Ask the Readers: Planning a Cheap Road-Trip Vacation?
Published on - November 14th, 2008 (by J.D. Roth) Jonathan has an interesting request for Get Rich Slowly readers. He wants to make a month-long cross-country road trip next summer, and he wants to do it on the cheap. But how? He’s hoping that you can help. Here’s an abridged version of his e-mail:
I’m trying to figure out how to save money on vacation. My girlfriend and I have always had a dream of spending a month driving out to the Grand Canyon then to DC for the Smithsonian and back and stopping at all sorts of interesting sites on the way. We’re in Michigan, so the trip will probably be about 6,000 miles making room for all our random stops.
I’ve done some work in figuring out how to make this affordable, but everything adds up fast. The worst expenses are obviously gas and lodging, followed by food. We plan on camping, since it is a lot of fun and a lot cheaper than hotels. If we’re good, lunches for a week could stay under $30 — mainly sandwich stuff and snacks, but fast food will probably be tempting some days. Dinner will probably be even more expensive.
So far, I’ve added up over $1000 in expenses and we haven’t done anything yet! I would love any suggestions in lowering those expenses, and in what sort of things we could do along the way that are low budget. We hate normal touristy locations, which will hopefully help a lot in keeping the price down.
p.s. I’m considering getting some sort of mobile internet card for my laptop so we can take lots of pictures and blog the trip as we go. Any suggestions on getting a month worth of internet cheap would be great too!
.jpg "Kris doesn't get this joke. It's highway robbery, see? Dig the old-style hand-pumped gas!")
I’m envious. I’ve always wanted to do this sort of thing. The older I get, the less likely it is to happen, though, so I’ve begun to live vicariously through the adventures of others. In the past, for example, I’ve enjoyed reading about The Frugal Traveler’s American road trip.
Though I don’t have any first-hand experience with this sort of travel, I have discovered a few related sites over the past year or so:
- Last June, the New York Times published a list of 31 places to go this summer, though the advice is applicable to other seasons, as well. Be sure to read the 268 reader comments to find other useful info.
- Roadtrip America has some expert tips on the fine art of the cheap road trip.
- At Wise Bread, Jessica has some advice on how to survive a road trip. (These are more “how not to go crazy” tips than “how to save money” tips.)
- I’m not a big fan of the About.com, but their America Road Trips 101 article actually contains a great collection of tips and links, including advice for finding free wireless internet connections.
Trips like this used to be commonplace, but they’ve become much less popular since the rise of cheap air travel and “destination” vacations.
Click the strip to open a larger version in a new window.
Have you ever made a cross-country sightseeing trip? Do you have experience camping for days on end? Are you an expert at eating cheaply while traveling? Do you have recommendations for low-cost points of interest across the United States? Are Jonathan’s projections realistic? How much would you budget for a trip like this?
GRS is committed to helping our readers save and achieve your financial goals.Savings interest rates may be low, but that’s all the more reason to shop for the best rate.Find the highest savings interest rate from Ally Bank, Capital One 360, Everbank, and more.
This article is about Travel
Disclaimer: This content is not provided or commissioned by American Express. Opinions expressed here are author's alone, not those of American Express, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by American Express. This site may be compensated through American Express Affiliate Program.
Discover is a paid advertiser of this site. Reasonable efforts are made to maintain accurate information. See the Discover online credit card application for full terms and conditions on offers and rewards.
SEARCH FOR RECENT ARTICLES
Don’t ask me. I haven’t taken a vacation since I was 17 years old. It wasn’t until last year that I realized most people take a vacation every year! I thought it was a once in a decade thing. Something you save up for for years and years. Travel? Pshh. That’s what I joined the military for.
That being said, since I found out that most people consider an annual vacation to be essential to living a normal, middle class life, I keep thinking I ought to save up for one. The trouble is, every time I start getting a little bit of savings, some emergency happens, and I end up having to spend it on essentials. Or every time I accumulate a little leave, my son gets sick, and I have to use half of it. Ugh!
loading....
One tip. Don’t buy an electric cooler. Ice is cheaper and runs even when the car is off.
You’d be surprised how long food is kept cool if you don’t keep opening it.
If you have a mini stove, even better.
We just did a 2 week trip down the West coast of CA this summer on the cheap.
Cereal + milk
Bagels + meat from the Deli
Trail mix (make your own if you want to save more) for when you’re hungry in-between.
Couchsurfing.com
Tenting
Learn techniques to drive with less fuel. Got my mpg way above the posted highway mpg.
loading....
