5 Road Trip Saving Tips.

As my girls New York City road trip is getting closer and closer I am looking for ways to make this as budget friendly as possible. I plan to splurg a bit and will most likely see a broadway show and/or Taylor Swift, but I also hope to cut corners wherever possible. I want to do a lot of travelling in my life and the cheaper I do each trip the more likely it will be that a second will follow closer behind. So these are my tips on how to road trip on a budget.


1. More is better - We are fitting four girls in one car. That means that everything can be divided by four. You pay a fourth of a hotel room, a fourth of the gas and a fourth of any fees like toll roads and parking. In the end this really does make the biggest difference and allows you to save the most money possible.

2. Pack snacks, drinks and even meals - Through playing travel sports growing up, I have spent many a nights in a hotel room. The biggest money saving tool then was limiting your eating out. Bring simple to prepare foods and enjoy them in the hotel room whenever possible. Food in New York City I hear can be expensive. I believe that is one of the perks of road tripping in that we can bring our own food and drinks in the car and then into the hotel room. When we go out for a day, we can eat a simple breakfast in our room for next to nothing compaired to a sit down or even fast food breakfast that would cost between 5-$20 (that is a savings of 35-$140 over a week long trip). A bottle of water and a ziplock of trail mix fit nicely in a purse and save you from having to buy snacks and drinks else where, and are also much healthier that what you would find most places.

3. Limit City Travel (Walk when possible)- Taxi's are expensive. The more you take them the more a trip will cost. The same goes for street cars, buses, subways and really any form of public transportation. If you can plan your day so you can get to a location and walk around there you will save money. If you know you want to cover a large distance in a city and walking is out of the question, look into transit passes. Many cities have unlimited rides per day type cards and some cards may cover anything from 1 day to 7 days. Another option is the multi- ride cards. Typically not as great of a deal, however better then paying each time individually.

4. Limit your attractions. Thing before you fork out 5-30+ dollars to see/do something. Is it really worth paying to have your picture taken with the worlds largest (fill in the blank) on the side of the road? Do you really need to see a museum that you have never heard of before to see things on any other day you would not be interested in? There are plenty of places trying to get your money. Make sure its worth it before committing.

5. Research. - On a road trip or any other trip for that matter a little bit of research can go a long way. Avoiding toll roads, booking a hotel ahead of time, knowing what attractions you want to see and can avoid and where to get a wonderful low priced meal are just some of the advantages. It also doesn't hurt to have some idea what to expect when you get to a new city.