Ideas for reducing cost of trip this summer....
 

I am in the very early stages of planning a trip to Wyoming this year. I sat down to do a little budget today and was shocked at how much it was going to cost me! Our current plan is to fly into Rapid City (we live in NC) and rent a car. Explore western SD for 3 days and then drive to Yellowstone/Teton through Wyoming. From there we are heading to visit my cousin in Idaho. The trip right now is 14 days, 13 nights. Renting a car for 14 days is going to cost $1,000, airfare is another $1,100 (two of us - into Rapid City, home from Spokane), plus hotels for 13 nights, food and gas. Any suggestions for reducing the cost of this trip? It is quickly becoming as expensive as our two week trip to Italy!! Any tips for cheap hotels/cabins? Car rental tips? I would appreciate some help.

Go Apps!

Two strategies:

I would suggest you use Priceline for your rental car and stay in hotels outside of the parks.

DH and I have made several trips to that area over the last ten years and it is well worth the cost. There is nothing like the magnificence of the American West. Have a wonderful trip.

Another possability would be to skip SD fly into Billings rent a motorhome and do part of your meals in the M/H, but don't know if that would work with wanting to fly out of spokane but could check on it.

If you're saying it's $550 each for airfare, I don't think that's too bad considering the airports you're using. About all you can do is keep checking and hope the prices drop, or be more flexible in your airports. Would it be possible to do this as a roundtrip to Jackson Hole, WY? That's about midway between Spokane and Rapid City - don't know how that would change your airfare, but it would eliminate the drop-off charge on the car which looks like it should save about $300.

If you're willing to drop the western SD part, that would help as you could fly into a larger airport near your cousin and hopefully get a decent RT price, as well as save on the rental.

If the itinerary is basically set, just bid on a car rental, keep checking for cheaper airfare, and start booking hotels as soon as you get your dates locked in. The Yellowstone area is crowded in summer, so the longer you wait the harder it will be to find cheap hotels.

If you could take some more days for your trip perhaps you could do it driving from home with your own car and staying at Motel 6 along the way.This would be a great saving.Paul

As expensive as going to Italy?

Have you checked summer flights from the East coast to Rome?

About $1,500 per person. Ouch!!!

I guess I should have mentioned we were able to use airline miles to Italy!! Making the trip much more reasonable than if we had to pay full price for airfare! We also were able to stay in a apartment and only rented a car for a week which also helped reduce the cost. Needless to say I used every mile I had to go to Italy so I can't use any for this trip.

Thanks for the suggestions. I really can't skip SD. It is the only place my husband really wants to go! I tend to drag him along on all my adventures and for some reason he really has his heart set on SD. At this point our biggest expense is the rental car! I am not too worried about the flights b/c I agree they really aren't that much for where we are going. Most of the round trip tickets I have found are more. I will look into making it round trip from Jackson to help reduce the rental car cost. I am pretty limited with my days since I don't have much vacation at work. However, I can play around with the itinerary and where we come and go from.

I may even switch the weeks a bit and go the last week of August and first week of September giving me an extra vacation day due to the Holiday. Will prices and crowds die down a bit by then?

Visiting my cousin is throwing off the trip a bit. I didn't realize they lived so far north! I hate to not see them while I am there, but I may have to skip the visit with them.

Also, if you were to splurge on a nice room with a view where would it be? Somewhere in Yellowstone maybe?

Go Apps!! :)

Check out www.signalmountainlodge.com for a splurge (moderate splurge) room with a view of the Tetons. GORGEOUS.
As to the crowds, I have found they are down a bit after Labor Day. I like fall travel because the colors are so grand and the animals tend to be fairly active.
Have a great trip.

I didn't see what your dates where. Remember the Sturgis Rally is August 4th throught 10th and will affect the prices of just about everything. Will be lots of motorcycles for at least a couple of weeks before and after that date. Hotels get top dollar in all of western SD.
You can't beat the scenery in both SD and Wyoming, we already have our reservations for Sturgis and are doing a 3 month RV trip starting in Florida, Sturgis, Yellowstone/Jackson, Salt Lake, Oregon, California, Nevada, etc. back to Atlanta for the NASCAR race in October. Can't wait!
Don't forget to do Devil's Tower in eastern Wyoming.

