Trip - How can you take a road trip without breaking the bank?

How can you take a road trip without breaking the bank?

When my family travels, we don't fly. We love driving. We get to see more and have control over our trip better than a direct flight to our destination. The problem is that we might have to cancel our summer road trip because of unexpected financial problems. What are some good, cheap ways to road trip? I'm just looking for general tips if you have them. Thanks!

Public Comments

find a rich old man and brainwash his azz and tell him ur fam road trip needs sponsorship.
Panhandle

thats what my mom and sister did we visited the whole usa

stoping at wal marts nationwide

and living in are car for 4 yrs its possible now im through with that life im working frontdesk at a hotel and doing laundry
Start looking for things and places you can do within a few hours drive from where you live. Check out small towns. take roads you've never been down before, research the history of your state and surrounding area to find places that you will see differently when you realize what it was in its early days.

I am a fan of road trips myself and once I started looking into the history of my area, I was suprised at what all was here when Ohio was a colony. The park that I took my son to a couple of times when he was little, I found out was a civil war training camp.

You don't have to spend a fortune to enjoy the day out. (Except maybe in gas prices).
Walk! (There's also the bicycle route!!) Just kidding. The biggest expense is usually the hotel/motel, so if you have a friend or relative who lives in a place you'd like to visit, and it doesn't inconvience them, see if you can spend the nights there. (Of course, leave a thank you note with a gift or money when you go home.) It will still be cheaper in the long run. Then, there are always the state park camp sites, if you dare. Visit entertainment sites that cost little or no money, like historical sites...Theres always the $1.00 menu at drive-thru food, and even better, take an ice chest. Even if you eat out, drinks run into a lot of money, order water inside, and keep the trunk stocked with your choice of beverages.

There are lots of "day trip" things you can do, too. Then you won't have the hotel worry. I have also heard (no research on my part,) to fill up your car during the cool times of the day, and drive when its hot. Accounting for the expansion fact, it should work...Have fun, and wave at me when you pass!
Hi, I love to travel also, and sometimes I fly. Well, I just got back from a road trip in a car, and I sure did learn alot. The fuel was MUCH cheaper in the middle states. got very high in Ann Arbor Mi. and again when I got back to Florida. I found out that you can barter with some of the chains for lodging. I payed an average of 45.00 a night for decent lodging. Also, I brought a cooler with drinks and snacks. It was great. good luck.
I'm not sure how you feel about camping, it means a lot of additional baggage, but it can be considerably cheaper than hotels.

There are also many options to the camping experience, from rustic to comfortable, depending on your preferences.

Camping out at a National park like Zion, Yellowstone or Banff for a 5 day (mid-road trip) stop can offer reasonibly priced good times.

I find camping allows me to soak up the landscape of my surrondings better.

Also, you could keep your destinations close to home. Keep your dialy drives slow and short (plan a route that has many places of interest you would like to stop at) to save on gas.

When using hotels/motels, stay out of large cities and heavily populated tourist spots. You can still spend a day in these places, but time your travel so you are stopping for the night outside of these pricey areas.

If no to camping, still bring a large cooler with all the fixings for a good picnic at one of the many scenic rest stops that you pass. Do that more than eating in restaurants. Do it for dinner too sometimes. Buy your food where it is cheapest as you travel. Most stuff is cheaper in populated areas.

And of course bring safety items and try to finish the days driving before dusk. Hope you get to go.
Go the tent and campground route. Or hostels if you can find them along your route.