We’ve all seen the credit card commercials.
$2,000 per ticket
$1,000 per person airfare
$500 a night hotel
Getting an ulcer when you see the credit card bill…Priceless.
If you are a New England Patriots fan looking to attend the Super Bowl in Indianapolis on February 5 you better be prepared to pay, and pay big.
Tickets to the game are starting around $2000 per and go up from there to as much as $7500. Then throw in roundtrip airfare, hotel accommodations, food, rental car and incidentals are you’re looking at spending the gross national product of a small third world country.
If you look around you can find some cheaper overnight options, maybe skip the rental car by staying closer to the venue but hey you still need to eat right?
While some have other plans, that include staying farther away from the venue to save hotel money and making a longer drive for the game and eating as cheaply as possible.
One of the things I do when traveling on a budget is to try to combine meals. I might do more of a brunch type meal in the morning and skip lunch in exchange for a light snack. Or find a buffet-style restaurant that’s all you can eat for a set rate. If you can find a place that has a breakfast buffet and you can load up on heavier foods, like pancakes and waffles, it will hold you over longer when you can get that snack. Then do dinner a little later than normal.
One of the other travel tips is to stay in a hotel that gives you a free breakfast of some sort. There are plenty of chains that do this and you should take advantage of that offering as you can save anywhere from $5-$8 or more on a breakfast alone. They also generally offer fresh fruit as well. Grab that banana or apple to go as a midday snack, stretch that included “free” meal as far as it will go.
Also when going out to dinner at night, skip the cocktails. This will easily add an additional 25%-30% to your meal tab. If you need to have a cocktail at night, do your self a favor and stop at a local liquor store or grocery store and buy an 18 pack or a bottle of booze and drink in your room with your friends or family after dinner.
There are lots of little ways to save some money here and there and if you are like most people and really want to go to the game you are going to need to cut some corners in some areas. But above all soak in the atmosphere and have fun you never know when you’ll get back.
Follow Steve on Twitter @SteveMichaelsII
