Little Rock to Boston - Help me plan the most cost effective trip possible

How are you looking for flights? Checking kayak.com or matrix.itasoftware.com lets you look for various dates, most airlines (Southwest is not included), and basically gives you all the options. I've been using ITA recently and really like it. If cost is paramount, would you consider flying out of Memphis? Since it's a larger airport than Little Rock, you might have more/cheaper options.

Why do you plan to rent a car in Boston? It looks like there's a T stop near the convention center, so if you're able to stay near another T stop, you could use public transport.

Some cities are better for Priceline and Hotwire than others, and I'm not sure where Boston falls. But check out betterbidding.com - there are tips there and you can try to figure out what Hotwire hotels you're getting (they have posted lists for each city with star levels, amenities, etc).

Thanks jent! I mainly wanted to rent a car so my wife could get out and about while I'm at the conference. We'll be looking around Boston in the evenings so just wanted to have that option to do so freely. She is unfamiliar with public transportation in a big city. Flying out of Memphis is a nice idea. It's about a 3 hour drive from where we're located.

There is no free parking in Boston. If you get a car in Boston, plan on spending 30+ dollars per day just to park it at the hotel, unless you get a hotel out of the city and drive in,then plan on 25+ a day to park at the convention center.

Boston is a very easy city to walk in and use to public transportation.

We posted at the same time...so some more info based on your last post. If she is unsure or unfamiliar with public transportation (it is easy in Boston) she will NOT want to drive here. It is a very difficult city to drive in. Streets are not in a grid design, parking is difficult, both pedestrians and drivers can be shall we say aggressive (not in a physically threatening way) in the city.

Research some things she may want to do and come back. I or others can tell you if driving or public transportation is best.

No, no, no! A car is absolutely not the best way to get around Boston. Traffic is legendary, parking is $40 a day, there is virtually no on street parking, and signage is terrible. You need to take the T. The Blue Line goes from the airport to the Green Line, the Green Line starts underground and becomes an above-ground trolley to a variety of destinations, the Red Line connects downtown Boston to Cambridge and Somerville, and the Silver Line, an electric bus, takes you from the airport or South Station (Red Line) to the Convention Center. The Orange Line doesn't go anywhere you need to go.

Southwest flies TO Boston now. You have to check their website since they aren't included in the ticket sites, but my guess is they fly FROM Arkansas, and the time and money you save by not driving a long way to another airport for a few dollars less will be considerable.

For you and your wife to enjoy your limited time in Boston, you need to stay in the Financial District, which includes the Quincy Market and Faneuil Hall area, or the Back Bay, where the Sheraton and Hilton are often available at good prices on Priceline. Priceline is not hard. Read Betterbidding.com and Biddingfortravel.com, then sit down in a quiet place and do it.

Boston is a great walking town. You can easily walk from the Back Bay Sheraton to the Charles River or Quincy Market, the Back Bay is full of shopping and places to eat.

There are a few bargain hotels that I hope other posters will recommend, but I have only ever stayed in places I got on Priceline, where I usually paid about as much for a **** hotel as I would pay at a Hampton Inn on the highway.

Just beware of hotels, often on Hotels.com, that describe themselves as "Boston Revere" or "Boston Braintree" or whatever. They are a long way from Boston.

NO car. She can take cabs if necessary, but NO car.
Look on Hotwire for hotel possibilities in the area of the Convention Center.
And then take the advice about betterbidding.

Let me add to other's comments. Do NOT get a car in Boston. We've driven in cities all over the country, but none was as difficult to navigate...we found ourselves getting lost at every turn. I'd read warnings before we went, but for some reason didn't really take them seriously. Anything would be better than driving.

No car it is! I've compiled a list of hotel options from the areas Ackislander mentioned. The 'Wanna Get Away' option is crazy cheap on the SW website. Is this a legit option? No refunds is okay.

Whoops, thought those fees were round-trip. I am naive. U.S. Airways seems to be the cheapest flight both ways (~$420 per person).

Southwest is absolutely legit (I really like flying with them), but as you've found out, they're not always the cheapest. (And just to clarify, Memphis may or may not give you a better deal than Little Rock. I just figured you might as well check if it were a manageable drive.) Since your dates are flexible, make sure to use ITA's matrix or otherwise check different dates. Sometimes it's less expensive to fly on Tuesday than Monday or some other scenario.

