Long-Term Care Survey Alert

Find out how to shave $100 or more off your tab.

When planning your conference travel budget, you can save more than you might think by using these simple strategies.

1. Don't let taxi fare to and from the airport catch you off guard. You may get a bargain flight but find the taxi rates to and from the airport cost as much or more. So even if you take a late-evening taxi to the hotel, ask the hotel staff about booking a shuttle from the hotel to the airport or plan to share a cab with other conferees.

Tip: To round up some people to share a taxi or van from the airport to the conference hotel, Holly Sox, BSN, RN, RAC-CT, looks for people on the plane or at the baggage claim who look like they may be going to the same conference. "For example, they might have a conference bag from last year," says Sox, clinical editor of Careplans.com.

2. When booking a hotel for a conference that provides free bus service to and from the convention center, make sure the hotel is on the bus circuit. Otherwise, the taxi fare could add up fast.

3. Check to see if the hotel charges for computer usage. If so, make sure to take your laptop. Many hotels now provide free computer use 24/7 but others charge hefty per-minute rates. One nurse racked up a $100 tab using a hotel business center computer to finish up a report. If the hotel charges a daily Internet connection fee, see if you can use your laptop at a nearby restaurant or coffee shop with free connectivity (Starbucks and Panera Bread are two examples).