Budget Road Trip

You may think you're in a financial crunch, but believe me, paying off college tuition and medical school tuition in the near future should stop me from taking a trip of any kind, but it didn't - and it shouldn't stop you either. A few friends and I we're in the preliminary stages of planning a trip to Cancun or even Las Vegas. As soon as we looked at airfare costs and hotel fees, our plan blew up on the spot. From Chicago, airfare would've cost roughly $250 itself! We needed a trip that would not only feed the adventure we craved, but also was easy on the wallet. Our solution? A road trip to the Southwest. Along with 3 other friends, we each ended up paying roughly $190 for the entire 6 day trip! As I mentioned before, you have to be willing to cut costs, but believe me, this just adds to the experience!

If you want to keep the costs down, you must follow these rules. If you follow these rules, you'll benefit from a win-win situation. We know those are always good!

Rule #1:

Don't Stay At A Hotel. Invest in tent. Hotels are a waste of money. No sense in taking a vacation to the Southwest if you're going to huddle away in a vanilla Hotel room. You'll have the experience of staying at a National or State Park, where you will be closer to nature and you'll end up saving a few hundred bucks in the end. Average hotels range in the $100's (if you're lucky), but campsites range from $10-$25. Staying on a campsite not only saves you a lot of money, but can give the true outdoors experience. Even if you're against the idea, it doesn't hurt to give it a chance. I personally would take a campsite over a hotel room, especially for this kind of trip.

Rule #2:

Bring friends. What's a road trip without friends? Not only will you be entertained during the long ride, but it makes sense financially. The gas will be divided, the foods you purchase can be bought in bulk, and yes - you enjoy their company as well!

Rule #3:

Don't Eat Out (Everyday). I realize that this just may be the hardest thing to do. We had urges to grab a bite from a local fast food chain, but try to resist! Instead, buy peanut butter and jelly in bulk, and make a classic sandwich, so you have more time to enjoy the trip, and spend less time (and money) trying to find a place to eat. We cooked that special "college meal" (Ramen Noodles!) and saved a lot of money. One thing I urge you to do is try the local foods. Believe me, some of the local foods are incredibly special!

Rule #4:

Split Everything. We had three drivers among the four people on the trip. We split the gas cost 30/25/25/20. The friend that didn't drive had paid for 30% final gas costs. The friend that supplied the vehicle for the trip had paid for 20% of the costs. Not having to worry about paying an unfair burden of the costs allows everyone to enjoy the trip. Just keep an envelope with all the receipts you collect throughout the trip, with the initial of the person who paid for the expense written on the receipt. Once again, buying everything in bulk saves time and money!

Rule #5:

Drive at Night. Driving at night is the ideal way to go - if you have more than one driver. You can save time (less traffic) and you won't miss out on the trip - since you'll have more time to enjoy the trip during the day time. If you have at least three drivers, you can create a very efficient cycle. Have one person drive while another person sits on the passenger side to keep them awake and aware. Have one driver sleep in the back. Then as you reach a limit of driving (I'd advise you drive no more than 3 hours if you have more than two drivers), the driver can sit in the passenger side, and the driver that was asleep can begin driving. This cycle allowed us to drive for 15 hours without jeopardizing our safety. You may also speed a little bit more at night with the lack of traffic. Going an extra 5-10 MPH goes a long way on a journey that can take upwards of 14-16 hours (once again, depending on where you live).

This is how we broke it down. This isn't exactly a trip one would take for their Honeymoon, but believe me, it's an amazing experience. I have travelled around the globe, and have been on almost all the continents, but I'll be the first to tell you that this experience is quite different. Just stay true to the "rules" and you'll save a lot of money, and have an experience of a lifetime.

The Road Trip

Day 1 - We started off in the heart of Chicago. It takes roughly a day or so to reach the Southwest (Colorado, Utah, Arizona, etc.) from Northeast Illinois. Depending on where you live, plan the trip accordingly. It may take long, may take less time to reach there. Destination: Colorado.

Day 2 - You may stop in Denver (depending on where you come from). Assuming that you have reached Colorado midday, you may want to grab some dinner and call it a night. You'll need your rest. Plan to drive to The Great Sand Dunes, Colorado (near the Southwest of the state). There are a lot of campsites around this area, so find one that fits your needs. Now go and get some rest!

Day 3 - One thing you must remember: you may be on vacation, but to fully enjoy the trip, you have to be willing to wake up early! Try and get up around 7 or 8 o'clock, you head towards The Great Sand Dunes. These are the largest sand dunes this side of the Atlantic Ocean (only behind the Sahara Desert). The view is amazing, and the hike to the top is even better. Be prepared for the heat, however. Make sure you pack away at least 4 bottles of water - per person. Bring a towel (or hat) to keep your head cool, and maybe a cool pair of shades! The task at first may be daunting, but the trip is well worth it. This should take you just about 4 hours if you decide to take pictures on the top. Quite a majestic view! Now grab something to eat (PB&J sandwich, perhaps?) and head for the Four Corners. On the way there, you may either camp at a campsite, or if you have enough drivers (at least three), continue onwards.

Day 4 - Plan to stop at the Four Corners for an hour or so (you can claim you have been to four states - at the same time!). Once you are ready to continue, move onwards to Zion National Park. Okay, so I have preached this for about a year: Zion Nat'l Park is the most beautiful thing to see in North America. There isn't a single State or National Park in America that offers the beauty of Zion. Plan to stay here for about a day to a day-and-a-half. The most important thing you must remember to do at Zion is hike the Angels Landing trail. It takes approx. 4.0 hours to complete, but the scene at the top is well worth it. Nothing you have seen before will prepare you for this experience. This is a moment where pictures fail to scratch the surface of the true beauty of North America. Plan to pack away at least 6 bottles of water per person! We brought 4 for each individual, but finished them all before even reaching the top. Bring foods with quick sources of energy, such as carbs (now you have an excuse to eat carbs!). Once you get to the top, you will then truly understand the true beauty of Zion Nat'l Park. By the time you end this hike, you will be tired, so plan to call it a day. You make drive around and enjoy more of the beauty the park has to offer in your car.

Day 5 - If you wish, you may want to take a tour of Zion Nat'l Park via one of their free shuttles. This is a great way to enjoy the beauty, without having to walk or drive. After you have completed your stay at Zion, you may continue to your next destination: The Grand Canyons. Although The Grand Canyons are much more popular than Zion, I feel that it fails to offer the same level of beauty. On the way to this destination, you can find a place to sleep, as this will be a longer journey. On the way there, you will see many beautiful views on the desert roads, so you should stop and take pictures, or even plan small, spontaneous hiking trips. You will journey on roads you will be able to see for miles. It'll give that Wild, Wild West feeling that has gone missing nowadays!

Day 6 - This will be the last day for traveling, so make the most of it! My biggest turnoff of The Grand Canyon is that it has become very, very commercialized. There is no denying its beauty, but some of the charm it may have had a couple decades ago are lost with its increase in popularity and congestion. It's even hard to snap a picture without someone making a cameo appearance. I strongly advise you to go to the South Rim. The North Rim has its share of beauty - and if you have more days to spend, go ahead and check it out, but the true beauty lies in the South Rim. One thing that I had on my list of things to do before I die, I had added watching the sunset on The Grand Canyons - and believe me, it is well worth the trip to watch that. It's a view that will stick with you forever. Plan to get a good night's rest that night.

You'll go home a humbled individual that just experienced a trip of a lifetime.

I will put together a slideshow of pictures of my trip, so you can see what this trip can offer you.