Non-chain Travel: Looking For Local
Last week we took a rare fishing break. We researched the town via Google, hoping to save a few bucks. We thought we'd camp or cabin in the most bare-bones campground. Because camping is always cheapest, right?
Wrong! When we arrived, we discovered a string of family-owned motels on either side of the run-down campground. We quickly abandoned our plan. One 1950's motor court had just been completely remodeled with Pergo floors, allergy-friendly bedding, and a freshly tiled bath. The cost? Just $10 more per night than a graveled camp site--breakfast (and lovely soft beds!) included.
Likewise, we quickly scrapped the proposed grocery-store menu when we found a restaurant within walking distance. Its $7 hot buffet allowed kids to eat free--a nice supplement to a hot dog cookout lunch.
In all my internet research, I didn't find mention of either place. Is the corporate trend in web travel squeezing out the locals--and the savings? Here are some tips for looking beyond Orbitz and Expedia:
- Tripadvisor.com lets consumers review, and sometimes those independent gems rise to the top of the rating system. I've seen several hotels and restaurants which don't even have their own website there.
- Local destinations such as a fishing shop or quilt store may be able to recommend those in-the-know resources for your trip.
- Word of mouth remains the best strategy for savings, one frugalist to another.
I made a point of letting both owners know how much they made our vacation richer, and how I wished I had been able to find them online. If I were really frugal, I would have bartered some internet publicity for a discounted room rate!
What's your favorite independent travel resource? How did you find it?
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5 Responses to “Non-chain Travel: Looking For Local”
October 19th, 2009 at 12:52 pm
My dad hates chains. He has always been all about finding the intersting, local, off-the-beaten-path kind of places. And since we traveled so much when I was growing up, there were lots of oppportunities for that to rub off on me:)
We “vacation” pretty close to home these days, but I still always ask around for recommendations…In a town near me I found an awesome little hamburger joint still serving 50cent little hamburgers and the kids loved sitting at the counter on swirly stools:)
October 19th, 2009 at 4:41 pm
We love local places too! On one of our vacations in the Southwest the local chains were all full but we received an excellent recommendation for a place down the street. It turns out that it was a Navajo boarding school that was taking in travelers during school break. A fascinating experience! And we felt great giving our money to a good cause instead of a national chain.
October 19th, 2009 at 8:57 pm
I do not have much luck (or skill?) at finding deals online. Expedia often has listings but when we say we have three children the results always come back as “exceeded the maximum number of guest allowed”. What? With just three kids? This is so frustrating. I tend to book through AMA travel; yes, we end up staying in a chain but we request a family friendly place – preferably one with breakfast included – and they book for us. I wish there was an easier way to find nice B&B’s and other options.
October 25th, 2009 at 10:18 am
Kika, I agree with you about Expedia! Mine always says “you’ve exceeded the maximum number of infants.” Huh? I have 4 kids: 1, 3, 5, 8. How am I exceeding the max no. of infants? Weird.
As to your concern about finding B%Bs, please please please try using tripadvisor.com. They do a great job of listing fabulous B&Bs and even farm houses and stuff like that. It’s the best website for finding non-chain places, in my opinion. I think you’ll really like them. They seem to have a good following of “travel-minded” people, too, so the reviews are usually pretty thoughtful and decent.
Good luck!
October 26th, 2009 at 12:06 pm
One great way to find local places that aren’t chains is to do a search on Google Maps. If you want to stay, for example, near San Antonio, type in “hotels near San Antonio, TX”. You’ll see a map of San Antonio with some letters marking certain locations and some dots. The letters will almost certainly be chains and expensive hotels. The dots without letters, however, will be the cheaper places that didn’t pay for advertising on Google. Click dots in the areas you’re interested in. You’ll see at least the name of the establishment and a phone number, and possible also a website. (You can do a search for the ones that don’t have websites recorded on Google. A few will have websites, but many won’t.)
Obviously, in a big city, you’ll want to be somewhat familiar with areas so that you don’t end up in an area with motels with hourly rates or something like that. If a motel you’re interested in is located near a chain resort, check out the chain’s website for pictures of that hotel and read reviews on various sites to get an idea about the safety and “newness” of the area.
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