In Dc park on the east side of the river from the national cemetery before 7am by the Roosevelt memorial and get the dc tourist tram for two days. Its expensive 25 dollars a person but you can get on and off all day for the same price. It saves a lot of walking and takes you right back to your car. Bring a cooler when you travel the oj,soda, milk and water are much cheaper at the grocery store. Bring a stove, a pound of the best steak will feed two for a lot less than eating out. In the southeast the green pages a flyer found in rest areas offer motel accomadations for 1/2 off. Some for less than 30 bucks. Not first class but if you get a chain motel clean and safe.Get a motel with free breakfast, pig out buy a big bag of chips and it will hold you till dinner.Way back when, I took a pair of twins,wife and a vw bus from nd to south Carolina for 400 dollars,, Used food stamps, stayed at relatives, camped out otherwise, had a great time. Were gone for 3 weeks. Most of the money spent was for gas.
loading....
I think that taking buses and other public transport could save you a lot of money. The cost of running your car 6,000 miles is somewhere between $2,000 and $3,000. You can take a lot of public transportation for that price.
When I finished the Peace Corps in Costa Rica I traveled to Seattle by mostly land and only spent about $30-35 per day for our 50 day trip, including everything. We had a great time and I think this is your best route in the US as well. It is more adventurous as well.
Look into Mega Bus.
Good Luck
loading....
My boyfriend and I did a mini version of this over the summer. It’s so much fun, especially if you’re prepared correctly for it, which you seem to be. It’s easy to underestimate the strain of being confined in a car with only one other person for days on end, though, so make sure you give yourselves plenty of breaks to walk around and get out of the car, maybe even get some alone time. On days after a bad night’s sleep on the ground, it’s even more important. We were sleeping in the car in emergency room parking lots, but one night the heat was just too much and we scouted out a cheap hotel at about 1 in the morning. Make sure you leave room in your budget for nights like that…a good shower and a soft place to sleep can be priceless.
Since you aren’t a fan of typical tourist attractions, take a look at this website: http://www.roadsideamerica.com/ This is a great way to get off the beaten path and experience a different side of America.
I also recommend couch surfing, which someone mentioned earlier. It’s another great way to see towns from a local’s point of view and get a good place to sleep.
Most of all, have fun
Flip a coin to decide which turn you’re going to take at the next intersection. Invest in a good map and highlight the path you’ve taken. Considering borrowing a GPS or downloading a program to your phone so you don’t get frustrated when you can’t find the campground. Keep an eye out for local attraction signs…that’s how we stumbled upon “the world’s largest rocking chair” somewhere in Missouri.
Enjoy
loading....
I haven’t seen a lot of actual budget ideas, but I think you have to be realistic in your budget. Plan ahead and save up!
Do you normally save for a vacation? This is a long trip, so you can justify spending a bit more because most vacations are only a week or two, you are doing 4.
I’d take into consideration that you won’t be buying groceries at home, so you can use your grocery money to buy groceries on the road. That may be $100 a week or so from your normal budget.
In addition, if you eat pizza once a week during a normal month, then your vacation budget can also support a night out on the town too.
You won’t have as high of an electric, water, or gas bill while you are gone either.
In addition, you would normally fill your gas tank up during the month, so take that $40 bucks or so a week and add that to your vacation fund. Double that if you have two cars.
So all that is left are the “extras” that a vacation would add:
1. camp site costs – $20/night X 30 days = $600+
2. entrance fees/parking – $30/day X 25 days = $750
3. extra auto fuel – $350
4. hotel here and there – $100 X 5 = $500
5. misc items/personal fun money – $10/day = $300
Total: $2,500 + regular monthly items ($400 groceries/$160 gas)
When are you leaving? Take $2,500 divide it by the numbers of weeks til you leave and there is your goal amount to save each week.
Have fun!
Shay
loading....
For parking close to DC metro stops – the Ballston Mall offers $1 all day parking on weekends (all day/night I believe), but I am not sure about the costs for weekdays. Its right around the corner from the ballston stop on the orange line.
I have noticed that the vienna stop has had free parking the last few weekends as well, but im not sure how long that will last (the parking arms are up).
loading....
Jessica – you’re not the only person who doesn’t take regular, annual vacations. I dont even have the time off from work for that. Since we are in N. CA, we do short road trips up the coast and stay in a vacation rental for a few days which is cheaper than a hotel, especially since we bring our own food and shop at the local grocery stores and cook (since they do have full kitchens). But to actually travel for longer than 3-4 outside of California? Rarely. We did take a road trip up to Portland late summer to see if that’s a place where we want to live, but I wouldn’t consider that a vacation. All that driving wore me out! I dont know if I can deal with a longer road trip.
loading....
Although a fan of Kerouc’s “On The Road,” I believe that book and this practice are outdated. To make a cross country trip in these days with traffic, costs, etc is just unrealistic. My best advice would be to buy as much gas as you can now since it’s the lowest its been in years. You would save money that way because you know the price of gas is only going to skyrocket again.
Craig
http://www.budgetpulse.com
loading....
Why not buy a colman camp stove with two burners and just cook your dinners at your campsite? you can make anything you could at home so your food expense should not be any larger then it would have been when you were at home. Also you can buy a plug in cooler it acts as a mini fridge so you can take meat with you or just put your left overs in there and heat up on the stove later.
loading....
