TransAmerica 2012

[yumadons]

Yes, Yellowstone motels not only book up early and are hard to get, they will be the most expensive on the trip along with those in the adjoining Tetons ($160 range). Prices of everywhere we stayed are in our blog. "Bicycling the TransAm Trail" uses symbols of $,$$, & $$$ to give you an idea which are cheapest. I'm sure you can do it cheaper than us, we were more concerned with location (making each day's ride doable distance and hillwise) than cost. Especially if you're a strong rider (could do a big day if you have to) I don't see any problem with leaving camping stuff at home. If you're doing warmshowers, you'll need good phone /wireless service to make your contacts, Verizon works better in remote areas of the west than ATT. And an added perk of motels is most of them have good wireless / phone service even if the phone you bring does not.

Suzanne
Yuma, AZ

[webm8]

I hope so Staehpj1.  I have been assing the cost up and it seems to be going crazy which is not so good.  Found my flights over, and that is going to be just over £1000, and I'm not sure if the airlines are going to charge extra for my bike.

Thanks Yumadons, trying to find your link to your blog, but can't at the moment, do you have it to hand?  Do you think it is possible to motel it at around $50 a night?  (clean, bug free places)  Yes the phone thing might be a problem and its another thing I am going to have to look into.  McD's is apparently great for wifi too.  Thanks

[John Nelson]

I'm not sure if the airlines are going to charge extra for my bike.

The costs can be anywhere from nothing to a fortune. Find out before you book the flight, as it may affect your choice of airlines.

Do you think it is possible to motel it at around $50 a night?

Yes, in some places, but I doubt that you'll be able to average $50 for motels. You'll sometimes stay other places for free or almost free, however, which should bring the overall average down.

McD's is apparently great for wifi too.

Unless you go off the ACA TransAm route, you may find McDonalds few and far between. Most of the towns on the ACA TransAm are too small to justify even a McDonalds.

[yumadons]

On the western half (Oregon coast to Pueblo, CO), I'd say motels averaged ~$75 including tax, but they'll be a bit cheaper on the eastern half. And as John says, some free warmshowers nites will bring that average down. There may also be stretches where you're cycling & moteling with another rider & can split the cost. Most US motels charge the same for one or two people. A room with 2 beds is the most common setup and doesn't necessarily cost anymore than a room with one bed. Motel front desks frequently gave us 2 bed rooms when cost was the same because there was more room for 2 bikes. Link to blog:

http://bicyclelife.topicwise.com/doc/yumadons1

Suzanne
Yuma, AZ

[yumadons]

Forgot to say that not just McD's, but many restaurants & cafes along the route have free wifi so if you don't need your daytime hours to ride, you can get quite a bit done at food stops. It took me forever to post pix to my blog so I was better off doing my internetting at nite & using rest days to make reservations (used both internet & phone for that). Hotels.com has good prices, lots of small towns won't have any listings with them. Momandpopmotels.com has listings in many tiny TransAm towns, most of their motels have phone numbers listed but many aren't big enough to have a website, so you have to call for prices. They don't keep the website up to date either, but it's still helpful.

Suzanne
Yuma, AZ

[webm8]

Thanks John, hopefully it won’t be much.  The best flight for my times and the best price is BA,  but they operate AA on some of the flights I will be doing to get over to the U.S.  Hopefully they will be ok, but will check their site and email them if necessary.

Fingers crossed I would like to alternate my nights half in motels/hotels etc and the other half of the trip doing wamshowers/couchsurfing.  This should save some money and yes it would be great if I can bunk up with someone and split the cost.

Hi again Yum’.  $75 average is not too bad, that’s about £50 a night which is my max really, so if they are cheaper in the East, then it should balance it out.  Found the blog, although your link was not working for some reason:

http://bicyclelife.topicwise.com/doc/?o=1r4vFZo&doc_id=9261&v=23A

and on there you list the costs and what the hotel was like etc?  (at work at the moment so a bit hard to look too much at the moment).  That’s cool, thanks again for all that info.  Got a good 7 months before the off, so plenty of time to research and plan for all eventualities. 

[Jambi]

£1000 for a flight to and from the UK is a bit steep. Try STA Travel, they are the cheapest for sure. I got flights from Heathrow to San Francisco and then back from Williamsburg this summer for £490 - £700 if you include the cost of taking the bike. BA is probably a more enjoyable journey but it really depends on whether you think it is £300 better. I suppose flights to the start of the TransAm might be more expensive but you could ride the WE from San Francisco and join up with the TransAm in Pueblo. Either way it will be a good ride.

[indyfabz]

, so if they are cheaper in the East

I don't know if I would count on that.

[staehpj1]

, so if they are cheaper in the East

I don't know if I would count on that.

Yeah, that has not been my experience.

[webm8]

Hi again, yes £1000 is a bit steep, but its the best price I can find from all the airlines.  I say best price, I don't want to be stuck in cattle class on the way home from the West Coast all the way back to London, so that is bumping up the price too.  I'm not sure how much the bike will cost to travel with me yet.

Regarding hotels, oh well, I guess I will just have to take a nice wod of cash with me and a few CC's lol

[mucknort]

On the western half (Oregon coast to Pueblo, CO), I'd say motels averaged ~$75 including tax, but they'll be a bit cheaper on the eastern half.

Doing a modified NT last year, we found the opposite pricing. Motels in the East were $80+, in the West $40+. We found best way to find a cheap price was to check hotels.com and hotwire.com. Warmshowers is great, too.

[webm8]

ok thanks.  I've been reading this blog:

http://bicyclelife.topicwise.com/doc/?o=1r4vFZo&doc_id=9261&v=23A

and they listed the prices of their hotels, which doesnt seem too bad at all, some pretty cheap ones.  Not sure if the prices listed are per person or per room though.  yumadons, is it per room or per person the prices listed on your blog?  Thanks all. 

[yumadons]

Per room

Suzanne

[webm8]

thanks very much Suz'.  Some are very cheap indeed, $30-$40 a night wow!  impressed.  Being a member of Adventure Cycling too, i see you get 10% off Super8 too.

[Mark Manley]

My tuppence worth on lightweight camping, I have a Terranova one man tent which weighs less than 1 kg, a ultralight Thermarest and a light sleeping bag should add about another kg and all take up 1 pannier with poles strapped under the top frame tube. It is reassuring to know you have something if other plans don't work out and need to camp.