Yes, we've been fortunate to book some amazing fares at ridiculous prices (Italy, Hawai'i and Austria), but for us there is more to trip expense planning than just saving and finding a good deal, especially when traveling frequently. In the past, we have posted some partial expense breakdowns (or maybe more accurately "point/miles" breakdowns like this South America example), but have never made public the entire trip budget. There's a first for everything, so we post this to show that a weekend in an expensive city can really truly be done on an affordable budget.
Find it hard to believe? Let's look at the numbers and expenses from our three day weekend trip to New York City for two people. This trip is valued at $2,023.32, but the actual cost out-of-pocket was only $162.46.
Big Picture Overview and Breakdown
| NYC Trip Expenses | Value | Credit | Actual Cost |
| 2 Bus/Light Rail Rides | $4.50 | - | $4.50 |
| 2 SW Flights MSP-MDW | ~$100 | 2,214 points/Companion Pass/Travel Voucher | $0 |
| Overnight in the Airport | $0 | - | $0 |
| 2 SW Flights MDW-LGA | ~$230 | 6,121 points/Companion Pass/Travel Voucher | $0 |
| Centurion Lounge - Breakfast | $30 | - | $0 |
| Metro Card for Matt | $31 | $31 Offset using Barclays Arrival Card | $0 |
| Metro Card for Amanda | $30 | Extra Metro Card + Balance from Friend's Visit | $0 |
| Hyatt Place - Fri Night | $415.45 | $415.45 - Free Night Cert from HP Giveway | $0 |
| Matt - Coffee | $2.25 | - | $2.25 |
| ATM Cash Withdrawl Fee | $2 | - | $2 |
| Grimaldi's Pizza - Dinner | $20 | - | $20 |
| 4 + 20 Blackbirds - Pie/Coffee | $8 | - | $8 |
| Hyatt Place - Breakfast | $0 | - | $0 |
| Hyatt Place - Sat Night | $530.21 | $530.21 - Free Night Cert from HP Giveway | $0 |
| Bryant Park - Ice Skating | $0 | - | $0 |
| Tom's - Coffee/Cocoa | $6 | - | $6 |
| Magnolia Bakery - Treats | $8 | - | $8 |
| Lucali - Dinner | $30 | - | $30 |
| Top of the Rock | $58 | - | $58 |
| Hyatt Place - Breakfast | $0 | - | $0 |
| Metro Card - Added Funds | $4.05 | - | $4.05 |
| Shake Shack - Lunch | $14.16 | - | $14.16 |
| Bellman Tip | $2 | - | $2 |
| Centurion Lounge - Dinner | $45 | - | $0 |
| 2 SW Flights LGA-MDW-MSP | $449.20 | Travel Voucher/Companion Pass | $0 |
| 2 Light Rail Rides | $3.50 | - | $3.50 |
| Overall Value | $2,023.32 | Actual Cost | $162.46 |
The Specifics
Getting There
As far as flights go, it's no secret that we love Southwest Airlines and using the Companion Pass (posts on that here and here). Matt's Companion Pass ends with the arrival of 2015, so this was his last hurrah with it before the roles reverse, and he becomes the companion on my pass for 2015 and 2016. It is almost always a no brainer for us to fly Southwest over the other legacy carriers when it comes to domestic flights as one of us always flies for free (we use points for the "paying" passenger). The only exception to that rule would be using British Avios to book one-way saver flights under 650 miles on American ... but that is a whole different topic.
So unlike Buddy the Elf, we did not pass through the seven levels of the Candy Cane forest, through the sea of swirly twirly gum drops, and walk through the Lincoln Tunnel to get to NYC. Instead, we used a combination of Rapid Rewards points and leftover travel vouchers from when we were bumped in Portland last May (that trip cost breakdown here) to cover our flights there and back.
Lodging Accommodations
New York, specifically Manhattan, can be a very expensive place to stay on any currency (cash or points), so being able to use free night certificates was helpful. We had each won a free night at any Hyatt Place by participating in a Twitter promo back in August. At the time, Hyatt had just opened up their 200th Hyatt Place location. To celebrate, they were offering 200 free nights over the course of several days for travelers tweeting Hyatt photos with #HyattPlace #HPEntry, and both of us were selected as winners.
The cost of a hotel room at the Hyatt Place Midtown-South for the days we stayed were an astronomical $415.45 for Friday night and $530.21 for Saturday night. That is crazy ridiculous. We would never pay that expense out-of-pocket but gladly stayed there with free certificate(s) thanks to Hyatt. Our room was on the 25th floor and the views of the Empire State Building were incredible.
"We elves try to stick to the four main food groups: candy, candy canes, candy corns and syrup."
As far as food goes, we utilized The Centurion Lounge access at LGA for complimentary brunch the day of our arrival and dinner the day of our departure. We ate a big breakfast, which was included with the hotel room on both Saturday and Sunday mornings. So really, we only had a few meals to cover. During the day, we treated ourselves to coffee, cocoa, and baked goods paired with some leftover fruit on Friday and Saturday. For dinner, we had pizza both nights, and on Sunday, we shared a burger, fries, and a shake at Shake Shack for lunch. Overall, we spent about half of the total expenses on food ($88.41). And really, if we would have cut back on our coffee and treats, that amount could have been less.
Seeing the Sights
"First we'll make snow angels for two hours, then we'll go ice skating, then we'll eat a whole roll of Tollhouse cookie dough as fast as we can, and then we'll snuggle."
We did so many things, but most of what we did was free, with the exception of the Top of the Rock. Ice-skating in particular was one of the activities high on my NYC to do list. For the most part, there is a cost associated to skate at the various rinks in the city (think Rockefeller, Central Park). However, it is completely free to skate at the Winter Village rink in Bryant Park (rentals are an additional charge), so we had a winner!
Fun Fact: Ice and hockey skates are one of the few sporting goods items that are approved by TSA for carry-on items (based on this list here). Don't ask me why, but they are... so I packed my skates in the carry-on to skate for free and had no issues getting through security at either airport!
Getting Around
In addition to walking miles upon miles (12 on Friday, 15 on Saturday and 8 on Sunday), we used public transportation to get around. Ninety percent of the time, we tend to use the bus and light rail in our own city to get to the airport, unless we need to get there quick. In that case, we use credits from Uber or Lyft to cover the ride. Otherwise, we use the Barclays Arrival World Elite MasterCard for purchases that allow us to credit back or offset charges that are coded as "travel." This includes costs such as utilizing the subway and bus system in New York as long as the total is over $25.
Side Note: The Minneapolis hometown favorite "US Bank Flexperks" is much less, well, flexible. It earns at a comparable rate (2%) but redeeming starts at expenses booked on its website for $400 and increments of $200 more from there. The Arrival doesn't need to go through a certain website to redeem and starts at $25, so it works much better for us and our travel habits.
Call us crazy, but we definitely are not the only frugal travelers out there. On this trip alone, we saw a points blogger at the hotel (also using her free HP night certificate), and Matt noticed another traveler from last year's Chicago Seminars with his family at Penn Station, likely on a family trip.
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