Carla,
That vacation when I was 17 was an in state, 4 day vacation! Oh man, I’m a loser.
Actually, it was great. My mom and I drove down to Mesa Verde. I’d like to do it again some day.
loading....
One of the ONLY pleasant things I remember as a kid on our frequent half-way cross country trips was the following snack.
Get a bag of bakery rolls from the grocery store, a good chunk of ham, good cheese, and some butter. Make little ham sandwiches and put them in the back window.
By the time lunch rolls around you have delicious warm little ham and cheese sandwiches! Fantastic….
Oh and my mom also made something she called a “Sheep-herders Pie” (not Shepard’s Pie). She would take a sourdough round, hollow it out, butter the inside, line it with slices of good cheddar, and make a huge omelet that filled up the inside. Put the lid back on and bake it for about 30 min on 300. Then wrap in tin foil. Leave it out on the counter and the next morning pop that in the back window too. Once it warms up you have a wonderful breakfast or early lunch.
loading....
I just had a great thought for helping save up for our trip! It may be too late for some people, and I know others won’t do it – but Corrin and I will suggest to our family members that they give us money for the road trip instead of other gifts this Christmas. We would save it away, and promise to send them pictures and a letter from the part of the trip that they helped pay for!
loading....
I don’t know if this has mentioned yet, but camping on the rim of the Grand Caynon can be expensive and difficult to get. There is free National Forest camping a mile south of the South Rim entrance. It’s perfect, and if you have the National Park pass (get one!!!) you can go in and out of the GC park as many times as you want. Also, there is an awesome pizza place that is really worth it! I think it is this one
We Cook Pizza and Pasta Hwy 64, Tusayan, AZ? – (928) 638-2278?, but whatever you do don’t buy Pizza Hut at the IMAX theater.
loading....
Jon,
You are getting such great advice! I would definitely go for the National Park Pass –
I took a camping trip from Florida to Alberta, Canada with a lovely man years ago. We stopped at points along the way – and, if we had not had a schedule we would have spent longer at each camp/park and explored the more local sights. Advice: ASK LOCALS FOR BEST EATS and ATTRACTIONS.
Note: Don’t show this part to Corrin in case you do it:
After hearing about my dad doing this for me and my sisters when we were little and doing the “cross country” road trip to California from Georgia, my traveling companion (then fiance) purchased a simple silver charm bracelet (sans charms) and gave it to me at the start of the trip. He then purchased special silver charms along the way. Charms are relatively inexpensive even in the souvenir shops. I love it! It will be an expense but it will last a lifetime and each charm tells a story.
My favorite charm? The boxing gloves that represented San Antonio where we had a huge argument.
Have fun!
p.s. Funding idea: How about a PayPal donation button on a site – you can promise regular updates on a special blog (free at blogger) as a thank you! or Twitter your trip. Never hurts to ask…
loading....
I second staying in hostels, at least in DC and other big expensive cities where you plan to spend some time siteseeing. They are usually close to public transportation and have parking spots for your car.
No more being rushed through museums!
loading....
Are hostels good for couples? The ones I’ve seen so far are very communal (multiple people in a room) and/or separate male/female rooms…
loading....
Look on uShip.com for something you could put in the car or in the truck and deliver. Easy extra cash for somebody driving across the country.
loading....
Jon,
Earlier this summer, my wife and I drove to Alaska and back from Phoenix, Arizona. It was our slightly delayed honeymoon. The plan was to keep it as cheap as possible: camp the whole way, driving a Toyota Matrix (35+ mpg), and cook our own food.
It was an incredible trip, but, despite our best efforts, we *did* go a bit over budget.
First, the surprises:
* A spike in gas prices: We had been planning the trip for about a year & were completely caught off guard by a huge spike in gas prices right when we left. This hit us especially hard in Canada, along the Alaskan highway, where we were paying up to 6USD per gallon (WAY more than we had budgeted for!)
* Underestimated mileage: We had estimated our mileage at ~6000 miles based on Google Maps, but had racked up 9000 by the end of the trip. I can only guess that this was due to some combination of (a) inaccurate Google Maps estimates, (b) choosing to take the zig-zagging backroads over the interstate and (c) an accumulation of short trips to the store, sights, etc.
* Weather prohibited camping: We had budgeted for 3 nights of hotel/motel “splurges” and 26 nights of camping, but since we were pre-season, it was much colder than we had expected and most campsites ended up being closed. Bear concerns necessitated keeping all camping gear in the car, forcing us into our tent. After multiple nights waking up with ice on said tent, we decided to suck-it-up and purchase accommodations more often. In the end, we did 14 nights in hotels and 15 nights camping.
What did work:
* Camping: We got a pretty good number of campsites free. State parks are cheaper than national parks (for our trip, the National Parks Pass we purchased was a waste of money because we only used it twice).
