If you and some family members (or friends) are planning to take a road trip, then this article is perfect for you. The reason why is because we figure that there’s a pretty good chance that one of the reasons why you’re opting to travel in this fashion is in order to save a buck or two.
So, as you’re packing up the things that you want to take and mapping out the places that you want to see, we wanted to provide you with five of the best ways to save even more money on your road trip. This way you can spend more time having fun rather than counting pennies.
Do your research. While a part of the fun of a road trip is that you can enjoy not being on a strict schedule, this doesn’t necessarily mean that you shouldn’t adhere to a budget. If you are taking your car, research the places in each city/state that have some of the cheapest gas prices (Gas Buddy is great for Androids and Local Gas Prices are good for iPhones) and if you’re going to stay in a hotel, price them out via websites like Hotels and Hotwire so that you can get the best rate possible.
Rent a hybrid. As people are becoming more “green aware”, so are rental car companies. The good thing about this fact is that even if you can’t afford to buy a hybrid, you can at least rent one for your trip. Not only does this mean there will be fewer emissions in the air, but you will have to make less fuel stops on the road too.
Pack up a cooler. Aside from gas, probably the next biggest expense with road trip travel is food. Indeed, if you spend several hours in a car at a time, you’re bound to make a few fast food stops and that can really add up. That is why it’s best to make it a point to do some grocery shopping ahead of time and to pack some food up in a cooler for your journey. It’s healthier, it’s cheaper and you’ll end up with a lot more options to choose from.
Stay in a suburb. As you’re heading towards your final destination and you’re looking at the outdoor grove areas and different billboards leading up to your exit, rethink spending your entire time in a major city. The main reason is due to the fact that everything is more expensive as you get closer to downtown and/or around tourist spots. For cheaper gas, restaurants and hotels think about staying in a suburb instead.
Keep your receipts (separate). When you’re traveling with several people and making several stops, it may sometimes seem easier to purchase things on one bill and deal with it later rather than separating them all of the time. That is until you realize that you have paid for everyone’s dinner or admission to a particular event (sometimes more than once). This is why it’s a good idea to take out the extra few minutes to ring up everyone separately and to keep the receipts until you get home. You definitely want to share in the experience, but you don’t want to go in debt by being the one who ended up footing the bills the entire trip.
1 Comment