Meet Season on a Dime: Places to Stay
We're gearing up for meet season already over here. What? But it's only August! Yes, but I'm sure by now you have the dates for all the meets your coach registered your child for, and so now begins the scramble to make reservations and plans. I won't really be able to give you meet season on a literal dime (like my title promises), but I do have a few tips for helping you save money. Today we'll focus on one aspect of travel savings: places to stay.
We live in a city that is about three hours equidistant from three major cities, so most of our meets are at least a three-hour drive away. I rarely ever have to book a hotel for my daughter and me. We usually try to go with a less expensive option.
Drive Over and Back:
Sometimes we resort to this cost-saving measure if A's session falls in the middle of the day. That way we don't spend extra money staying somewhere and can get back to our regular lives more quickly. It's tiring, but often worth it to get home and sleep in our own beds. You want to leave adequate time to get to the meet, considering the traffic of larger cities, and potential car sickness. My daughter likes to get to meets about an hour early when we're driving over on the day of, just to avoid extra stress.
Friends and Family:
This is our first choice when we have to stay the night. We are really blessed to have a lot of friends and family all over our beautiful state of Washington and in Oregon, so when we travel for the "local" meets in the bigger cities, we almost always have someone with whom to stay (for free). We don't pressure our friends and family (if they're letting us stay the night) to come with us to the meet, but it's great to hang out and see people we don't get to see every day. Win-win. If you're trying to save money on your meet season, consider connecting with old friends or extended family. See if they might have a spare bedroom or a sofa where you can crash.
Airbnb:
When we don't have friends in a given area (usually when we're farther from home for a fly-away meet) my daughter and I like to stay at Airbnb. In fact, we've gotten kind of spoiled with Airbnbs so that I actually prefer them over hotels and find I sleep a lot better. If it's just A & me traveling, we get a room in someone's house. Yes, this person is a stranger, but we've only had one slightly negative experience (I might share about that one negative encounter in another blog post because that whole trip was a disaster from start to finish! ha! And now it's funny.). Usually, we make new, wonderful friendships wherever we stay. And the price is right! Normally, we can get a place for less than $50 a night that's fairly close to the venue.
If other families want to join us (usually other mother-daughter pairs), we get a house or apartment to ourselves through Airbnb and split the cost. This can also be very cost effective. I have always had great experiences when we have a whole house or apartment. The places have always been clean, the host has always given us our space but has still been helpful. Having a kitchen is also a perk because we can cook our own meals. This saves on food costs and is healthier than eating out for the whole trip.
There have been a few occasions where booking for all the families of competing gymnasts worked out and we rented a large house for the girls, a parent chaperone (or two or three) and the coaches. This can be a lot cheaper, depending on the location of your meet. For instance, one year Westerns was near a popular ski resort. When we went -- in early May -- all the condos for skiiers were sitting empty, so we got a great deal. It was fun to stay and cook and do everything together. Definitely something to look into, especially if you have a smaller team, or if you're traveling to a meet for which only a few on your team qualified. That definitely makes this option more doable.
Airbnb has an app that I downloaded on my phone that makes it super easy to keep track of your reservation and stay in contact with your host.
There are different things you have to be aware of when you book through Airbnb. Check the reviews thoroughly. I only go with places that have great reviews. I want to make sure my daughter and I are safe, first and foremost. Also, check the host's cancellation policy. Some are pretty strict and only give you 48 hours to change your plans or dates. Others are more relaxed. Each rental's page has this information listed, so read everything carefully. The cancellation policy is one downside to booking with Airbnb, since most hotels let you cancel up until the day of the trip. Sometimes you do have to wait a bit longer to find out exactly when your child is competing to finalize flights and your Airbnb, which can mean that there are not as many options available when it's time to book.
Disclaimer: I don't have any affiliation with Airbnb and they didn't give me anything in exchange for this honest review.
Hotels:
When we absolutely have to stay at a hotel, I check another app on my phone to see if there are any hotels in a specific chain close to the meet location. Since I'm a member at this chain of hotels, I can sometimes get special rates and get points towards free nights. If I absolutely have to do a hotel because my other options aren't panning out, at least I get some points for doing it.