* Cooking our own food: we made three meals a day, except for nights when we were in accommodations (when we would find a local place to eat for dinner). Eggs for breakfast, PB&J for lunch. We ate mostly vegetarian. We used a Coleman 2-burner with a propane attachment, since propane is so much cheaper than standard stove fuel. I think we used less than $5 worth of propane for the entire trip.
* A travel guide: worth the purchase. As we would pull into a town without camping, we could read up on the accommodation opportunities & head straight for the cheapest one.
* Flexibility: We were really disappointed when we pulled into Talkeetna, Alaska, only to find the campground at the edge of town covered in 6 foot mounds of snow. We settled on a little B&B in town… the lady running the place liked us enough that she offered us a free second night if we would “watch over the place” for her since she had to go to Anchorage the next night for a day.
* “Travel Centers”: Especially in British Columbia, we could just walk in and there would be a helpful person to offer suggestions on campsites, hiking, etc.
* A couple of splurges: Ours were to a flight and glacier landing in Denali National Park and a Sea Life Cruise from Seward, Alaska. Having a couple of big, fun, (relatively expensive) things to look forward to helped justify cooking yet another meal with gloves on.
Good luck! It’ll be well worth it!
loading....
I also second use of the Ballston Mall parking garage for DC Parking. It is connected to Ballston Mall in Arlington VA and you can easily walk to the Ballston Metro subway stop on the orange which takes you into DC with no subway transfers. Parking is $1.00 on weekends and after 6:00 pm. Weekday parking varies by hours parked but does not exceed max of $8. For more information, go to this website
http://www.arlingtonva.us/Departments/EnvironmentalServices/dot/traffic/parking/EnvironmentalServicesBallston.aspx
There is also a parking garage in the Fashion Centre Mall parking garage at Pentagon City with easy access to Pentagon City subway stop in Arlington VA, plus pricier. Max cost would be about $15 per day and less if you are only there for a few hours. There is no public parking anymore at the large Pentagon building parking lots, not since 9/11. I used to park there on weekends to take excursions into DC using the stop at the Pentagon subway, but no more.
Also campfire cooking can take a lot of time. It takes time to get fire started and cooking is difficult in the rain. Plus you have to have firewood -maybe not easy to find in picked clean campsites and another thing you have to buy and carry around. A small single gas burner that screws on top of the a propane bottle is much easier to carry and store, cleaner to use and the propane bottles can be purchaed at most sporting good stores, K-Marts, Walmarts. I would definitely bring this or some type of gas cook stove in case the fire cooking does not work out. Kathy
loading....
As the risk of spoiling your fun, why not just give up on the trip entirely and save your money? You could work instead, earn money, and save for the future.
Pick up a book about travel at a used bookstore and read it. Taking a long vacation, even budget now, just seems… unseemly.
loading....
@Wendy – Wow, really? Unseemly? It seems to me that now, more than ever, people need to take a break from the pressures of their lives to get away and have some fun for a while. Vacations are vital to mental health. Having a nation of depressive shut-ins isn’t going to help the economy or national morale.
loading....
Jean – hear! hear! I’m with you on this! I’m a psych nurse and can’t help but think most of my depressed patients could benefit from a vacation instead of a hospital visit.
Wendy’s “unseemly” is a bit harsh. I say go for it!
loading....
Skip the mobile internet card, and check out this site for free wireless for the stops you’ll be making:
http://www.wififreespot.com/
It’s not always up-to-date, but should give you a good idea of where you can rest up and do some blogging. Also, take advantage of the public libraries in town. Many of them will have free wi-fi and internet access.
loading....
Wendy, have you not gone on a road trip in your life? The expense is not that great in the big scheme of things. Life is not all about working. the best time to go on a road trip is when you are young and life is not full of other commitments (job, children, etc). If you wait you may not ever get to go.
My only advice is the same as the rest of the people. Enjoy your time. Talk to people on the way, go to local establishments. Take time to go off the beaten path. Don’t sweat the small stuff.
ps- And be safe. If some guy is giving you weird vibes and wants to stick around, don’t worry about hurting anyone’s feelings, ditch ‘em.
loading....
I’ve posted on my site how to get a free $30 Hotel voucher. Wouldn’t give huge savings overall, but might make a very inexpensive night:
here
loading....
Re: parking in DC: Don’t do it. Google DC’s METRO system and find a park and ride. Since you’re planning to camp you won’t have to drive in the city anyway – traffic is no fun – so park on the outside and take the metro in. It’s cheap, relaxing, and takes you right where you want to go.
loading....
The winter after I had just graduated college my friend Mike and I made a cross-country road-trip from Boston to California and back. Naturally, as we were just out of school, our budget was small.
Our money-saving strategies included:
-We designed our route and timetable so as to be able to stay with relatives, friends and friends-of-friends when possible. This was also a great way to see the local sights. People love being tour guides in their own town.
-Tent-camping whenever possible. State parks were the best: cheap and often included shower facilities.
