Beating the Costs of Meetings Frank Sottile University of Wisconsin Madison Wisconsin, 53706 sottile@math.wisc.edu Originally appeared as Item #5 in *Concerns of Young Mathematicians* Volume 3, Issue 1 Jan. 11, 1995 We all recognize the value in attending mathematics meetings. Unfortunately, attending these meetings is often costly, and you may not have access to travel money. I see four main expenses: registration fees, travel, food, and lodging. Registration fees are often either negligible or may be waived if you write an organizer. An exception for this is a large meeting of a professional society, such as the AMS. In any event, they are often fixed. The cost of travel is also largely fixed, although some airlines offer student discounts. Some meetings are inconveniently located and you may feel a need to rent a car. Here, you can often rely upon the goodwill of others, and organizers often arrange some (often inadequate or inconvenient) local transportation. It is hard to control the cost of food, since much important socializing occurs at meals, and this is one of the main reasons for attending a conference. When not doing such socializing, I don't eat at a restaurant. A sandwich counter or fast-food stand is an acceptable alternative when I am with other young people. When eating alone, I prefer to graze at a grocery store (if available). Lodging is perhaps the biggest expense under your control. Big meetings are often in fairly expensive hotels. My room at a conference is primarily a place to sleep and shower, and there are usually cheaper places than the conference hotel. At the 1994 winter meeting of the Canadian Mathematical Society in Montreal, I stayed in the Montreal youth hostel for $18/night. The dormitory accommodations were fine for me, and I saved quite a bit as the hotel was $100 ($50 if I had found someone to share a room). Besides the Youth hostel, there was also a YMCA at $30 for a single room. While the Montreal hostel was two subway stops from the conference hotel, for the 1995 Joint winter meetings, a San Francisco youth hostel was across the street from the Hilton. The $34 room that I shared with my wife was adequate for our needs, and about 1/2 the price of the cheapest AMS alternative. While I did not investigate, there were other places intermediate between the Youth hostel and the hotels offered through the AMS in both price and comfort. These could be arranged by phone, or (now, in 1998) via the Internet. While such Spartan accommodations are not for everyone, not everyone needs luxury accommodations at a conference. If anyone has a suggestion or tip on beating the cost of attending meetings, feel free to share it with the readers of this newsletter. (1998 update: It is worth noting that since this article appeared, the AMS has begun listing cheaper alternative accommodations for the Joint meetings.)