Any way to get to the US on the cheap?

[kissenger]

So I need to get to the US -- San Francisco to be specific -- for a work thing between 1-6 September, but the thing is I have a limited budget (i.e., I get an expenses allowance, but with a limit). I have around £1250 with which to buy flights, hotel and subsistence.

I've got a good deal on a hotel already for £600 for the entire stay, but I can't seem to find flights there and back for less than £700, so that puts me over budget, even without the cost of subsistence. So does anyone know of a good place to get cheap flights, or any other method of getting there (e.g., flying to another US city first)?

I've tried every search engine I can find online and I've also got quotes from two different travel agents. I will probably end up just going over budget and paying the difference out of my own pocket if I can't find a better way because I really would like to be in SF for a week this summer.

 

[Jumper118]

swim?

 

[GSXR Gaz Mc]

row?

 

[Caged]

Tell your employer to sort it out. They haven't budgeted enough for that trip.

 

[Dannyb01y]

If flights aren't cheaper they either expect you to stay in murderville or like someone says they havent budgeted appropriately.

 

[TripleT]

What type of company do you work for?! Seems mental.

 

[Threepwood]

£1300 sounds like 'around £1250' to me.

If that is the cheapest it can be done, tell work and get the £1300.

 

[kwerk]

Google cargo cruises.

 

[Rroff]

KLM have flights below £700 for Sept.

EDIT: Not checked if that includes taxes or fees, etc.

 

[Glaucus]

Get a cheaper hotel, £100 a night.

And when you say 1st to 6 when do you need to be in the states. Is the 1st and sixth traveling days?

Swiss air
BHX 07:10 Tue 01Sep15 Plane SFO 19:00 Tue 01Sep15
Time 19hrs 50mins
SFO 20:50 Sun 06Sep15 Plane BHX 22:45 Mon 07Sep15
Time 17hrs 55mins

£652

 

[Rroff]

Might be wrong but you'll probably struggle to get much under £100 a night in SF in any kind of decent/reasonable hotel in a suitable area. Some decent vacation apartments around £80-90 a night though.

 

[Feek]

Tell your employer to sort it out. They haven't budgeted enough for that trip.

This, sensibly.

 

[nutcase]

Hack something they own?

 

[Bear]

If it's for work, then it costs what it costs. Tell them to sort it out.

 

[Efour]

Usch. I used to work for a 2 bit company that was stingy on travel budgets. We would always get the 2ndbest hotel, use budget airlines if availible, be told to share taxis or take bloody busses.

didnt look good in front of the other contractors.

I feel your pain.

 

[Creature]

Bit random but check flights from Cophenhagen, they come in quite a bit cheaper for some parts of the US.

 

[[TW]Fox]

Fly to Los Angeles and drive up. US Airways have one stop flights for 450. SFO is never the cheapest way to get to California.

 

[kissenger]

What type of company do you work for?! Seems mental.

I work for a university and basically the situation is that I have a 'research allowance' of £1000 per year that I can spend more or less on whatever I want, but I'm expected to fund all research trips with it. I usually only need to travel within the UK so £1000 is enough, but this trip is obviously going to be a bit more expensive.

It's to attend a conference and I don't have to go, so it's not like work is mandating me and yet not giving me the money. It's more a case of me seeing if I can get there for my own benefit (to present a paper) with what's at my disposal.

 

[kissenger]

Get a cheaper hotel, £100 a night.

And when you say 1st to 6 when do you need to be in the states. Is the 1st and sixth traveling days?

Swiss air
BHX 07:10 Tue 01Sep15 Plane SFO 19:00 Tue 01Sep15
Time 19hrs 50mins
SFO 20:50 Sun 06Sep15 Plane BHX 22:45 Mon 07Sep15
Time 17hrs 55mins

£652

I need to be somewhere in SF between 2-5 Sep, so I need to arrive on the 1st and leave on the 6th.

I don't think I'll be able to save money on hotels because I'm already getting a discounted rate of £120 a night to stay at the Hilton Union via the thing I'm attending, which is being held at that hotel. I did a quick search to see what it would cost me normally and I was looking at thousands just for those 5 days.

 

[[TW]Fox]

I work for a university and basically the situation is that I have a 'research allowance' of £1000 per year that I can spend more or less on whatever I want, but I'm expected to fund all research trips with it. I usually only need to travel within the UK so £1000 is enough, but this trip is obviously going to be a bit more expensive.

It's to attend a conference and I don't have to go, so it's not like work is mandating me and yet not giving me the money. It's more a case of me seeing if I can get there for my own benefit (to present a paper) with what's at my disposal.

It's easy, just don't fly to SFO.

Fly American Airlines, direct, to Los Angeles on 31st August. Fly direct, on American Airlines, from Los Angeles to London on 6th September.

Drive from Los Angeles Airport to Union Square in an Intermediate Rental Car with Alamo via VirginHolidays (all insurance included, zero excess). The rental car dropoff is basically under your hotel.

Then pickup a car from the same place when its time to go home, and drive it to LAX Airport and drop it for your flight.

4-5 hour road trip each way.

Flights are £470 return.
Car hire is £33 inc for LAX to San Fran and the same for the other way.

Total cost £536.

Job done. Flying to SFO is always expensive, cheapest direct flights on the same dates are £844 versus £470 to Los Angeles. It's the same for Vegas too, if anyone is interested. LAX is one of the best value places to fly to in the USA and it's an easy drive from either Vegas or San Francisco.