I’m sure you’ll agree with me when I say, vacations are expensive. Even when taking your own car, the costs can really add up! In this article, I explain How To Save Money On A Road Trip In 2024.
When the cost of airfare is higher than you expected, you’ll probably ask yourself whether or not it would be cheaper to just drive. A road trip can be a budget-friendly way to get from one place to another and see the sights along the way, but not always.
Depending on the price of gas and how many hotel stays you’ll have to book along the way, you might end up going over your budget.
Related Post: Best Ways To Save Money For Travel or Investing
However, with proper planning, and some money-saving tricks, you can have your road trip and save some money too. How To Save Money On a Road Trip In 2024
Thankfully, there are some simple things you can do to save money. That way, you can focus on enjoying the sights and sounds of a cross country adventure by car, instead of the damage to your bank balance.
In this post, I explain How To Road Trip Cheaply and have an enjoyable journey. This simple, actionable advice will help you plan an awesome adventure!
I’ve compiled over 30 tried and tested Cheap Road Trip Tips that can help you save money during your 7,000 km Road Trip through South America.
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They’re super easy and might just be the key to the perfect inexpensive Road Trip.
Taking a road trip is a great alternative to traveling by bus, train, or plane; driving lets you see the sights as they come into view and makes it easy to take as many stops as you want, whenever you feel like it.
Saving money on a road trip is all about planning. Being smart and thinking ahead will let you spend more money on the things you love and could mean you get to travel for longer!
If you’re venturing on a lengthy trip or taking a dedicated vacation, driving can help save you money too. Consider these 30 tips for planning a memorable time on the road that doesn’t break the bank. How To Save Money On a Road Trip In 2024
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Average Cost of a Road Trip: How To Save Money On a Road Trip In 2024
If you’re planning a road trip and you don’t have a bottomless bank account (wouldn’t that be nice?!), you’ve probably found yourself wondering, “How Much Does a Road Trip Actually Cost?” How To Save Money On a Road Trip In 2024
The answer is going to vary a lot depending on many factors:
- Where in the world are you road tripping? Even the region you’ll be exploring can make a huge impact. Road tripping in California will come at a higher cost than say, Wisconsin.
- How big of a distance are you planning to cover? If you’re driving from New York City to Miami, you’ll have to fill up your gas tank a lot more than someone who is only covering a small area.
- How many people are on your road trip? If you’re traveling solo, you’ll have very different expenses than a family of four!
- What is your plan for accommodation? You see, “road trip” can mean a lot of different things depending on who you’re talking to. Someone who is planning to stay in hotels the entire trip will have a much different budget than someone who is camping in a tent along the way.
- How would you describe your travel style? Some people go all out for vacations, signing up for every imaginable tour and eating at the finest restaurants in each location. Others find road trips to be the perfect opportunity to save money by finding free things to do and packing a cooler full of food. There’s nothing wrong with either mindset, and likely, you fall somewhere in the middle (I know we do).
And these are just some of the factors that go into determining how much money a road trip will cost.
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Before Your Road Trip,
Do These Things To Save Money On Road Trip in 2024
One of the biggest pieces of advice we can give you is to plan ahead.
Now, this doesn’t mean you should plan out every hour of your trip (in fact, definitely don’t do that!). Allow for spontaneity, but giving the major logistics some serious thought will ensure that you don’t waste unnecessary money and you have an incredible time.
Here are some things to do before your trip so you set yourself up for the best (and cheapest!) possible road trip…
1. Set a Road Trip Budget: How To Save Money On a Road Trip In 2024
We’re huge fans of setting budgets in order to hold ourselves accountable. If sticking to a budget is important to you, we’d highly recommend coming up with your own spending plan based on the type of trip you’re taking.
Costs to consider for your own road trip in 2024:
- Gas: this category is pretty straightforward
- Accommodation: this could be hotels, Airbnb’s or campgrounds
- Food: this could include restaurants AND groceries. You’ll also want to think about the cost of snacks, coffee, alcohol, ice cream… ALL the good stuff!
