Travel to New England...how to find flights/car rental on a budget

[Ottakee]

My daughter wants to go visit "the tiny states" for a graduation trip.  Driving would be over 16 hours and I am the only driver so that is not doable.

A direct flight would be best but a connection through Chicago or Detroit is doable.

Since we will be driving around and visiting several of the "tiny" states it doest matter really what state we fly into.  Is there an easy way to compare flight prices and care rental prices in that area?

Any great tips for us?  She loves museums (mostly historical and animal type things) and I am more of a state and national park type person with hikes, nature, etc .  While I love sea food, she won't eat dead fish😏. She would be happy eating subway, etc so food isn't a huge consideration. We are good packing pb&j for lunches.  We would need clean, and safe hotels, air bnb, etc but not fancy at all.

We would likely have a week or so to drive around and explore.  I have never been to the east coast north or North Carolina so we are really open to ideas.

[lynn]

We usually found it cheaper to fly into providence, RI or Manchester, NH. 

[MEmama]

What are the “tiny states” and what specifically does she want to do? The distances might be farther than you’re thinking, depending on interests.

I agree that the smaller airports can be less expensive (Portsmouth NH is another good one), but it really depends on where she wants to go. 

[ljpisme]

Is your daughter hoping to see all the New England states, or just a few?  Seeing all six states is certainly do-able in a week, but it may take you longer than you'd expect. The states may be small geographically (except for Maine) but it actually can take a while to get from place to place.  Traffic is usually sketchy in eastern Massachusetts, and on certain days/times in the summer in NH/Maine. 

I would say in choosing an airport, it really depends on where you'd like to visit.  Sometimes it's cheaper to fly into Boston and other times into Providence or Manchester.  It also depends on where you're coming from and what airline you're flying on. I think Expedia lets you search for flight/car packages, though I'm not sure that they include all the airlines.

I live in southern NH.  Based on what you've said your interests are, you could find an hotel or airbnb in northern MA or southern NH and make that your home base.  From there, you could visit NH (which has a lot to offer in terms of hiking and nature), Boston (no shortage of history and museums), and southern Maine (very pretty coast and nature, and great dead fish if you'd like some :)) without driving extensively.  That's just one way of doing certainly,  There are no shortage of great places to visit up here!

 

[Ottakee]

We are much more of the small town, less traffic, local yocal type people.  Not wanting a lot of traffic or crowds.

She wants to visit all 6 states...but even stopping and having lunch in one would count for her.😊

[MEmama]

Would you fly in and out of the same airport? 
There are a lot of places to avoid if you don’t want crowds, especially in summer. I’m not sure what local yokel areas mean to you, but getting off the beaten path sounds like it will take more time than sticking to more touristy and scenic routes. 
Sounds like you’ll definitely want to skip everything near Boston if you don’t want busy. 
Many places will probably be too out of the way for a week, Burlington for example, or anything past Portland, but it really depends on what you want to see and how much time you need.
One thing to consider is that East-west routes aren’t always straightforward (especially in northern New England).

I would look at a map and guidebook/travel sites and get a really solid idea of things that look interesting. Then google distances to figure out what you’ll have time for, before deciding where to fly into. Once you have a general idea, we can help suggest favorite things along your route and if it seems feasible in your timeframe.

Eta how much driving do you want to do each day?

Edited January 25, 2020 by MEmama

[Ottakee]

My ideal is 1 hour of driving a day....obviously not feasible.  Likely in and out of the same airport.  Boston doesn't have any pull for us.   More scenic, small town museums, state/national parks, etc.

Daughter is going to head to the library later and get some tourist books.  I know this is early but it is gray and yucky weather here so we dream of travel.

Is early June a good time or is another time during the summer better?   I would like to avoid heavy bug season but would rather wear a hoodie than be roasting hot 

[Karen A]

I'm no travel expert, but find the calendar/chart with prices on Google Flights to be helpful, even in just checking out average prices to fly places.

