Tips on how to make a four-day trip in LA (including Disneyland) stay under a thousand dollars.
If you’re new to my website, my name is Abigail Skelton! I’m a middle grade and young adult fiction writer, who also loves travel. I recently had the chance to meet up with a friend from college who was visiting the states from Norway. We flew into LAX, spent the night in Anaheim, enjoyed Disneyland for the next two days, and then we toured the Warner Brothers Studios and drove around Hollywood before leaving LAX. The total I spent on the trip was about $900. This was including airfare, hotels, attraction tickets, food, rental cars, gas… all of it. Of course, $900 dollars is still a good chunk of change, but considering prices in Southern California, it was LA and Disneyland on a budget.
For anyone’s who interested in saving a few dollars, here was what I did!
Plan in Advance.
I booked plane tickets and our hotel stay about four months in advance. (Cheap flights, no checked bag). Since I was flying from the Pacific Northwest, my airfare wasn’t bad – if you’re coming from the East Coast or internationally, it’s obviously going to be more, but four months out is still a sweet spot on plane ticket deals. For the hotel, I found prices less than a hundred dollars at the Alpine Inn. (No, they’re not paying me to say this!) The inn felt safe and was about a ten minute walk from Disney – on the same block as the amusement park.
Visit Attractions in the Shoulder Seasons.
October was a perfect time for LA, though we were surprised to find that Disneyland was still packed, even on weekdays. (Halloween is a big draw!) Prices were definitely lower than in the summer though, and the Warner Bros Studio Tour wasn’t too busy. (Also, the weather in LA is almost nicer in the shoulder months than in the summer heat. Especially if you’re going to stand in line outside all day.
Bring Snacks!
Airplanes will let you carry on half-a-backpack full of granola bars and mini croissants. (Which were perfect for breakfasts and snacks in the park). Since we wanted some healthier options too, we walked to a Walgreens not far from our hotel and bought a few yogurts and fresh fruit cups. With a lot of snacks though – which you can take into Disneyland – you can get by with not having to buy too much in the park. (Except for the fun stuff, like the Dole Whip and Churros. Those are worth a splurge!)
Rent a Car for Exploring.
Traffic in LA is not very fun, so only sign up to drive if you don’t mind driving! That said, a one-day car rental from LAX to Anaheim was easy and not too expensive. There was an Alamo rental car return right next to our hotel, and driving ourselves saved time and money (since an hour-long uber from the airport can be spendy). We did the same thing in reverse when leaving: picked up the car at the Alamo on Katella Avenue, and then dropped it off at LAX, after our day of driving around and visiting Warner Bros. The flexibility was great! But again, traffic was not as fun. Especially because we decided to go to Griffith Observatory at sunset. Tip for saving time: visit at a less dramatic time of day.
Was the trip a bit of a whirlwind? Yes. But it was also fun and a great way to experience Los Angeles…without breaking the bank too much.
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Blessings,
Abigail
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