Ideas for Life: Road Trip Experience in a Very Low Cost

With gas prices hitting record levels, the traditional family road trip has become a source of dread. It now costs some serious money to drive a few hundred miles.

So many Americans fly everywhere these days that you might think the classic American road trip is a thing of the past. This is not actually the case. While it does seem that the "On the Road" experience of getting a car and just going for the sake of going is in decline, the statistics (and the number of cars all around you on the roads) prove that more Americans than ever are taking to the roads for vacations and family visits, albeit apparently for more frequent but shorter trips. And frankly, with airline customer care unquestionably in decline, many Americans would rather drive than fly.

Stats be damned, there is no denying that the lure of the road is undeniable and probably ete
al; it almost seems embedded in our very makeup. This is more true for some folks than others, but there is a richness to traversing the land an inch at a time that is absent from the experience of climbing into a metal canister and climbing out at your destination.

However, hotels and food can eat up a big chunk of change! If the price of gas is high at the time of your frugal road trip, that can also add up quickly. Also, the cost of any sights along the way plus the cost of any attractions or sights at your destination must be added to the equation. And I can just hear the cha-ching if you’re prone to shopping on the road.

Of course, the first step is to select an affordable destination. Disney World is expensive, even if you get some kind of bargain rate. Skiing is expensive. Many beach communities have very high hotel rates as well as other inflated costs. It’s not that you can’t go to these places and do these things, but keep the high cost in mind when planning your frugal road trip budget. For example, if you really want to go to Disney World, stay in super-cheap motels and make your own food on the road rather than eating in restaurants.

One way we save lots of money at our house as well as on the road is by using filtering water pitchers. How can you use them on the road? Spring for 2 large jugs of bottled water to get started. You’ll be re-using these over and over, so it really won’t cost much to buy these. Buy the cheapest no-name one on the shelf. There is no benefit to buying the more expensive brand no matter how much that company’s marketing department wants you to think there is.
If you want smaller serving bottles in the car, get a six pack of smaller bottles that are easier to drink from. Once again, super-cheap no-name is the way to go. If you’re going to do this, bring some dish washing liquid and a sponge with you so you can wash these out regularly.
As far as water pitchers go, the most important thing is that brand’s filters are readily available. If you go shopping for a pitcher and they have a lot of filters being sold, stock up on these.
Planning that cheap road trip is easy. You'll get the best to get there, lists of hotels with pricing, places, to eat and almost everything you need to see America from the car. Do a search on your favorite search engine for terms like “road trip planning, cheap road trips and car trips”. You'll come up with thousands of sites where you can plan your next road trip.