13 Ways to Save a Lot of Money on a USA Road trip

13 Jun 13 Ways to Save a Lot of Money on a USA Road trip

Posted at 12:00h in Budget Travel, Travel Tips, United States by Caroline Rose 1 Comment

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When travel first became enticing to me, I yearned to jump on planes and cross oceans to see the world. But after some thought, it occurred to me I had barely seen a glimpse of my own country. I’m a girl from Virginia, who at the age of 21 had reached St. Louis in Missouri for a family wedding, and gone no further. I hadn’t even been to New York City or Florida! So before I ventured out into the rest of the world, I resolved to take a road trip around the U.S. for 3 months.

But I didn’t have an RV, trailer, or renovated van. And I definitely didn’t have a lot of money. I knew the dollar wouldn’t stretch because I wasn’t traveling to a cheaper country, I was staying within my own. So how was I going to do all this on a budget? Well, I found some ways to save money on a road trip and I ended up traveling with my sister for almost 3 months through about 25 states, from Virginia to the west coast, living out of a Volkswagen, and spending under $5,000. So if you’re thinking of taking a U.S. road trip, but are not made of money, know that it’s still possible!

Here are 13 ways you can save money on your road trip!

1. Have a Travel Partner

If you know me, or have read my other blog posts, you know I’m a huge advocate for solo travel! And although a U.S. road trip is possible to take on alone, I have to be honest that having my sister come with me saved a lot of money. Not only is a travel partner beneficial for splitting all costs, but a companion can keep you sane (or drive you insane, it will probably be both at some point lol), be a means of a support, and help with planning along the way!

Tip: Venmo is a great way to split costs, and my sister and I used Google Sheets to keep track of our spending.

2. Opt for Cheaper Accommodation

Accommodation is usually one of the bigger costs in any trip, and especially traveling the U.S.. Hotels and even cheaper options like Airbnb can rack up very quickly. So my sister and I opted for a less than fancy trip and either tent camped, slept in the car, or stayed with Couchsurfing hosts throughout our entire trip.

So like most people, you may be wondering what Couchsurfing is. Essentially it’s a website that connects you with fellow travelers in the area, and after contacting them, they may be gracious enough to open their home to you to stay with them for free. Unless my sister and I were in a national park where we would like to camp, we otherwise always stayed with Couchsurfing hosts. The experience was not only BY FAR the biggest way we saved money, but it also added to our trip experience. We made so many friends, learned of places to visit in the area, and overall it was a massive part of why our road trip was so memorable!

3. Book Accommodation outside of popular areas

Whether Couchsurfing is not your thing, or you are treating yourself to a hotel room, or you’re looking for a cheaper camp ground, make sure to look outside of more popular/convenient areas in order to save money. For example, I planned a cross country road trip for another of my sisters and her friend. They wanted to visit Yellowstone National Park, but did not want to camp. However, hotels and lodges within Yellowstone can be hundreds of dollars. So I recommended that they search for Airbnb‘s outside of the park in a town called Cody. This ended up saving them a lot of money!

4. Cook for Yourself and only eat out on Occasion

Often times while traveling, eating out is part of the experience. However, if you’re from the U.S. and traveling across the country, most likely you will not find food that is THAT different from back home. For this reason, my sister and I saved money by cooking ourselves. In fact, because our trip revolved mostly around national parks, cooking for ourselves at our campgrounds actually added to the experience!

But we did visit some cities, and in places known for a particular food, we did try it! For example, in New Orleans the beignets and muffaletta; in Austin and Memphis the BBQ, etc. However, we often tried to split expensive items, or order two separate things so we both got to try 2 things for the price of one. But our food experience was definitely limited by our budget. So if you are taking a foodie road trip around the U.S., be sure to give yourself a larger budget!

