Going Solo: Saving Money by Traveling Alone

Remember the first time you drove a car by yourself?  I do.  I remember thinking, "I could point this thing to South America and drive all the way to Cape Horn if I wanted to; and only the Sandinistas could stop me!" 

I drove all over the place, and it was awesome. I drove from Miami to Los Angeles, and from Brownsville, Tex to International Falls, Minn., and I never seemed to get tired of it. 

However, I also remember my first significant road trip with a passenger. After stopping three times for his bathroom breaks (and to support his chewing tobacco habit), I knew I was destined to travel/drive alone.

Lots of decent, hard-working Americans are understandably nervous about their first business trip, especially if they’re going alone. They wonder, "How much can I spend on breakfast? Should I tip? Can I expense tips? What about tolls and laundry, and movie tickets, and..."

Since the answers to those questions vary from company to company, the only easy answers come with experience and with approved expense reports. There are some unique ways to save money when you’re traveling alone, however, and I’ve listed a few of them below:

Some hotels are more family friendly than others.  If you do a little digging, you’ll find that a room with two queen beds (or two doubles) is often cheaper than a room with a single bed. When booking, just ask for the family rate. They need not ever actually "see" your family -- but if they think you’re traveling with one, you’ll bank some savings. 

If it makes you feel more "justified," you can always ask for two (or more) room keys. 

Hotel breakfast buffets are notoriously expensive.  You need a healthy breakfast when you're on the road, but even the most jaded travelers get a bad taste in their mouths when they spend more than $20 for a small omelet and a piece of fruit. 

I always check with my host company to see if they're providing anything for breakfast. Quite often, the company I am there to visit will have a continental breakfast or bagels available for the meeting or event. 

Also, some of the best breakfast meals I've ever had have come from some local walk-in places off the street.  There's a place in San Francisco, just down the block from the J.W. Marriott, that serves an outstanding fresh and hot croissant ham & cheese sandwich for $3.29. 

If all else fails, you know you can get a great breakfast from IHOP, Denny's, or some old fashioned waffle house.  It's worth waking up 45 minutes early to sit down in a booth in one of these places, enjoy some coffee, and collect your thoughts for the day over a hot plate of pancakes and eggs for far less than the hotel would charge.  Without a companion along to change your mind, you're free to alter your schedule to accommodate this.

Without being encumbered by a roommate or traveling companion, I'm free to walk to work instead of taking a cab (when I'm in the city).  I'm also free to rent the cheapest possible car they have in the lot, since I don't have to carry multiple people and/or their sets of luggage.

Consider driving rather than flying.  If the trip is less than 600 miles, you could easily drive there in one day -- and do it for less than $80 if your car gets 25mpg or better. When you consider the same trip by plane, be sure to factor in the extra time in the airport, renting your car, finding your hotel, settling in, and other stuff. 

Often, that first travel day is a "down day" anyway, so you may want to trade the convenience of flying for the affordability and flexibility of having your own car.

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EXTRA:  Please feel free to leave comments on this article! If you have questions for Ken
regarding business travel, hotels, airplanes, etc, please send him a "Tweet" on his twitter account.  You can also follow Ken on Twitter @foodbreeze!