Getting to OSH
Basic question. How do those that don't fly themselves in bring the cost of attendance down? Looking at hotels and it is crazy expensive even for a motel 6. That doesn't even include airfare. From Oregon it is literally $1300 round trip per person. Basically, for a few days there, rental car, food, airfare and misc, looking at $4-5k for 2 people. Not sure why it is so expensive to fly to the midwest. No wonder they call it fly over country, its too expensive to stop. Cheaper to fly coast to coast than to stop in the midwest.
Hmmm....There has been some good advice here as well as some not so good. This was my 35th year volunteering at OSH and, even after all the times I have spent there, enjoyed the whole time I was there (nearly 2 weeks). We flew in this year but there are years that we drive from the Denver area, a long one day or easy two day trip. Being volunteers, we have been camping in the same area for decades, in the Vintage area. There are a few of us who camp in Scholler as well. A few live in the dorms. There are also people who share rent on one of the houses available. We live in a Cabela's 6 man tent, which are one of the best available. With so many of us coming from the Denver area, we pack everything we need into a van and trade off who gets to drive the van there. Some of us pack everything we need, including dehydrated meals (backpacking meals) that we use when we don't leave the field: some days, especially with the night airshow, can get pretty long. There are places to eat on the field but can be a little pricy. There are also ways to get into town.
There are also cheaper ways to fly from Oregon to OSH but don't go direct. We have meetings there throughout the year and book flights several months in advance, usually less than $300 round trip off season. Booking now will likely be pretty pricy as fares are UP. We fly into Chicago or Milwaukee and rent a car to drive the rest of the way. Last Spring it was MKE. Renting a car sooner than later can help. You will then have wheels to go to town, if needed.
This is WAY more than a 10% discount and PortaPotties. It is an amazing adventure that ANY one interested in flying should attend at least once. This year there were over 10,000 airplanes. Everything you have seen in books, heard about or dreamed of, there is likely an example of it to be seen at OSH. The U2 this year was pretty cool. As well as the F-35A floating around. Walking around all the Vintage, Custom, IAC and Warbirds is an experience you will not soon forget. And you cannot do that in one day. Ever seen a FLYING example of a German Bf 109G-6? You could have stood two feet away from that amazing restoration! F7F Tigercat? Could have stood under the wing. Waco Cabin Biplane? Could have talked to the pilot and probably taken a tour inside. Seen 8 Howard DGAs all in one place? Know what a Howard 500 is? You would have seen one fly there. And on and on.
Bottom line: 600,000 people found a way to get there this year. Most did not fly in. Is OSH for everyone? No. Sometimes once is enough. For some of us, we can't get enough. I'll be there again next year. If you would like to really have fun, volunteer!
You will find a less expensive way to get and stay there. There will likely be reams of advice on this forum. Hope to see you there next year!