While spending your vacation time taking a road trip with your friends or family is usually going to be less expensive than flying to a destination, many people still find that taking a trip—even just a road trip—requires them to spend more money than they’re comfortable with.
Find The Best Gas Prices
One of the biggest expenses when taking a road trip is paying for gas. Because you need to have gas in your car in order to get to wherever you’re going, this is an expense that you can’t simply do without. But luckily, there are ways to save here.
According to Daniel Bortz, a contributor to BudgetTravel.com, many road-trippers end up paying way more for gas than they need to simply because they either haven’t done their research or are just looking for something convenient. But if you’re willing to do a little research about where the best gas prices are in the area you’re going through—which is very easy now, thanks to travel apps—you can really save yourself a lot of money.
Get Snack From The Grocery Store, Not The Gas Station
No road trip is complete without filling your car up with snacks to indulge in along the way. And if you’re smart about it, you can get these snacks for much cheaper than you might be thinking.
Kristen Kuchar, a contributor to Money Crashers, shares that because people have to stop at gas stations to get gas along their trip, they often just get their snacks for the gas station as well. However, doing this can prove to be much more expensive. So if you’re really wanting to save money in this area, consider getting all your snacks at the grocery store before you even start on your trip or stop at a few grocery stores along the way so you’re not paying the price for the convenience of shopping at gas stations.
Camp Rather Than Renting A Room
Another cost that can quickly add up during a road trip is your lodging. Especially if you’re staying in a hotel each night, this can become the most expensive part of your road trip.
To help you save money, Kathleen Crislip, a contributor to TripSavvy.com, suggests that you try camping rather than renting a room in a hotel each night. There are many places where you can camp for free, which can end up saving you a lot of money. Even if you just camp every other night, that will cut your costs in half.
If you’re wanting to take a budget-friendly road trip soon, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you do just that.
