Ideas for saving money on road trip?

[erinelise2]

In about three weeks we are leaving for a road trip from Washington to Georgia, Washington DC and back to Washington.  We are going to try and mostly camp and stay with friends.

Any suggestions for saving money and making our trip go easier?

[tin8604]

Look for coupon books at rest stops.  If you have AAA go online and see where you can get a AAA discount.

[lynnc35]

pack a cooler full of soda pop on ice, generic works sometimes cheap as 4 for 10 even on good brands, also packs of cookies, and candies from dollar store. check gas prices early if you can. also cook a briscuit or something at home, pack a loaf of bread and make sandwiches up, take some paperplates and napkins and chips, save on out to eat. I love road trips...goen to branson sometime soon but got to get car fixed or I am going with my mother, lol, ha haha ha

[masked_brown_guy]

besides from packing food i'd say sleeping in you car at rest stops instead of a hotel or motel is going to save you a ton of money. Also try to limit your use of the air conditioner and heater and mind your clothing for warmth.

[squirrelgirl44]

We always bring our own food on road trips. Figure that saves a ton of money. Have a big cooler and just buy ice once every day or two. Gas a mile or two off the high is usually cheaper.

Campsites with less amenities cost less.

[demaina]

If you like small snacks on your trip, consider going to big box stores like Costco or something and buying your candy from them instead of on the trip.  We once bought an entire box of skittles and had some packets left over at the end.  I think we ended up saving like 40 cents a bag, which might not be a ton but can add up depending on how many people you are buying snacks for.

Same thing with pop or anything you drink.  If you have a small coffee pot, you can pack that and coffee in your car, make coffee, and cut the cost of purchasing it at Starbucks or McDonalds.  We bought a converter that turns the normal car plugs into your standard house plug to power your coffee pot or any other devices you want to bring.

Also, I don't know if you are just in a car or taking a trailer or what, but if you have a trailer, you can park at Walmart to sleep so you don't have to pay for a camping spot.  It's really nice to be able to just pull over and sleep instead of having to search for a camping area to sleep at.

Consider getting some heavy duty ziplock bags for ice in your cooler instead of just dropping the ice in it.  That way, when it melts, you can easily pull things out without getting water everywhere.  And, if the cooler is close to you, you don't have to worry about the water sloshing out if you open it while driving. 

[mardukblood2009]

Avoid tolls as long as you don't have to drive to far out of the way.

[kapeh12]

Also plan your route - if you are hitting any major cities, if you go through them, go during off rush-hour times.  If you hit the area during rush hour, you might do better to find a route around the city.  Getting stuck for hours in big city rush hour traffic will eat your gas.

Also, might not be a bad idea to have access to a CB radio if possible - truckers still provide great info on speed traps and accidents (which you can then avoid).

[msmoneybags48]

I see you have gotten great responses to your posts.  I was also going to suggest packing food to take along on your trip.

[alamedann]

I'm going on a cross country trip, too!  San Francisco to Boston, round-trip.  I leave Labor Day weekend.

I suggest getting a container of those moist/wet wipes.  The ones you put in the bathroom for personal use.  Hands get really dirty and this is a nice, quick way to get clean.

Take pillows with you so you can sleep more comfortably in the car.

Check to see if the places you'll be camping in take reservations and see how busy they will be when you're there.  Nothing worse than getting to a campground at the end of a long day, only to find out that they're full!

Don't speed.  Keep your speed at a regular pace.  This way you won't waste gas.

If you haven't already, get your car checked out.  Do you need new tires?  Did you change the oil?  Is your car good for a long trip?  Nothing's worse than breaking down somewhere.  It's a waste of your time and possibly extra money you don't want to spend.

Have a great time and drive safely!

[melissaotto1982]

Pack the car with a bunch of drinks and munchies for the road so that your not spending a lot at gas stations.  Maybe check groupon ahead of time to and see if theres any coupons for parks or hotels in the areas your planning to be.  Have fun!!

[erinelise2]

Thanks for the great ideas.  I had already planned on packing a cooler and stocking up on drinks and snacks since we are camping but I like the idea of putting the ice in zip lock bags. The bags it comes in almost always leaks.

We are renting a minivan so we have a larger vehicle and to save putting the wear and tear on our old cars. I had joined a bunch of hotel reward programs in case we stay at any hotels.  The Hilton reward program membership saved me an extra $120 on the month long car rental.

Looking for coupons at rest stops and Groupon is a great idea. I brought a 1 year US National Park pass for $80. That covers our vehicle and 5 people for entry fees at all national parks, monuments, forest service lands. FYI: if you are a senior citizen you can get a lifetime one for $10!

[jmccaskill]

You can find FREE camp sites along your route. I think every state has a few of these, some offer free overnight RV hook-ups too. Can't post actual web sites here but you can do gurgle type search to find them.

Have fun!! 

[bessie1111]

The biggest suggestion I have is to bring your own food.  Some of the hotel websites like hotel.com, priceline, travelocity can also save you money on lodging.  Have a great trip!

[vickysue]

Looks like every is in agreement about packing and carring a lot of your food and snacks. We take a small coffee pot also and some gal. jugs of water because you never know how safe are some of the outlets in parks. Also take some dehydrated foods. light weight, easy to fix and a small saucepan. Since i don't drink soda popi take a quart jar and cold brew tea always have planty. Don't forget your sunscreen and use it even when riding in the car. Have Fun.