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Cheap Travel and Accommodation
Alternatives
   
Transportation
to San Francisco -
Car
Rental / Train
/ Bus / Air
Bike Shipping
Cheap places to stay in San Francisco
Not so cheap
places to stay in San Francisco
Ground Transportation in San Francisco |
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Transportation to San Francisco |
| There
are many ways to make the cost of getting from Los Angeles to San Francisco less expensive.
Here are a few suggestions: Car
Rental / Train
/ Bus / Air
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Car Rental
Rent
a car or minivan
- one-way rental
with unlimited mileage
Cost: Advance
reservation rental $30-100 depending on car size. Gas & insurance not
included
Most car rental companies charge an arm and a leg for one-way rentals
so be sure to inquire if there is a one-way drop off charge which can
be $100 or more. Also be sure to get unlimited mileage.
In the past Enterprise, Hertz, Avis and Budget charged such a
one-way fee and were not economical choices. It
may be worth calling them to see if they will waive this fee.
Dollar Car Rental does not charge a one-way rental fee. You can
set up a reservation online at their website:
http://www.dollar.com
Often you will find that
rental companies will give a discount if you place your reservation online.
You will need to locate the discount code in the body of the website.
Car Rentals are also cheaper if you reserve in advance but not too far in
advance. If you make a reservation a few weeks before the ride you
will often get the best price. By reserving online you can usually
cancel your reservation without any charge provided you cancel within a
reasonable time. Also be sure to calculate in any insurance you may or may
not choose to take. This can alter the price of the rental
considerably.
Personal
Experience:
A group
of Ride friends decided to rent a Ford Windstar minivan for a one day rental for $55. Add gas and
insurance and
price came up to just over $100. Split between five people, the
trip cost $20 each. The car actually held 6 adults very
comfortably but we had to have extra room for all the gear bags - they
can take up a LOT of room! We chose not take our bikes for two main
reasons. Firstly it is very hard to transport five bikes in one
car, but mainly because the bike transport deal with McCollisters was
worth spending $35. We drove up following a large part of the
actual route to see what we were in for. It was a fun day full
of laughs and camaraderie.
-
Liz
Kinloch
Back
Amtrak
- take the train
You
can reserve online at www.amtrak.com.
If you want to bring your bike with you it must be boxed and you will
pay an additional $5 bike transport charge. There is a daily morning train (the Coast Starlight) from Los Angeles,
Union Station (downtown) to Oakland, Jack London Square. Depart
9:30 am arrive 8:52 pm. From Oakland you switch to a bus that
will take you into San Francisco.
Cost: approx. $56 (coach)
A
cheaper alternative is to take the Amtrak bus to Bakersfield, transfer
to the train to Emeryville and then take a bus for 40 minutes into the
city. It takes about the same time to reach San Francisco,
sometimes it take a little less time.
Cost: approx $44 (coach)
Personal
Experience:
I enjoy
traveling up on Amtrak Coast Starlight the day before Day Zero.
It's a real party train, lots of fun and even follows part of the
route you'll be riding along. By arriving a day early, I can be at Day
Zero
first thing in the morning, and have all the formalities finished by noon,
when I can start to relax, rest, and prepare for the ride out
-
Rich
Benbrook
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Greyhound
Bus - take a bus
Cost:
approx $35 - $41
The
trip up on the bus can take anywhere from 7.5 - 12 hours depending on
which bus departure time you choose. The 11:30am bus arrives at
7:10pm which is a reasonable trip duration of 7hr 40min. The
ticket prices alter depending on when you buy your ticket. A 7
day advance-purchase ticket will cost you around $35 while a standard
ticket will be around $41. If there are two people catching the
bus you may be able to secure a companion fare where your
companion can ride up with you for free (provided you purchase a
standard full fare several days in advance of departure). If you
choose to bring your bike with you, the bike must be boxed and they
will charge an extra $10 or so for each bike. Other discounts
apply if you are a senior, a student or a member of the
military.
Greyhound website:
www.greyhound.com
Back
Airlines
- basic overview
Because of the events of September 11th, 2002
airfares may differ significantly compared to 2001 prices. Prices
listed below were for travel in June 2001.
Cost:
approx. $30 - $140
In 2000 & 2001 Southwest offered great
deals for AIDS Ride participants. They also waived the bike transport charge (traditionally
$50-$100). If you have frequent flyer
points you
may consider using them to save you outlaying cash. In March
2001, we did a quick price check on some airlines web sites and here
are the results:
Southwest -
http://www.iflyswa.com
the cheapest option by far.
