Frugal Fridays: Austin Bound - Ride and Room Share

Welcome to Frugal Fridays where we share money saving tips, discuss living frugally and generally talk about personal finance issues.  I'm sure many of you are going to be going to Netroots Nation in Austin this year, so I wanted to take today to talk about some frugal ideas on how to get there and where to stay while you're there.  If you are looking for a roommate or a ride, use the comment section to try to make contact with others in the same boat.  Of course there is no guarantee by me, Daily Kos or Netroots Nation that any arrangements you make here will be to your complete satisfaction.  Use your own judgment.

This diary is just devoted to getting to town and getting settled.  I'll call on one or more of the local residents to do one on fun things to see and do and good places to eat and drink in a few months.  Before you actually hit the road, be sure to check out the diary on frugal travel from a few months ago and don't miss out on the comments, there were lots of good ideas there too.

I put together a Google Map that shows some of the important locations in Austin for Netroots Nation.  I'll be adding more markers to this over the next few months, so you may want to bookmark it: Netroots Nation Map

GETTING TO AUSTIN
Austin is landlocked, so those of you who dreamed of sailing up to the Convention Center are doomed to be bitterly disappointed.  Don't worry, there are lots of ways to get there still.

By Air
There are nonstop flights to Austin from 54 destinations.  Click on the map to find which airlines fly direct to cities near you.  You may be able to find cheaper tickets by making a connection (or two), but then do factor in the value of your time and energy sitting around airports between planes.  Also keep in mind that airports can experience severe weather delays even in summer.  Some of my longest waits on the tarmac were due to thunderstorms.
 

When booking your ticket on-line, you may be able to find the cheapest flight using a site like Kayak, Sidestep or BookingBuddy, which will search multiple travel sites to find the best deal.  Don't forget that you can only check for Southwest Air flights on their own website.  Once you have found the deal you want, you can book directly with the airline.

Once you've landed, to get from the airport to the convention center, if you are not renting a car, you can take a cab for about $25, a shuttle for about $15 per person or you can take the city bus for 50 cents (exact change only).  Pick up the bus from the lower lever of the terminal.  They run every 40 minutes, or so, and the bus will stop in town about two blocks north of the convention center (see map).  Click here for detailed schedule and route information.

By Train
Austin is 2 stops north of San Antonio on Amtrak's Texas Eagle line:

If you live somewhere near a station on the north-south stretch of this line (the part in red), you may want to look into traveling to Netroots Nation in style.  However, if you live anywhere else, including along the Los Angeles to San Antonio stretch, you are probably out of luck.  The east-west portion of this route only runs 3 days a week, and there is an overnight layover in San Antonio.  

If you are not already convinced that train travel is the hands down best way to see this country (as well as the most fuel efficient way of moving people and goods from point A to point B), go check out elfling's account of the trip home from Yearly Kos last year: Travelling Amtrak.

Round trip from Chicago costs about $234 and takes about 29 hours each way.  Active duty military (and their dependents) and AAA members can get a 10% discount.  Students and seniors are eligible for 15% discounts.  If you want to really go in style, you can upgrade to a sleeper, but you could more than double your fare.  Don't worry, the regular seats are plenty comfortable to sleep in.  They are comparable to business class seats in airlines.  

Barring any delays, the southbound train pulls into the Austin station at 7pm every day.  The train station is about a mile from the convention center (see map).  You can pick up a free trolley there that will take you to the Convention Center.

By Bus
Greyhound Bus Lines has service to Austin from all over the country.  While a bus ride may be the cheapest ticket you will find to get you there, it's not going to be all that comfortable.  I would really hesitate before contemplating a bus ride longer than 10 hours.  It could take days off your lifespan.  

The Greyhound terminal is a few miles north of the Convention Center (zoom out on the map to see it) and from there you can pick up a city bus to take you to the Convention Center, or to where ever you are staying.  Austin's mass transit system has a trip planner to help you find the correct route that you can use before you even arrive in town.

By Car
If you are coming by car, try to avoid arriving during rush hour.  From what I hear, they can have some bad traffic then.  If you are used to real big city traffic, you may find it refreshing, however.  

Before you hit the road, be sure to have your car oil changed and any outstanding service issues taken care of.  It's only going to be more expensive to deal with if you have a breakdown on the road.  Also, if you are driving through the desert, be sure to have plenty of water in your car for both you and your radiator.

If you are trying to find a passenger to help share the cost and maybe even the driving, check out eRideShare and/or FreeWheelers.  You can also post a comment below and see if any other Kossack replies.

By Transporter
This is would be my preferred method of travel, but since I don't think it's due to be invented for another 400 years, I guess we'll just have to cope with 21st century technology.

PLACES TO STAY
The official Netroots Nation hotel is the Hilton Austin, which is right across the street from the Convention Center.  You can get the reduced room rate of $132 per night by booking here.  Note that if you are planning on bringing a car, there is a $15 per day parking fee.

If you are looking for a roommate to help defer the costs, post a message below and you may get lucky.

If the Hilton is too pricey, northsylvania suggested the Hotel San José and the Austin Motel as cheaper options.

If you are bringing the family, or you have a large group you are traveling with, you may find it cheaper to rent an apartment or cottage for the few days you are there.  I looked around a while ago and I didn't find anything walking distance to the Convention Center that was cheaper than the Hilton, but I did find quite a few bargains that were a short drive away.  Check out vacation rentals in the Austin area on Google Base, Vacation Rentals By Owner, or A1 Vacation Properties.

If you are looking for something even cheaper, there is a hostel in Austin with beds for about $20 per night.  It looks like they are about a 15 minute bus ride from the Convention Center (see map, it is few miles south east of the center).  If that is still beyond your prefered budget, or if you just like meeting new people, you may want to check out CouchSurfing.  They have a vetting process that you must go through before you can sign up, so don't wait till the last minute.

GETTING AROUND AUSTIN
This is sort of creeping into the territory that locals should be covering, but just in case you are trying to decide whether you want to rent a car, I thought I would pass on what I've found out about public transportation options.  First of all, there is a great article here that explains all the transportation options for Austin.  The Capital Metro bus system seems pretty well established.  Rides are 50 cents (exact change required).  They also operate a free trolley service in the downtown area called the Dillo, which stops at the Convention Center and goes to popular tourist destinations.  In addition, there are privately run bicycle cabs available in some areas.  The drivers work solely for tips, so don't be stingy.

Frugal Tip of the Week: If you are heading off to Europe, instead of or in addition to Austin, here's an article you should be sure to check out first: 20 ways to stretch your dollars in Europe.