- Entertainment: any fun things you plan to do along the way — hiking permits, entry fees, tours, rental equipment, excursions, etc.
- Miscellaneous: these are little expenses that don’t really fit elsewhere — like ice for your cooler, paying for showers (if you’re staying mostly at campgrounds), electricity hookups (if you have an RV), propane, parking fees, tolls, medicine, paying for Wi-Fi, toiletries, souvenirs, gifts, etc.
- Emergency: we all hope you won’t need to pay for unforeseen circumstances, but it’s a good idea to be prepared. This might mean getting your vehicle serviced on the road, parking or speeding tickets, tow truck, medical expenses, etc.
What’s your daily budget?
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2. Pack Simple Meals: How To Save Money On a Road Trip In 2024
To Save Money on Food, always try to go to the grocery store during the trip and stock up on simple things to make. Always try to bring a cooler as well and pack some meals.
(Check out these Great Packing Items For Road Trips).
This isn’t just to Save Money, you can also eat healthier this way as well because you won’t need to stop at a fast food restaurant for every single meal.
What are your favorite things to pack to eat when on a road trip?
Different things you could pack include:
- Sandwiches. If you have a fridge in your hotel room or a cooler, that’s all you need.
- Chips, dried fruit, fresh fruit, protein bars, granola bars, vegetables and dip, and more.
- If you are camping, then you can make a lot of meals over a portable stove or a campfire such as brats, hot dogs, burgers, chili, and more.
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3. Bring Food From Home To Avoid Overpriced Food
This is how to save money on food on a road trip. Food is an unavoidable expense on any vacation but you can make money go further by bringing it from home.
The question is, would you rather be ripped off for something greasy, or spread out and enjoy your tasty but budget-friendly picnic with a view?
Food To Take On Your Road Trip
Take a look at this Road Trip Food List for an in-depth guide to which foods are best to take on a road trip.
Some Road Trip Food Ideas
- Take a cooler with you and stock it with food such as sandwiches, fruit, chopped veggies, and dips. Here’s a great cooler from Coleman on Amazon.
- Pack up non-perishable snacks such as nuts, chips, pretzels and granola bars into single servings.
- Take drinks with you including water. If possible, take re-usable water containers and fill them whenever you get an opportunity to really cut back.
- Finally, don’t forget all the non-food essentials that you’ll need such as cutlery and plates! There are loads of disposable options out there however I always prefer to take reusable options wherever possible. Not only does this help save the planet but I have found that it is actually more cost-effective in the long-run.
Wouldn’t it be great to have all your picnic gear in one place, I hear you ask?
Well, believe it or not, that’s what this funky backpack/cooler/portable kitchen/blanket holder/wine carrier/fashion accessory does:
Check Amazon Price
A little preparation will save you from blowing your budget on food during your trip.
4. Buy Snacks in Advance: How To Save Money On a Road Trip In 2024
A few snacks picked up at the rest stop may seem harmless, but all those marked-up bags of chips will add up.
There’s nothing wrong with indulging in your road trip munchies, but spending money at every refueling stop will quickly eat into your budget.
Instead of picking up a new crop of snacks every few miles, buy your snacks at a big box retailer before you hit the road. You can even bring a small cooler to keep things cold and fresh throughout the trip.
5. Say No to The Drive Through
Snacks can quickly drain your road trip money, but stopping for fast food is even worse. If you pay for three meals per day during your road trip, that can really hike up your spending costs.
Instead of a rest stop, find a grocery store and stock up on cold cuts, fruit, and other no-mess meals that are fit for the road.
And when you’re eating out less, you can justify spending a little more on a nicer meal somewhere else along your trip.
If you do eat out, considering ordering something that will be easy to keep in the car if there are any leftovers, so you can make two meals out of one.
