Road Trips Money Saving Ideas: Travel More and Spend Less!
Traveling to different places to explore, relax, get away from daily boring routine or enjoy the natural beauty sounds FUN! But you may have realized that traveling is not cheaper especially when you are on the ROAD TRIP. Sometimes, it costs you more than what you expect.
My husband and I love to go on vacation and visit different places. We went on a road trip from West Coast(San Francisco) to East Coast(New York) in the U.S. We spent around 15 days on road, crossed across 14 states and drove 4500+ miles. Long story short, that was a fun trip filled with sweet memories. 😊 My experience tells if you plan for a few things beforehand while planning for Road Trip, that will save you big.
1. Carry Some Food/Beverages With You: Depending on how many days are you planning to be on road, pack some snacks such as Nuts, Energy Bars, Chips, Fruits. You can bake some stuff at home that can last more than one day such as Banana Muffins, Cookies, Brownie etc. Home-made stuff is healthy and inexpensive. You can buy the snacks in bulk from a warehouse such as Costco or bargaining supermarkets that can be cheaper.
2. Prefer Camping over Staying at Hotels: Plan for the places where you will stay at night based on a rough estimate of driving hours per day. Book for campsites nearby if possible instead of hotels. That can save a lot of money. Try to find KOA Camping Site that provides cleaner, even camping spots with basic needs such as restrooms and showers.
3. Do Your Bookings in Advance: If you are planning to do some activities somewhere such as Zip Lining, Kayaking, Snorkeling, Chopper ride, Hot-Air Balloon Ride, Sky-Diving etc., book your activities in advance. You can get more time to find some deals or discounts on tickets.
4. Collect Discount Coupons: Start collecting coupons from paper-ads or online for your trip activities, restaurants etc. Retail Me Not is a good website where you can find many discount coupons for most of the stores/sites.
5. Keep Track of Your Expenses: It is always a good habit to track your expenses. Whenever you spend any amount, log it to your notes/sheet. The quick way is the smartphones, those can be useful for this purpose.
6. Don’t Drive Illegally: It could cost you a very big amount if you drive illegally. The traffic tickets/fines are much expensive. Avoid them. Drive safe and legal. It is safe for you and your money. 😀
7. Prefer to Use Your Own Car instead of Rental: If your own car is in good working condition (mileage, battery, tires etc.), spacious and it has GPS installed, then take your own car for a road trip. It will save you a big amount of money.
8. Save on Gasoline: Whether you are taking your own car or rental, you still need gas. You can install a software app GasBuddy app on your phone. This app tells you about the cheapest gas stations with the price nearby you depending upon your current location. This is very useful during Road Trip.
Have a safe trip!
