Road Trip on a Budget
With the cost of gas in the mid three dollar range, the summer road trip just got more expensive. Here are some ideas to trim the budget while hitting the road.
Consider ditching the RV. At today’s gas prices, driving a gas guzzling vehicle for hundreds, if not thousands, of miles doesn’t make economic sense. At a theoretical price of $3.50 per gallon and 10 mpg, every hundred miles driven will cost $35 in gas alone. Instead, consider tent or cabin camping or inexpensive hotels.
If you aren’t willing to give up the RV, stay closer to home. Instead of traveling through state to state, pick a nearby state, or even your own home state, and immerse yourself in it. Set up a base camp, rent an economy car and spend an entire week in a region, exploring all that it has to offer.
If you go the hotel or motel route, choose those that offer a free breakfast over those that don’t. These breakfasts offer both convenience - you’re able to eat right away with no waiting, and cost savings - a family of four eating breakfast out can cost upwards of $25.
Another choice to consider are hotels or motels with kitchenettes or at the very least, a microwave. With a kitchenette, you can eat dinner in rather than out each night. Rooms with just a microwave present a challenge when trying to cook for the family as most microwaves in these rooms are tiny and dishes are not provided. An easy take along meal is chili in sourdough bowls. Bring a frozen ziplock bag of chili from home and four sourdough rounds (or purchase from grocery store along with a pre-made salad). Scoup out the inside of the rolls and fill with thawed chili. Microwave individually and serve on paper plates with plasticware. Clean up is a snap as the bowl is edible and all the other containers are disposable.
Take advantage of park passes and multi-day passes. The National Parks Pass cost $50 for an entire year. If you’re over 62, the Golden Age Passport costs just $10 for lifetime admission. If you don’t have a pass, the admission to most national parks allows you to return for free anytime over the next week. This is a great way to explore on a budget, for about $10, a family can return to the park all week and get to know the park more intimately. To stretch the budget even further, pack picnic lunches versus waiting in long concession stand lines and paying high prices for food that is generally mediocre.
Many communities are known for their extensive bike trails. Either bring the bikes from home along using a car carrier or find out about renting bikes beforehand. This is an inexpensive outing that is a great deal of fun, good exercise and gives a taste of the heart and soul of a community. Hiking these trails or rollerblading is another option for those who don’t want to lug their bikes.
When traveling from destination to destination, instead of hitting up the fast food joints at lunchtime, consider places such as Costco if the community has one. For just about $1.50, Costco offers a large polish style hotdog and a soda. A family of four can eat lunch out on the road for just $6.
Pay attention to gas prices from state to state. Because of tax rates between the states, come gas prices are significantly lower on one side of the border than the other. Use the internet or past experience to try to plan your purchases on the cheaper side of the border. For example, gas in Arizona is dramatically less than in California. It pays to fill up in Arizona before crossing over into California.
The family road trip doesn’t have to come to a screeching halt just because gas is so expensive. With a little planning and an open mind, your budget can be stretched enough to have a great time. Make it a challenge to save where you can and you might surprise yourself with your new frugality.
Copyright © 2006, Ian White Access 2000 Pty Ltd
Consider ditching the RV. At today’s gas prices, driving a gas guzzling vehicle for hundreds, if not thousands, of miles doesn’t make economic sense. At a theoretical price of $3.50 per gallon and 10 mpg, every hundred miles driven will cost $35 in gas alone. Instead, consider tent or cabin camping or inexpensive hotels.
If you aren’t willing to give up the RV, stay closer to home. Instead of traveling through state to state, pick a nearby state, or even your own home state, and immerse yourself in it. Set up a base camp, rent an economy car and spend an entire week in a region, exploring all that it has to offer.
If you go the hotel or motel route, choose those that offer a free breakfast over those that don’t. These breakfasts offer both convenience - you’re able to eat right away with no waiting, and cost savings - a family of four eating breakfast out can cost upwards of $25.
Another choice to consider are hotels or motels with kitchenettes or at the very least, a microwave. With a kitchenette, you can eat dinner in rather than out each night. Rooms with just a microwave present a challenge when trying to cook for the family as most microwaves in these rooms are tiny and dishes are not provided. An easy take along meal is chili in sourdough bowls. Bring a frozen ziplock bag of chili from home and four sourdough rounds (or purchase from grocery store along with a pre-made salad). Scoup out the inside of the rolls and fill with thawed chili. Microwave individually and serve on paper plates with plasticware. Clean up is a snap as the bowl is edible and all the other containers are disposable.
Take advantage of park passes and multi-day passes. The National Parks Pass cost $50 for an entire year. If you’re over 62, the Golden Age Passport costs just $10 for lifetime admission. If you don’t have a pass, the admission to most national parks allows you to return for free anytime over the next week. This is a great way to explore on a budget, for about $10, a family can return to the park all week and get to know the park more intimately. To stretch the budget even further, pack picnic lunches versus waiting in long concession stand lines and paying high prices for food that is generally mediocre.
Many communities are known for their extensive bike trails. Either bring the bikes from home along using a car carrier or find out about renting bikes beforehand. This is an inexpensive outing that is a great deal of fun, good exercise and gives a taste of the heart and soul of a community. Hiking these trails or rollerblading is another option for those who don’t want to lug their bikes.
When traveling from destination to destination, instead of hitting up the fast food joints at lunchtime, consider places such as Costco if the community has one. For just about $1.50, Costco offers a large polish style hotdog and a soda. A family of four can eat lunch out on the road for just $6.
Pay attention to gas prices from state to state. Because of tax rates between the states, come gas prices are significantly lower on one side of the border than the other. Use the internet or past experience to try to plan your purchases on the cheaper side of the border. For example, gas in Arizona is dramatically less than in California. It pays to fill up in Arizona before crossing over into California.
The family road trip doesn’t have to come to a screeching halt just because gas is so expensive. With a little planning and an open mind, your budget can be stretched enough to have a great time. Make it a challenge to save where you can and you might surprise yourself with your new frugality.
Copyright © 2006, Ian White Access 2000 Pty Ltd
posted by Ian White, Housecarers | 8:46 PM
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