A budget traveler's dream: Inauguration tickets

November 11, 11:42 PMNY Budget Travel ExaminerSusan Finch

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Buzz of Inauguration tickets has hit the wires with rumors of scalpers fetching as much as $40,000 online. Area hotels are also charging high premiums with 4-night minimums, leaving many budget travelers out of luck.

However, despite the hysteria, Inauguration tickets are actually free to the public. To get your own, you'll need to contact your congress men and women, Senator,  or district representative. Only 240,000 tickets are released and scattered to nationwide offices, and consequently difficult to come by.  Keep in mind no tickets have been released, so any scalper saying they can get you a pair is being disingenuous at best.

The Senator overseeing Obama's swearing-in ceremony is said to be writing eBay and other potential websites to stop potential scalping.  Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-California is also talking about drafting a bill to make selling such tickets a federal crime.

Give it a shot and get on the list for free tickets, if you're lucky you'll end up with the best value a budget traveler could hope for. And if you're left hanging, you can vie for a spot to along Pennsylvania Avenue to see the procession from the Capitol to the White House after the swearing-in ceremony.  Only bleacher seats require tickets.

Invitations to Inaugural balls will be pricey, and hard to come by.  If you have a few thousand dollars lying around, the Hilton Washington is toting a $44,000 Behind the Inaugural Bash package complete with a luxury suite, custom dinner, two tickets to a ball, and behind the scenes tours of the hotel's festivities.

If 44k is out of your price range, don't forget most of Washington, DC's attractions are free including the Smithsonian museums, Zoo, 6pm performances at the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts, monuments, White House tours, FBI tours, Washington Post production tours, and a variety of other stops.

For lodging alternatives, look to Maryland and Virgina for local hotels, or split the difference and drive nearly halfway back to Philadelphia for a less expensive option.

It's a historic moment, but with a little creativity it doesn't have to be an expensive one. 

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Email me your budget travel questions and challenges at travelexaminer@yahoo.com.  I'll post them here and help you get on the open road.