How to get a free iPhone, iPod, Nintendo Wii, or $300 cash back!

Just kidding.  But what if I could save you $300 dollars.  With an extra $300 dollars maybe you could shore up your budget, spend it on rent, food, clothes, AIG stock, whatever.  The point is, I know that during the interview season this year, I made a lot of poor decisions because of ignorance.  Given a second chance there are many things that I could have done that would have saved me enough money to buy an iPhone, iPod, and a Wii.  So, here are my tips on how to save money during residency interviews, although they can be applied to many types of trips.

1.  Priceline, Priceline, Priceline
This website saved me 50% on almost all of the hotel reservations I made through them.  That means I spent 100% more than I needed to on every reservation I made without them. The best deals come through naming your own price.  The key is to start low and aim for places with greater than 2.5 stars to ensure you aren't sleeping in a crack den.  Amazingly, the Holiday Inn Express is 2.5 stars, yet they were the cleanest, nicest, and most comfortable rooms I stayed in. 

2.  Choose one or two airlines and stick to them.  I prefer Southwest.
Brand loyalty is rewarded in the airline industry and although NWA and Delta are merging their frequent flier programs, you can't always be guaranteed your miles will live long enough to be redeemed.  Southwest is stable though, and after only 8 round trips you earn a reward.  I was able to use one of my awards to buy a last minute $400 ticket to New York 36 hours before take-off for free.  Don't waste it on a sweet $89 one-way deal.  Also there will be times Southwest is much more expensive or does not fly to your location (e.g. Atlanta).  Other things to consider, Southwest has more leg room, does not charge to check bags, and is much more generous about rebooking.  I once slept through a 7am flight and they had me on the 9:30am for no charge.  Meanwhile, United wanted to charge me $50 to shorten one of my layovers by taking an earlier flight that was virtually empty. 

3.  Don't Rent A Car
Rental cars are scams.  The only way I would do it is if you could drive it from one location to another in less than a day and save over $200 in airfare.  Even in a big city, if you have to pay a premium on a hotel room to be near the interview, you can take a cab or walk, trust me.  The cost of an airport shuttle and a couple cap rides might come out to the price of one day of car rental, and thats only if you get a great deal on the rental.  If you must rent though, never pay the under 25 fee, you can get out of it by using a corporate ID AMSA with National or Alamo.  Just use google if you have to find out what perks you can get from AAA or your professional organizations.  Also, there are some lottery car rentals where you can get the car for 10 bucks a day but you risk getting a 1997 Dodge Caravan.

4.  Make friends with your fellow interviewees during the sub-internship season
You can get another 50% discount on hotel rooms if you split the room with a trusted friend you've established rapport with during your rotations.  Even see if you can coordinate when your friends applying for other specialties will be at interviews as well.  My roommate applying for Ortho and I stayed at a Holiday Inn in Tampa that wound up costing us $15 a piece. 

5.  Don't buy internet access from your hotel
It's embarassing what a rip hotel internet can be.  Decent places will have free wireless.  In NYC, forget about it.  I know you want your A boarding pass but its not worth it.  There are a lot of places that wanted to charge me 17.95 for noon-noon access to an ethernet cable.  It makes the iPhone look cheap.  Screw that, get a starbucks gift card, sign up for the free att-wifi using the code on the back to get free wireless at any Starbucks that displays the ATT decal in the window.  I guarantee you can find a Starbucks walking distance from either your hotel or interview location.  If you can't, consider whether you really want to live in such a place.

The biggest money mistakes I made during interviews came from being ignorant of those five tips.  As long as you don't strut into a South Beach night club with lots of cash in your blazer that is mysteriously spent by the next morning you will be in good shape.  You will feel some pinch, but these tips aren't nearly as extreme as those who advocate bartering on Craigslist or using Couch Surfer to find places to stay.    

If you save $300 bucks, put it towards your loans or buy yourself or me, a Wii.