Ten Tips for a Budget-Friendly Road Trip

Road trips are a traditional American summer activity. At this point in time, many families are looking for ways to save money while still enjoying a vacation. Fortunately, there are several things that a budget-minded traveler can do to cut down on the cost of a road trip. In this article, I am going to describe ten things that travelers can do to save money during a road trip.

Budget Road Trip Tip #1 - Maintain Your Car
Before you go on a road trip, take your car in for a tune-up and make sure either to get your tires inflated, or, if they're old and worn, replaced. After doing this with my car, I went from getting about 22 mpg to 28 mpg - an improvement of over 25%. Not only will you save money by getting better gas mileage on your road trip, you may also be able to avoid a breakdown and any expensive repairs associated with it. The initial investment in a tune-up and tires might be more than you'll save on gas alone, but you'll also have more confidence in your vehicle, an important thing to have when on a road trip.

Budget Road Trip Tip #2 - Pack Light
Another thing you can do to get better gas mileage on a budget road trip is to reduce the amount that you pack. If four people can reduce the weight of their luggage by five pounds each, and things like tire chains, driveway salt, or an unnecessary third row back seat can be removed from the car, the weight of the vehicle will be reduced by perhaps 125-150 pounds. Of course, carrying less weight in your car will allow you to get better gas mileage.

Budget Road Trip Tip #3 - Plan An Efficient Route
On a road trip, a straight line is not always the fastest or most efficient path from Point A to Point B. For example, it may be faster to drive around a city than it would be to drive straight through it. All of the time and gas spent idling at stop lights would be costly. Another thing to avoid is backtracking, unless it would be significantly less expensive to do a specific activity on a specific day of the week. This will save you time and gas money.

Budget Road Trip Tip #4 - Drive the Speed Limit
If you are driving on the highway during your road trip (and on a road trip, who doesn't?), drive the speed limit. Your vehicle will use less gas at 55 mph than it will at 75 mph. Likewise, you'll be less likely to get into an expensive and dangerous accident.

Budget Road Trip Tip #5 - Drive at Low-Traffic Hours
It's common sense - when you drive at rush hour, you get caught in traffic jams. Not only will you lose time being caught in a traffic, but you'll also waste gas with your car idling. Likewise, if you're stuck in a jam for a long time, you'll be more likely to be tempted to buy expensive things like food and drink when you're finally freed. And again, you'll be less likely to get in an accident.

Budget Road Trip Tip #6 - Don't Eat Out at Every Meal
When on a road trip, it's not always convenient or possible to cook every meal for yourself. Unfortunately, eating fast food two to three times every day becomes expensive very quickly. Meanwhile, two loaves of bread, two pounds of lunch meat, and jars of peanut butter and jelly can provide several meals for four to five people while costing less than twenty dollars. Likewise, eating a Cup of Noodles for a meal or two in hotels won't kill anyone.

Budget Road Trip Tip #7 - Pack Your Hotel Room
If cost is an issue for you during your road trip, try to fit everyone on the trip into a single hotel room. Having a separate room for kids or friends can significantly increase cost over the course of a week. If you are a parent and want alone time with your spouse or significant other, choose one or two days to have a separate room and stay with the kids on the other nights. The same thing if you are traveling with friends.

Budget Road Trip Tip #8 - Don't Stay at Hotels
Most quality hotels are expensive. If you want to avoid them on your budget road trip, there are some other options to consider. Do you know anyone that you could stay with for free? As long as the individual doesn't live too off-course, this is an economical route to go. Remember to thank the person in some manner or another. Whether this is with a thank you card and a gift card to a favorite store or by cooking the person's family a meal, make sure that they know you are appreciative.

If you don't know anyone that you'd feel comfortable asking for such a favor, consider staying at a campground. Campgrounds are typically inexpensive and you might be able to reserve a site for a weekend for maybe $35 or less. Now, remember that to camp you'll need camping equipment such as tents and perhaps sleeping bags, and will have to pack all of this in your vehicle. If you don't already own these items, the cost of staying in hotels might be cheaper than investing in the equipment. Of course, if you see yourself using the equipment more in the future, it might not be a bad investment. Consider your own situation.

Budget Road Trip Tip #9 - Clip Coupons and Hunt for Deals
Many amusement parks, for example, offer discounts on certain days of the week or with certain coupons. A group of four might be able to save $40 by looking for deals such as this. Printable coupons are becoming more popular and a folder of these can save significant amounts of money over the course of a week. Even printed coupons to places like Quizno's, where buy-one-get-one-free offers for subs can be used, are helpful.

Budget Road Trip Tip #10 - Plan In Advance
If you're trying to save money while going on a road trip, one of the best things you can do is to begin planning early. By planning early, you're giving yourself extra time to save money for the trip, to plan your route, stops, and activities, and to price out the items that you'll need for the trip. All of this will allow you to find better deals and save money.

The biggest costs of a road trip are gas, food, and accommodations. If you can manage to minimize these costs and hunt for deals as far as activities, you're well on your way to having a budget-friendly road trip. Have any suggestions for making a road trip less costly? Feel free to leave your tips in the form of a comment. Thank you for reading!