Also, don't know if you are a Costco Member, but their rental car prices were significantly cheaper than I could find elsewhere online, though I don't remember if I was looking at package flight/car deals. IIRC, I saved at least $50.

[MEmama]

6 minutes ago, Ottakee said:

My ideal is 1 hour of driving a day....obviously not feasible.  Likely in and out of the same airport.  Boston doesn't have any pull for us.   More scenic, small town museums, state/national parks, etc.

Daughter is going to head to the library later and get some tourist books.  I know this is early but it is gray and yucky weather here so we dream of travel.

Is early June a good time or is another time during the summer better?   I would like to avoid heavy bug season but would rather wear a hoodie than be roasting hot 

Yeah, you won’t get far across any single state in an hour a day! Lol

Early June will probably be warm in some areas of New England and quite cold in others. It will likely be less busy then than later in the summer as our schools don’t get out until the end of the month (at least in a Maine. Obviously might be different in other states), and at least where we live on the ocean, it’s usually still cold. 
 

The obvious national park is Acadia, but it might be too far for your timeline. Plus, it’s generally considered crowded. If you are planning to camp, you might be too late. I’d look into interesting parks now to see about availability. It’s really going to depend where you want to go. Also verify that the things you want to do are open for the season. You won’t want to swim in Maine in early June, but you might be able to in southern New England.

With just a week to cover a lot of ground, I’d look into a central airport and plan a circle trip to maximize my time. So Providence or Hartford  might be good to look into.
 

Taking a quick look at google, you could easily make a circular route from say, Hartford. Drive up through western Mass and into Vermont (I don’t recommend Brattleboro but most anywhere else is lovely). Head East through the mountains to New Hampshire, maybe check out the state capitol of a Concord, do some hiking or kayaking in Bear Brook State Park (enjoy the loons on the lake), continue on east through the White Mountains into Maine. Head to the coast. Depending on your time, either go south and enjoy the southern Maine beach towns or up the coast to Portland and the mid coast, or onto Acadia if you have time. Circle way your back down through the sea coast of NH and wind your way back west to Hartford. 🙂

 

[hellen]

Look at Mystic Seaport in CT and the Cliff Walk in Newport, RI.  Have a Del's frozen lemonade in RI, an arrancini at Galleria Umberto in Boston, and a donut from Holy Donut in Portland, ME

[MEmama]

22 minutes ago, hellen said:

Look at Mystic Seaport in CT and the Cliff Walk in Newport, RI.  Have a Del's frozen lemonade in RI, an arrancini at Galleria Umberto in Boston, and a donut from Holy Donut in Portland, ME

She wants to avoid crowds, though. 

[Ottakee]

9 minutes ago, MEmama said:

She wants to avoid crowds, though. 

I can deal with some crowds/traffic....after all I drove the kids to Chicago and we navigated the city.....but we aren't drawn to the big city stuff as much as the lower key, off the beaten path, hidden gem type stuff.

 

[hellen]

There is a massive difference in crowds between early June and late June.  All of the surrounding schools even as far south as northern Virginia are still in session in early June.  

[Ottakee]

7 minutes ago, hellen said:

There is a massive difference in crowds between early June and late June.  All of the surrounding schools even as far south as northern Virginia are still in session in early June.  

Would most things be open?  

[MEmama]

18 minutes ago, Ottakee said:

Would most things be open?  

Most things, yes. The season in Maine is generally Memorial Day to Labor Day, with some seasonal businesses open until Indigenous People’s day. Depending on your interests, you might make sure things are open on the day you’ll be there though, if it isn’t a weekend. 

Also, as a direct result of the new limits on worker visas, a lot of our seasonal businesses are really struggling to find enough workers and many have been forced to limit the hours or days they are open. It’s caused a huge economic hit to some of our tourist communities. I hope (probably naively) it will be better this year. Eta: I assume this is a problem in tourist areas nationwide, though.