A lot of my friends stay at host hotels. We never have, but I'd be interested in hearing in the comments section if this is something you've found to be cost effective. I know those hotels fill up fast for the bigger meets. I'd love to hear about your experiences.
I hope this gives you some food for thought as you get ready for meet season. Do you have any money-saving tips? Where do you usually stay when you travel for meets?
We live in a city that is about three hours equidistant from three major cities, so most of our meets are at least a three-hour drive away. I rarely ever have to book a hotel for my daughter and me. We usually try to go with a less expensive option.
Drive Over and Back:
 |
| On the road again.... Must be gymnastics season! |
Friends and Family:
This is our first choice when we have to stay the night. We are really blessed to have a lot of friends and family all over our beautiful state of Washington and in Oregon, so when we travel for the "local" meets in the bigger cities, we almost always have someone with whom to stay (for free). We don't pressure our friends and family (if they're letting us stay the night) to come with us to the meet, but it's great to hang out and see people we don't get to see every day. Win-win. If you're trying to save money on your meet season, consider connecting with old friends or extended family. See if they might have a spare bedroom or a sofa where you can crash.
Airbnb:
When we don't have friends in a given area (usually when we're farther from home for a fly-away meet) my daughter and I like to stay at Airbnb. In fact, we've gotten kind of spoiled with Airbnbs so that I actually prefer them over hotels and find I sleep a lot better. If it's just A & me traveling, we get a room in someone's house. Yes, this person is a stranger, but we've only had one slightly negative experience (I might share about that one negative encounter in another blog post because that whole trip was a disaster from start to finish! ha! And now it's funny.). Usually, we make new, wonderful friendships wherever we stay. And the price is right! Normally, we can get a place for less than $50 a night that's fairly close to the venue.
If other families want to join us (usually other mother-daughter pairs), we get a house or apartment to ourselves through Airbnb and split the cost. This can also be very cost effective. I have always had great experiences when we have a whole house or apartment. The places have always been clean, the host has always given us our space but has still been helpful. Having a kitchen is also a perk because we can cook our own meals. This saves on food costs and is healthier than eating out for the whole trip.
There have been a few occasions where booking for all the families of competing gymnasts worked out and we rented a large house for the girls, a parent chaperone (or two or three) and the coaches. This can be a lot cheaper, depending on the location of your meet. For instance, one year Westerns was near a popular ski resort. When we went -- in early May -- all the condos for skiiers were sitting empty, so we got a great deal. It was fun to stay and cook and do everything together. Definitely something to look into, especially if you have a smaller team, or if you're traveling to a meet for which only a few on your team qualified. That definitely makes this option more doable.
Airbnb has an app that I downloaded on my phone that makes it super easy to keep track of your reservation and stay in contact with your host.
There are different things you have to be aware of when you book through Airbnb. Check the reviews thoroughly. I only go with places that have great reviews. I want to make sure my daughter and I are safe, first and foremost. Also, check the host's cancellation policy. Some are pretty strict and only give you 48 hours to change your plans or dates. Others are more relaxed. Each rental's page has this information listed, so read everything carefully. The cancellation policy is one downside to booking with Airbnb, since most hotels let you cancel up until the day of the trip. Sometimes you do have to wait a bit longer to find out exactly when your child is competing to finalize flights and your Airbnb, which can mean that there are not as many options available when it's time to book.
Disclaimer: I don't have any affiliation with Airbnb and they didn't give me anything in exchange for this honest review.
Hotels:
When we absolutely have to stay at a hotel, I check another app on my phone to see if there are any hotels in a specific chain close to the meet location. Since I'm a member at this chain of hotels, I can sometimes get special rates and get points towards free nights. If I absolutely have to do a hotel because my other options aren't panning out, at least I get some points for doing it.
A lot of my friends stay at host hotels. We never have, but I'd be interested in hearing in the comments section if this is something you've found to be cost effective. I know those hotels fill up fast for the bigger meets. I'd love to hear about your experiences.
I hope this gives you some food for thought as you get ready for meet season. Do you have any money-saving tips? Where do you usually stay when you travel for meets?
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