There's not many motels north of Abingdon on I81 but if you can get one booked there in Abingdon it will be cheaper and only about 15 minutes away from BMS under normal driving conditions.
Also there's 2 motels in Glade Spring where I'm from at about 30 min away from BMS
The quote is difficult to understand also, if he was graduating this year why wouldn't he say "next month"? It sounds like he's talking about December next year.