Trip to Boston from Little Rock in March - Please help me book the most cost effective trip possible! (car rental, rentals)

[Zyzz]

I'll be traveling with my wife in late March. We are young and admittedly novice travelers, so I'm hoping to get some input from folks a little more savvy than I am. I've attempted Priceline and Hotwire with little success, probably due to my own ignorance. Other sites much of the same. I've come across intriguing ideas like peer-to-peer car rentals, house sitting, etc. Some seem promising, though I'm a bit overwhelmed and having trouble putting everything together into an extremely cost effective plan. Hopefully with some information provided, you guys can help a bit.

Trip criterion:

Flight
-Departure can be from any airport in Arkansas. I live closer to Little Rock.
-Arrival in Boston would be no later than 4pm ideally on Wednesday, 03/28/12. Any time before that is fine.
-I can come home at any time after 10am on Sunday, 04/01/12.
-I don't care how many stops or which airline it is. Just want the cheapest.


Hotel
-Check-in 03/28/12, Check out 04/01/12.
-I'll spend most of my time at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, though I'm not picky about the area (so long as I'm not fearing for my life).
-I'd like at least a 3-star hotel (have to keep wife comfortable).
-Require Amenities: Free parking & free internet. Breakfast of any kind would be very nice but not required.
-1 room, 2 adults.


Car
-I do not care at all what type of car. Just want the absolute cheapest.


Ideally, I'd like the flight, hotel, and car to be under or right around $1200 for both my wife and I combined. Much cheaper than this would be EXCELLENT. What is my best bet here? Vacation packages or individual price bidding on each? If bidding on each one by one is the way to go, please help me to put together a bidding strategy that would meet the above criteria and budget. Or other unconventional methods? I GREATLY appreciate any help and clever ideas you guys have to offer.

[vivelafrance]

I can see coming on here to ask about things to do, places to see, restaurants, etc. but it sounds like you're asking us to book your trip! You should go to kayak.com or southwest.com and start there. Those sites, especially kayak, are incredibly easy to use.

From my experience bidding on flights is almost useless. Hotels are another story. Priceline and Hotwire can literally save you up to $100 a night on nice hotels and you're guaranteed a neighborhood and a star rating. I usually start with $80 a night for a 5 star and work my way down to a 4 star for maybe $95-100. Sometimes my first bid is accepted and sometimes not but I've never left the site without a huge savings and nothing less than a 4 star. My guess would be that you could get a great price on a 3 star.

[Zyzz]

Thanks for your response. I'm more or less trying to find which avenues would be best for pursuing flight, hotel, and car. Or if an all-in-one service is better. The bidding is nice, but I can't seem to figure out how to exclude options based on amenities offered. For instance, an $80 hotel with a high rating would be outstanding, but for my trip, having to pay daily parking and internet service offset those advantages. I was also hoping to get some insight into unconventional methods out there if they exist. From my experience, posting in forums like this always seems to turn up a few geniuses. . I'm hoping I'll have a similar experience seeking info on a trip to Boston!

[Cantabridgienne]

Why are you renting a car?

[vivelafrance]

I agree don't rent a car. You won't find a hotel remotely close to downtown Boston that doesn't charge for it and driving here is a real pain IMO. The T covers the city well and is cheap.

MBTA.com > Official Website for Greater Boston's Public Transportation System

[Cantabridgienne]

Have you looked on Expedia for flights? Using Priceline or any other bidding sites for flights is a bad idea for such a short trip. You can't specify when you want to land, so you could very well end up with a redeye or two layovers (you say it doesn't matter, but trust me, for a weekend trip it does).

Don't rent a car. Just use the subway and your feet to get around. This is a dense, relatively small, walkable city. You won't find free parking anywhere.

Priceline is great for hotels, just do some research first. Better bidding is a good site to see what kind of prices people have gotten. Stick in the Back Bay/Copley/Theater District/Financial District and you'll be fine.

[Zyzz]

Mainly so my wife can get around when I'm at the conference during the day. Having experienced the subway in Chicago last year, I'm not ecstatic about the thought of her being on it by herself. That likely seems dumb to you, but keep in mind you're talking to a small town Arkansan here. . We can be overwhelmed easily in big cities (at least us inexperienced travelers). I suppose driving around wouldn't be much better for her. I'll consider the T. As you said, the city is walkable regardless.

[CaseyB]

I don't think your wife will want to drive in Boston. That would be a waste of money.

We have a travel forum on City-Data. Maybe they could help you with prices, discounts, etc.

[Zyzz]

Saw that, Casey. Much thanks guys. The overwhelming and obvious consensus is not to get a car. The T and taxis if necessary will suffice just fine.

[Cantabridgienne]

The T is perfectly safe for women (and men). It's the primary means of transportation for tens of thousands of people. And it's not like most attractions/stores/restaurants have parking anyway...