Planning an inexpensive road trip doesn’t have to be complicated. Whether you’re dreaming of a cross-country road trip on a budget or looking for affordable traveling out west, these tips will help you save money and maximize your adventure.
Plan Ahead for Budget Road Trip Success
Don’t get caught booking a hotel the morning that you plan to stay there. Make a careful and detailed route map way ahead of time so you can maximize savings on your budget-friendly road trip. This might look like optimizing stopping points to find cheaper areas to stay overnight. Or, you might use credit card points to stay at hotels in larger cities to help offset the cost. Whatever money-saving hack you employ, make sure you book early so you don’t get stuck paying $600 for a hotel room in Chicago because you waited until the last minute and it happens to be marathon weekend (yes, this did happen to me).
Stock Up at Costco for Cheap Road Trip Snacks
The first stop I make on any budget-friendly cross-country road trip (which for me, is all of them) is to the nearest Costco. Here, my road-trip buddies and I stock up on snack foods (chips, pretzels, etc.), bread and peanut butter (my friends and I are big peanut butter sandwich enthusiasts), and any other odds and ends that prevent us from getting hangry in the car. Costco also has folding chairs, picnic blankets, and a lot of other useful road trip accessories – all at budget-friendly prices. When you stop in, look for the Pendleton zip-up picnic blanket, one of the off-brand sleeping pads, or a comfortable oversized beach towel.
Embrace Camping to Cut Costs on Your Inexpensive Road Trip
This seems like a no-brainer, but some people have an aversion to camping. However, even if you’re sleeping in the tent every other night, you’re cutting hotel costs in half as you trek across the country. Plus, if you have a warm sleeping bag, sleeping pad, and your own pillow, the comfortability level can be a lot higher than you think. You also meet a lot of cool characters at different campsites, and if you’re traveling to National Parks, camping can be the most accessible way to access the attractions onsite. Find sites with bathrooms and showers available, and you’ll have the adventure of a lifetime – all while keeping your budget-friendly road trip expenses low.
Don’t Overspend on Gear for Your Budget Road Trip
I got a Coleman tent on Amazon before my first cross-country road trip five years ago, and it has stood the test of time so far. You don’t need to spend a fortune at REI in order to have a good camping experience. Go to Costco, Amazon, Sierra, and other discount stores before you spend hundreds of dollars on a sleeping bag. I got my sleeping pad at Costco for $30, found my sleeping bag on the clearance rack at Sierra for $100 (shout out to my Marmut Mummy!) and the aforementioned tent cost $80. Do your research, read the reviews, and be realistic about where you’re at in your road trip journey and the gear you’ll need to accommodate you and your tripmates.
Pro Tip: The key to an amazing budget-friendly road trip is planning, smart shopping, and being open to alternative accommodations. With these strategies, you can enjoy an incredible cross-country adventure without breaking the bank!
Ready to Hit the Road?
Don’t let budget constraints hold you back from your dream adventure! We want to hear from you – share your own budget road trip tips, money-saving hacks, or epic travel stories in the comments below. Have a killer cheap road trip strategy we didn’t mention? Drop it in the comments!
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