5. Stay in Expensive Areas for Less Time

If you’re really trying to limit your spending, I suggest spending less time in expensive areas and more time in cheaper, lesser known areas. Now, when I say expensive areas, that typically means cities. But it also can mean a more popular national park; for example, Zion vs. Bryce. Zion is incredibly popular and Bryce not as much, therefore the campgrounds are cheaper and easier to get.

Keep in mind, this is just an added tip, don’t sacrifice your personal experience. If you’re taking a trip specifically because you want to explore cities, just budget for more and perhaps follow other saving tips like cooking and/or staying with a Couchsurfing host.

6. Fill Up your Gas Tank Strategically

When filling up your gas tank, be strategic about the timing and place. This can save you a lot of money! Filling up your tank in a heavily populated city, right off a big exit, or inside a national park can be significantly more expensive.

In order to find cheaper gas, I recommend using the app GasBuddy. It will show you stations in the area you search and lead you to the cheaper ones. Try to keep a mental note on the average prices throughout your trip, that way when you are at a station you know is cheapest, fill your tank up!

7. Choose Free Or Cheaper Activities

When in nature or a national park, finding free activities is not difficult! Exploring and hiking through the wilderness is probably why you came! However, if you’re visiting a city, opting for free or cheaper activities may be more difficult. But it doesn’t necessarily mean less fun! For example, in San Francisco, my sister and I debated going to the well known ice cream museum, which is $40 per ticket, or renting bikes and riding around the city and across the golden gate bridge. We chose to rent the bikes! Not only does that sound way more fun to me, but also it was almost half the price ($25)!

Tip: You can also always search on Groupon for cheaper and unique activities!

8. Buy an Annual National Park Pass

If you plan to visit more than 3 national parks during your U.S. road trip, then buying an annual national park pass will save you money! It can also be used in the future as long as its within the year of purchase! Essentially this card allows you and whoever else is in the car into every national park in the U.S. for an unlimited amount of times within a year. Additionally, two owner names can be put on it! And the best part, it’s only $80! For comparison, usually the entrance fee to one national park is $30. So this purchase is well worth it!

Tip: Because it only lasts a year, try to buy it close to when you leave, or the first time you’ll use it, not long beforehand.

9. Check for Tolls

Typically tolls, especially on the west coast will not be a problem. However, you should still look out for them, especially on the east coast. Sometimes taking a toll road may be a few dollars, but sometimes more and even the small amounts add up. So when entering directions to Google Maps, be sure to check if toll roads were added to the route.

10. Plan Ahead While on the Road

Most of the tips I’ve mentioned so far to help you save money require planning. However, if you’re on a longer road trip it’s impossible to make all these plans before leaving. Therefore, you have to remember to plan while on the go. Before heading to your next destination, check for tolls; check for gas stations along the way (you may be in an area all ready where it’s cheaper than later); get some snacks at Walmart so you’re not tempted to stop at a more expensive convenience store on route, get in contact with Couchsurfing hosts at least a week in advance, etc…Overall, planning ahead helps save money because quick convenience almost always has a cost!

11. Keep Your Car Serviced

Although this saving tip requires spending money, in the end it will save you. Especially if your road trip is long. Without servicing your car you could have more expensive costs down the line. During my trip, we changed the oil and had our car checked several times and throughout the trip we never had any car trouble!

12. Follow Local Traffic and Parking Laws

Most people are unaware, but many states have slightly different parking and/or traffic laws. So when driving cross country be sure to play it safe! Getting pulled over or paying an expensive parking ticket is such a bummer! Trust me, I know from experience!

Tip: If you visit San Francisco, be sure to point you wheels inward when parallel parking – otherwise you’ll end up with a $75 parking ticket!

13. Be Prepared by Packing Efficiently Before Leaving

To minimize your costs while on the road, stock up on everything you need before leaving. For example, all camping gear you’ll need, products that you may be able to get cheaper online, etc.

And that’s how I saved money on my road trip around the United States! If this was helpful or you have any further questions, don’t forget to leave a comment below!

For more travel tips, check out related posts!