is offered by the State of Maine. The Explore Maine by Ferry website gives information about service to some of the islands of Maine. We chose to travel to a lobster village on the island of Vinalhaven. During the winter months this island has less than 100 residents who stay through the brutal winter. The cost to ride the ferry was reasonable at $17.50 for adults and $9.50 for children. The ferry also transports cars but it is my understanding you have to book that months in advance. The ferry ride took 1 hour and 15 minutes each way.  We traveled past 2 lighthouses on our journey and tried to spot whales. In June the temperature was a bit cold for this Texas girl but I stayed on the outside dock of the ferry for the entire trip.  My husband and son went inside for a while during our trip due to the cold wind. Once we arrived in Vinalhaven we walked around town.  We then walked a short distance out of town to a reserve.  However, it was about to rain so we had to walk back but there were trails to explore.  We ate at the Harbor Gawker (see my blog on the food of New England) and then caught the ferry back to Rockland.  It was a great day full of adventure!

My Rental Car

• Renting a car - A good rule to remember when you rent a car is that it costs more money to rent from an airport rental agency than an agency outside of the airport. This rule works for any airport, not just Boston.  With that in mind I set out to find a car to rent for our 11 days in New England but NOT at the airport. I researched the car rental agencies and tried to find the best reviewed agency.  Car rental agencies are known to be a bit... crooked. I decided I would go with Enterprise after reading the reviews. Now the next task was to find one outside the airport yet still close enough that I don't spend too much money on subway, cab, or Uber fare. There are several Enterprise agencies in the Boston area.  I looked at the cost and logistics of renting a car for each one. I settled on the Enterprise near the Wonderland Station in Revere, Massachusetts. 

Note: When driving up the Maine Turnpike (I-95) you will encounter toll roads. Pay with cash instead of electronic payment so that you are not charged a fee by the rental car company on top of the toll amount. The tolls were about $6 each way. 

The plan was to get our luggage from the airport and ride the Blue Line subway up to the Wonderland Station.  Enterprise would pick us up and we would rent the car from that location that is approximately 1.5 miles from Wonderland Station. We would then drive back to Wonderland Station and leave our car and luggage and head into Boston for the day.  (Note: Driving and parking in Boston is crazy! We were going to try to avoid that if at all possible.) I booked on Enterprise website for the days I needed about 6 months prior to my arrival in Boston saving about $300 over renting at the airport.  (Note: If you rent a car for a week or more you get a MUCH better rate than just renting it for a couple of days.)  When you decide to rent a car check to see what insurance you have on your policy, it probably covers rental too.  My credit card I used even had insurance for rental cars. You do not have to purchase the insurance the rental car agency tries to sell you. Just remember to have the agent who is helping you make note of every dent and scratch BEFORE you leave the lot. I used my camera and took pictures and video of every dent and scratch. Remember how I said rental companies are known to be crooks? 

The good thing about renting a car from Enterprise is that you can cancel relatively easily without paying a penalty.  This worked to my advantage. After researching rental cars I discovered that prices change frequently based on the number of cars rented out.  Car rental companies do not like to have cars not rented - they lose money. With that knowledge I frequently checked to see if prices would drop at a different rental company in the Boston area or maybe I could get a luxury car for the price of an economy. This just required me to check the website every couple of weeks. Did you know that within 30 days of your scheduled rental, the company looks at upcoming reservations and determines what they have a surplus of and adjusts prices accordingly?  It's true! 29 days before I was scheduled to pick up my rental car, the price dropped at the airport location for Enterprise. I was able to get a higher grade car for the same price I was going to pay for an economy car in Revere, MA. I no longer had to worry about carrying all of my luggage on the subway and then waiting for some random Enterprise guy to come pick me up.  I could just take the airport shuttle to the rental agency and get my car! I was glad I kept checking prices because it turned out this was a great time saver. However, now I had a new problem...

