Cheap Travel Guide

When traveling to a different place every night, it often creates work you don’t need. All that packing and unpacking every day , locating the new lodging facility, changing activities to meet a schedule - it’s like being on a business trip, not a vacation.

Now, I understand some people like to keep up a strong pace and they enjoy a different place each night. But please don’t feel it is necessary to do that in order to see New England.

New England is tiny. We have many first-time visitors to our inn, notably from Texas and California, who are surprised at how small this area of the country is. I think one contributing factor is that VT takes up a page in the Atlas just like Iowa does. You could easily fit five Vermonts into Iowa. All of New England is much smaller than Nevada. It’s possible to drive from Rhode Island, through Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine in a few hours.

We had several people say they wish they had fully understood this before making reservations. So when people called here to inquire or make a reservation for one night, I started suggesting that they did not need to move around every night. Some were grateful for the advice but others were suspicious that I was just trying to sell them on spending more money here.

I suggest that if you are visiting VT for the first time or two, stay in the southern part of the state a couple of nights and then north a couple of nights.

From where I am in north central Vermont, the beautiful Adirondacks of upstate NY area little over an hour’s drive. The White Mountains of NH are about the same distance in the other direction.

From here in Waterbury, Burlington and Lake Champlain are about 25 to 30 miles. Within a radius of roughly 12 to 14 miles are the state capital of Montpelier, Stowe, and the Mad River Valley where Sugarbush and Mad River Glen are located. The Canadian border is a 1.5 hour drive, Montreal is less than 2.5 hours, Boston is 3.5 hours, Albany is a little less than that. Day trips are very easy and more relaxing when you are not on the task of getting to the next lodging facility.

Basically the same is true if you are visiting New England. Pick two to three places to stay over the course of a week and make easy day trips.

Ask the innkeeper when you call or write. Virtually all are honest and will give you good information. They have made day trips themselves, as have their guests. If you talk to someone who doesn’t seem to know the area, just call the next place. Yes, everyone likes to brag on their hometown a bit but they won’t exaggerate the situation because they know you won’t be happy when you get there and they certainly don’t want that.

A major part of the reason for staying at a bed and breakfast is personalized attention . . . if you want it. Innkeepers are very happy to share their favorite scenic roads to drive, towns to visit, streams to swim or fish, restaurants to eat, stores to shop, etc. And the advice is free!

(c) 2006 Jeff Connor, Grunberg Haus LLC

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