OrbitTheOrb

Hello,

In the attempt to conserve all the airline miles that I've used in the past year, we are soon taking the budget WOW airlines, from Boston to get to Europe. I booked a few days in Boston to see the city, but I'm beginning to think this was a mistake. I find it very difficult to find budget accommodation. AirBNB's tend to be at least $70 or $80 bucks. The best idea that we've come up with is camping for $17 a night at Harold Parker State Forest. However, I think if we go to town on a daily basis, we are going to have some huge taxi fees $70 or $80 round trip. Anybody have any ideas for options around or under $50?

If anyone is interested: here's our itinerary for the entire trip.

poverty.jet.set

try a hostel

OrbitTheOrb

The hostels that we have looked at are about $50 per bed. One of them had a private room for $187, which was very confusing to me. Seems overpriced. If you're willing to pay $187, why stay in a hostel?

We will continue to look!

Romelle

Boston is just plain expensive usually.

Sometimes www.hostelbookers.com will turn up some odd options.

And then there is https://www.couchsurfing.com

You might look at Priceline bidding. Do some mapping and pick all the zones you can see are served by the Metro, including the adjacent bidding areas showing under the map "See more great deals in nearby areas:...".

Zoom in on those maps until you can see the Metro stops. Then only actually bid the zones where you'd be willing to walk from the furthest possible distance in the zone to the Metro stop. Based on experience, I've learned there really are hotels out in those far odd corners of the maps.

The above are not optimal, but might beat camping.

Romelle

Often1

Boston is an expensive city to start with, it's high season and the economy is on screech. The rates you are finding are dirt cheap by Boston standards. That isn't to say they aren't over what you want to spend, just that for the market, they are low.

Don't get lulled into accepting something which isn't very close to good public transportation. That is likely why it is cheaper. The camping example you've found is a good one and I suspect that the cab fare you are of quoting is on the low, extremely low, side.

jsohmer

A good idea to avoid expensive hotel costs in Boston is to book a hotel in Woburn,Mass. or any suburb connected to Boston by the Logan Express Busses. These busses even go to the airport, are cheap, and reliable.
Another advantage of staying in the suburbs is the availability of many shopping malls that have outlets and cheap restaurants, one would not otherwise find in downtown Boston.

OrbitTheOrb

Thanks for all of the great suggestions. Still looking. I've been trying couch surfing but I've been told "no" about 20 times for Boston. I've never had success on that site. Seems more like a dating service. Nobody wants to offer a room to a married couple around age 30 that is unvouched. And I can't get vouched for because nobody will give us a chance. It's a neverending vicious circle! lol

I will try some of the other options that have been mentioned here though!

MSPeconomist

Do any colleges and universities around Boston rent dorm rooms to the general public over the summer?

Shalashaska

I stayed at MIT for some time and as a general rule I think it is difficult to stay at their dorms even for students. You might arrange something for Summer time, but usually for long term, at least a couple of weeks for $500+ per person. Yes, Boston is expensive!! (Harvard dorms seemed to work in a similar way), and you would be staying there illegally.

I stayed at "HiBoston" hostel and I got a good service for the price. I think $40 per night, including breakfast, dorm, in a very central area, near Chinatown. Just be careful at night...
(I never found a good deal for private room for 2 at any hostel in the world!)

If you decide something else, farther from the center of Boston, try near the subway Red line. It's the fastest and most reliable and runs really far to South where you might get better deals just 1-1.5h from Boston. To the North, it does not run as far, but it might be safer and will get you to the city faster.

Finally, IHG pointsbreak promo has this hotel for the Summer (5000 points/$35 per night:
Holiday Inn Express Boston North-Woburn
Try your dates, you might get lucky.

Good luck!

EmailKid

Wow, Boston (well, sort of Boston), but still ^

I stayed at a dorm type place fairly close to the center, around $68 for a private room IIRC. Nothing fancy but clean.

Romelle

If you can find an offer via Hotwire or Priceline Express that clearly states "Airport Shuttle", you could make that work. It isn't the most convenient, but you can shuttle to the airport and then the T to downtown.

Romelle

Dieuwer

Great itinerary. But if you think that New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Japan, or Brazil are cheap....think again.

sweeper20

Look outside Boston a bit - check out the commuter rail on the T for towns like Waltham that you could stay at and easily get downtown

JR14

When is your trip? Plenty of students in particular looking to short-term sublet their apartments over the summer (that'd be a Craigslist kind of search, though, so worth being cautious about). Otherwise, you might want to bite the bullet and go with a hostel or AirBnB near the subway.

If you do decide to stay somewhere on the commuter rail, check fares into the city before you book! Even commuter rail can be more expensive than you'd expect (depending on how far out you are).

nineworldseries

Boston is, in my opinion, the worst value proposition of any American major city. Their hotel prices are generally insane, comparable to SF and even NYC at times.