Edited January 25, 2020 by MEmama

[hellen]

It's a little out of the way, but you might enjoy the trip to the top of Mount Washington.  It's one of the windiest places on Earth.  https://www.mountwashington.org/

Maine beaches have a lot of tide pools.  If you're not from an area that has them, it could be of interest.  Maine has huge tidal differences.  There is an island you can walk to in Bar Harbor during low tide.  That's a bit of drive from the rest of your trip though.  

The flume gorge in Franconia Notch State Park is pretty nice.  There is an admission charge.  https://www.nhstateparks.org/visit/state-parks/franconia-notch-state-park.aspx

 

[SereneHome]

There are tons of historical places - Old Sturbridge Village, Strawberry Banke, Mt Kearsage Indian museum. There is York Wild Kingdom  - a small zoo that seems to be very popular with kids and adults. I would NOT go to the Aquarium in Boston, but that's just me.  Roger Willaims zoo was amazing  - and I don't even like zoos.  There is a beautiful deCordova outside sculpture museum.

But!!  you have to drive for longer than an hour unless you one state, bc New England might have "tiny states" but oh lordy - it requires a lot of driving 🙂

[Lanny]

OP Some comments: I understand that your DD would like to see all 6 of the  "tiny" states. Which are those? However, unless she just wants to be able to say, "After my graduation, we went to Rhode Island and New Hampshire and 4 other tiny states".   IMHO, it would be much more enjoyable, if when she reads about different things she might see in different places, she can narrow her list. Possibly you remember the movie about visiting 10 countries in Europe in 8 days, Something like that. If all one is looking for is memories of checking into and out of hotels, that's fine, and it will get stamps into ones passport, but IMO it is better to spend some time in one place and relax and explore and enjoy.

On Kayak they have an "Explore" feature. You  put in your home airport and the month you would like to go and your budget for the round trip airline fare and they show you where you can go and then you can click and check for more details, such as the dates where they found that airline fare available.  https://www.kayak.com/explore/RDU-anywhere

I believe that Google Flights also has an Explore feature. When I am looking for airline fares/schedules, I begin on Google Flights.

NOTE: Your post ended with mention of North Carolina, which confused me, since that isn't near to the "tiny" states, which I assume are those of "New England".  My DD is at UNC and there is a lot of History in NC and  a lot of very interesting things there, but that would be a separate trip.

Let's say that you are open to going on SPIRIT, which is one of the most profitable airlines around. They charge extra for everything, but that is very easy to understand.  If you look at their route map, or the route map of another reputable airline (Delta for example), you will probably find that they serve multiple airports in the same geographic area, but, depending on "Supply and Demand" (the SPIRIT web site makes this explicitly easy to understand when looking at fares from Origin to Destination on different days and the fare differences can IMO be astronomical) it may be much less expensive to  pick one "city pair" and not another "city pair".   (On SPIRIT, the $9 Club was $9 a long time ago. If one passenger joins, even for the short term trial, it covers all passengers on the same record with the passenger who is a member). As I write this, if we were going on SPIRIT from our home airport (CLO) to where our DD is (RDU) the saving, per passenger, one-way, is as much as $100 USD. Other days, approximately $40 USD, Other days, there are no $9 Club fares shown.

When you use the Kayak Explore or Goolgle flights they may suggest nearby airports to you.

For hotels I start on TripAdvisor.com and I suggest that your DD spend time on TripAdvisor, reading about different attractions. Pay a lot of attention to the Reviews of properties, especially the most recent Reviews, and as always, know that online Reviews may be planted so look for patterns if they are all positive, as you would for an item on Amazon. Read about an area. What is there. What is near there. Which attractions have the most Reviews and sound the most interesting.

Try to reduce the list of places you go to, the checking into and out of properties, the driving time, etc so that your trip is more enjoyable. We have been to some places more than once. The Visitors Center at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Walt Disney World in Orlando, and I would enjoy exploring the Cathedral in the Salt Mine (near Bogota, Colombia) again. Usually, we see new things, but, sometimes, we go back because we enjoyed something. 

