Cheap Travel Tips for Summer Road Trips

Is a lack of money forcing you to cancel summer vacation plans? Even when cash strapped, our family has discovered that it's still possible to have a nice family vacation without breaking the bank. Here's just a few ideas of how we trim back travel costs and free up vacation cash for sightseeing:

Join AAA. An AAA membership provides more than roadside service, free maps and vacation planners. We've discovered that a AAA membership means 10-20% discounts on lodging, dining, and many of the attractions our family enjoys. For our family, a AAA membership saves us anywhere from $50-$100 a day on travel expenses.

Use a gas and/or rewards card. Most major gasoline companies offer discounts to card holders which is an easy way to buy gasoline for less, especially if it can be combined with a grocery rewards card. Here in the Northwest for example, having a Fred Meyer rewards card means an additional 10 cents/gallon discount at select Shell stations. To learn more about the Shell grocery rewards programs, visit shell.us.

Cheap eats. Eating out three times a day can derail a vacation budget in no time at all. How our family manages feeding the family while traveling is by fixing sack lunches for mid day meals and staying at hotels that offer free continental breakfast. This little strategy saves us between $40-50 a day.

Have the kids bring their student ID. Most venues knock off a dollar or two from the price of admission with student identification. This easy tip can save a family between $2-10 a day.

Plan your travel route so as to stay with relatives when possible. Staying with relatives is another fantastic way of stretching your vacation finances, providing everyone is agreeable to the idea and you are willing to reciprocate by letting the relatives stay with you in the future.

Drive 55. An automobile will use 40% more fuel driving 75 mph than 55 mph. Slowing it down is not only safer, but can boost your gas mileage as well. What our family does is bypass the freeways and hit the highways instead where there is more to see and the attractions are less expensive as well.

More articles by this contributor:
Thrifty ways to save money on your family vacation.
Traveling with Kids: How to make a boredom buster travel kit.
10 easy ways to save money on vacation.