Remember how I said parking and driving in Boston was crazy? See my blog on getting around Boston for the details.

Washington D.C. on a Budget - Getting There

So you are thinking about visiting Washington D.C. but have heard how expensive it is to visit? The rumors are true, however, with a little forethought and this blog you can visit Washington D.C. and NOT break the bank. I travelled with my family in June of 2011 for 8 days, which is not the cheapest time to visit but because of school schedules we were stuck. In this blog I hope to help you travel to DC affordably. Getting to Washington D.C.

If you plan to fly to Washington D.C. you have 3 airports from which to choose:

1. Washington Dulles International Airport located in Chantilly, VA which is about 26 miles from downtown DC.


2. Reagan National Airport located in Arlington, VA just across the Potomac River from DC. This airport is the closest to Old Town Alexandria, VA, it is only 2 stops south of the airport on the Metro. (See my other posts with information about hotels in Old Town Alexandria.)



3. Baltimore Washington Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI) located Baltimore, MD which is about 40 miles from DC.

I used Baltimore International Airport because Air Tran flies into that airport. I chose Air Tran because it was the least expensive option and I had a previous positive experience flying Air Tran. When I say less expensive I mean about $200 less expensive (for the entire family) than any other airline I could find using Fare Compare, Expedia, etc. I paid $726 for 3 round trip nonstop tickets on Air Tran. When I started planning the trip we planned to drive 22 hours to get to DC until I determined it cost the same to fly and my vehicle would not have all the mileage placed on it. I am glad we did not drive as parking and driving in the DC area is a nightmare.

If you choose to fly into Baltimore Airport you will have to travel to DC. You can get to DC by:

1. Rent a car and drive. When I checked rates the cost to rent a car was about $45 per weekday for an economy car. If you rent a car you will most likely have to pay for parking at your hotel and destinations in and around DC which could cost a fortune. We opted NOT to rent a car because of the expense.



2. Hiring a taxi. The day our plane landed we could have taken a cab to DC for $20 per person with a minimum of 3 people. The cab driver said it would take 30 minutes to get to DC. We opted NOT to hire a taxi because of the cost.



3. Take Amtrak or MARC (Maryland Area Rail Commuter) train service. You can catch a FREE shuttle bus from the airport to the BWI train station. You can purchase tickets for Amtrak or MARC at this station to DC. However Amtrak was almost twice as expensive as using the MARC train. We took the MARC on the Penn Line to Union Station in DC. The train was very nice and clean and we did not regret choosing it. It took about 25 minutes to get to Union Station. NOTE: At the time of my travel the last MARC train left BWI train station for DC at 9:20 PM so if you are arriving later than that you might consider taking a taxi. Once you arrive at Union Station you can then catch the Metro to the area where your hotel is located. 

Washington D.C. on a Budget - Hotels

So you are thinking of visiting Washington D.C. but have heard how expensive it is to visit? The rumors are true however with a little forethought and this blog you can visit Washington D.C. and NOT break the bank. I traveled with my family in June of 2011 for 8 days which is not the cheapest time to visit, but school schedules did not allow cheaper travel dates. In this part of my blog I hope to help you find affordable lodging.
I began my search 6 months prior to my travel dates. I have 2 criteria when looking for a hotel: #1 clean and #2 safety of my family. After exhaustive searching and reading reviews I decided I could get the best deal in one of the outlying towns around DC. Yes, there are beautiful hotels in Washington D.C. however my family was on a budget and paying $300-$400 per night for a 3 star hotel was a bit steep. Hotels in D.C. that were more affordable left me worried about the safety of my family.
I looked at many options for lodging in cities around DC. I needed a hotel that was near a Metro station as my family would be travelling by subway.  Some areas you might want to consider include: Arlington, Alexandria, and Crystal City. I chose Old Town Alexandria Virginia and was glad I did. Old Town is very safe and is within walking distance from the King Street Metro Station. You have several hotels to choose from including, Embassy Suites, Hilton, Hampton Inn, Residence Inn, etc. The hotels that face the Metro Station (Embassy & Hilton) are about $50-$75 per night more expensive than those off the main street. I was lucky to find the Residence Inn on Duke Street about 2 blocks from the Metro. It was a perfect solution for my family. The price was affordable (based on DC prices), the hotel was extremely clean, and I felt safe in the neighborhood. It was a win win win situation!