There is a lake in Southern New Hampshire. Lake Winnipesaukee that I visited many years ago. I think we took a "cruise" on a tourist boat on the lake. 

You could go to Cape Cod in MA,  So many places that one might go to, but with limited time and limited budget, one must pick and do what sounds most appealing to them.

Possibly something I wrote above will be helpful. Enjoy your trip!

Edited January 26, 2020 by Lanny
typo

[Ottakee]

4 hours ago, Lanny said:

OP Some comments: I understand that your DD would like to see all 6 of the  "tiny" states. Which are those? However, unless she just wants to be able to say, "After my graduation, we went to Rhode Island and New Hampshire and 4 other tiny states". 

YES this is part of it.  She wants to say she was in each of those states.  She has some special needs and this is important to her....likely more than visiting extra places in one state.  Not as relaxing for me, but important to her.

O

NOTE: Your post ended with mention of North Carolina, which confused me, since that isn't near to the "tiny" states, which I assume are those of "New England".  

That was just because that is as far north as we have been along the east coast.  NC is not on our agenda for this trip.

Let's say that you are open to going on SPIRIT, which is one of the most profitable airlines around.

I am fine with SPIRIT, Frontier, Allegiant, etc.   We don't need fancy at all, but direct flights would be much easier for her to handle....but we have done layovers before.

 

Because of her disabilities she has a free National Parks pass for her and I and we can access the Museums for All program which is a huge savings on a lot of museums because she has an EBT food card.

She might narrow things down if she goes to the library and starts looking at tour books, guides, etc.  That is why we are starting now.  This trip might not be what I want to see (although I will factor in my must sees) but since it is her trip, we will do what she wants.

We did make a trip all the way to Amarillo TX to see the hospital where she was born and to Missouri to see the graves of her birth parents.  Those were important to her and we just added in other things along the way 🙂

 

[Amy in NH]

You could fly into Boston and spend a day there doing the Freedom Trial.

Then travel up 95 into the coast of NH, transferring over to Route 1 to drive along the NH coast into Maine.  Hop back on 91 after hitting York Beach, and drive up to Portland.

Then take 302 across the lower-central part of Maine into the mountains of NH, straight across into VT, and hop on 89 up to Burlington.

Go back down 89/91 to get into Western MA, and cut back across MA to fly out of Boston. 

Or just fly out of Burlington.  They have a nice small airport.  Sometimes the rates are comparable or cheaper flying in/out of Burlington or Portland.

If you really want to include CT & RI, continue down 91 into Hartford and cut across 44 into Providence.

[Amy in NH]

This route would give you options for lots of touristy things.  Some living history museums you could spend a whole day, so here is a list of shorter stops:

Freedom Trail with historic stops (Boston Tea Party Ship, Old North Church, Paul Revere House, etc.)

Seacoast Science Center Rye Beach

Strawberry Banke Portsmouth

Hiking in the White Mountains

Rock of Ages Granite Quarry

Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Tour

Lake Champlain Chocolates

Maple Farm Tour

Shelburne Museum

Billings Farm Museum

King Arthur Flour

 

 

[Ottakee]

7 minutes ago, Amy in NH said:

You could fly into Boston and spend a day there doing the Freedom Trial.

Then travel up 95 into the coast of NH, transferring over to Route 1 to drive along the NH coast into Maine.  Hop back on 91 after hitting York Beach, and drive up to Portland.

Then take 302 across the lower-central part of Maine into the mountains of NH, straight across into VT, and hop on 89 up to Burlington.

Go back down 89/91 to get into Western MA, and cut back across MA to fly out of Boston. 

Or just fly out of Burlington.  They have a nice small airport.  Sometimes the rates are comparable or cheaper flying in/out of Burlington or Portland.

If you really want to include CT & RI, continue down 91 into Hartford and cut across 44 into Providence.

Thanks.  There will just not be time to do it all.  Even though these are the "tiny" states they have such a rich history.

