10 Ways to Save on a Road Trip

So you’re hooked on the idea of going on a road trip around the United States. But it sounds impossible and expensive. Well I’m here to tell you it’s much more affordable than you think! Obviously, like any trip, unless you’re made of money you’ll probably have to save in advance. However, when friends asked me about my trip they thought I had 20k saved or were going to spend $10,000 in 3 months. Don’t get me wrong..this is VERY possible to do. You don’t have the advantage of traveling to another country where the dollar can stretch, and if you're not careful with your spending, your bank statement racks up very quickly. But as long as you’re willing to give up some boujee ways for a rugged road trip, you can make it all happen on a budget by following these tips:

| Tip #1  Have a travel partner!!

You’re going to want to have a travel partner on a road trip for multiple reasons such as safety, taking turns driving, having a second brain for planning, and someone to keep you sane (or drive you insane, it will probably be both). But another advantage to having a roadtrip buddy is splitting the cost of everything. With apps such as Venmo, splitting checks is very easy whether it be gas, campground costs, the national park pass (see tip #4), gear/supplies and food!! Which brings me to tip #2

| Tip #2 Buy groceries and only eat out when its worth it

Now part of the travel experience is definitely trying the different foods in different cities. That being said, eat out only when it’s worth it like when there’s an unusual restaurant or a place is known for a particular kind of food (forewarning - almost every southern state will say they have the best BBQ, I recommend Austin, Texas’ BBQ the most). Also, tagging onto tip #1, often times my sister and I if we weren’t that hungry we would get one order of something and share it or get two different items and split them so we could each try two things. That way we got the foodie experience and still saved some bucks. But for the majority of our meals, we went with groceries. Yes, we did eat a lot of sandwiches and poptarts, stuff that’s easy to pack or eat on the go. However, there was plenty of opportunity to eat “real” food on the road too. While camping my sister and I made our dinners using a Jetboil and cooking with a pan. And when we weren’t camping, our couchsurfing hosts would almost always have a kitchen available for us to cook in or they would cook for us.

| Tip #3 Couchsurf

This is by far the BIGGEST way my sister and I saved money on our cross country roadtrip. It also was one of the top reasons are trip was so memorable, because of our gracious hosts. You can read more about why you should couchsurf here, but for the purpose of this post, I can tell you it saves A LOT of money. Couchsurfing is 100% free. Let me say that again. IT’S FREE. Doesn’t cost you a dime, you just need to be a friendly and decent human being to the amazing people that decide to open up their home to you. Accommodation such as hotels and airbnbs, even hostels can add up over time. So this was a game changer in saving money.

| Tip #4 Buy an Annual National Park Pass

Getting into any national park one time is about $30 per car. On the other hand, an annual National Park Pass will get you into every national park for a whole year for $80. Only one person in the car needs to have it and again, you can split the cost with your travel partner and *ding ding* now your trip is even cheaper. Besides the obvious amount of money saved by having this pass, it’s also extremely convenient. Many parks by way of design or depending on where you’re camping, might make you travel in and out of the park. With this pass, that’s no problem. You can purchase a pass here, or convince a family member to get it for you for Christmas or your birthday like me :)

| Tip #5 Fill up your gas tank strategically

Everyone knows that gas is more expensive in big cities or right off of exits or inside national parks. Sometimes you can’t always predict when you’re going to need gas, and might have to get some expensive gallons here and there. But make sure when you’re at a cheaper gas station to fill your car up. My sister and I used the app Gas Buddy, which tells you where the cheapest gas is depending on location. With some planning ahead, we could usually find some really cheap gas along our routes.

| Tip #6 Plan your itinerary strategically

Just as gas is more expensive in cities, so is everything else! Food, paying for parking, and activities in a city all add up. That being said, cities are a load of fun, but plan your itinerary so that you stay in these places for less amount of time compared to somewhere cheaper. But don’t be fooled, national parks aren’t necessarily cheap either. Depending on the park, some campgrounds are more expensive than others and all grocery stores in a park are way too pricey. Make sure and do your shopping at a Walmart before you get there.

| Tip #7 Plan Ahead

Notice how I used doing things strategically in the last two tips. Well being strategic requires planning. Planning ahead and knowing your options whether it be for gas, groceries, campgrounds, etc. can save you a lot of money. While you drive have your travel buddy look on Google Maps for where to stop for gas, where the closest Walmart is, and messaging possible Couchsurfing hosts for upcoming locations to save you on accomodation costs; being on your toes saves you from financial woes.

| Tip #8 Pick and choose your experiences

Now I’m not going to lie...this sucks. It’s so tempting to want to experience every single thing everywhere you go. But unfortunately on a long term road trip you really have to be picky about your activities in order to make your money stretch the length of your trip. Is it really worth it to go to the Ice Cream Museum in San Francisco when tickets are $40 a person? Or would it be smarter to rent a bike for half that price to ride all day around San Francisco and across the Golden Gate Bridge? Tough choices but even with my cheaper decisions I still had the time of my life. And there’s usually plenty of options! Everywhere I went there was almost always a blog post off pinterest available with suggestions of cheap things or free stuff to do. And now you have my posts with suggestions too!

*These last two tips may come across as a bit of a joke but involve real struggles and therefore need real tips.

| Tip #9 PREGAME

This isn’t even a tip on how to save money on just a road trip, it’s more like a life tip. Like food, drinking for some people can be part of the fun experience in many places. So sure, try that one cool cocktail or get that bomb that everyone says YOU HAVE TO get on Bourbon Street in New Orleans (you really don’t it’s not worth it). But only get that one!!!! Drinks add up. So do your wallet a favor and get yourself a bottle beforehand. Now you’re lit and saving money.

| Tip #10 Start a GoFundMe Account for coffee

This is a joke don’t really start a GofundMe for coffee, there’s people in this world with real problems that actually need money more than us. But coffee does really add up and I probably spent more money on coffee than I did eating out. Sometimes I really needed it on those long, long drives, but again buying some energy drinks in bulk probably would have been cheaper. In any case, shout out to my Mom for a $25 giftcard to Starbucks given to me right before leaving. So hint hint, if friends or family are asking if they can help out in any way, this is it.

Using all these tips combined, a long term road trip around the United States is very doable. Before leaving, I had tediously estimated the cost of everything in order to make sure my sister and I had enough money. We both saved about $6,000 for a 3 month trip which provided a buffer (the estimated cost didn’t come to this and we did not intend on spending all of it). In the end, we spent about $4000, this including our unexpected situations such as our car getting broken into and having to replace two windows. Obviously, the price will look different depending on how long you’re gone for, how you decide to spend your time, how cheap you really force yourself to be, and how many “road bumps” you have. Keep in mind, this also doesn’t include any bills you may have to pay back at home while you’re gone. To plan for all this requires a lot of budgeting so you know how much to save.

*Blog post about budgeting coming soon, and you can always contact me!