Listed below are the reasons you should choose Residence Inn Old Town Alexandria:

1. 
   
   Residence Inn Old Town was extremely clean. All areas, room, indoor pool, hearth room, etc. were impeccably clean. The staff does a phenomenal job of keeping the hotel in tip top shape.



2. The hotel was in a safe part of town. We arrived at midnight and had to walk 2 blocks from the Metro and we did not feel the least bit unsafe.



3. The price was right. When I originally booked the hotel 5 months prior to travel dates I received a discount of about $9/nt because I am a teacher which made the room $211/nt. We were spending 8 nights and I wanted the best possible deal so I chose to have the option of cancelling the reservation up until the day before check in. Boy, am I glad I did! Over the next 5 months prior to travel I searched high and low for a hotel that would be less expensive but still adhere to my cleanliness and safety requirements. Needless to say, I did not find such a hotel within my budget. However, 2 weeks prior to travel dates I checked the Marriott web page and discovered Residence Inn Old Town was offering a weekend special that made the room $129/nt Thursday-Sunday. I called Marriott and a great rep was able to help me change my reservation. That one phone call saved me a couple hundred dollars! Yippee! I guess the moral of that story is to be sure and check back at your hotel website to see if a better deal can be found closer to check in time.



4. Great FREE breakfast and evening social light meal. The best free breakfast I have experienced at a hotel. Every morning you have the option of a variety of breakfast options that alternate daily including: waffles, eggs, sausage, ham, biscuits, gravy, pancakes, bagles, pastries, fruit, yogurt, cereal, coffee, hot chocolate, milk, and juices. During the evening hours Monday - Thursday from 5:30 -7:00 PM a FREE light meal is served. Each night a different meal is served. For example one night stuffed peppers, mashed potatoes, and salad was served. In addition every night during the social you get 2 FREE Budweiser, Bud Light, OR wine per room. There is also Pepsi fountain drinks and tea available included. This really saved us ALOT of money as food is unbelievably expensive in and around DC. For example, the average meal price at lunch at a sit down restaurant is $22/ person and dinner is even more expensive.



5. Full size kitchen in all rooms. It was nice to have a full size refrigerator, cooktop, dishwasher, garbage disposal, and microwave in our room. We were able to eat in the room 2 nights during the weekend thereby saving money. Note: Whole Foods grocery store is 1/2 block down Duke Street and is a great place to purchase items to stock the fridge. Pizza Hut and Dominos delivers to this hotel. We used Pizza Hut delivery one night and had the left overs the next night. We stayed in the smallest suite which was the studio. They also have available 1 and 2 bedroom suites if your family is larger than mine. The studio was very much like having your own efficiency apartment making it really feel like a home away from home.



6. Close to shopping and entertainment in Old Town Alexandria. (See my other blogs for more information about touring Old Town.)



7. Close to the King Street Metro Station. We cut through the courtyard of the Embassy Suites hotel and were able to make it to the Metro in about a 5-7 minute walk. We decided NOT to rent a car as parking is a premium in all of the DC area including Old Town. The Residence Inn charges $18/nt to park your car. However, I was told you could park your car during the weekends for FREE along the street in front and behind the hotel. If you have the option of bringing a car I would recommend NOT having a car. Driving is difficult in and around DC from all I have heard from locals ect. The Metro system is a great way to travel. (See my other blogs for more info.)



8. You are 2 stops down the Metro line from Reagan International Airport. If you are flying to DC you definitely want to fly into Reagan if you are staying in Old Town.