If you’ve got a yen to see the open road, sample roadside diner fare like you’ve seen on Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives, and maybe even get your kicks on Route 66, we’re guessing you’ve got a yen for a road trip. Road trips are fabulously frugal when planned out carefully, but much like any vacation, you’ve got to keep an eagle eye on your wallet or you’ll soon find your budget has run out of gas.
Where Are You Headed?
Coast to coast? Driving up Highway 1 in California to see how the beach changes from palm trees in Los Angeles to redwoods past San Francisco? Follow the signs on Route 66? Just hopping into your car with a suitcase and a nationwide map to see where the road takes you is fun, but just showing up at a hotel and asking for a room for that night is a great way to pay a high rate.
Create a detailed plan of where you want to drive, and then look on the UltimateCoupons’ Orbitz page for hotel sales and coupons for great savings along your route. You could save as much as 40% on hotel rooms, and that’s money that could go to some memorable meals or souvenirs. Be sure to read the reviews of each hotel you plan to stay at on Orbitz, though, so that you don’t end up at a hotel that’s inexpensive, but noisy, smoky, and in a bad neighborhood.
Another advantage to planning your route in advance is saving on gas prices. Figure out about how many miles per gallon your car gets on the highway (with a trunk full of luggage) and use it to plot out where you’re going to fill up on gas. There are tons of websites and mobile phone apps that let you source out the gas stations with the best prices – make good use of them! A $1.99 iPhone app that could save you $100 or more over the course of a single trip is well worth it.
Convenience Stores = Inconvenient Prices
It’s definitely worth the trouble to hit your local grocery store and fill a large cooler with drinks and snacks that will keep well on ice. Buying a 12 pack of your favorite soda for $4 is a far better deal than paying $1.59 per can at a convenience store, or even $0.75 a can in a vending machine. Don’t forget to buy at least 2 gallon jugs of water to keep in your trunk in case your car’s engine overheats, or you’re stuck on the side of the road for a few hours waiting for roadside assistance.
Will Your Family Car Survive the Trip?
Having to replace the engine or starter motor on your car in the middle of a road trip can be a budgetary disaster. A reliable, safe car is worth its’ weight in gold, and if you’re not sure if your car could make it 100 miles, let alone 1,000, consider renting a car on Orbitz.com. UltimateCoupons keeps up-to-date with the latest deals on rental cars, so you should always check here first to see if you can save even more on your Orbitz car rental.
A rental car is especially convenient on extra long trips where you’ll want a car with better gas mileage than your own, and more storage space for luggage and souvenirs. Of course, if you’re planning a trip with friends, a minivan or SUV will leave you with more room to spread out and stay comfortable the entire trip than a compact car.
Leave Room for Spontaneity!
Half the fun of a road trip is seeing what lies around the next bend in the road. Doing your research ahead of time to find great diners, museums, and shopping along the way will save you time and money; but, being completely wedded to "the plan” means you might miss out on something amazing, like a roadside stand selling homemade peach pie.
How does Orbitz help with this? If you’ve planned your road trip out and used UltimateCoupons’ Orbitz deals to save on your hotel rooms and gas prices, you’ll have more than enough cash left over to do a little antiquing or purchase a few flats of farm-fresh strawberries.
One Response to “How to Road Trip on a Budget”
Did a road trip last year from dallas to LA. It was the most fun i have had for years, Defiantly worth it and i would do it again. But as you say in your article to get the most out of the trip you need to check ahead and plan and pre-book to get the best deals, other wise you will miss loads along the way and pay more for what you do find.