Residency interview cost reduction ideas?

[moisne]

---

Members don't see this ad.

I'm trying to book flights and hotels for the interviews but they are just so extremely pricey. Does anyone have tips to reduce the cost?

Anyone has experience with Greyhound/amtrak? Or AirBNB as alternatives to hotels?

I'll be going to about 20 interviews (I haven't even started and I already feel worn down).

 

[CharlieBillings]

.

 

[TypeADissection]

For fellowship interviews, I used AirBNB quite a bit because by the time I flew into a city, got to the pre-interview dinner then got to my room it was going to be around 2100-2200. I'm probably waking up at 0500 to get ready for the interview, and so the reality is I'm only in a room for < 12 hours. You literally just need a bed, a bathroom and shower. Someone setup a WhatsApp group and we'd also share rides and grab drinks when able. You see the same people over and over again so it's fun to develop good friendships along the way. Good luck. Cheers.

 

[Donald Juan]

I've had good experiences with air bnb. Driving to any interview you can will help. Make friends along the way and with the people at your own school. I shared rides with fellow applicants, stayed with other applicants i met at interviews when i was in their city, and shared hotels with people i had met.

 

[Crayola227]

I used Kayak for flights, also checked some airlines they don't include in search
also checked directly with airlines

I had Hotels.com because if you use enough nights you get reward night (after 10 IIRC)
I liked how it looked for spots
You could use in conjunction with airbnb
Some hostels have private rooms that might work

I used Kayak IIRC for car rental

in my experience renting a car and gas was cheaper than cabbing everywhere
I don't know how it compares to Uber as we didn't have that back in my day
it was typically ~$25-30, plus maybe ~$5 gas
I also liked being in total control of timing transport for interview dinner and day of
just be sure to check with your own insurance about rental car insurance coverage
it may be included in what you have, it might not
it was like $20 through my regular car insurance to add it, and that's tons cheaper than what can add up if you do what the rental car companies will try to talk you into

I also packed snacks like granola bars and such, it can save you money at airport/plane if you get hungry
not every program offers some kind of breakfast, either, and you may not have time in the AM for it
if you prefer tea to crap hotel/program coffee there's an idea, hot water is typically easy to find
I also used those little bottles of energy drink that taste nasty
some program interview dinners you have to pay your share, so maybe scarfing a little of your own food you packed and not going on a totally empty stomach could help control dinner costs
point is, you can do little things to save on food on the trail

 

[WingedOx]

We're talking 7 years ago by now, but Hotwire was my go-to for hotels.

For example, the Holiday Inn near UPitt was charging like 150 a night for the night of my interview. Booked the mystery hotel from Hotwire for 70ish and it was the exact same Holiday Inn.

 

[NickNaylor]

I usually did AirBnb for hotel stays - depending on what you’re willing to go with and where you’re staying, you can get pretty cheap stays. Hit up old friends and try and stay with them.

Consider signing up for an airline credit card and/or accruing miles with a single airline. I was able to get flights for two interviews covered with miles. This is easier if you happen to live in a city with a big hub.

 

[educ8r]

Consider signing up for an airline credit card and/or accruing miles with a single airline. I was able to get flights for two interviews covered with miles. This is easier if you happen to live in a city with a big hub.

I agree with the airline credit card. I got 2 cards, 60k miles each, and I think that wound up paying for around 4 or 5 cross country flights. Just beware the hit to your credit score of multiple new credit card apps (though this can be offset to some extent by your lower credit utilization), especially a consideration if you plan to buy a house at the start of residency. Also these cards tend to have annual fees which can add up, and cancelling them might also impact your credit (though they will sometimes let you switch down to a card with lower or no fees if you threaten cancellation).

 

[DoctwoB]

I agree with the airline credit card. I got 2 cards, 60k miles each, and I think that wound up paying for around 4 or 5 cross country flights. Just beware the hit to your credit score of multiple new credit card apps (though this can be offset to some extent by your lower credit utilization), especially a consideration if you plan to buy a house at the start of residency. Also these cards tend to have annual fees which can add up, and cancelling them might also impact your credit (though they will sometimes let you switch down to a card with lower or no fees if you threaten cancellation).

Also note that for many of these cards you have to spend a few thousand bucks and then wait a bit to get the rewards, so open them up earlier then you think.