-Where we had no acquaintances and camping was not feasible, we had a copy of Let’s Go USA to help find good, budget hotels – with great success.
-We had a cooler with ice in the back seat and would make daily stops at a grocery store for eggs, cold-cuts, cheese, fruit, bread, etc. In hindsight I would consider the cost of daily ice replenishment vs. the cost of a plug-in cooler. I don’t know how well the plug-ins work, but we did have to replenish ice (one or two bags) almost daily and that meant time and money. Although Dan (comment #51) points out some downsides -for example it only runs when the car is on.
-We typically made at least 2 meals (breakfast and lunch) ourselves and used the Let’s Go guide to find good restaurant deals for dinner.
-If you do choose to cook yourselves, use a propane camp stove. Propane is widely available and cheap. Firewood is hard to transport, expensive to buy and it takes a long time to prepare a good cooking fire.
-We took pictures for souvenirs. I recall we spent very little money other than for food, gas & lodging.
Unforeseen expenses included:
-the car broke down. this delayed our timetable by a day and required finding a car repair shop and lodging for the night.
In comment #54 Courtney mentions “strain of being confined in a car with only one other person for days on end.” I would second this notion and recommend being as flexible as possible. Unexpected things will happen, so be prepared to change your plans when they do.
Hope some of this helps. Have a great trip. Remember even if you do go a little over budget, it should be a trip you will remember for a lifetime.
loading....
Hi, I did a nearly all the way across country trip in my early 20′s and stayed at Youth Hostels all around the country. There is a fantastic one right at the “four courners” near the Grand Canyon. Not only is the lodging cheap, but people shared their park passes with us. The passes are pretty $$, but they are good for a few days. So we met up with other people and traded. Also, my dh was in the reserves so he got to stay on Army bases when he did his trip cross country. That may not be an option for you, but it is worth mentioning at $20 a night! Also, look up friends? I found Let’s Go! Brand travel guides were fantastic for cheap local eats.
loading....
Forgot to mention that “Youth” as in “Youth” Hostels is very relative! I have seen a huge range of ages at these places! The people who run them *love* to meet people and often never even ask about age.
The best one I stayed at was in Truth or Consequences, NM. We had a choice of sleeping arrangements and chose to sleep in a real tee pee!
loading....
We just completed a 5-month road trip last fall that took us from Maine to the west coast and back (http://twogirlsontheroad.wordpress.com/).
Before the trip, we joined U.S. Servas (http://www.usservas.org/), an international people-to-people hosting organization. We filled out our application and met with our regional Servas coordinator, paid $50 per person to become members and another $15 for the host book, and stayed with about 10 different Servas hosts along the way. Generally, you do a two-night stay with each host (long enough to get acquainted, not long enough to impose), at no cost other than your goodwill and your Servas membership.
The value for us was much greater than we expected, and went far beyond the math of a $100 combined membership versus 20 nights of hotel stays. It was a great way to get to know parts of the country we’d never seen before “from the inside,” as some of our hosts took us around the area or had great connections to point us toward.
Other money-saving strategies we employed –housesit (http://www.caretaker.org/); stay with family and friends; stay in hostels (http://www.hostels.com/); get a national parks pass and stop at equally beautiful state parks that have no fee for entry; limit hotel stays to mid-week nights, not weekends.
Happy travels!
loading....
Greyhound! (I’ve done it cross-country, and I love it. Cheaper than paying for gas, you get to play cards as you go, you can throw in some overnights if you want to save some time, and you meet fascinating people).
loading....
$1000 really isn’t bad for 2 people for 1 month!! Think about how much money you spend on food/gas/etc in a month and it’s not bad in comparison considering how many places you’ll be going.
I don’t think a mobile wireless card is necessary. There might not be free wireless EVERYwhere you visit, but generally there will be in the bigger cities. Just research where these places are and make a short stop!
I went on a roadtrip for 2 weeks about 2 years ago with 2 other friends, starting from Houston, TX, and we made our way to Los Angeles, CA. I had some free time between graduating from undergrad and starting graduate school so we took this opportunity to make the trip! Not completely cross country, but still a good deal of driving.
Now this may not be completely cost effective, but we rented a car for the trip because none of us had big enough cars for the trip (and none of us wanted to put that many miles on our cars either!) At the time, we were all under 25 too so it took quite a few phone calls to figure out where we could get the best deal for renters under 25.
I had wanted to camp more but we ended up only camping out once. In any case, I figure every few days, it’s good to stay at a nicer place to get a good shower and comfortable bed. This put us all in better moods while being stuck with each other for the duration of the trip! In any case, even campgrounds will vary in price and it’s good to consider all the different options. I did find affordable accomodations and there’s always hostels When possible, stay with friends/family! We made stops in Las Vegas and Huntington Beach but we had family/friends in those cities so we crashed with them. Vegas was about halfway point on the trip and we stayed there longer to relax from all the driving.
The National Park pass definitely was good to have. Our trip also involved a canoing trip so that increased out cost significantly. I think it’s important to plan out the activities you want to do to make sure that all costs are accounted for. And of course, set aside a certain amount for extra costs.
We made reservations for everywhere we went– online prices are generally cheaper than paying right there. Of course, this meant that I had to plan out in detail where we would be each night. I used multiple travel guidebooks and researched online for the best priced places.
I did the same for restaurants, picking out when we would eat out or find a grocery store. For restaurants, I usually try to have a place in mind plus a backup in case we can’t find one place or something. I happen to be a foodie though so I also searched for good, cheap local restaurants. Citysearch.com and Chowhound.com are both useful for that. Of course, it’s cheaper to pack a cooler, pick up ice, and buy groceries! We brought a lot of water, drinks, and non-perishable snacks so we wouldn’t waste money at gas stations!
I don’t know if this is something that you want to consider, but what about making it it a shorter (distance-wise) trip? Gas does add up and some places are more cost-efficient to go in the future for a long weekend trip on a plane ride. For example, we stopped by Grand Canyon but we didn’t do anything special. We just took the shuttle that went around the top of the canyon. If you ask me, it really wasn’t worth it. I think you’d have to actually go down into the canyon or go on a helicopter ride to really enjoy the experience! This is coming from someone who loves the outdoors and doing outdoorsy activities. Sometimes it’s just too much time and money spent on driving for a very brief stop!
We had quite a few ‘luxuries’ on this trip, but it cost each of us around $1100, which was right around what my budget was. With that amount, we canoed at Big Bend National Park, rode on discs at White Sands, surfed at Huntington Beach, and visited the Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam, Vegas, Tombstone, Roswell, as well as a few other small stops over 2 weeks.
loading....
My husband and I have done a month-long road trip twice, the most recent being August 2007. We averaged 10,000 miles and $4,000 on each trip.
Both trips we intended to camp, but it eats up too much time. You have to stop in daylight to set up your site, and night driving when the roads are clearer is the best time to get those “between places” miles behind you. We slept in the car at tourist welcome centers and truck stops. If you don’t mind roughing it, you’ll save cash and valuable time. You won’t believe how fast a month will fly by.
Packing light is essential for comfort if you sleep in the car. To save room, take easy-care clothes and lots of quarters for laundromats.
Also, don’t bother with a fancy restaurant along the way. Keeping dress clothing in the car is a complete hassle, as is getting your hair/face/etc. done up. Make this a jeans-and-ponytail kind of trip, and you’ll save yourself a lot of aggravation. Leave jewelry at home, too. I wore my wedding band and left my diamond at home.
Blogging might take up more time than you’ll want to spend during your trip, but as far as photos, we dumped memory cards onto the laptop and then burned DVDs. We mailed one copy to our house and one to my parents. Not having to keep track of them during the trip was a relief. A memory card-to-USB converter is less than $30.
As far as your cooler, get those “ice” packs used in first aid kits. They last longer, can be refrozen, and you won’t have water slopping around.
loading....
I made a similar trip out west from Columbus, OH back in 2005. We went to the west coast via IO, SD, MT, ID, UT, NV, CA, AZ, NM, CO, KS, MO, IL, IN, KY… Best vacation ever. $1000 sounds like a seriously low estimate though… you may want to re-examine your numbers, and make sure to budget for the random things that come up.
Get a gas credit card, like the BP one by chase. The savings will add up. I think they have a promo now where you get 10% back.
Also, subscribe to the loyalty programs at the type of hotels you’ll be staying at. Being gone for 30 days should earn you more than a few free stays. Don’t be afraid to shop around and ALWAYS ask for a discount. If you arrive at a hotel late (after 9 or 10pm), keep bargaining for a lower rate. Chances are you’re one of the last people to get there that night.
Pinpoint where all your family members, friends, acquaintances and such live all over the country. Most people are cool with you staying on a couch for a night for free. They may even feed you. If you were in a fraternity, try staying at a frat house. Most of the time they’ll let you crash on a sofa. It’s not the Waldorf, but again, it’s free.
Bring a cooler and pack food. Sandwich making materials, chips, etc, are still cheaper than fast food.
And another non-money suggestion, buy this book: http://www.roadtripusa.com/ It was the single greatest asset we had on our trip. We drove almost entirely on two-lane highways, and almost no interstates. This book taught us about the towns we passed, pointed out places of interest, etc. We saw so many great sights because of this book that we would have missed otherwise.
loading....
Couple tips
1) Don’t fret the cost of food, it’s a wash – YOU WOULD BE SPENDING THIS MONEY ANYWAY. Even if you stayed in your bedroom for a month, you’d still have to pay for the cost of feeding your body. So this is not an additional expense, unless you end up eating out a whole lot more than usual on your trip. Figure out how much you spend each month on food and just stick to that budget for the trip.
