Road Trip On A Budget Tips

Road Trip On A Budget Tips – Walking on the open road can be liberating. Here at Bearfoot Theory, we know from experience that road trips are full of fun times, amazing adventures and exciting adventures – until you run out of money. A wrong turn or an unplanned disaster can cost you time and money you can’t afford. To help you avoid these trip-ruining disasters, we’ve put together the ultimate guide to planning an inexpensive road trip that feels “cheap” while helping you stick to a budget.

Whether you’re driving off-road or in the next country, there are many ways to save money and enjoy a fun, inexpensive trip. All you need is a little preparation and planning to make your budget trip the best it can be without breaking the bank.

Road Trip On A Budget Tips

Here are some of the most useful and practical tips for planning an inexpensive road trip, including how to save money on food, gas, lodging and activities while enjoying your trip.

Budget Friendly Road Trip Tips From Thelen Auto Group In Bay City, Mi

If you’re camping on your road trip, get a FREE 30-day membership to Dyrt PRO, one of our favorite camping apps (use code “Bearfoot” if you sign up on mobile!). You can read reviews, view photos, save your favorite campsites, view offline maps, plan a route and more!

On any road trip, you need TWO types of fuel: one to keep the car moving and one to keep you going. Final costs can add up quickly and turn your budget trip into an expensive trip. So think about it this way: It may seem “inexpensive” to have a bag of chips and a drink here and there, but after a week on the road, you can spend $10 a day on one meal. The price of three meals a day and you’ve already made a dent in your savings.

The number 1 tip for cheap road trips? Bring your own food! Go to the store ahead of time and buy a variety of foods and lots of food. Buying in bulk will be cheaper than buying individual packages. Nuts, granola bars, hummus, vegetables, fruits and other hearty snacks full of protein and fiber will keep you happy and full. We’ve written a guide to the best travel snacks and many are perfect for road trips. Preparing your travel meals ahead of time is also a good idea – things like cold pasta and quinoa salads keep well and are easy to eat on the go or at a rest stop.

Another great way to save money on food during your budget trip is to pack a cooler full of easy meals that you can quickly throw at your campsite.

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You can also bring a stove instead of relying on pre-packaged and pre-cooked food. For more camp cooking tips, check out our post on Best Camp Cooking Kitchen Essentials for Road Trips.

Part of traveling is finding local food and restaurants, so allow yourself a meal or two out. In general, eating breakfast or lunch at a restaurant is cheaper than dinner prices. We like to use Yelp to find great local places.

Road trips and salty pretzels can make you thirsty. Avoid buying drinks in a hurry and using disposable plastic unnecessarily by bringing your own water. Take a reusable water bottle and fill it up before you go out. Most vending machines at gas stations have a water option, so you can fill your own reusable bottles for free. If you will be staying at paid campsites on your road trip, you will be able to refill drinking water at the campsite as well.

That’s fine though, fill up a 5-gallon jug before you go out and keep it in the back of your car. This will not only save you money, but it is safer to have extra water in case of a spill. Additionally, it will make it easier for you to avoid buying single-use plastics and creating more waste. For more tips on how to reduce waste on road trips, check out this post.

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If you plan to do any activities like hiking or biking, or if the weather gets hot, be prepared and bring extra water. As a bonus, drinking water can curb snack cravings, which is sometimes your body’s way of telling you that you’re dehydrated. So, drink away!

Coffee is one of the easiest things to cut back on to save money on your road trip. It might not seem like a lot, but a $4 latte every day spread out over two weeks can be the equivalent of another night at an Airbnb or two nights at a campsite.

But what if you are a big coffee person and need your daily fix? Make your own! I’m a big fan of the Aeropress on road trips (it’s also my go-to coffee maker at home). Not only does it make a strong and smooth cup of coffee, but cleaning is easy. The Aeropress itself is also very compact and does not take up much space.

Give it a try and you’ll see that you can make better coffee at a picnic table or tailgate with a Jetboil and Aeropress than you can at any Starbucks. Don’t forget a to-go mug to keep your coffee nice and hot on the go.

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For more tips on what to bring on your road trip, check out our list of travel essentials.

While cracking a cold one under the sunset may be on your agenda at the end of the day, drinking can quickly turn your drive into an expensive one. If you want some great drinks during your trip, bring your own spirits to enjoy instead of buying $10 cocktails at the bar. Also, consider the type of spirits you bring because these professional IPAs can add up quickly.

Meanwhile, checking out the bar area can be part of your travel routine. When you want to splurge, you can ask locals where the cool spots are, look for happy hour deals, or visit a local brewery and grab a growler to go.

While we all want to get lost and off the beaten track, going in the wrong direction for an hour is just a waste of time and money when planning a cheap road trip. Map your route ahead of time and do your research to see if there are any good shortcuts or convenient routes to get to your destination. If you can, use two different GPS modes because navigation devices can give you different directions to the same location.

Making A Road Trip Budget And Sticking To It

We also have a wealth of cheap road trip plans ready made if you want to take the stress out of planning. Visit our Road Trips page for inspiration or get started with our favorite trips and summaries:

In many of our itineraries we mention cheap road trip tips that are specific to the routes to help you save even more!

There are a few handy apps out there that make it easy to plan your road trip and find amenities along the way.

Dyrt, one of our new favorite camping apps, has a trip planning tool in the PRO version of the app that lets you build your trip before you head out and upload it all to Google Maps. They are currently offering Bearfoot Theory readers a FREE 30-day membership to Dyrt PRO. If registering on mobile, use the code “Bearfoot”.

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We also recommend downloading the Road Trippers app before heading out. This app allows you to save places while you’re on the go, find roadside spots along your route, and find lodging, gas, restaurants, and more. You can get special discounts through the app to support your budget travel.

Check out the iExit app to find the best places to make a pit stop on the highways when traveling. And for help finding the cheapest gas, Gas Buddy is a must. Pro tip: gas prices tend to go up on weekends and holidays, so filling up on Monday instead of Sunday will save you a few pennies.

If you plan to visit three or more national parks in one year, the American National Park Annual Pass will pay for itself. The pass covers entry for your car and all its passengers, saving you money on entry.

However, the pass does not include camping or other permits, and reservations can fill up early. Plan ahead and see if there are campsites or if the park has any first-come, first-served campsites available.

Road Trip Tips: Surviving

Even the most savvy planners can’t beat the benefits of slow driving as the best way to save gas and money. Ignore the call of the open road for a day or two and spend your time covering more miles on foot than ever before