Higher End Travel In The US On The Cheapy Cheap

As parents who travel with a toddler, we find that we have to bridge the gap between straight up budget travelers and big spenders. The (literally) cold hard fact is, Cole loves sleeping in a bed that has to be colder than most places that we travel. He doesn’t love clothes, and he doesn’t handle the heat well.

We tried, honestly. There were AC-less bungalows in India and one unfortunate evening in Koh Tao, Thailand. The result is the same – nobody sleeps. We’ve tried fans, we’ve tried no sheets, but without a little bite in the air, Cole just won’t put himself down for very long. It’s not worth the money savings for us to get no sleep, so we pay extra.

The budgets you read about backpackers traveling through the world? We pay a bit more. It’s cool, we don’t mind, but we’re about to undertake a road trip through the US, which is more expensive overall than more well traveled backpack locations. Granted, whatever lodging we find will have standard amenities that are a cut above what you may find in many developing nations, but what if we want to experience a little more? Can we find comfortable hotels for cheap?

Cheap is relative to where you are, of course, but it is possible if you look hard enough. A smart traveler can stretch their US dollars farther if they want, or they can choose to spend those dollars on upgrades others can’t find. Given all of those wise words, I will state that we are not always the smartest travelers.

We might be, however, the most comfortable.

photo by  johanohrling