[Amy in NH]

Early June is black fly season.  They stick around until all the tourists show up.  🙄

If you aren't planning to camp, early June is a good bet to avoid traffic and crowds.  It is still cold for camping in June, and you'll need layers and DEET for black flies and ticks if you're hiking.

[Ottakee]

Just now, Amy in NH said:

Early June is black fly season.  They stick around until all the tourists show up.  🙄

If you aren't planning to camp, early June is a good bet to avoid traffic and crowds.  It is still cold for camping in June, and you'll need layers and DEET for black flies and ticks if you're hiking.

Black flies we have here in upper Michigan.  How bad are the ticks?  

[Amy in NH]

Just now, Ottakee said:

Thanks.  There will just not be time to do it all.  Even though these are the "tiny" states they have such a rich history.

 

I put together a week of day trips for my 4-H Interstate Exchange club...

You could do each leg of that in a day, with a few touristy stops to see cool little museums and such.

 

[Ottakee]

Just now, Amy in NH said:

 

I put together a week of day trips for my 4-H Interstate Exchange club...

You could do each leg of that in a day, with a few touristy stops to see cool little museums and such.

 

I would love to have that list.

[Amy in NH]

Just now, Ottakee said:

I would love to have that list.

 

We're based in northern NH, but I'll PM you.

[MEmama]

21 minutes ago, Ottakee said:

Black flies we have here in upper Michigan.  How bad are the ticks?  

Very, very bad. 😞

We pretty much don’t hike anymore because they are so bad. DS acquired Lyme in the winter (yup, ticks are still out in the snow) and even though he seems fine, it scared us pretty badly. It seems like everyone has a horror story. 
 

[Ottakee]

Just now, MEmama said:

Very, very bad. 😞

We pretty much don’t hike anymore because they are so bad. DS acquired Lyme in the winter (yup, ticks are still out in the snow) and even though he seems fine, it scared us pretty badly. It seems like everyone has a horror story. 
 

YUCK.  I love to hike.

[MEmama]

2 minutes ago, Ottakee said:

YUCK.  I love to hike.

We do too. Just not out here. 😞

[KungFuPanda]

We've used Spirit Airlines for super cheap trips to Boston and Chicago from Baltimore.  If you can get what you need into a backpack it's probably the cheapest way to fly.

ETA:  I just saw the disability part.  You will be able to hit lots of those states in a single day.  You can easily cover from Maine to Maryland in 2-3 days if you're fine with breakfast in one state, drive through another, big activity/lunch in a third state, drive through a 4th.  Dinner/hotel in a 5th state.  

If it's all about the scavenger hunt of ticking off the states, maybe you can pick a theme . . . like have ice cream in every state, or make a crushed penny in every state, or buy a key chain in every state.  I'd say get some books on tape and enjoy the mother-daughter road trip.

You could cover the whole east coast with about 5 8-hour driving days, but I'm guessing there are limits to how much time you can stand to be in a car.  I'd decide how far I can happily drive each day and see how far I can reasonably get in the time allotted. I don't like being in the car too long, but with your goals I could get from Maine to DC in a week without losing it.  

Have you explored train travel?  You'd go through lots of states without having to drive.

Edited January 27, 2020 by KungFuPanda

[Lanny]

On 1/26/2020 at 11:46 AM, Ottakee said:

Because of her disabilities she has a free National Parks pass for her and I and we can access the Museums for All program which is a huge savings on a lot of museums because she has an EBT food card.

She might narrow things down if she goes to the library and starts looking at tour books, guides, etc.  That is why we are starting now.  This trip might not be what I want to see (although I will factor in my must sees) but since it is her trip, we will do what she wants.

We did make a trip all the way to Amarillo TX to see the hospital where she was born and to Missouri to see the graves of her birth parents.  Those were important to her and we just added in other things along the way 🙂

 

 

The books in the library are great, but dated. In addition to those, I suggest looking on TripAdvisor.com for ideas and information. Also, on the web sites of the different state tourist departments. They know what their top attractions are and have tons of information available. I hope that she enjoys the trip, whatever she decides to do!