The following is a guest post from Ellen at Fun With English, where she explores the origin of English words and expressions. In her spare time, she is on her own journey to improve her financial knowledge! She’s also been a great reader and commenter here at BFS, and I am proud to be featuring her first ever guest post!!!
I recently took a trip to Canada’s capital, Ottawa. It’s about a 5 ½ hour trip to Ottawa from my house. I have both friends and family living there, so I try to get up at least once a year. This article contains information on what I think I did well, where I could have improved, and some general tips on how to save money on a road trip.
Transportation
We spent about 75 dollars on gas (I hear rumors it’s cheaper in the U.S. than it is in Canada) for the 2 tanks of gas we bought, plus I’d guesstimate we spent about 15 dollars more for the gas we used before we filled up.
We also took the bus downtown to a Remembrance Day ceremony (it’s our version of Veterans Day). We saved a bit there by using bus tickets (approximately 2.60 per person) instead of cash fare (approximately 3.25 per person). I’m not sure what parking was, so it’s tough to know if we came out ahead on this one. For practical purposes though, the bus was definitely the way to go.
I’d give myself a B+ on this one. I think we were moderately frugal, but if I’d really wanted to save a bit of cash, I could have walked the 4 kilometers (about 2 ½ miles) to the ceremony.
Lodging
Normally we get a hotel room, and I’ve saved some money by taking advantage of a “Stay 2 nights, get the 3rd one free” deal. This time, a friend offered to put us up and I accepted. I splurged a ridiculous amount for a hotel during a recent trip to Chicago, and was still feeling the sting of it, so it was nice to have a free place to stay.
I’d give myself an A on this one. Can’t do much better than free for lodging – including free parking!
Food
We bought food on the way up and the way down, and went out to dinner a few nights. We did scrounge breakfast off our friends, and lunch off a relative. Oh – and spent 4 bucks on a hot chocolate from Starbucks.
We could have saved some by packing food for the way up, and eating with friends we visited on the way back. We did split the hot chocolate instead of each getting our own though!
I’d give myself a B on this.
General Tips for Saving Money on a Road Trip
- Stay with someone you know! Some cheap options are hostels and university campuses (may only be available in the summer). At bare minimum – check for deals and discounts, and make sure your place has free parking if you’re driving.
- Pack food for the road, and also for your destination. It’s easy to bring a cooler of sandwiches, and some breakfast food (yay Poptarts!) that doesn’t spoil
- Take the most direct route, and keep an eye out for locations gas tends to be cheaper (e.g. city vs. country.)
How about you? How do you save on a road trip?
Crystal’s Comments: I also stay with friends or family when possible to save on hotel fees. Otherwise, the majority of my savings is whatever deal hunting I do online before a trip…
Virtually all of our vacations are to stay with friends or family. We just got back from a cruise however, which was our first non-family/friend vacation since our honeymoon. I agree with the packing your own food too. Food gets quite expensive, and impulse buys skyrocket on road trips.
I never really get the opportunity to stay with family when I travel, but I do always bring my own food (heck, I travel with my blender!). A lot of that has to do with me being a vegan and my daughter having nut allergies…eating out and on the road can be a land mine…but it’s certainly more cost effective too!
We haven’t really gotten into traveling across the country yet, but for our trips around the midwest, we bring our own food and stay with family. I also recommend bring some basic first aid items in the event of hurting yourself. Nothing worse than having a big cut, and no band aids in the car!
When traveling through large cities, I find it’s best to travel at odd times. You can avoid traffic jams which guzzle gas. Also, if you’re traveling somewhere that has tolls, research in advance and get a toll pass. Most of the time you can get the passes for free. The tolls are reduced prices and you can get through the line quicker.
I agree about staying with friends but only if that is the purpose of your visit. When we went to New York City for the US Open we got a hotel room. I wasn’t going to put out my younger cousin who was living in a “shoe box” just to save some money. Visiting with her was a perk and I wasn’t going to take advantage of that. Plus I know that she was upset when my aunts went out to NYC and assumed they were staying with her (and her 3 roommates). Same goes for my friend in Chicago, we were there to site-see therefore we got a hotel.
When we go to Florida to visit our friends and goddaughter, we stay with them. Because our purpose there is to see our friends. But…when we went there for one of their graduations (along with the rest of their family) we got our own hotel room. No need to cram 10 adults and 2 kids into a 1000 sq ft apartment.
Avoiding restaurants can save a lot of money. Taking food along is more efficient and saves money overall.
Crystal: Thanks so much for publishing me and your nice intro!:)
All: Thanks so much for the feedback and additional tips!
RFM: One vegan and one nut allergy does complicate things. I had enough trouble when I was a vegetarian – can’t imagine trying vegan. Sounds like you’re a good planner though. And my niece has a peanut allergy, so I get the complications there..
Johnathon: Agreed. I always have a car kit (jumper cables etc.), and a first aid kit.
Michelle: Good point. It’s not fair to use friends as a hotel. We were definitely there to see them, but also others, and in the past we’ve always used a hotel. I try to keep things balanced, but I always end up with some guilt..
Stay with friends is near the top of my list. I also stay in hostels when I’m by myself, which is much cheaper than hotels.
For food, I try not to eat out for breakfast and just grab something small instead.
Stay with family and friends. Plus, packing a cooler with snacks and drinks for the road is a must! And making sure your car is in tip top running order for long trips too.
Staying with friends and relatives as well as packing snacks and drinks are a must for me, especially when I travel with the whole family. I also look for packages on theme and leisure parks that the whole family will enjoy.
The place I always spend the most traveling where I could save is food. I am a sucker for a nice dinner, so sushi or a nice Italian place often creep onto the menu. If I planned it out and packed a few meals, I could easily save money on the road. Good points.
My most recent road trip was 10 hours to Wichita, KS. I saved by packing a cooler and driving straight through (no hotel fee). When I got there, I stayed with my husband in his work condo (paid for by work for his entire 3 month stay). So I saved money there. We did go out to eat a lot while I was there, though, so that wasn’t so hot. But half of the meals were paid for by his workplace, so I guess it was like we ate at two-for-one restaurants the whole time! The other place I saved was by dropping my dog off with family rather than at a kennel.
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