2) Fly to the east coast, buy a reliable car, and drive home, sell the car at home. Some good friends did this earlier this year…can save you a lot of driving, although it’s not necessarily cheaper. They were able to sell the car for about $400 less than they bought it for on the East Cost. Essentially allows you to fit a 1 month cross-country trip into 2 weeks…(because you get to Washington in 5 hours as opposed to 1-2 weeks).
3) Remember that these experiences have value. If you stretch your budget a little bit to make this trip happen – so long as you’re not in significant debt already – my philosophy is that you’re actually acquiring value. If it costs me $2000 to see the entire U.S., that $2000 in my mind just bought me upwards of $20,000 in the “value” of the trip in my life. Remember, it’s not all about OUTPUT – you do get value back. Maybe it means you won’t be able to eat out for 2 months after the trip, but you just gained so much more than those lost “meals out.”
4) Experience the culture, not the tourist sites. Taking a walk through a small town, conversing with shop owners, going to church where you never would have before – these can be worth SO MUCH more than 6 hours at a tourist trap. My guess is that after a week of seeing tourist traps, they will start to blend together and the experience of seeing the rest of the country, and its citizens will be the over-arching memory.
loading....
The new “Five Day Coolers” are significantly better than traditional coolers.
Don’t forget to pack the cooler where you can get it out to drain the water. Put some plastic and an old towel under where the cooler will sit. And never drain all of the water. The water is what cools the food.
You can start off your trip with one or two of custom-sized blocks of ice that you make by freezing water in the tray that comes with the cooler. Make one block and store it in a garbage bag while you make the other. you will still need loose ice to distribute the cold. But the blocks will last quite a while and keep the bag ice from melting as fast. Make new ice blocks every time you stay with friends.
loading....
I agree with staying out of the tourist traps. It helps to research an area ahead of time though. I like to join local web forums and blogs and ask the members for great places to eat, shop, neighborhoods, what to see, etc.
I live in the San Francisco Bay Area and I know people who spend $$$ on a flight and hotel just to do nothing but go to Fisherman’s Wharf and Pier 39 (tourist traps!)
loading....
Pamela,
I really really like the charm bracelet idea – if I have the money then I’ll definitely do that. For now the “shiny things for Corrin” fund is empty since I just bought an engagement ring a few days ago.
I might try the donation idea – I was already planning on running a separate blog for the trip. I just hate asking random people for donations like that, especially since the only people who would even know about it right now are reading a frugality blog! If I did it I would definitely promise to keep track of whose money we were using at different locations so we could send a pictures and a thank you letter showing what they helped us do.
loading....
My family and I usually take a 2 week long trip from southern ontario, to the canadian east coast.
We have joined as many free points clubs as we can find. We use the cards throughout the year, and just before, or sometimes during, the trip, we cash them out for things like gas cards, grocery store gift cards, etc.
It’s rarely a huge savings, but we’re spending the money anyway, it’s nice to get something back
loading....
I looked through the comments and saw a few people suggest state parks for camping, which is a great idea.
You may have already done this but spend some time on the websites for the state park systems you’ll be visiting. Oregon has a really great state park website where you can search for parks by amenities, I’m sure other states are the same. Also, National Forests around here rent out old fire ranger towers/cabins for SUPER cheap. Some have minimum stays and some are REALLY remote, but they are also in between camping and a hotel (like 20-40/nt). They do require advanced reservations.
If there’s any place you’ll be spending more than a few days in and you think you’d like to splurge a little check out http://www.vrbo.com (vrbo=vacation rentals by owner) you can find really good deals on renting cabins/houses/condos but there is generally at least a two night minimum, it is better than a hotel since you will generally have a full kitchen.
loading....
Oh! I almost forgot!
Read Blue Highways by William Least-Heat-Moon (I think it’s all hyphenated… might be wrong)
It a memoir of his trip around the country via small highway and by himself. It’s a really beautiful book. Sometimes sad, scary, but always beautiful.
loading....
You include the link to WeJustGotBack.com, which, when clicked, brings you to the home page where there is TA DA! an article called “20 Recession Travel Rules.”
http://www.wejustgotback.com/default.aspx?mod=recessiontravelrules_1
It’s chockablock with great advice. Thanks for the link but you should have mentioned that article in your post!–I amost didn’t find it.
loading....
Truthfully? I’d search the classified ads at Greasecar.com and get an inexpensive diesel already converted to run also on used vegetable oil. Fuel is cheaper now, but it’ll still be one of the largest expenses, and such a car might well pay for itself. You can sometimes get in touch with local networks of veg oil drivers and use them as a source as you go.
And of course, if you can’t find any, you can always still use regular diesel.
loading....
Hostels are not just for young people. We have stayed in some with private rooms for a couple for $20-$30/night. You have to share a bathroom but there is a kitchen and laundry facilities.
http://www.bootsnall.com has a link to hostels and is a good site for independent travelers.
