By Cheri Sicard
Are you longing for a road trip but short on money? In the video below, Amanda of Amanda Outside shares seven simple ways to save money on road trips.
Whether you are traveling in an RV or car, Amanda’s tips will help save you money. They are simple for anyone to do and make practical sense.
Amanda’s 7 easy ways to save money on road trips
#1 Bring your own reusable water bottle, and if this is a long trip, bring along a large water jug. Rather than the type of water storage Amanda uses in the video, I am a big fan of the water storage cubes profiled here. But even with just a reusable water bottle, there are lots of places to refill on the road that Amanda discusses.
#2 Pack your own snacks, pack a lot of them, and bring a variety. Snacks bought at the gas station are almost always lots more expensive than the same snacks bought at the grocery store, so plan ahead. In addition to snacks, Amanda also likes to pack some simple breakfast items, such as instant oatmeal, granola, or yogurt if you have a cooler.
#3 Get the best fuel prices. There are a ton of apps you can use for this—some even have rewards and cash back. While Amanda admits she has not gotten into these, she should. For example, Gas Buddy has saved me hundreds of dollars. However, she does offer these tips to save on fuel:
- Gas up in well-populated areas. The more remote the location, the higher the fuel prices are likely to be.
- Make sure your tires are properly inflated.
- Be aware of factors that make you less aerodynamic, such as driving with gear on top of the vehicle.
- Here are more tips to improve your gas mileage.
#4 Carry coffee. Amanda talks about how to get free hot water at gas stations to make instant coffee. Coffee snob that I am, I say, YUCK! A far better solution would be to carry real coffee, get the hot water, but use Defiance Tools’ Off Road French Press and Coffee Grinder.
#5 Camp along the way. Amanda does more car camping than RVing, so she is looking at camping as an alternative to hotels. RVers could challenge themselves to only use free campsites while between destinations.
#6 Plan ahead to avoid extra expenses and unexpected detours. For instance, Amanda always checks for road closures before leaving as these could add extra time and expense to her trip. Making campsite reservations in advance will keep you from having to scramble to find one at the last minute.
#7 Pack when you are relaxed. Take your time, don’t pack at the last minute, and make sure you have everything you need. The point of this tip is to keep you from having to buy things on the road that you already own at home.
Do you have other tips to help save money on road trips? Be sure to drop them in the comments below. Happy affordable road-tripping!
##RVDT2407
I totally agree with you on the coffee thing, Cheri. I refuse to give up my ‘real’ coffee.
Thank you, Cheri! 🙂 No, nothing to add. Besides, DW says that I spend money “like it is going out of style.” So, you can get much better advice elsewhere, such as from a rock, or a dead skunk in the middle of the road (https://youtu.be/Uu5hzc2Mei4?feature=shared). 😉 🙂 Thanks again and safe travels! 🙂
I love that song Neal and sing it every time I pass one!
My jury is still out on GasBuddy.
Yeah, life to date we’ve “saved” almost $50 but I wonder what the costs were to get to those cheaper places. Our average savings is about 5 cents a gallon and our GB card shuts off at $100 whether we’re full or not. If we take on 25 gallons, we save $1.25 if the cost to get there was equal or better than the competitor. If we had to drive an extra mile, that savings is reduced if not lost via additional fuel burn and wear.
To save while RV’ing, we use what we carry. Our rig has a stove, hot water heater, tanks, toilets, generator and fridge that has costs to haul around so we use them. Frequently dining out or staying at FHU resorts add costs….
I don’t have a Gas Buddy card so the price is just the price, it has just saved me a ton in paying too much when I could drive a mile off the freeway and get gas for SUBSTANTIALLY less. For that short a distance, for me, it is definitely worth it.
Driving to a cheaper gas station may not actually save money. If you drive 5-10 miles out of your way to save 5¢/gal, what did you save? Plus, that gas station may not be RV friendly.
With the high price of fuel and campsites, (everything else too), we take advantage of free campsites or places we can park overnight any chance we get. Not paying high cg prices really offsets the price of fuel. Yes, we can afford cg prices but we don’t like price gouging which is what is going on today.
Want to save on diesel fuel prices? Join Open Roads Fuel Card Program. We have saved hundreds $$$