I am always interested in what trips cost. I think the people I meet imagine that the trips I take must be very expensive.
There are usually 4 major costs:
Airfare
Lodging
Bike
Food and Drink
For Claremont the line items were:
Airfare : 475
Lodging : 385
Bike : 260
Food and Drink : 1600
So the total is under 3000 for 13 days.
The bike was a little under in that it included a warming hat (I forgot mine) and Mark just did not charge realistic amounts for changing the gears and fixing my flat.
The Food and Drink is a little high in that I sometimes fed my daughter and these are US prices instead of Mexico or Portugal.
Some of the travel, like the bus trip to and from Logan and food on the plane, ends up in Food and Drink instead of Airfair. I looked long and hard at flying into LAX. It is a lot cheaper and direct, no chance of a missed connection. But getting from LAX to Claremont is a real crap shoot. You can use a bus and train. You can use a Super Shuttle. Both involve a lot of time and the real unknown of LA traffic. Daughter Emily was wonderful about picking me up and returning me to the airport, so I went with the Ontario airport option. This time I changed planes in San Francisco. That airport is wonderful. Great food and beer.
Baggage check. I have a whole write-up about this you can read elsewhere. Bottom line: the trick is to have the suitcase and carry on small enough so you can get through to the actual gate. Then, they always offer free baggage checking. I’m fine with checking the bag, I just do not want to have to pay. I am never in such a hurry that I mind waiting at the luggage carousel.
Ontario airport is a special case. They require that all suitcases be gate checked. They put a tag on it. You leave it at the bottom of the ramp. Then when you get to Ontario, or San Francisco, everyone stands around outside and they bring you your bag on a cart. Not pleasant in rain but that is the way it is done, at least on United.