{"id":9589,"date":"2019-02-04T11:05:00","date_gmt":"2019-02-04T15:05:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.budgetyourtrip.com\/blog\/?p=9589"},"modified":"2020-08-24T13:35:48","modified_gmt":"2020-08-24T17:35:48","slug":"5-money-saving-tips-for-your-next-road-trip","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.budgetyourtrip.com\/blog\/2019\/02\/5-money-saving-tips-for-your-next-road-trip\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Money-Saving Tips for Your Next Road Trip"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

According to AAA, nearly 80% of American families plan on hitting the road at some point during the year. And according to MMGY Global\u2019s 2017-18 Portrait of American Travelers,  39% percent of vacations taken by United States travelers were comprised of road trips. This was a large spike compared to the year prior, proving that the Great American Road Trip is well and thriving!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether you\u2019re traveling with friends or taking your family for a fun journey, a road trip is a great way to experience American nature and attractions<\/a>. And fortunately, road trips accomodate all types of budgets, whether you like a little luxury travel or prefer to save as much money as possible. With that in mind, here are five great money-saving tips for your next road trip: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Plan Your Trip Ahead of\nTime<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This might seem like an obvious tip, but it\u2019s one that\u2019s often ignored. Planning your trip in advance allows you to map out an exact route that\u2019s best in terms of mileage and conveniences along that route. You\u2019ll have a better understanding of what sights are along the way, which road has better scenery, and what food options are available along the journey. Take advantage of apps like RoadTrippers<\/a>, TripIt<\/a>, or Furkot<\/a>. These road planning tools not only help keep your trip organized in one area, and also will you about attractions, restaurants, lodging options, and everything that\u2019s along the way. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pack Snacks &\nBottled Water<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Snacking on a road trip\nis a part of the road trip ritual. It helps keep you fueled between meals,\nespecially during long journeys. However, you\u2019ll notice that stopping for\nsnacks at convenience stores and gas stations quickly eats away at your budget.\nThe same applies to bottled water. Before your trip, stop at a bulk grocery\nstore, like Costco, Sam\u2019s Club, or Big Lots. Stock up on water and snacks, and\nyou\u2019ll pay a fraction of the price you\u2019d pay by buying them as you go. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Look for Free Accommodations<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you plan ahead, there\nare several ways you can score free accommodation. Normally, you\u2019d have to plan\nyour overnight stops accordingly, determining which hotels you\u2019d like to stay\nin. However, there are plenty of free camping spots across the country that you\ncan take advantage of. If you\u2019re looking for a quick rest overnight, truck\nstops are a safe bet, as they can also accommodate RVs and campers\u2014and you\u2019ll\nlikely meet some interesting people while you\u2019re there. There are also cheap RV\nparking areas, too. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lastly, Couchsurfing is a great resource for meeting people along your journey. Stay with people around the world for free. This might seem intimidating for people who have not used the platform, but you\u2019ll be able to read reviews from other travelers, and generally speaking, the majority of users are very happy with Couchsurfing<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Use Money Saving Apps<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Gas Apps like Gas Guru and Gas Buddy<\/a> can help point you in the direction of the closest gas station with the lowest prices. After all, during a road trip, gas is easily one of the biggest expenses you\u2019ll incur. These apps are updated by other users who are stopping at those gas stations, and are<\/g> often very accurate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, there are food apps that can help you save money, too. Ibotta, Groupon, and TravelZoo are great options for saving some money on nearby dining options. It\u2019s not uncommon to log into Groupon and find that you can get a dinner for two at least 25% to 35% less than you would without it. You can also download mobile restaurant apps on the fly. For example, if you\u2019re near a McDonalds, why not open the McDonalds app to score deals on meals? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plan for Emergencies<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The last thing you want to do during a road trip is to find yourself in an unexpected emergency situation. For example, you might have an issue with your engine or oil. If you don\u2019t create a buffer of cash to prepare for<\/g> emergency situations, you could find yourself in some trouble. After all, no road trip is perfect, and bumps along the road\u2014however big or small\u2014are likely. Generally speaking, 20% of the cost of your overall trip is a solid buffer for unexpected occurrences. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, choosing a great insurance plan, preferably one that\u2019s specific to RVs and mobile homes, can help you avoid a disaster that you don\u2019t have the money for. For more info on RV-specific insurance plans, click here,\u00a0https:\/\/www.goodsamesp.com\/motorhome-warranties\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Whether you\u2019re traveling with friends or taking your family for a fun journey, a road trip is a great way to experience American nature and attractions. And fortunately, road trips accommodate all types of budgets, whether you like a little luxury travel or prefer to save as much money as possible.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9591,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_links_to":"","_links_to_type":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1237,1242,1226],"tags":[888,15,970],"class_list":["post-9589","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-budget-travel","category-road-trips","category-usa","tag-road-trip","tag-travel","tag-usa","entry","has-media"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-13 22:07:56","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.budgetyourtrip.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9589","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.budgetyourtrip.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.budgetyourtrip.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.budgetyourtrip.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.budgetyourtrip.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9589"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.budgetyourtrip.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9589\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9603,"href":"https:\/\/www.budgetyourtrip.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9589\/revisions\/9603"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.budgetyourtrip.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9591"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.budgetyourtrip.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9589"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.budgetyourtrip.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9589"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.budgetyourtrip.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9589"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}