Ideally, it would be something mess-free that you can eat cold, like a sandwich.
6. Explore Accommodation Options: How To Save Money On a Road Trip
Hotels are far from the only option for catching some R&R on your road trip, through some online searching can turn up promo codes that’ll save you cash if you prefer to stay in one.
Willing to go another way? Booking a room on Airbnb can be an affordable option, while Couchsurfing connects travelers and hosts to provide a place to hunker down for free.
The last resort, it’s also possible to sleep for free in a Walmart parking lot.
“It’s not pretty: no pine trees, no bubbling brook, no ocean beach,” Chuck Woodbury, the editor of RVTravel.com, said in a YouTube video about staying overnight in a Walmart parking lot.
“The idea of staying at Walmart is to park for the night, to get some sleep and then move on.”
7. Get The Best Value Accommodation: How To Save Money On a Road Trip
Finding cheap accommodation is one of the best ways to save money on a road trip.
Here’s how:
Making reservations ahead of time will save money on hotels on a road trip; hotels often list rooms for cheaper ahead of time.
Book as much accommodation as you can – depending on what you know about your trip. This will ensure that you have a room waiting for you and that you get the best price. If you’ve already planned your route, this should be relatively easy.
But don’t just book the first hotel you see…
Hotels are sometimes listed at different rates.
Use a comparison site such as Trivago for this, or simply go to the larger hotel booking sites such as booking.com and Expedia and see what is available.
A good hack is to go to the hotel directly. They may have specials or discounted rates on their own site.
If the hotel doesn’t have its own site, drop them an email or call them to get an idea of how much a bed will cost you.
Research To Avoid Over-Paying
Don’t you have a concrete plan yet?
Try and guess roughly whereabouts you might stop for the night and check out what’s available in the area. Research the going rates for a room in that area.
This will give you a better chance of finding somewhere to stay and there’s less of a chance you’ll pay more than you need to.
Don’t forget to consider parking
Use Alternative Accommodation Options
Need a roof over your head but still don’t want to cough up for a hotel? If you really want to save money on your road trip, consider alternative accommodation options.
Booking your stay in someone else’s home is often cheaper than staying in a hotel. Not to mention it can be an awesome and different experience.
Airbnb is an excellent resource that allows hosts all over the world to list their spaces for travelers to book.
I’ve found some insane places to stay on previous trips using Airbnb, from bamboo bungalows on the beach to luxury penthouse apartments in the city – and they’re often great value!
There are other options out there which may not cost you anything.
Couchsurfing is a cool resource that allows travelers to network and put each other up for free. It works on the assumption that you may return the favor at some point in the future!
And that leads us nicely onto money-saving tip number 2…
8. Stay in Campsites: How To Save Money On a Road Trip In 2024
Only camp out for a few days on road trip. It saves a decent amount of money. Many beautiful campsites in Colorado are 100 times prettier than any of the hotels that you might have stayed in.
Great thing is that they were only around $20 per night!
9. Use Restaurant.com or Other Coupon Websites
If you’ve never used Restaurant.com before, then you are really missing out on significant savings. I have bought many $25 Gift Certificates on their website for $1 or $2.
All you have to do is sign up for their email list, and they often send out coupon codes to discount their already discounted gift certificates.
Using these Gift Certificates can be an easy way to try out new restaurants for cheap. Usually, the requirements are that you have to spend at least $35 at the restaurant.
But, if you only paid $2 for the certificate, then you are really only paying $12 for a $35 meal (before tip). That is a good amount of savings!
10. Get Creative With Car Meals: How To Save Money On a Road Trip
Cooking or making your own food is another way to save on road trip expenses.
Rather than dining in restaurants — which can become especially expensive for families — get creative with no-ice ideas:
There’s plenty to pick from, even without a stove top.