These happen to be great places to go tent camping. Have you thought about that? We used to go tent camping every summer when I was growing up and got to see a lot of the US on very little money.

Basic camping can save a lot of money even if you just do it for sleeping. You just need tarp, tent, pads, sleeping bag, pillows and flashlights. Pick up take-out food in nearest town (avoid the need to cook) or just plan to eat out cheaply. Camp every other night, using cheap motel in between. You'll love the shower by then and won't care about the luxury mode.

I have thought about tent camping at least part of the time. Would I be able take everything I need on the plane (well, I know I would have to check it)? Sorry if that is a stupid question. We go camping here in the NC mountains a couple times a year. I was just wondering how to get our stuff out there.

As for the dates they aren't set in stone yet. I am looking at going for two weeks sometime at the end of August and into September.

Depends on what you mean by "everything". You can take the main things (tent, sleeping bags and pads). Other things like a cooler you'd probably be best off to buy something cheap when you get there (maybe donate it to your friend?). Stoves are tricky - definitely cannot take the fuel with you, and the stove itself has to be free of any fuel residue/odor or that might present an issue.

A Girl Scout (adult) buddy and I flew from our homes on opposite coasts for a road trip before an event. We purchased a styrofoam ice chest and filled it with the standard condiments. At the end of our trip (we were flying to a GS event in another city), we took the filled ice chest to the baggage area of our departing airport, waited, and offered our "gift" to an arriving party of likely users. Told the grateful recipients to "pay" us by purchasing GS cookies. Recycling at its finest!

Forgot to add my standard "recipe" for an emergency: can of refried beans, jar of salsa, can of "squeeze cheese", can of olives, bag of chips=motel nachos. Not fancy, but in a pinch it can get you through the night (well, that and an "Adult" beverage!)

How about flying into a more major airport like Denver. Denver is about 400 miles from Rapid City but it may reduce both your airfare and car rental.

My wife and I have flown and rented a car with a tent, pads and sleeping bags. Choose your tent and sleeping bags carefully. Buy an inverter that can plug into the outlet in the car, then buy a small crock pot and cook your meal as you drive. Buy a 2 burner propane stove (less than $30) and a camping cookset and do your own meals at the campsite. Leave them at the last campsite you are going to use for another camper to use since you can't take the stove back on the airplane.

For entertainment, talk with other campers at the campgrounds instead of going to the bar at night. Lots of ways to save money on travel if you are creative

We alternated hotel stays with KOA Kamping Kabins. The KKs were some of the best nights on the trip.

Oh, splurge. A room overlooking Old Faithful at the Old Faithful Lodge. A FABULOUS experience.

One thing about camping during your timeframe.. IT WILL BE HOT except the hi mountains of Tetons.

I'd choose a budget hotel group in everyplace with a pool and see if you can get: AAA or Costco or 3 for 1 night stays

Rental cars are really the worse expense as they are not ususally corporate owned but private franchises that don't accept coupons. Often have miles limits in this part of the US: again see if triple AAA can help. Also I find if I call the franchise direct I get a better rate: I just saved 250 by calling the Avis counter in town at Billings.


Flying into Billings you may have better airfares and there is a Costco right there. (See if other destinations have Costcos and try to get gas there.)

When driving thru WY sign up for the discount card at gas MAverick gas stations: you can use it immediately and save 2-3 cents per gallon

Check Southwest Airlines: they fly into Denver now...

Thanks for all the great ideas.

On the weather how hot is really hot? I am thinking I will go the week before labor day or the week of labor day. Does it cool off enough at night to be comfortable sleeping? I live in NC so I am used to very hot and very humid summers. Usually by August here I am so used to the heat and humidity that 80 feels cold. I know that sounds insane. From what I have read SD may be the warmest part of my trip. I have been avoiding going too late in September b/c I thought it would begin to get cool.