Coast2Coast Episode #6 - Accommodations

My route is really starting to take shape. I was planning on blasting cross country in the minimum amount of time, but I've decided it's probably better to add a couple of days off and a couple of shorter days of riding so that I can really enjoy the trip.

That means I'll need seven or eight nights of accommodations each way and with the going rate for a cheap hotel room hovering around $130 I'm looking at spending around $2000. This, my friends, is just not acceptable.

The idea of camping was brought up again. I like camping. I love camping actually. But the thought of camping after a long hard day on the bike, with the possibility of not being able to shower and freshen up, really doesn't sound that great to me. I think riding the R1200R has something to do with this feeling. If I were riding a R1200GS Adventure, there is no doubt that I would camp every night. But since I'm not taking an "adventure touring" bike on an "adventure tour" I'm really more inclined to opt for a comfortable bed and air conditioning (it is August after all).

The answer to my little problem came to me while washing the dishes last night... hosteling!

Since I'm a guy, traveling alone, and I really don't require "fancy" accommodations hosteling is the perfect option for me. I've been looking online and the internet has really made the option of hosteling simple. It's easy to find rooms everywhere and prices range from $5 for a dorm style room up to $40 for a private suite for couples. The price range I'm most likely to encounter is between $23 to $29. So, given an average of $25 per night my trip will cost about $375, and that's if I don't stay a couple of nights with friends...which I hope to do.

So without food, here are my approximate costs for riding coast to coast, and back:
- Gas $450 (7000 miles, 46mpg, $3 per gallon)
- Rooms $375
- Tires and oil $500
- Total - $1325

If you subtract the 400 bucks I'd spend for a plane ticket to Albany, the numbers start to look a little more favorable.

That reminds me... If you need any marketing material check out www.offthelip.net. You can do your part in helping me pay for this trip!

Cheers everyone.

Ta