11. Drive a Fuel Efficient Vehicle
If are not driving the Jeep, probably you could have saved at least another $500 on your trip. Your Wrangler receives absolutely horrible gas mileage, at around 15 miles per gallon.
One thing that you can do think is Renting a Better Car.
Look into it and you could have rented a car that receives around 35 to 45 miles per gallon for around $150 per week, which would have saved you around $200 over the cost of gas ($500 extra in gas that you spent because of the Jeep minus $300 for a 2 week rental). You would have also saved wear and tear on the Jeep.
However, don’t do that because you love Jeeping and the Jeep is perfect for Colorado and driving in the backcountry.
Have you ever rented a car for a road trip to save on fuel economy and to prevent wear and tear on your car?
12. Drive Economically To Save On Gas: How To Save Money On a Road Trip
Road trips are so much fun. However, there always comes a point when you’ve been driving for hours, you’re getting restless and you just want to arrive at your destination.
This is when the temptation to drive a little faster is highest. Fight it. Studies show that fuel efficiency decreases as your speed increases. Bottom line? Driving smart can really pay off.
Check out full guide on How To Save Gas On a Road Trip.
How To Drive Economically
Driving At A Steady Speed
According to the Office of Transportation and Air Quality, the optimum speed for a car in terms of fuel consumption is 60 miles per hour.
Every 5 miles per hour after that will cost you an additional 26 cents per gallon. This can really add up and make long road trips more expensive.
Always drive at a reasonable speed, sticking to the speed limits (speeding can also result in costly tickets!).
If your car has cruise control, use it to help you maintain a consistent speed on highways and long stretches of straight road.
Acceleration And Breaking
Try to avoid rapid acceleration and braking. This uses more gas. Roads that require you to stop and start constantly also use more gas.
Therefore, avoiding travel during peak times (especially in busy cities) will have a positive effect on your gas tank, and ultimately, your wallet.
Insurance
Quick note: If your insurance is up for renewal soon then check guide on Finding The Cheapest Insurance!
Air-Conditioning
Finally, turn off your Aircon! An easy way to drive smart, save gas, and save you money is to turn off the air conditioning and use the fan or open a window.
Air-con is a real gas drainer, so if you don’t NEED it, don’t use it.
13. Avoid The Gas Stations: How To Save Money On a Road Trip
Bringing your own food with you on your road trip gives you more freedom as you drive and explore. It also prevents you from having to eat awful, overpriced food from gas stations.
Your wallet and your taste-buds will thank you for packing food for your trip.
14. Make Your Gas Last a Little Bit Longer
Make your gas last longer to Save Money on Your Road Trip. GasBuddy is an app that can help you plan your trip, calculate costs, and find gas.
The company also has a program that helps people save cents per gallon (.05 per gallon on the free tier to .20 on the paid plus level) after signing up within the app.
In addition to buying the least expensive fuel, you can make your gas last by ensuring your time pressure is good, removing excess weight from your car, and using cruise control.
15. Use A Gas Rewards Card To Get Cheaper Fuel Prices
Take out a reward card and fill up at the same gas stations during your trip.
These are usually free and available at the cash desk of most gas stations. Once you have filled up a few times and have enough points, you can then spend the points on gas next time, saving you dollars.
Now you’ve heard our best ways to save money on a road trip, we would love to hear from you… Which tip are you going to try first? Or do you have any more top tips for saving money on a road trip?
Either way, leave a comment below and let us know!
16. Redeem Your Fuel Points
A road trip is the perfect time to tap into any fuel points you might have accommodated through a program, such as the one offered by Kroger.
Even more, you can accommodate extra fuel points before your trip by shopping for on the road necessities through the online portal before you go — gift cards, which range from Amazon and iTunes to Home Depot, will earn you double points.
17. Have A plan: How To Save Money On a Road Trip In 2024
If you are going on a road trip, then you should try to have somewhat of a plan of where you are going.
