I refer to myself as frugal, thrifty, or economical… especially when it comes to lodging accommodations on motorcycle trips.

My friends call me cheap… again, especially when it comes to lodging accommodations on motorcycle trips.

While my friends insist on a Holiday Inn Express or Hampton Inn, I am quite satisfied with the $50.00 Motel 6 or Super 8. I mean, you are only sleeping there, right? Why spend a fortune on a place to crash for the night?

On a recent road trip that took us through nine states and more than 2000 miles, lodging was a constant topic of conversation as we landed in a different location every night. Since I was usually the lead rider, I would get on my phone during the day and start looking for cheaper hotels near our intended destination.

Our first experience using this method was less than successful.

We pulled into the parking lot of a $56.00 a night Econolodge I had chosen online and noticed two sheriff patrol cars sitting near the hotel entrance. Finding this to be odd, I decided to ask the officers what was up before committing to getting a room for the evening.

“Hey guys,” I said, “Is this a good place to stay if you are from out of town?”

The deputy kind of snickered and replied, “NO! Right now, we’re chasing one of the regular residents who has stabbed himself!”

Apparently, this hotel was part of a government-funded homeless shelter program, and the clientele was less than stellar. There were regular occurrences of theft and assault in and around the premises.

We searched for other options…

Another evening, I found a $69.00 per night Riverside Inn. When I called, the representative sang the praises of this facility and assured me it was super nice! As we entered the parking area, there was trash all over the place, and a guy was washing his underwear in a five-gallon bucket out in front of the building.

Again, we searched for other options.

Over the years, my quest for the least expensive (notice I didn’t say cheapest) road trip hotels has been mostly successful, but there have been occasions where it has not achieved the desired results. There have been huge stains on the carpet that resembled blood, bug-infested mattresses in the dumpsters outside, and rooms with a single light bulb, only one towel, and a bath cloth.

We were on the way home from DC one year and were forced to rent rooms in a small motel across from Fort AP Hill in VA.

They were obviously in need of customers as the half-burnt-out neon sign signified. When it flashed “vacancy,” there was a loud buzzing that accompanied the light, and it had an eerie Norman Bates feel. There were almost no cars in the parking lot, and we were able to bargain the desk clerk down to $10.00 a night per person.

About an hour into our stay, one of the rooms lost power. Asking the desk clerk if he could check the breaker, his response was, “I get you ‘nother room. Breaker box around back, and not safe to go back there at night!”

Needless to say, I have developed a reputation as a person whom you do not want to pick your hotel. While I have reminded my friends and my wife that I have slept under a deuce and a half in the German snow and covered by a mosquito net in a third-world country, they are not impressed and still refuse to allow me to make room reservations.

My point? Cheap rooms are not always the best places to stay. In most cases, the more expensive accommodations are the highest quality… and safest… choices.

Except for one.

There is a place where the beauty is unequal, where streets are paved in gold, the water is crystal clear, and there is a glorious home that can be yours and yours alone…

And it won’t cost a dime!

Heaven…

In our world today, even a semi-nice home is horribly expensive, apartments can run into thousands of dollars per month, and a hotel room for the night averages $150.00. If you are forced to accept cheaper options, most of the time the quality takes a nose-dive with the price. Not true with Heaven.

If we put our faith in Jesus Christ and choose to live for Him, even though we will struggle today to provide a place for our families, when we reach Heaven, the keys to that home will be handed to us without a bill!

So, the next time you are on a road trip, and you are forced to accept less than stellar lodging, remind yourself that if you are a follower of Jesus, a place is being prepared for you even now.

Isn’t that AWESOME?

John 14:2-3 “My Father's house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”