How to Save Money on a Road Trip

Road trips can be a lot of fun — but they can also drain your wallet quickly if you aren’t careful.

---

From high gas costs and park admission fares to lodging and the price of eating out every night, the expenses can add up quickly. But at the same time, it’s very possible to do road trips cheaply and efficiently. Without the headache of worrying about how much money you’re leaking, you can enjoy the open road a whole lot more. Here’s how to save money on a road trip.

1. Prepare Your Budget, Route, and Packing List in Advance

If you want to save money on a road trip, be sure you’re ready to go. Try to count up all your expenses before you hit the road and create a budget. It’s also a good idea to plan your route in advance so you don’t end up taking unnecessary, gas-guzzling detours. And finally, be sure to pack in advance so you don’t find yourself having to buy tons of things you forgot along the way.

2. Book Cheap Accommodations — Or Try Camping

All those motel rooms can add up surprisingly quick, but camping is often cheap or free, and it’s a great way to get intimate with the place you’re visiting. You can check the Bureau of Land Management’s website for free campsites. Freecampsite.com also provides great information on If you don’t have a tent or don’t want to camp every night, try booking cheap Airbnbs or booking hotels in advance, making sure to compare prices.

camping road tripConde Nast Traveler

If you’re planning on sleeping in your car, a few tips: WalMart allows all-night parking, as do many 24-hour gyms. (Buying a membership to Planet Fitness or something like it also gives you a great place to stop, shower, and recharge while on the road).

3. Bring Food From Home

Don’t go on a road trip expecting to subsist on fast food alone. You’ll wind up feeling like shit, and it’ll drain your pocketbook stunningly quickly. Instead, be sure to bring food from home. Consider buying a gas stove and a coffee pot for easy on-the-go meals, and make sure you bring substantial snacks to satiate midday or late-night cravings so you can avoid getting those late night Mickey D’s expeditions.

Try bringing your own cooler, filling it with easy stuff for breakfast and lunch — some bread and peanut butter and jelly will go a long way. Bring your own utensils, plates, and napkins, and avoid buying bottled water by packing some big water jugs and a reusable water bottle. Alternatively, try staying at hotels or Airbnbs with kitchens so you can cook there.

4. Avoid Tolls

Apps like Google Maps and Waze point out toll locations, so be sure to avoid those to save those pennies. (If it takes you too far off route, you might have to bite the bullet and drive across that expensive bridge).

You can also save on parking fees by using sites like Parkopedia.

Road TripThe Orange Backpack

5. Save on Gas

Gas can get pricy incredibly fast, so be sure that you’re stopping at cheap gas stations. Free apps like GasBuddy help you find the most affordable gas prices in the area. Also, try going the speed limit on the highways — anything faster will burn through your tank. Be sure that you don’t wait till you arrive at touristy locations or big cities to fill up.

6. Get a National Park Pass

All those parks can get really expensive really fast. If you’re planning on visiting three or more parks, it’s a great idea to get an America the Beautiful National Parks Pass. For $80 you can get into every National Park for one year.

When two job offers land at once, it’s tempting to pick the bigger number. But salary is only part of what an employer pays you, and benefits can swing an offer’s real value by thousands of dollars. Once you’ve accepted, our guide on how to increase your earning potential in your current role can help

Keep reading

Short answer: AI assistants mention the brands they see described clearly and often, on pages they already trust. To get a D2C brand referenced, make your own site easy to quote, then get covered in the third-party reviews and “best-of” lists the engines cite. Expect it to take 2-3 months of steady coverage, not a

Keep reading

Autopay is one of the easiest ways to avoid late fees, but it isn’t right for every bill. If you’re still working out how much money you should keep in your checking account, it helps to know which payments could pull out more than you expect. Some bills change from month to month, some renew

Keep reading

Side hustles work best when they build on what you already do well, which is why they pair naturally with growing your earning potential in your current role. You’re also far from alone: the Bureau of Labor Statistics counted 8.8 million Americans holding more than one job in 2025. This list skips the “passive income”

Keep reading

Birthday dinners, group trips, concert tickets, weddings. None of them feel huge on their own, but together they can quietly take over your budget. Financial peer pressure rarely looks like someone pushing you to spend. It usually looks like not wanting to be the one who says no, and it’s often amplified by what we

Keep reading

Getting paid more doesn’t always mean switching jobs. Often, the fastest route to a bigger paycheck is learning how to ask for a raise in the role you already have, and backing that request with proof. Here’s when to ask, how much to request, what to say, and what to do if the answer is

Keep reading

Your checking account has one job: paying for everyday life without bounced payments or surprise fees. But keep too much there, and your spare cash earns almost nothing. So how much money should I keep in my checking account? For most people, it’s one month of expenses plus a small buffer. Here’s how to work

Keep reading

Whether you’re looking for a new job or hoping to advance in your current career, earning a certification can be a practical way to build new skills and demonstrate your expertise. As technology and workplace expectations continue to evolve, certifications can also help professionals keep up with in-demand areas such as AI, cloud computing, data

Keep reading

Oh, how far we’ve come! Recently, it was revealed that — finally! — women CEOs at Fortune 500 companies outnumber male CEOs named John. A dubious milestone, but it’s something to celebrate. Though women have come pretty far in society, the progress we’ve made is far from enough. From the pay gap to daily microaggressions,

Keep reading

Trying to cancel your gym membership can be more tiring than actually attending that kickboxing class you keep skipping. Getting out of your gym contract can be so tough that people are going to great lengths to avoid paying any penalties. After going into debt living a lifestyle she couldn’t afford, this woman forged fake

Keep reading