Whether your trip is spontaneous or not, planning out your trip at least one day in advance can be helpful because it may help you find deals (such as looking up hotels in advance and using a coupon).
Also, having a plan can save you money when it comes to gas because you can Plan Your Trip out the most fuel efficient way and not backtrack.
Do a lot of backtracking on your trip, and you would have saved around 500 miles if you wouldn’t have done so much backtracking.
Do a lot of this because your phones would keep dying on our trip, so you do a lot of driving around until we found what you are looking for.
It could be a huge waste of time and money, but you still have fun since Colorado is so beautiful.
18. Bring Satiating Snacks With You: How To Save Money On a Road Trip
Roadside eats, bottles of water, and endless cups of coffee can add up quickly, so do a bulk shopping trip before you hit the road.
Stock up on snacks that will leave you satiated and keep well in weather conditions, like trail mix, jerky, bars, crackers, nut butter, and apples.
A reusable, insulated, and stainless-steel water bottle might help you save even more money by keeping your water cold or coffee hot.
19. Split The Cost With Friends
Road tripping with friends can help cut costs on gas, food, and lodging. Split purchases with your crew and pay each other back in seconds with an app, like Venmo.
You can keep the money in your Venmo account, transfer it back to your bank, or use the debit card to Tap Into Your Balance for other spending needs immediately.
Zelle is another popular option when it comes to splitting costs.
20. Set and Stick To a Budget: How To Save Money On a Road Trip In 2024
Create a road trip budget before you go to predict exactly how much you’ll spend on expenses — be it transportation, entertainment, an emergency fund, or something else.
Your budget will help you stay on track and prevent overspending. You’ll feel confident knowing you’ve projected how much money to spend on each part of your trip.
21. Earn Extra Money While You’re On The Road
Cutting costs on a trip is great, but earning some extra money as you go is even better.
Roadie is a peer-to-peer delivery service that functions like ridesharing for stuff and you can earn up to $600 by delivering packages on a route you’re already taking.
22. Pay For City Parking in Advance
Parking in major metros can add up fast, be it paying hourly meters or swiping your card at pricey downtown garages near a hotel or restaurant.
You can often score discounts when you Pay for Parking in Advance Online. Another benefit, you’ll save yourself the stress of searching for spaces in popular places.
23. Find The Best Value Parking
It’s an easy expense to forget on any road trip. Parking, however, can be very expensive – especially in major cities.
Search in advance for the best value parking lots.
24. Accommodation Parking Options: How To Save Money On a Road Trip
Having worked as a valet at a boutique hotel, I can say with confidence that your hotel will probably not be the cheapest option.
Even if it is the most convenient, there may be a cheap lot just around the corner! (There was).
Be sure to check this with the hotel before you go. Give them a call or drop them an email to confirm how much the parking is and if there are other options.
Even better, try and book accommodation that has an advertised free parking spot with it. After all, you know you’ll be driving.
Another option is parking outside of the city center and then traveling to your accommodation via public transport.
I like using City Mapper to plan my transport within a city. Consider parking at your major attraction for the day and then staying out of town where there is more likely a free parking spot!
How To Find Cheap Parking Spots
There are a few resources out there to help you.
- Parkopedia works great, and the prices are accurate. It also has filters to search for the specific type of parking you want.
Enter the dates and times you are visiting and it will calculate prices based on the duration of your stay. You can also book spaces through the site or app.
- Park Me Parking is another parking comparison database that lets you search for parking based on your requirements.
As with Parkopedia, you can also book the parking directly through the site/app which is helpful. Price comparison can really help you to save money over the duration of a long trip.
25. Plan Your Route and Create A Budget To Prevent Unnecessary Spending
First and foremost, plan your route in advance. Why? This will save you from aimlessly driving, or having to backtrack which will cost more in the long-run.
What To Factor Into Your Plan
Determine how many miles your trip will be, where your stops will be and how long it will take. This will make it MUCH easier to calculate the rough cost of the trip and to create a budget.
