[HPFGU-OTChatter] Low cost travel (was: Re: Harry Potter conventions other than Lumos)

[Sheryll Townsend]

Hallie:
> You're right, though, that traveling to go to
> conventions can be
> expensive. To bring the cost down, I usually try to
> room with other
> fans in a quad room, I try to get conference tickets
> at earlybird
> rates, I watch for discounted air/bus/rail tickets
> or group rates and
> cheaper fares, and I bring along snacks and water so
> that I don't burn
> through money that way. Sometimes when I've been a
> presenter, my job
> has agreed to pay for some of my expenses, too. 
> 
> Does anybody else have some tips for low-cost
> travel? (I like to
> collect them.)
> 
Sheryll:

I take the bus almost everytime I travel. For any
Canadians who don't mind the longer trips on a bus,
Greyhound Canada has something called the Go Anywhere
fare. They haven't raised the price from last year, so
I'm paying only $225 Canadian, return, for my trip to
Lumos. The fare is good anywhere in Canada or the US. 

I wouldn't be surprised to see them raise it by next
summer, but it shouldn't be much. They were supposed
to raise it to $240 this year, so that'll probably be
the next increase. Price changes to the fare take
place in either May or October. 

The only catch with the fare is that you can't make
stopovers along the way, you must go straight to your
destination and back. This doesn't mean the bus goes
non-stop, just that you can't make any overnight stops
of your own choosing. Stops along the way can be
anywhere from 10-15 minutes to a couple of hours,
giving you lots of time to stretch your legs and walk
around a bit.

The only warning about long trips: take along as much
food as you can. Bus depot food is terrible. But every
single station I've been through has a water fountain
with decently drinkable water, so take along a
refillable bottle and save yourself the cost of drinks
along the way.

Sheryll, veteran bus rider :)

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