Some people think of road trips as a uniquely American pastime. Maybe it’s the pioneer blood still running through our veins. Just be sure to view those unforeseen events as amazing stories to tell about your road trip adventure, rather than stressful hassles.
Consider a very leisurely driving pace for maximum enjoyment. One hundred fifty to two hundred miles per day allows plenty of time for stretch breaks, roadside picnics, a game of catch and viewing amazing sights like the world’s largest ball of twine. Don’t forget to pull over early enough for the kids to enjoy a splash in the motel pool. Also, make sure you keep up on your car insurance to insure everything is covered. There are many websites where you can compare car insurance and save money. To have a successful road-trip, combine all of these ideas with the following four steps:
Four Steps to Planning a Great Road-trip
1. Saving Money on Food
There are many ways one can save money on food. Bring a high-quality cooler and camp stove. You can get a cooler that is refrigerated, courtesy of your cigarette lighter. You’ll eat healthier and feel more alert on the road if you stock it with fresh vegetables, lunch meat, fruit and fruit juice.
Be sure to switch back and forth between restaurant meals and cooler meals, so that you don’t feel deprived. You can cook just about anything on your camp stove: pancakes, pasta, coffee and soup. Choose motels that offer free breakfast. Use your senior card at cafeteria chains for a cheap early-bird meal.
Talk to locals. If you are friendly and humble, they’re a fount of information on the closest Happy Hour with free appetizers, or the hole-in-the-wall restaurant with amazing food.
Here’s how to save more in a restaurant:
* Try to choose form the three least expensive entrees.
* Consider sharing entrees, appetizers and desserts.
* A bottle of wine shared in your motel room costs about the same as a glass in the restaurant.
* Diners and chains generally cost less.
* Each person gets one “extra”-either appetizer, alcohol or dessert.
2. Saving Money on Lodging
Here are the most frugal ways to get a good night’s sleep, in order of cheapness:
Map your trip and plan your route according to where friends and family live. If you have an aunt in Seattle, reconnect with her. Call up your old college roommate and find out if he has a foldout.
On the same level of cheapness, but requiring a bit more chutzpah, check fraternal organizations for overnight hospitality opportunities. Then survey social network sites like Facebook or couchsurfing.org, and see if there’s an acquaintance or two along your route.
Home swap sites are great if you want to offer your place in return (not necessarily within the same time frame). They also charge membership fees.
If you don’t mind roughing it, camp out at unofficial sites where you can stay off of park rangers’ radar. Or just pay the camping fees, which should include a hot shower. Factor in the cost of purchasing a sleeping bag and/or tent for each traveler. Check out craigslist or freecycle for low cost gear.
Youth hostels are great if you are a heavy sleeper, and don’t mind doing a simple, ten-minute chore in the morning. Hostel management expects travelers to help maintain the facility. You’ll be housed in a dorm with at least three other people. A few offer private rooms, but they are more expensive. You’ll need to purchase an American Youth Hostel card. A plus side is that you can often cook your own food.
If you absolutely must have a motel room, use these tips to slash costs. Remember that the more risk you are willing to take in terms of availability, the more money you can save. Do not try for last minute accommodations for:
* Popular resort areas
* National parks
* Small towns in the northwestern states
* Bed and breakfast inns (although it might be worth a try in the slow season)
Carry your AARP and AAA cards and public employee ID, and ask for discounts.
If you arrive late at night, try bargaining with the manager for a lower rate.
Stop at a tourist center, truck stop or motel and pick up the motel coupon book. You can sometimes obtain these in advance.
Generally motels featured in these books charge a lower rate if you do not book in advance. Call ahead to see if they expect to be full that night to hedge your bets.
3. Saving Money on Local Attractions
Those same coupon books available at visitor’s centers sometimes offer discounts and two-fers for popular entertainment venues. If you are touring national parks, pre-purchase a $50 annual pass. It beats paying $20 at each park entrance.
Many smaller, local museums are free and can be fascinating. If you are a senior or student, keep your card handy for possible savings.
You might want to buy the Entertainment Book (entertainment.com) for a particular area if you will be staying put long enough.
Again, talk to the locals. Not as a means to an end, but as a fascinating and fulfilling way to pass the time. You’ll come home with a cell phone full of new contacts and friends for your next trip.
4. Saving Money on Car Expenses
Check out truck stop prices, as they are generally less expensive. Make looking for the cheapest gas a road game-the first to call out the best price wins a prize.
Carry oil in your trunk so you don’t get stranded, and remember to check levels frequently.
Join AAA or CAA if you’re not a member, and pick up all the free maps you like before you go. Speaking of maps, pick the best navigator and use them to avoid getting lost and wasting gas.
Drive economically. Studies have shown that maintaining a uniform speed (with the aid of cruise control if possible) just over the minimum legal speed uses the least fuel. This practice could save you as much as 20%! Also, maintaining the speed will prevent you from getting speeding tickets which will help with safe driving on your car insurance policy.
The more of these tips you follow, the more money you’ll save. And as a fringe benefit, many of them are environmentally friendly as well.
Author Bio: Amanda is a freelance writer for a website that has many insurance providers and is full of car insurance tips. She is always helping people make sure their lives are properly insured, so they can save the most money. Although insurance is very exciting, Amanda loves traveling across America in her RV during her free time.