In small towns, family-owned hotels can be cheap. We have paid as low as $28 for a hotel in Northern California. This is the walk-in price as they would rather make $28 than nothing for the night.
Not mentioned yet: Safety First! If you feel unsafe in a town/hotel etc…move on. We found ourselves in a shady small town but decided to keep driving to the next town even though it was late.
Food: Grocery Store. http://www.traderjoes.com is our favorite but you have to look up the locations.
loading....
@Wendy – I don’t know the OP’s situation, but he sounds like a young guy, maybe a grad student. Supposing this was true, the opportunity cost of the trip is pretty low. Maybe he could have spent his summer vacation working $10/hour job ($1600 for a month). Maybe he lives with his parents so doesn’t have to pay rent/mortgage while he’s on the road. So the total cost of the trip TODAY is around $2,600. Invest this at 8% annual compounded returns (LOL) and it is $3800 in the “future”, say five years.
Now, in the “future”, say 5 years. Now he’s working a $60K job, so getting a month off from work is sacrificing around $5,000 of pay. Now he’s off on his own and paying mortgage/rent of $1,000/month, in addition to the cost of the trip – $1,000 (which in actuality will be higher due to inflation, higher gas prices, etc. in five years). Total cost of trip in five years – $7,000 (in TODAY’S dollars) – double the cost!
Also, even if the financials didn’t work out favorably, why bother living if you’re never going to enjoy it. For me personally travel ranks as one of the very most enjoyable activities life has to offer.
loading....
P.S. I hate to follow up to my own comment, but here is some input to the OP -
1. For the budget, make a DAILY budget. Figure out how much you want to spend per day, and then take it out as a cash every day (get ATM card which does not charge fees) and limit your spending to that. This is how I always travel. Or you can do it with credit card just as easily, if you prefer.
2. Consider taking the bus instead of driving. You are guaranteed to meet a whole lot of very interesting characters which you would never meet, ever, if you are stuck inside your car in your own universe (though, less so, since you are not traveling alone).
3. Don’t bother with the internet. Don’t bring your laptop. It will just keep you tied up indoors at the very time you should be out be enjoying the world and becoming more familiar with the people of our world. Write the trip report after you get back. The rest of the world can wait. Also the laptop is one more thing to have to worry about, which can get lost, broken, etc. Don’t bring your cell phone, either. Make it clear to everyone you know that you’re totally unreachable.
4. Don’t miss the local food. You can have cold cut sandwiches anywhere, don’t miss sampling the local cuisine throughout America, which is not necessarily expensive (c.f. Alton Brown’s Feasting on Asphalt).
5. Have fun and have the time of your life. You only live once. Don’t forget about us, and be sure to check back in with your key learnings.
loading....
I agree with what some others have said about staying with friends/family at points along the way (only when it works with your driving route, of course). I know you said you were camping, but having a guest bedroom and a home-cooked meal a few times during the trip (and all for free) could be a nice “luxury” to have. Plus this may be a chance to visit people that you don’t get to see very often.
loading....
In September I spent a week in the car with my fiance, his 12 year old son, and my dog (all in a Ford Focus no less).
We like to cook and we like to eat out. We budgeted some money for eating out and brought food with us.
We didn’t make any camping reservations, but I did check everything out before hand so I would know what to expect. I knew how many days we would be gone and about where we would be staying and was able to budget the camping fees within $5. Camping fees vary state by state and campground by campground. The more popular, the more money.
Don’t overestimate what your willing to cook at the end of a long day of driving and site seeing. We did, sometimes PB&J looks alot better than firing up the cook stove after setting up the tent and unpacking the car. Oatmeal and yogurt were good choices for breakfast. If you have a thermos, the oatmeal can cook overnight.
Another option for internet would be cafe’s. Most coffee places around here have free internet, it’s cheaper than a eating at a resturant, and sometimes I just need a really good cup of coffee. It seems like I’ve seen some of the KOAs with free interent. When your checking out places to stay it would be something to look at. Their website should be able to tell you if they do or not.
I also agree with getting AAA. It’s not that expensive and it can’t hurt. I’ve had it pay for itself in a matter of months, once on the first day of a vacation. They also have lots of travel information, I enjoy their tour books and they are free to members, they also have some camping tour books.
Good luck, sounds fun!
loading....
A couple of years ago, my cousins did a cross-country road trip. They pulled off the highway at every Red Roof Inn and used the free wi-fi just by parking in the parking lot.
I’d check into every chain hotel or restaurant that offers free wi-fi and print a location list before you go.
Also, tell everyone you know about your trip. Maybe friends-of-friends or cousins-of-cousins can offer you a place to stay. If you can be charming for a few hours, you can probably get referred to more people as you go.
I have friends who planned a Portland, OR to Portland, Maine trip BIKE trip for their honeymoon. They had to cut it a bit short (I think they made it from Oregon to Virginia) but it was an amazing experience. Have fun!
loading....