Clean Run Magazine - March 2009 - 24

Money-saving Tips for Trialing and Traveling By Elizabeth Dott, photo by author This morning when I woke and let the dogs out, I noticed a chill in the air. The leaves are beginning to fall ever so gracefully to the ground, the grass has finally stopped growing a foot a day, and the days are getting shorter. Yes it’s fall, which can only mean one thing to us in Florida—it’s agility trial season. By the time this article reaches publication, many of you in other locations will be gearing up for your trial season. I love when trials begin again and the thought of traveling with my dogs and seeing my friends I have missed over the summer. It is one of my favorite times of the year; however, this season is different. With the economy taking a turn for the worse, I have to buckle down and carefully choose the shows I go to. When speaking to several trial secretaries, I learned that it seems everyone is in the same boat with trial entry numbers showing a major decline in many parts of the country. So what can we do to tighten our budgets and to make going to trials more affordable? Since I want to be able to attend as many trials as possible, I am always looking for ways to tighten my budget and save as much as I can while on the road. I have used many of my own ideas over the years that worked quite nicely but I wanted to see what other people were doing to stay on track and keep more of their money in their wallets. I asked several friends and polled many online agility lists, and I received some wonderful tips. I then took these tips and tried them out at three trials to see how they worked. This is what I discovered. 24 Camping This has been a trick of mine for many years. Camping in a tent can be a lot of fun and very affordable. Many trial sites will let you camp at no charge or for a small fee, which will save you lots of money on hotel bills. I asked Gail Waller from Deland, Florida, and Sharon Normandin from New York, both avid campers, for some of their tips and tricks and I’ve added a few of my own. range from twin size all the way up to king size. Many air beds even come with their own frames that stand up like a standard bed would. Because I trial in the cold months of winter, this is my bed of choice because it is off the cold ground. You can also buy cots, or if you really want to rough it, just bring along a warm sleeping bag and stretch out on the floor. LighTing: Oh, yes, you will need some lights. I find battery lanterns work best and can be bought cheaply for around $10 each at various discount stores. CooLers: If you are at a site that has electric power you can use, there is nothing better then the 40-quart Coleman Electric Cooler. It can be plugged into your car lighter to keep your food cold on the trip to the trial, and then just add the attachment to convert it into a standard electric plug, which works great for hotels that don’t have refrigerators. If electric power is not available, then you can use an insulated cooler and keep it well stocked with ice. Clean Run | March 09 items needed TenT: These can range in price and size depending on your needs. For a small tent, prices start at about $35. Prices for larger tents can go up to $300 to $400. The bigger tents can have closets, three to four rooms, and screened-in porches. Bedding: This is also a personal preference. There are many great beds on the market today. The most popular are air beds that can

Clean Run Magazine - March 2009

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