Just got back from San Diego with my 3 year old son and 6 year old girl. I wanted to highlight some tips for incorporating saving green and traveling green while in San Diego. We stayed at the Days Hotel in Hotel Circle (www.daysinnhc.com). We chose this hotel due to the reviews on tripadvisor.com, as well as the location. The plus is the price and the location is accessible to all of the destination spots. Although the rooms were your typical motel style room, we really enjoyed the pool. I also have to say that the free shuttle service is a great green initiative. They offer free transportation to and from the airport, the zoo, and other popular San Diego destinations. This makes driving minimal, which is clearly an advantage when you see all the cars on the road. In addition, we bought the Zoo membership pass for the 4 of us. For $150, you get unlimited access to the San Diego Zoo and the Wild Animal park for you and a guest. You also get 4 free guess passes, free parking, and other perks. There are several positive reasons for buying the pass, but the most important is that you are helping with the animal conservation efforts. For example, the Wild Animal Park has 2 of the remaining 7 white rhinos left in the world. They also offer breeding and releasing of the animals back into their natural habitat to help stimulate their population growth. It's a great organization and it was wonderful to hear about their contributions and successful efforts. You can continue your green habits by supporting the local farmers. You can stop by the many fruit stands. The local fruit and vegetables taste so fresh and delicious. In a nutshell, we cut our expenses (thus saving green) by doing the following:
1) We flew Southwest airlines that allowed us to check in our bags for free. We were able to get away with one large suite case and 1 small suite case, but you can make it even easier by utilizing the laundry facilities at your hotel (if available).
2) We stayed at an inexpensive hotel chain (aka. Days Inn) and it offered a small kitchenette. We were able to make lunches to take to the local destinations and save substantially from not eating out all the time. In addition, we could stop at the local fruit and vegetable stands and support the farmers.
3) We utilized the free shuttle service (offered through the hotel) as much as possible.
4) We bought annual membership passes to the Zoo and Wild Animal Park. If you figure out the prices along with the overall savings, you make out better buying the membership.