Boston is one of the last places you want a car - no place to drive it, no place to park it - except an expensive garage - plus unless you're used to driving in ice or sleet (perfetly possible in Boston in March). The point of saying downtown is that you an walk or take public transit to the many sights.

What you want is either a hotel right near the convention center or on a nearby transit line. Be sure you don't head to the suburbs - which can be good or dicey - and may have good or really bad public transit.

For airlines check all of the airports within driving distance of your house.

Alright, I've booked us at the Omni Parker House for $102 per night. Any good shopping locations my wife can walk to? And boutique shops?

Omni Parker House is great, and that is a terrific rate. Your room will be small because all the rooms are small, not because the are punishing you for the low price!

She will be right on the Freedom Trail if she wants to see the historic sights, it is on the side of Beacon Hill, with its gorgeous anitque streets, it is two blocks from the junction of the Red Line and Green Line at Park Street Station, and she can walk across the Common and Public Garden to Newbury Street and all the shopping anyone could possibly imagine, from Cartier to Brooks Brothers to the better mall-shops to tiny boutiques of all kinds. Boylston Street, which parallels it has a big Marshall's and so forth. In the other direction, about three blocks away, is Quincy Market, another shopping area, and, for that matter, H&M is right at the foot of the same street as the Parker House, if she is young enough.

Now that we're clear on ``no cars in Boston,'' here are some newbie tips for riding the `T' (a.k.a the MBTA Metropolitan Boston Transit Authority).

Subway stations are advertised by big sign with a T inside a circle. Most of the cars are subways, with some parts that go above ground. The system also includes bus routes, but I doubt she'll neet to use a bus unless an unusual destination.

To pay, you can buy a Charlie Ticket, which is a paper card with a magnetic strip, purchased from a machine. You can pre-pay to load it with multiple trip fares.

The locals use a Charlie Card, which is a plastic card that can be `loaded' by putting money in the machine. In most cases you `tap' the card to load it, which means sort of holding the card over the machine's `hover-spot' (no swiping, no slot to push it in).

A ride via Charlie Card is $1.70. A ride via Charlie Ticket (or cash to the attendant) is $2.00. (I do not know the answer to the obvious question -- why would you want to use a Charlie Ticket? )

Subways are pay-on-entrance. To use the Ticket, put it in the slot; the fare is deducted and the gate opens -- take your ticket back. To use the Card, hold the card over the
hover-spot (or tap it on the spot), to open the gate.


From the entrance, make your way to the correct platform -- they are usually labeled Inbound (toward town center) or Outbound (away from town center).

The outbound Green Line splits into B,C,D,E train routes, so on those platforms you need to check which train you are getting on; on other lines just take the next train.

Usually within a station you can transfer from one line to another without re-paying; a `ride' consists of the full trip from entrance to exit.

Inside the car the final (end-of-line) destination is usually posted, and the announcer will announce stops as they are coming up.

Many stations have an attendant, and Bostonians are happy to help. Feel free to ask if you are lost or uncertain.

Also, as noted there are plenty of places in walking distance from your hotel. Bring a warm jacket, hat, and umbrella in March, just in case.

Just to add to the above post, you can buy a 7-day pass for the T for $15. It maybe turn out to be worth it for you.

Since you're on a budget, I would recommend that you take the subway from the airport to the Omni Parker House. From your airport terminal, you take a free shuttle bus to Airport Station, which is the Blue Line. There you can buy your Charlie ticket or pass from the machines (I'm pretty sure you can load a 7-day pass on the Charlie ticket). You may be able to get a Charlie card there if the station is manned or sometimes there are cards on top of the machines.

Take the Blue Line inbound to Government Center and walk about a block to your hotel.

For you to get from the hotel to the Convention Center, walk to Park Street Station and take the Red Line towards Quincy and get off at South Station. From there you can walk to the Center (about one mile) or take the Silver Line bus to the Seaport stop.

Get a couple of maps of Boston for you and your wife. Boston is a compact city and quite safe and walkable. For transport information check www.mbta.com for ticket and route planning information.