Traveling Inexpensively

[Overkill Overkill]

Any tips for traveling to the beach (~1000 or so miles) inexpensively?

I just found some good round-trip air fare rates from Missouri to Tampa for about $185 (I'm headed for my old stompin' ground - Indian Rocks Beach - probably in early May for 3 or so days). When searching for accomodations, I then checked out one of those home rental sites, and the rentals seemed pricey.

I considered just driving down and sleeping in my car for a couple of days to save $. Or, I guess there's always Motel 6.

How do you all save money (vehicle, accomodations, food, etc.) when traveling across state lines to go metal detecting?

 

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[Treasure_Hunter]

I have driven from Columbia Missouri to Central Florida easily more then 20 times non-stop. Depending on traffic and weather it was usually between 17 to 22 hours non-stop.

You can sleep in your car in a campground close to the beach you want to hunt, but I don't recommend you sleep in your car at the beach or local side streets due to safety and local laws. You can usually sleep in the back of a 24 hour Walmart parking lot safely, and free. There are budget motels you cn stan in which is what I usually do when traveling to detect. I ran an ad in craigslist and found someone who would rent me a room by the day a 1/2 mile from a popular beach when I explained what I was doing......

 

[Montauk3]

At the risk of being banned, I say that this one should be ignored as a troll.

Wake up people, we fell asleep on the obamarama thing. Look what it got us!

 

[mlayers]

It all depends on where you ar at. I fly Spirit Air Lines. They have cheap air fares when you join their $9 club. I can fly from Detroit, MI to Tampa, FL for under $100 round trip. Then if you check out ahead of time I normally can find rooms for under $40 a night. It just take some planing. Or sometime you can get free 3 days and 2 night by sitting thru a time share showing. That just takes a couple of hours out of your week-end time well spent. I have another oneset up this year going to Virgina Beach. I will drive to that one.....Matt

 

[Montauk3]

One that sticks to skin real good.

 

[battlecat]

St. Pete always seemed cheaper and easier to fly into

 

[battlecat]

Oh and if anyone hunt Honeymoon beach I think its called and finds a gold 14k nugget ring with a red stone, its mine. I lost it about 15 years ago :P

 

[mlayers]

This s what Spirit Air from Detroit, Mi to Fl

Myrtle Beach $18 each way

Fort Lauderdal $37 each way

West Palm Beach $37 each way

Plus it is a non stop fly get on one plane and go no lay overs. Some time you can go to LA for under $120 round trip......Matt

 

[godisnum1]

Well Overkillx2 ( )... like Treasure_Hunter, I've also driving the 19-23 hour drive from Springfield, MO to St Pete, FL more times than I can possibly even count over the 6 years that I lived up there for college!! After a couple years into college, this **GEM** of an airline company popped up onto the map... Allegiant Airlines (http://www.allegiantair.com/) They fly direct flights from Springfield Airport directly to St Pete/Clearwater Airport for CHEAP! Most of my tickets were around $49 to $79 each way... with taxes, it was usually right around $150 to $200. But I flew up there to Springfield and back for Valentine's Day weekend for $19 each way. With taxes, it ended up being $79 round-trip! You can find deals on there if you consistently check their website everyday. It's ALL about flexibility when it comes to flying with them. Particularly because they only fly on certain days and at certain times, like Tuesdays and Thursdays... though they sometimes also fly on Friday and Sunday as well. My girlfriend is flying down here with them this Thursday for two weeks for a great price also... and I'm planning on booking another ticket for May to fly up to Springfield and drive over to Kansas for the Chisholm Trail Hunt 3!

As far as camping... you can camp out at Fort deSoto at the camp grounds, and I believe I've even seen people camping out along the sides of the road by the water, which doesn't cost anything. I'm not sure what to recommend for sleeping accommodations other than that. As for places to stay while driving to and from MO, I used to sleep in my truck in either Wal-mart Supercenter parking lots, or church parking lots. Those are the only two places that I felt the safest by myself.

Anyway, hope you can get all of your plans settled. I wish I could meet up to hunt with you, but I should be flying out for a week up to Springfield for that hunt in Kansas on May 4th.

Bran <><

 

[OBN]

Travel by car, team up with a buddy to split the cost of gas, camp grounds, stay with friends, call the hotels, see if they have any construction worker rates. Food can cost you alot, so buy prepared foods {spam, soups, etc..cans but make sure you take a opener, plastic eating utensils} bottled gator aid, water by the case. And take the laptop, most hotels have free wireless and you can just park beside the place and connect. Watch the weather, tides, local webcams and check out the local gas prices on the net to keep the gas cost lower.
good luck ..Joe

 

[GuerillaBill]

Last time I was detecting on the Treasure coast, I met a fellow detectorist who was living in a mini-van, and traveling from beach to beach.

He showed me how he had tricked out his van so it didn't look like anyone was camping in it, and told me he mostly parked it at night in motel parking lots.

To keep burglars out, he had a roto-rooter type business sign on the van. He said no one wants to break into a sewage cleaning van, plus a plumbing related van didn't look out of place in business parking lots at night.

He also told me a good place to camp in a car or minivan are the parking lots at all night fishing piers.

Thanks to the current economy, there are more and more people living in vans - far more than you would expect.

There are many websites devoted to 'stealth van living', that show you how to quickly convert a minivan to a stealth camper.

Example: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/707929/where_to_park_and_sleep_when_leading.html?cat=16

Most beach parking lots do NOT allow overnight parking, and you will raise suspicion if your car or van is there overnight.

Bill

 

[Overkill Overkill]

Wow; thanks for all the great replies!!! (By the way, my name on this forum is Overkill Overkill because Overkill was appparently taken already.).

Yes, I'm checking direct flights into St. Pete./Clw. airport. My uncle lives within walking distance from there. (By the way, my brother broke out of the Pinellas County jail right there about 12 years ago - I AM NOT JOKING.).

Craigslist is also an awesome idea. Thanks also for the van and parking ideas.

Bran, I'll have to check into the Kansas hunt you are referring to - sounds fun. Yes, let's meet up some day to hunt St. Pete area beaches!

 

[Deepdiger60]

What i use if iam staying on a beach for a few days to a week is my pull trailer its great sleeps 2 with no problem all the comforts of home keeps you dry has a small bathroom 2 propane tanks it holds 40 gallons of fresh water, i bring a small generator for electric best part its lite travels well behind my 4x4 Tahoe and it was used dirt cheap 2000.00 2 years old best little beach home i could of got .Iam going to NC from NY this summer with it spend a week on the beaches with my MD,s, Hunting old school yards gets me enough clad to pay for the round trip in gas money from the year before .

 

[godisnum1]

Bran, I'll have to check into the Kansas hunt you are referring to - sounds fun. Yes, let's meet up some day to hunt St. Pete area beaches!

I'm sure you probably won't be able to make it, as your dates for coming down here would be right before, if not during, the hunt.
May 7th, 8th & 9th - Caldwell, KS
http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,291699.0.html

Sure, I'd be happy to meet up and hunt with you someday...

Bran <><