Milwuakee is one of the cheapest cities to travel in, (if not the cheapest), and I routinely start a big tour there, for rates within car rentals, hotels and of course the doubleheaders that can be done with the Cubs or White Sox. MKE Airport is also one of the only airport that has a rental center within the airport that you can walk to among the 30 teams,  Sometimes it cheaper to fly into Chicago 1st and make your way to this city via Amtrak.

I have said it many times before, but having Amtrak and Greyhound available for travel on the Eastern Seaboard is a life saver for the MLB Roadtripper.

Another company I like is http://www.hihostels.com.  This place is instrumental for cheap accommodations in San Diego, Houston, Chicago, Boston and Baltimore specifically, and to a lesser extent in Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York.

The dumbest new thing is the airliner http://www.spiritairlines.com.  Sure they will be the cheapest on several flights for websites like http://www.kayak.com, but then you realize that is just a price for your personal being and belongings.  These guys are the only carrier that gets with you carry on charges (hidden from the normal fee) Just include the price like everyone else jackball’s.

The best airline is still southwest.com  They offer the free luggage check ins, being able to change flights, and they have the most modern gates in any airport, and all have free WiFi.  The whole plane is coach, and I personally love that on a budget.

Using free days I have accrued, I only spend the cleaning costs on rentals – and can use any car from location to location (with one-way rental fee waivered in any 24 hour window.  As an Executive Elite Member, I pick whatever car I want, so always choose Satellite Radio to listen to the MLB.

I may have to use alternative travel routes to some of the baseball parks to avoid tolls this season.  In previous years, I would take the quickest time fathomable, but if it is going to save dough to go the extra few miles, it is worth it based on the price of gas being what it is presently.

Kudos to the White Sox, Brewers, Mariners, Phillies all having fan game pack plans that range from 3 to 20 games, not pigeon-holing you in exact game, but letting you be the decider of games wanted to attend.  Other organizations take heed on these guys doing this and take form.  Plan packs where there are ugly games as part of the circuit is holding the ticket buyer at hostage for less than premium games.

The bad are the Astros, Indians, Royals and White Sox for still not posting the majority of their game times.  Seriously guys, ballpark goers have been planning their trips for months already, and they may bypass your town simply because they can’t make proper travel arrangements.

The same can be said for only giving out 5 games so far on the ESPN Sunday night schedule.  We want to know the information on these ASAP.  Oh yeah. while I am happy…the Yankees will be hosting 2 of the first 4 contests there, and be the road team for the 5th game.  That’s 3 of the first 5 games..  The club may not be a World Class competitor this year.

The Blue Jays also have a decent plan option pack at 15 games, so I failed to mention that from above, however these guys are going completely digital with tickets.  This goes for all teams, have an option for a fan to exchange their digital ticket (even at a surcharge) as a lot of us like the feeling of hard tickets for keepsakes, not a piece of paper or photo download from all of our electronic devices.

If you are making travel plans, and plan on using a full tank of gas at during your rental, buy the pre-paid fillup charge right now.  It is nice to have such great prices currently, but guaranteed this market will skyrocket back up as summer draws near.

The drive or flight method is swaying more to driving this year based on the last fact.  In lots of previous years, flying was a great value to time and in some cases money, yet this time around, the airlines are not passing on the savings of fuel for what it is now.  Drive if you can, and always rent a car if you plan on driving a ton.

Your own car vs rental car debate is always a big one.  I implore you to read the blog I wrote on the subject way back in the day, because it may behoove you to find a cheap rental car for your odyssey, instead of running up your cars for depreciation and so forth.

Great cities to start out with, if in the area for MLB Park travel are: Milwaukee, Chicago, St. Louis (starting on a weekend, or renting for a month or so) Cleveland and Akron.  These airports usually have the best rates because of the Airport taxes.

Best airports to fly into are: Denver, Chicago, Cleveland and Akron, Baltimore, Los Angeles, EWR and OAK/SF. I will say that Oakland and San Francisco are no longer good value to fly back East now though.  You are better off taking a short flight to Los Angeles, and using them as a conduit back if you are going to the Eastern Seaboard.

The Chicago to and from Trenton Airport is my new favorite commuter trip.  Frontier Airlines is the carrier, and both airports to and fro will cost you about $65 – $105 on one way fares.  Outstanding deal right there.  If you are worried about how to make it Trenton, look for cheap one-way drop fee places from car rentals.

Finding out there is a National Car Rental 500 FT from Philly/Amtrak 30 ST station was music to my ears. I can rent a car fresh from stepping off a train from New York City/Washington or Baltimore and make it to Citizens Bank Park within 20 minutes.  The parking paid at CBP would be even less than a cab would cost to make it there.

I may look at megabus.com to do some traveling from the Bay Area to Anaheim, as their stop is right in front of Angel Stadium in Orange County.  $10 is listed as the price to go between SF/OAK and LAA.

Boston, Pittsburgh, Baltimore or Philly is perfect to take Greyhound busses to New York (from $10 – $20), while Amtrak ($30 – $50) is another option there.  That costs what you would pay in tolls from any city to city there.  Boston also has some cheap roundtrip fares from Washington and Back.

The best station for Greyhound is definitely in Baltimore, where it is within a mile of the park.  I can think of St. Petersburg (for Tampa Bay), Angel Stadium, PNC Park (quick jaunt across the downtown bridges) and also Petco Park as convenient idea to use.

If you are heading to Canada for games at Rogers Center, may I suggest parking you car in Buffalo, and taking a Greyhound bus to the game?  Costs about $32, for a roundway trip, but will save you from parking in expensive downtown Toronto.  You are also a quick walk from the ballpark once you are down there.

My timetable I am using for a couple of games are:  Friday night games at 7:05 PM, where I will head to Union Station for a post game meal, and to use WI-Fi, before returning to the park at 11 AM for a Saturday matinée, and then head back to Buffalo via Greyhound Bus.

There are just no easy hotels to rent rooms for in this part of town.  With bustling night life, and plenty of night/day time food trucks in the area, food is never an issue either.  I am doing 2 game increments, and with transportation, food and tickets, maybe I will spend $100 total.  No need to spend cash inside on the food that is there, when plenty of options in the area for just dollars..

For under $50 you can buy a roundtrip Amtrak ticket between Milwaukee and Chicago. Futhermore, if you are going for day matinees, you can store your luggage for just a few dollars an item.