Resources For Planning Your ROUTE And BUDGET
If you have read our Best Road Trip Planner Apps article, you know there are plenty of apps out there to help you map out your road trip.
fueleconomy.gov is a helpful resource to help you figure out fuel costs. It even has a trip calculator that lets you enter your exact vehicle and the route you plan to take and will figure out fuel costs for you.
The Roadtrippers trip planner considers the route you are taking and allows you to search for things to do and places to stay along your route.
It makes it super easy to plan out your trip.
As any road tripper will know, frequent breaks are a must on long journeys. iExit can help locate the best places to stop by using your location on the highway.
Including Unforeseen Costs In Your Budget
Don’t forget to factor in extra time (and money) for attractions you weren’t planning on visiting. You’ll probably hear about some en route from other road trippers and travelers.
Google Maps is a great app for finding attractions on your road trip route. That way, you can happily take a detour to see something awesome and the cost is already included in the budget.
Research any construction and roadworks that might be happening along your route, as well as any pricey toll roads.
You can actually select an option on Google Maps to avoid tolls and evaluate the difference in time taken
This will allow you to plan alternate ways around them should you choose.
26. Camp Because IT’S Free (Or Really Cheap)
Camping at night during your road trip, instead of getting a hotel room, is a great way to cut back on costs.
It’s one of my favorite road trip hacks. There are numerous free campsites out there where you can catch some much-needed Z’s without having to pay a penny. Some even have facilities you can use.
Looking for a little more luxury? Paid campsites are still much cheaper than hotels and often have hot showers, nice toilets and places to cook.
Here is a great Camping Blog if you want to research further.
Finding A Campsite
I use Ioverlander to find the cheapest and best campsites near to my road trip routes.
It’s a great Road Trip Resource that lists the price of the site (if there is one) as well what is available there. Perfect fora road trip on a budget.
The Perks Of The Outdoors
Not only is camping a much more affordable option, it gets you outside and at one with Nature. Of course, you may have to do without certain luxuries, but isn’t that one of the best things about a road trip anyway?
If you haven’t guessed, I’m a big fan of camping during My Road Trips.
27. Use A Packing List So You Don’t Forget Anything
One of the main advantages of taking a road trip instead of flying on your vacation is that you can pretty much take anything you want!
Use an in-depth Road Trip Packing List to ensure you don’t forget anything and avoid paying premium prices for essentials once you’re on your road trip.
‘Must-haves’ such as toiletries, sunscreen, phone chargers and underwear (yep, I have forgotten my underwear before) all cost much more when purchased during your trip.
Do you really want to pay over the odds for things you have at home?
28. DON’T Overpack: How To Save Money On a Road Trip In 2024
In my experience, it’s far too easy to be tempted to pack too much for a road trip. You have a giant car to fill and don’t have the restrictions that come with airline baggage to contend with.
Over-packing will add more weight to your car, which burns more gas, which costs you more money.
But that’s not all…
Over-packing makes it a nightmare to find anything! What’s the point in packing loads of great food, if you’re unable to find said food under the mountain of stuff you’ll never need?
You’re also going to be in that car for a while, so why not avoid over-packing and make sure everyone is more comfortable?
29. Check Your Car (Get It Checked) To Avoid Costly Repairs On The Road
You’re all packed up, you’re excited and you hit the road. Life is good, until CLUNK. Something goes wrong with your vehicle.
It’s the worst. Believe me, I broke down 100 miles into a 4000-mile road trip in Australia.
Not only can this ruin your vacation, but it can cost you a lot more money. Not ideal for a road trip on a budget. Having to cut your road trip short due to an easily preventable car repair is not fun.
Avoid any nasty surprises and save yourself money in the long run by Giving Your Car a Check-Up Before You Leave.
If you’re not confident in doing this yourself, take your car to a mechanic before you go, and make sure any problems are addressed.
