I’m pretty sure that “racecation” is my middle name. Beginning with my first half marathon at ZOOMA, where we took the boys and did a brewery tour and played at the beach before spending the night in a hotel in Annapolis, I’ve loved traveling for races. Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of great races within an easy morning drive. I just love to combine travel AND races (and beer if I were being completely honest.) With all the traveling and racing (and beer drinking, ahem), I’ve learned a few things about how to budget for them. So, I’ve got a lot to say about today’s Tuesday on the Run topic!
- Plan early – race prices go up the closer you get. Sometimes hotels sell out or flight options get limited. If you KNOW you are going, save yourself some $$ and register at the lower prices.
- Make it a family vacation – We go on vacation a couple of times every year. I always try to combine that trip with a race (or two). It’s a little harder now that I’m trying to do all half marathons, but prior to that I was able to race in Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Utah, Wyoming, and Maine as part of vacations.
- Find a friend – if your family won’t be joining you, buddy up with a friend to save money on the hotel. Splitting the cost of a hotel room, rental car, and gas is one of the best ways to save money.
- Check for race discounts – many longer races these days have ambassadors who have discount codes, groups like Half Fanatics, Marathon Maniacs, and 13.1 x 100 often have discounts, MRTT groups have discounts… (Sometimes you can even find codes on Retailmenot, although most organizations are not happy when their codes end up there.)
- Take food with you or stop at a grocery store – way cheaper than eating out for every meal. And usually healthier too.
- Double up – Get more bang for your travel buck by running more than one race. Organizations like Mainly Marathons offer coordinated back to back races, but a quick look on Running in the USA will provide you with lots of options of races near each other.
- Drive instead of fly – If the drive is under 8 hours and more than one of us is going, we often drive. Sometimes we’ll still rent a car, but it’s still a savings on the flight.
If all else fails, just accept that you can’t have nice things. Our kitchen needs updating (the stove is older than I am by a fair number of years.) I don’t remember the last time I got a piece of jewelry that was not running related. My non-running wardrobe is extremely limited. My dining room set was bought used from friends who were upgrading. But I’m ok with all of that.
I’d rather travel. And I’d rather race. Who needs diamonds when you can have race bling?
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Accept you can’t have nice things: story of my life! HA! Love it. Great tips!
Patty recently posted…So How Much Does a runDisney Weekend Cost?
I love this as even just doing the full in oakland people have made remarks to me along the lines of MUST BE NICE!!
it is nice.
but there be other NICE I dont have as a result 🙂
CARLA recently posted…Wave To A Stranger Day.
You have a lot of bling! That’s a nice way to combine vacations and running.
Sonia recently posted…The Bottom Dollar
I like nice things, travel, & racecations — but I don’t have kids. 🙂
It’s rare that I sign up early for a race; there’s always a lot of negotiating between me & my husband, but sometimes I do.
Unfortunately there are only a few more states within driving distance that I haven’t done . . .
Judy @ Chocolaterunsjudy recently posted…5 ways racecations are like cruises
The only major racecation I ever took was for my first marathon. We got a pretty cheap hotel, but only stayed one night; I had a friend nearby who let me shower at her place after the race. We also drove instead of flying, which stunk on the way home but definitely made the trip doable. When you factor in travel costs on TOP of race costs, it’s really not easy to swing a racecation sometimes!
Ali @ Hit the Ground Running recently posted…“Spartan Fit!” & Giveaway
Splitting the cost of lodging and bringing your own food are definite ways to save money. I often bring my own food only because my stomach loves me more on race day when I do.
Karen @ Fit in France recently posted…Destination races : are they worth the money ?
I love your justification here! I figure I don’t go to bars, have expensive habits, or go out to movies often. Travel is my thing and that’s what I choose to spend money on and that’s okay!
Love that you’re prioritizing your running over #allthethings! 😉 This link-up has planted a seed and I’m looking forward to stashing away a few dollars here and there to fly myself to my homeland to do a race in a year or three.
LaChicaRuns recently posted…Tuesdays on the Run: Destination Races
I’m also chuckling at the “accept that you can’t have nice things” comment. Story of my life too. But traveling for races has become something I do at least once a year, so it’s just the way it goes. These are great tips!
Jenn @ RunWithSole recently posted…Budgeting for Destination Races
Ha! If I want nice things, they go on the Christmas and birthday lists, along with new running gear. I’m easy to shop for.
Lesley recently posted…Tinker Bell 10k
You know I love me some racecations. Actually I love traveling. I’m with you on the house needs work but I’d rather travel thing. Someone once said to me that your kids won’t remember the new couch or fancy kitchen but they’ll always remember your vacations. You’re doing it right!
Wendy@Taking the Long Way Home recently posted…Recovering From the Distance
“If all else fails, except that you can’t have nice things.” CRACKING UP! And so true. It never said on anybody’s grave stone “here lies Jen. She had great furniture and a wonderful kitchen.” But when we travel, we become so much more interesting and grow our minds and our hearts (if not our wallets;).
Jennifer Lefforge recently posted…Run Disney Star Wars The Dark Side Half Marathon Trip Report – part 3 Recovering at Epcot
Okay I am the same.. traveling, racing, and craft beer drinking are 3 of my favorite things:) I totally agree with all of these tips! I’m doing a race in Chicago in 2 weeks and I was hoping to stay in the same affordable hotel as I did last year but everything around there is like double/triple the price that weekend. So.. Airbnb it is!
Traveling for a race just gives me a different sense of excitement than a race at home does. Combining the 2 is the way to go for me:)
My favorite things about a racecation is to make it a girls trip getaway. That way you have fun friends to share the costs and the laughs with!
Smitha @ Running with SD Mom recently posted…Revel Mt. Charleston Expo and We Run Social Meetup!
Ha would you look a there, my middle name is “racecation” too! 🙂
I didn’t think about the tip on sharing rooms or even Uber rides. We did this in Nashville, so much more affordable!
This was a great topic this week, and I’m glad I could join yall! As always thank you for the link up Erika!
Tricia Vaughn recently posted…How I Afford Racecations
I’m in awe of how often you do the racecation thing! Since having kids, I tend to stick to races near home or at least in driving distance. But these tips apply to some of those races, too!
I definitely used the “double up” rationale when I went out to California for the Star Wars races. I convinced myself that it made sense to go ahead and do as many races as possible while I was out there since I’d spent the money on flights and hotel. 🙂 Gotta love race logic!
Jessica S recently posted…TotR: Budgeting for Destination Races
Those are some IMPRESSIVE medals! You definitely have the racecation down 😀
Susie @ Suzlyfe recently posted…What a Full Sized Dishwasher Really Means
All good tips Erika! I’ve just done a couple of race-cations but I definitely find the earlier you can start planning the better!
You know I love a great racecation!
I have “accepted that I can’t have nice things” because of our pets. Another cost to think about budgeting in is pet sitting!