Flying out of Burbank and LAX and arriving in
Oakland
$30
one way specials often turn up online at this time of year. Be sure
to keep an eye out for them
$69 for a 14-day advance purchase, non-refundable
ticket
$93 for a changeable ticket
United Airlines - $143
American Airlines - $121.42 with AIDSRide discount. $146
otherwise.
For the AIDS Rides and the Vaccine Rides
(excluding Montana) American Airlines offered special
discounts
for participants from any American Airlines gateway city and they waived
a $75 bike shipping fee (be sure to confirm this when booking).
If you choose to bring your bike on the plane with you, remember that it must
be
boxed and that you have to find transport from the airport into town -
in a
car big enough to fit a boxed bike. Be sure to find out if you
will be charged extra for bike transportation.
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McCollister's
Bike Shipping (Bike Transportation for AIDS Ride)
Cost:
approx. $40 pre-paid or $45
on-site |
If you
choose to take the bus, train or go by air with your bike you
will have to have it boxed and, usually, you will have to pay an
additional amount to transport it with you - anywhere from
$5-$50. Most bike stores will sell you a cardboard bike box for
around $10. If you would like them to box your bike for you they
will charge about $30 (box included) and you will need to set up a
time for them to do this as the weeks before the Ride all the bike
shops are very busy. Also remember that on Day Zero you will
need to put your bike together - which may prove frustrating.
The most utilized alternative is to have your bike shipped up by truck
by McCollisters. For LA riders you drop your bike off on the Tuesday or Wednesday
before the ride at Hollywood Bowl and your bike gets transported with
hundred of other AIDS Ride bikes. There is no disassembly, they
simply wrap your bike in moving blankets and load it on a truck.
When you get to Day Zero (registration day) your bike is already
checked in. This means one less line to
negotiate. For SF riders, McCollisters is at Closing
Ceremonies and will transport your bike back to SF, ready for pick up
in SF later that week.
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Cheap
places to stay in San Francisco |
Fisherman's Wharf
International Youth Hostel
Cost:
approx $20 per night
You can stay at the Youth Hostel (dorm
style) for around $20 a night. You do not have to be a
"youth" to stay here - all ages are welcome. The great thing about the
hostel is
that it is the building right next to the one where all Day Zero registration and
Opening Ceremonies take place. This is very useful when you need
to be there by 5:30am for Day 1!! Staying at a Youth Hostel is not like
staying at a hotel. The bathrooms are shared and you sleep anywhere between
4-8 to a room - bunk bed style. If you are expecting the Beverly
Hills Hotel
you should look elsewhere. If you only need a place to rest your head
and a hot shower, they are great places. This youth hostel is
part of the International Youth Hostel organization which, for any
seasoned budget traveler, means that their standards are far
higher than those of other youth hostels. This hostel is
friendly, conveniently located and offers basic amenities, including a
kitchen if you choose to cook food to save a little extra on
meals. You get a complimentary simple breakfast at a local cafe
too, though you will not need this for Day 1.
Fisherman's Wharf Youth Hostel
Fort Mason, Building 240,
San Francisco, CA 94123
Phone: 415-771-7277
Email: sfhostel@dnai.com
Website:
http://www.hiayh.org
If you want to book a group of people you will have to book 2 nights
(Friday & Saturday). If you are booking for just 1-3 people you can
book just one night if you so wish. The prices have gone up and they will
charge between $19-21.
You need to make the booking at least 6 weeks before
hand as this hostel is very popular.
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Not
so cheap places to stay in San Francisco |
All participants will receive a Travel Guide from the AIDS Ride
Office. Here you will be given the name and contact details for a
travel agent who can make hotel reservations for you for a fee.
In 2000 the following hotels offered the special rates, though this does
not mean that they will offer them again this year:
Hotel Bijou - $129
Commodore Hotel - $119
Andrews Hotel - $119
Maxwell Hotel - $149
Savoy Hotel - $156
Hotel Nikko - $180
Hotel Rex - $195
One easy way to reduce your expenses is by sharing a room.
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Ground Transportation in
San Francisco
(prices
from June 2000) |
In
San Francisco
- Super Shuttle: approx. $22 to hotels or
Ft Mason - bike transport NOT
available
- SF Airporter: approx $10 to hotel - boxed bike transport
available
- American Airporter Shuttle: $10 - $20 to hotel - add $5 for boxed
bike transport
- Taxi: approx $35 from SF International Airport to city -
additional charge for bikes
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