Basic Things To Check Before You Leave
- Fluid levels
- Tire Tread
- Tire pressure – Slightly deflated tires could cost you more due to decreased gas mileage
- Lights are all working properly
- Wiper blades are functioning
Checking these basic things and getting a quick tune-up helps avoid breakdowns that could result in costly repairs.
What’s more, these repairs can cost a whole lot more when you’re out on the road. You might have to factor in towing costs etc.
These simple checks can also save you from getting a pricey ticket for something not working properly.
30. Plan For The Worst To Avoid Unforeseen Costs
You’ve checked your car over and all looks good, but it’s still a shrewd idea to plan for the worst to prevent any unexpected costs due to car issues.
This might sound a bit depressing, and hopefully, everything will run smoothly, but being prepared could ultimately save you money on your road trip.
Roadside Assistance
Roadside assistance can be as cheap as $5 per month.
This can really help save costs in the case of a flat tire, a dead battery or anything worse going wrong and causing you to break down.
A small monthly fee can save you from having to shell out megabucks to call someone out or get your vehicle towed!
How To Get Roadside Assistance
The American Automobile Association (AAA) offers a well-known and reliable breakdown cover. Enter Your Postal/Zip code here to Find Your Local AAA/CAA club and helpful roadside assistance.
If you’re in the UK check out Money Supermarket
Emergency Equipment
It’s also a smart idea to prepare an emergency kit so you can deal with any minor issues yourself.
Take it from someone who got a flat tire by driving over a pothole in the middle of nowhere in Chile, having some equipment for emergencies is a must!
Be sure to have the following:
- Jerry can
- Warm clothes
- Water and food
- Jumper cables for a flat battery
- A spare tire and equipment for changing it
- Flashlight (accidents are even more common at night)
- Safety triangle or something to let oncoming traffic know you are stopped
Now you’re prepared for the worst!
31. Don’t Fill Up On The Highway To Avoid Overpaying
A big no-no. Gas stations at the side of the highway tend to really inflate their prices! As such, it is wise to avoid such places to fill up on fuel.
But how do you find out how much a gas station charges for a gallon? And how do you find gas stations that aren’t easy to spot from the side of the highway? Cue..
GAS BUDDY
Gas Buddy is a site/app that allows you to find the cheapest gas rates. Simply enter a location in the app and it will tell you the location of the cheapest gas stations in the area.
This can help save a lot of money. Saving just 10 cents per gallon goes a long way over a lengthy road trip. Gas Buddy also has a good rewards system that lets you save even more money on fuel, as well as an in-app payment feature.
Taking your road trip outside of the US? Waze is also a useful resource that has a price checking function.
FILL UP YOUR TANK WHEN YOU FIND CHEAP GAS
When you find a cheaper gas station, make sure to fill your tank.
If you’re crossing borders at all, such as during a European road trip, be wary that you can find big differences in fuel prices in different countries.
And while we’re talking gas…
32. Don’t Get a Ticket
Nothing ruins a day like a ticket and getting a traffic citation when you’re out of state can create a huge headache for yourself in the future.
Use your common sense to avoid tickets by watching your speed and getting your car inspected before you hit the road.
Make sure all lights and turn signals are working correctly and your insurance and tags are up to date.
It’s also a good idea to monitor local traffic laws and regulations to avoid getting a ticket for a law you weren’t aware of.
33. Avoid Tolls: How To Save Money On a Road Trip In 2024
It’s not so long ago that you needed high-tech equipment or a meticulously planned route to dodge the toll booths, but now modern GPS systems can help you steer clear of tolls and paid-use roadways by simply checking off a box.
However, before you commit to the no-toll route, make sure that it’s not adding too many more miles on to your trip.
If you end up paying more in gas to avoid tolls, it’s not really worth it. Still, you can save money by purchasing the region-appropriate quick pass which will get you a cheaper rate overall on tolls.
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