The open wind, wind in your hair, with a destination in mind but time to spare—that is the ideal road trip. Yet, a road trip is also about flexible planning, budgeting, cramped legs, and the bouts of uncertainty that come with traveling from Point A to B. For everyone who wants to take a road trip but doesn’t know where to begin, here are 10 tips for planning a road trip on a budget:
1. Know the Route
Everyone has a destination in mind when they start planning their road trip. Before you do anything else, pick the routes you want to travel and stick to it. Once you know the route, how long it takes to travel it, and any tolls or permits that are required, you can start allotting time and money for that immediately.
2. Road Trip Planners
There are a number of road trip planner apps and websites out there to help you figure out the stops you want to make along your selected route. Google Maps, Mapquest, Roadtrippers and Waze can help you pick attractions to visit while constructing your itinerary. Other useful road trip planners are AAA TripTik and Yahoo Trip Planner.
3. Gas Prices
The cost of gasoline can’t be negotiated. Therefore, when you budget for a road trip, you need to thoroughly research the gas prices around the route you want to travel. A quick Google search for the gas prices in your destination will save you from sticker shock down the road.
4. Car Hire Costs
To find a car to hire, using a car rental website or app like Holiday Autos that lets you compare the costs of various makes and models is ideal. This way, you can reserve the car well in advance and select the extras you need or don’t want. Don’t pick a rental car at the airport without any forethought, because you will literally pay for it.
5. Accommodations
If you’re looking to save money, consider jumping between hostels or Couchsurfing (if you’re young and solo). For families, using sites like AirBnB, Hotels.com, Priceline, and Orbitz to compare the cost of hotels or vacation rentals can help you with finding places where everyone will be comfortable without spending a fortune.
6. Affordable Attractions
Check out official tourism websites to learn about the free and discounted attractions in the area you plan on visiting. Also, go when the weather is warmer, because this means free music and food festivals, concerts, plays, energetic art districts and galleries, as well as the perfect weather for outdoor activities, like hiking and swimming.
7. Forget the Drive-Thru
Instead of stopping at restaurants and drive-thru fast food joints all the time, consider using the kitchen space at your lodgings and prepping some meals to bring along with you. Or, buy ingredients at a grocery store (such as bread, salads, pre-cut veggies) and go on picnics. Grab snacks from supermarkets too, because convenience stores increase the price.
8. Save Gas While Traveling
To save on gas, you can turn off the A/C and use a USB fan if the rental car has a connector. The A/C drains gas quickly. Other ways to save on gas is to forego the cruise control, avoiding unnecessary stop-and-starts, periods of idling, and keeping tires inflated. This all helps to maximize mileage per gallon.
9. Pack Appropriately
Bring only the essentials, like you cell phone or GPS for navigation, a charger, food cooler, cooking and eating utensils, snacks, emergency items (compass, flares, blankets), comfortable clothing, an atlas, cash, toilet paper, and so on. You never know what will happen on the open road, after all.
10. The Right Vehicle
To save money, select a rental car with excellent gas mileage (mpg), especially if you plan on driving for several hours a day. The money you save can go towards food, attractions, and accommodations.
Getting behind the wheel instead of flying is one of the best ways to save money and see all the sights that often go unexplored. Whether you go the road trip alone or travel with friends, using a road trip planner, finding a car to hire, and knowing other ways to save money will add dimensions to the trip you didn’t think possible—and isn’t that what adventure is all about!
