Cohousing-L Mailing List: Fare Wars are your friend: Deals for National Cohousing Conference travel

[Raines Cohen (rc3-coho-L]

Still not sure if you're going to the National Cohousing Conference in
DC June 17-19? Scared off by high gas prices and news stories of
rising airfares? Does the retail price of hotel rooms get you down?
Well, it is time for you to take another look, because there are some
mighty reasonable deals to be found out there right now, and smart
ways you can creatively cost-share to get there for less than you
might think.

For example, JetBlue is doing a one-day "Look-and-Book" sale today
only, so don't delay. For a nonstop flight from Boston or New York,
including a checked bag and satellite TV at your seat, I found fares
available for travel to the conference as low as $39 one way (all
prices don't include fees/taxes) for travel to Baltimore-Washington
International (BWI) airport, $5 more for Dulles (IAD). If you stick
around 'til Tuesday afterwards (be a tourist or participate in the
Citizens Climate Lobby and help get cohousing on the national agenda
on Capitol Hill), returning is also just $44, or $25 more for a Sunday
evening return. Similar deals are available to National airport (DCA),
which is literally walking distance to the conference hotel, just one
stop (a 2 minute ride) on the subway.

Other deals in this particular sale include $79 from Orlando, or just
$69 from Fort Lauderdale. $139 all the way from California (Oakland) -
add $20 to come from Long Beach. I haven't gotten the typical Tuesday
"this-week-only" specials from other airlines yet, but I wouldn't be
surprised to see similar options from other carriers.

As for places to stay, quick search of travel web sites found rooms
still available during the conference weekend at nearby hotels (a long
walk or 5-minute taxi, in some cases with a free shuttle available)
for less than $45 per person (double occupancy) a night -- quite a
deal, as rooms normally go for $223. Plus, staying nearby can save you
$30 per day in car rental plus $23 per day in parking - giving you a
bidding advantage to snatch up the great deals you can only find at
the conference auction!

Or get a group together and share - I found rooms just a few miles
away for $25 per person per night, assuming two couples each get their
own bed. AirBNB lists many $35/person/night options in the area,
staying in private homes.

For your forming group or for part of your established community that
wants the fresh energy and inspiration that comes from every national
conference, you can really tap the power of collective cooperation to
get the most from the conference. Get six people in a room and put up
with a less-than-20-mile commute and your cost drops to under $20 per
person per night - and you get a free conference registration when you
register five, so now the savings really start to add up. Share the
driving and you can get from the greater Philly area, for example, in
under 3 hours for less than $5 per person in fuel, depending on your
vehicle.

Remember, there's a subway stop right next to the conference hotel, so
it can be easy to get there from even seemingly large distances
without traffic tie-ups.

And last but not least: your best deals on conference rates only last
'til the end of this month. Grab your spot at the conference this
week, before these deals are gone.

Raines Cohen, at Berkeley (CA) Cohousing
http://www.CohousingCoaches.com/
(really a Cohousing Coach, not a Travel Agent, but I like to take care
of our clients, and sometimes we need to branch out a bit to help
folks get themselves to the right place where they can learn what
they'll need and meet the right folks to make a difference)

P.S. Meet me and other longtime cohousers/communitarians/community
organizers/activists in Chicago this Saturday for the Art of Community
one-day conference put on by Fellowship for Intentional Community
(FIC) - I volunteer on the board.

P.P.S. Arrive by Wednesday for pre-conference activities like
Cohousing University and the bus tours and catch the Washington
Nationals hosting the St. Louis Cardinals at an evening home game for
as little as $9, thanks to a Groupon deal - sign up here and select
Washington, DC in the next 21 hours: http://www.groupon.com/r/uu18254