Cheap Road Trips: How to Go on a Road Trip on a Budget
Traveling is not as expensive as we have been taught to believe, at least it doesn’t have to be.
Road trips are a prime example of this. You can see so much and have an incredible trip while spending almost no money.
Generally, when I tell people the low price I spend on my road trips, they respond with, “so did you not eat?” or, “that’s not including the price of gas right?” or, “where did you sleep then?”
A few weeks ago, I went on a 3,000-mile road trip, visited 5 states, and only spent a total of about $450. That ended up being $150 each split among everyone.
I posted that number to Tik Tok, and people were shocked. If I had a dollar for every comment not believing I spent that little, or asking how I did it with these gas prices, I could go on another road trip. Maybe even two.
So how did I make it that cheap? Here are my best tips to make your next road trip dirt cheap so you can go on the road trip of your dreams without breaking the bank.
Camping:
Download the app iOverlander to find free campsites.
This app is gold for all things road trip-related. It shows you where you can fill up water tanks, shower, camp, find wifi, and more!
The free campsite bit is objectively the best feature of this app. I have found some off-the-charts-incredible campsites on iOverlander.
On most trips, you end up spending a good majority of your money on hotels or other accommodations. Even on camping trips, if you pay for a reserved campsite every night, you will blow so much money.
There are so many free campsites out there that will make your jaw drop, and you will save so much money.
Gas:
Download the app Gas Buddy to save major money on gas.
It shows you the gas price per gallon at every gas station, making it super easy to find the cheapest gas in your area.
For prime money-saving tactics on road trips: look at your route ahead of time and find where the cheapest towns/areas will be. Plan ahead and fill up in these areas before you head into the more expensive areas.
Food:
The best way to eat for cheap on road trips is to avoid eating out at restaurants and drive-throughs. Sounds obvious, but it truly makes a huge difference.
With just a little bit of planning ahead of time, you can avoid having to eat out and save a ton of money.
The cheapest way to grocery shop for road trips: shop at the dollar store. I’m not sure what you’ve heard about dollar stores, but their stuff is pretty cheap.
If the thought of grocery shopping at the dollar store scares you a little, here’s what I want you to do: imagine shopping at the dollar store to make your family a nice dinner of dollar store meat and vegetables. That probably made you want to throw up a little, right? Now imagine just going to the dollar store and buying off-brand pop-tarts or granola bars with a very dependable expiration date. That one probably didn’t sound so scary.
I know living off of dollar store food is no one’s first choice, but it is such a money saver. When you’re on a road trip and living off of ramen, bars, mac and cheese, peanut butter, and other non-perishable, undeniably very processed foods, anyways, you might as well take the opportunity to do some dollar store shopping.
Whether you take the legendary dollar store advice or decide to live large and shop at Walmart, here are some of my favorite cheap and easy road trip foods:
1) Peanut butter and jelly on a tortilla
A classic.
You can use regular bread too, tortillas are just nice because you don’t have to worry about them getting squished in the immense amount of junk in your car.
2) Pop-tarts
Dollar store pop-tarts are shockingly good and I stand by that.
3) Granola/protein bars
4) Freeze-dried fruit
Apple, banana, and coconut chips, and freeze-dried strawberries.
Between trying to avoid bruised and squished fruit to the big temperature swings from day to night, bringing real fruit on road trips can be tricky.
Bringing freeze-dried fruit is a good alternative.
7) Chips, pretzels, cheez-its, and all your favorite road trip snacks
Can be found off-brand at the dollar store.
8) Mio, Nuun, or other water flavorings.
Whether you’re at a high elevation in the mountains, spending your day by the water, or in the hot, dry desert, it is super easy to get dehydrated on road trips.
I would recommend getting water flavoring so you drink more water and feel a whole lot better,
If you have a Jet Boil:
A Jet Boil is one of the greatest investments you can make when it comes to road trips and camping. It is cheaper than a traditional camping stove, so much lighter and easier to pack, and so quick and easy to use.
It boils water so you can actually cook real (ish) food because you can only live off of pb&j’s for so long.
Here are my favorite “just add boiling water” foods:
Even $0.99 gas station coffee adds up pretty quickly. Instant coffee is cheap and all you have to do is boil water and add the coffee.
I’m not gonna lie to you, it might make the list of crumbiest coffee you’ve ever tasted. Make sure you buy coffee creamers too. Drinking a crumby cup of coffee while sitting in the dirt and staring at an incredible view is an unmatched experience that you will love. I promise.
2) Oatmeal
Tip: these are generally supposed to be cooked in the microwave so completely disregard the instructions on the package.
Boil your water then pour it onto your mac and cheese, but do a little bit less than the packaging suggests. Mix it quick, then cover it for 5-10 minutes.
4) Kodiak cups
The same thing as the mac and cheese, these are meant to be cooked in the microwave. Add a little less water than the package says, mix it quickly, then cover it up for a few minutes.
5) Ramen
Definitely get the cups instead of the packages to make your life easier.
6) Quinoa cups
National Park Entry:
If you plan on visiting National Parks more than twice in the next year, save yourself some major money on park entries by buying an Annual National Parks Pass.
Day entry into most National Parks is around $30 per vehicle (it’s even more at some parks!). For the National Parks Annual Pass, you pay $80, then you can get into any National Park for a year.
So if you do the math, it’s basically buy 2, get the rest free. That is a sick deal.
If you are traveling primarily in one state, consider also buying a State Parks Pass for that state.
Free Attractions
No matter where you go, I guarantee there are quite a few free attractions and things to do.
There are so many hikes, scenic drives, beaches, picnic spots, and scenic lookouts that are completely free. Download the app All Trails to easily find hikes.
