The last few weeks, I've been writing about the $150 per day road trip taken by Amy Graff (Best Western's family travel expert) and her family.  This week, I'm focusing on how Amy found value with her lodging choices.

As you may imagine, Amy and her family stayed at Best Western hotels during their vacation.  I did ask if her $150 budget per day included a regular full-price for lodging.  She assured me that they didn't receive any discounts that weren't available to all guests.  They did, however, take advantage of two discounts that are offered to all guests - a AAA discount, and a special summer promotion that offers a free night stay if you stay at the chain on two separate occasions.  They used their free nights (they received 2 - the maximum allowed under the promotion) at the most expensive Best Western on their route - the one in New Orleans.

Amy suggests that travelers seeking value in their lodging look for hotels that don't charge a la carte fees for essentials, like parking (unless in a major metropolitan area), WiFi, and breakfast.  She recommends that road trippers consider staying at the same chain throughout their trip if they can take advantage of a promotion as her family did, and get free nights.

Depending on the length of your road trip, you'll probably need to find a hotel with convenient laundry facilities.  Doing laundry on your trip is another way to lighten your load (saving gas money).  And, having a free, hot breakfast is the perfect way to start out your day.  In fact, if you have a large breakfast, you can just snack for lunch, saving even more money!  With some research in advance, you can definitely stretch your lodging dollars!

Read part 1 here, part 2 here, and part 3 here.