Gas prices, hotel prices, and the cost of food can really eat into the budget of your trip on the road.
Luckily, there will always be ways that you can save money on a road trip that can make the dream of a cross country vacation a reality.
To get started with your planning, you'll want to consider a few things:
There are other little hidden costs you can also cancel out with a few easy tips.
Food The third highest cost, believe it or not.
Don't believe it? Let's say you and your partner decide to take a trip to Boston from California and back.
You've given yourself 14 days to take the trip.
Assuming you dine on continental breakfast for free, that's 28 meals per person plus snacks, making it 56 meals.
Let's say you spend around $10 on average per meal.
That's a whopping $560, assuming you can manage to stay within that budget! Gas Gas is expensive, there's no question about that.
It probably always will be.
It's also not surprisingly the second most expensive cost of a road trip, but still a huge consideration.
If you travel from California to Boston and back, that price is going to be about $900 in your average car that gets 25 miles per gallon.
Hotels By far, the most expensive part of any long term car journey.
Whether you stay in an RV or an expensive hotel or at a campground will really determine how much money you'll have in your budget and how many bills you'll walk away from this trip with.
What other expenses are there? Souvenirs, snacks, bottles of water, drinks at the local bar, and of course, sightseeing and tickets to local attractions will all play a part in your overall cost.
You can save money on a road trip by planning your journey the right way, with the least amount of stops, and taking your own food with you on the road.
Limiting souvenirs is another way to save.
Preventative car maintenance will also have your car running smoothly and will get better gas mileage.
Luckily, there will always be ways that you can save money on a road trip that can make the dream of a cross country vacation a reality.
To get started with your planning, you'll want to consider a few things:
- You'll need to sacrifice going out to eat sometimes.
This isn't really such a bad thing, because some of the little hole-in-the-wall fast food joints across America actually should be skipped. - Just because a hotel is more expensive, doesn't mean it's better.
Some of the best hotels are moderately priced, while some that are lesser known are cheaper than their expensive counterparts. - Your vehicle may not be meant for long road trips.
The cost of gas in a large SUV vs a compact car are so substantial that you could plan two or three long trips with just the gas budget alone of a large SUV like a Yukon.
- Food
- Gas
- Hotels
There are other little hidden costs you can also cancel out with a few easy tips.
Food The third highest cost, believe it or not.
Don't believe it? Let's say you and your partner decide to take a trip to Boston from California and back.
You've given yourself 14 days to take the trip.
Assuming you dine on continental breakfast for free, that's 28 meals per person plus snacks, making it 56 meals.
Let's say you spend around $10 on average per meal.
That's a whopping $560, assuming you can manage to stay within that budget! Gas Gas is expensive, there's no question about that.
It probably always will be.
It's also not surprisingly the second most expensive cost of a road trip, but still a huge consideration.
If you travel from California to Boston and back, that price is going to be about $900 in your average car that gets 25 miles per gallon.
Hotels By far, the most expensive part of any long term car journey.
Whether you stay in an RV or an expensive hotel or at a campground will really determine how much money you'll have in your budget and how many bills you'll walk away from this trip with.
What other expenses are there? Souvenirs, snacks, bottles of water, drinks at the local bar, and of course, sightseeing and tickets to local attractions will all play a part in your overall cost.
You can save money on a road trip by planning your journey the right way, with the least amount of stops, and taking your own food with you on the road.
Limiting souvenirs is another way to save.
Preventative car maintenance will also have your car running smoothly and will get better gas mileage.