• Google Buzz

If you’re in college or just have a lot of free time and want to spend a weekend with friends and want to enjoy something different from your home town, a road trip is a great way to go on vacation and spend a minimal amount of money in the process. These trips can create some great bonding, allow you to see some new sights, and have a lot of fun in the process. Here are some tips to go on a road trip without breaking the bank.

Get Your Vehicle Ready – Before you leave for a trip of any distance, there’s some basic maintenance tasks that you should perform. Check the pressure on each of your tires and make sure the air filter black and dirty, and make sure that the oil level is okay. These things will make sure you’re getting the best mileage on the trip. Having tires properly inflated will increase your mileage by .5 MPG. Having properly replaced oil and a clean air filter can save you about 2 MPG together. This might not seem like much, but over a long car trip, it can really add up.

Take the Optimum Route – MapQuest and Google try to do their best to give you what they think it’s the best way to go, but they have a tendency to push you onto interstates when it might not always be the best idea to take them. When I was planning a trip to the city of Aberdeen, SD, Google and MapQuest both told me to take the interstate, when it made a lot more sense to take some of South Dakota’s highways. In fact, Google’s suggestion was an hour longer of a trip. Look at some good old fashion maps and make sure you’re taking the best route.

Bring Snacks – Before taking off, pack up some bottles of water and a few cans of pop in a cooler. In addition bring some of your favorite snacks, this way you won’t get suckered into paying for high-cost convenience store items. You’re going to have to stop for gasoline, and usually you end up buying a pop and some candy. Instead bring it with you, so that you can save a decent amount of cash.

Gas Prices – You should plan where you are going to get gasoline before leaving on a trip. There’s a 17 cents per gallon difference between where I live now (Madison) and my home town of Mitchell, which is only an hour away! Go to a website like Gas Buddy, and figure out where it’ll be the cheapest to buy gas at. There’s a big difference between gas states on a state by state basis, and the further you get away from refineries, the more money you will pay. It’ll take some time, but you can save a ton by figuring out where to buy gas before leaving.

Get the Right Hotel – If you have to stop on a trip, stay as cheaply as you can while remaining in a safe environment. You’re only going to be there for enough time to sleep, so don’t spend a lot of money on a hotel. Stop at a local gas station and get a list of local hotels. Call four or five of them and see which has the best price. In high-school, I frequently made phone-calls for people and the differences in price ranged anywhere from $60 a night to $140 when I worked at a gas station. Make sure you’re not paying too much for a hotel room!



 Related Content: