Local Travel Tip

It’s official — March has arrived. Conference basketball tournaments are upon us and the NCAA tournament is coming up, which has me thinking a lot about sports travel. If you’re one of the thousands of enthusiastic fans hoping to be there as your team makes a deep run in the tournament, chances are you’re looking for the best places to get sports tickets.

Whether you’re thinking of college or professional sports, there are probably several options you haven’t thought of. Search all sources for tickets — you may find the cheapest tickets where you least expected to find them. Here are some good places to start:

1. Official sponsoring organizations: It’s funny how many people skip straight to ticket resellers instead of looking at official sources first. A surprising number of sports tickets are often available from official ticket-sales channels, and they’re usually cheaper than from resellers (but not always — see below). Start by checking with the website of the league, stadium or arena, conference, or team in question.
2. Ticket-resell sites: You might be surprised by the prices you find on sites like StubHub, TicketsNow and TicketBroker. Sure, most ticket holders with listings here are aiming to sell for a profit, but that’s not always the case, and once one seller lists at a lower cost, prices can drop for an entire event. And different sites can have significantly different prices, so shop around.
3. Online auction sites: The most obvious choice here is ebay, but take a look around. I don’t generally love auction sites for sports tickets, but they can be helpful if prices elsewhere are outrageous, especially if your desired tickets have a Buy Now option (which will often give you a competitive price).
4. Classified ads (print and online): Some outlets will have higher readership than others, so if you don’t know where people in your community go to buy and sell, run a quick poll of friends or coworkers to see what names they throw out. It may be a physical newspaper or the website for a local TV or radio station. If most of the people you ask bring up the same place, start by looking there and then branch out to others.
5. Craigslist: More and more, classifieds are shifting away from locally sponsored sites towards Craigslist, where sellers list sports tickets under the “For Sale: Tickets” category. The benefit here is that listings are done locally, so if you find a suitable price you should be able to have your tickets in hand quickly. The downside: high Craigslist traffic means you’ll need to act fast. What’s more, scammers have been known to rear their ugly heads on Craigslist, so always use caution here.
6. Facebook Marketplace: This is a focused market for buyers and sellers because social networks often center around a geographic location. If you’re in Chapel Hill and looking for ACC tournament tickets, chances are there’s someone in your community selling them. And because Facebook isn’t as anonymous as Craigslist, scammers are less prevalent here. Still, keep an eye open for warning signs.

Given all these options, you should be able to find the cheapest tickets out there and have a great time on your trip. And it may be March, but it’ll be cold in plenty of cities across the country so travel safe out there.

Got any additional ideas for finding cheap sports tickets? Leave me a comment below.

Staying in hostels can be the perfect option for those wanting to save money or just have a more interesting adventure in another country.  After backpacking through Europe and Australia I have come to love this simplistic way of travel, but there are definitely some things you should know before heading off on your adventure.

1.  Book ahead.  If you want to save precious time in a foreign country, book your lodging ahead of time.  There are dozens of hostel booking websites available.  They usually ask for a 10% deposit, but it is worth the extra time to sight see.  Try http://www.hostels.com/.

2.  Stick close to public transportation.  Make sure your lodging is close to a train or bus station, otherwise your “cheap” trip could quickly become very expensive with cab fees.

3.  Pack light.  You will be moving from one place to another very often and may spend some days carrying your things around the city.

4.  Bring clothes that dry quickly.  Save money by machine washing your clothes and then hang drying them.  If you are really daring, wash your clothes in the sink or shower.

5.  Rooms.  Private means there are only a few beds in the room, usually 2-4, but if you don’t fill up the room you could still be put with other backpackers.  Dorms are usually anywhere from 8 to 20 beds, it should establish exactly how many there are when you book.  If you are looking to be well rested, dorms are not your best bet.

6.  Bathrooms.  Ensuite means there is a full bathroom in your room.  If it doesn’t specify, then assume that there are community bathrooms outside of your room.

7.  Amenities.  Does your hostel have a washer/dryer, internet, a kitchen, television, etc.?  Usually the more amenities offered, the better.

8.  Linens.  Make sure your hostel has bed linens and towels included.

9.  Lockers.  I have always felt safe enough to leave my things in my room, but if you are not as trusting as me, make sure your hostel offers lockers for your bags.

10.  Cheaper is not always better.  Look for the least expensive, but keep in mind the rest of this list.  Saving a couple of dollars may result in paying for extra transportation or eating expenses.

Enjoy your backpacking adventure!