Help! Tips to do an East Coast trip cheaply??

[Lori D.]

Any tips on how to reduce car rental costs and especially lodging costs for a 2-3 week trip down the east coast this coming October? We would want to fly into Philadelphia, and then travel to Boston (colonial history), possibly 1-day sightsee NYC or visit Coney Island Amusement Park, Washington D.C. (Capitol sites), Virginia (Williamsburg, Montacello, etc.), and S. Carolina (Civil War), and then fly out of Atlanta.

 

In April our family of 4 got to do an awesome 18-day trip of 6 states of the Southwest and the Pacific Northwest using our travel trailer. We had planned to take the month of October to do a similar trip of historical sites, natural wonders, and fun stops of traveling across country and then down the East Coast -- BUT -- gas prices have gone up so much, we just can't do this trip as planned, and are hoping to still pull off a shorter trip by flying, renting a car, and staying cheaply and making as many of our meals as possible.

 

All tips and ideas welcome and desperately needed to make this trip happen! : ) Thanks so very much in advance! Warmest regards, Lori D.

[Old Dominion Heather]

The only idea I have for you is to try to hit Williamsburg during homeschool week. You get admission to CW for $5 a day per person for one day, but the whole week is $11 per person. It is normally about $25 a day, I think.

[GSMP]

Lodging....? See how many families on the way down would be willing to host you and maybe even help out as a local tour guide giving suggestions.

 

Once in the D.C. area take advantage of the Metro....you can get to pretty much anything you would want to see in D.C. by using Metro.

[Lori D.]

THANK you both! I hadn't thought about ways of saving $$ on travel and events/venues. Those are great ideas! : ) Anyone else have ideas??

[Jennifer in MI]

Random thoughts -

 

What about flying to Boston and staying there (instead of Phila first?). Then, take a train down to NYC (or even a bus) so you wouldn't have to rent a car. Then, another train to Phila. Train to DC. I don't know about public transit for the rest of your trip. But, I wonder with the cost of gas right now if it wouldn't be cheaper to take the train/bus (remember to factor in the cost of parking downtown in Boston/NYC/Phila if you have a car). Public transit is SO good in all those cities, I'd think you could get by better without one.

 

I'm not sure about hotels! Good luck! Sounds like a great trip!

[Sebastian (a lady)]

Random thoughts -

 

What about flying to Boston and staying there (instead of Phila first?). Then, take a train down to NYC (or even a bus) so you wouldn't have to rent a car. Then, another train to Phila. Train to DC. I don't know about public transit for the rest of your trip. But, I wonder with the cost of gas right now if it wouldn't be cheaper to take the train/bus (remember to factor in the cost of parking downtown in Boston/NYC/Phila if you have a car). Public transit is SO good in all those cities, I'd think you could get by better without one.

 

I'm not sure about hotels! Good luck! Sounds like a great trip!

 

You might check out the 15 and 30 day USA Rail passes at Amtrak. You might even be able to use them to get to Phily/Boston and then home from Atlanta. If you could use the pass not only to get around on the East Coast but to get there and back, it makes the passes seem quite economical.

I think you would need to rent a car for the Williamsburg part (and you might want to take a look at how far Montecello is from the coast, lovely drive, but it might be farther off track than you think). I might also suggest that you get from Williamsburg to S. C. along the NC coast. That was always one of our favorite area to visit. Kitty Hawk and Nag's Head (plus the site of the lost Roanoke colony).

[Lori D.]

That was my initial idea, too -- alas, airfare coming from the west to Boston (or to any airport with 100 miles of Boston, such as Providence RI) is $125 MORE PER PERSON than into Philly. (:0 So, unless the train saves us $500, it's cheaper to fly into Philly and rent a car. : ( Is there a public transit system from Philly over to NYC, or to Boston????

[Jennifer in MI]

That was my initial idea, too -- alas, airfare coming from the west to Boston (or to any airport with 100 miles of Boston, such as Providence RI) is $125 MORE PER PERSON than into Philly. (:0 So, unless the train saves us $500, it's cheaper to fly into Philly and rent a car. : ( Is there a public transit system from Philly over to NYC, or to Boston????

 

Yes. Dh says if you are looking to do it on the cheap, and you have some time (you'll stop in every town) - from PHila - take the Septa train to Trenton, NJ. At Trenton, switch to NJ Transit right into NYC (Penn Station). You could also do Amtrak to both those cities. I think if you go Phila to Boston, you'll probably have to go through NYC. The other option (cheap) is the bus. Not the best way to travel, but those cities are not so far apart, so you wouldn't have to travel long on it.

 

What about renting a car just for the day in PHila and driving to Boston? Once you're in Boston, you won't need a car. Oh - in Boston - do the Freedom Trail. You see SOOOO much that way!