(Photo credit: Count Rushmore)
My family, along with nearly 90 million other Americans, will be traveling quite soon for Christmas. With a 500 mile drive (and a border crossing!) each way, I’m predicting the trip to and from our destination will be slightly miserable with two young children in tow.
Other than hours of “I want out of my car seat” requests and frequent stops for baby feedings and potty breaks, the cost of travel can be somewhat unpleasant as well. Between gas, food, and unexpected problems along the way, the costs can add up quickly. But there are some ways to save with a little advance planning.
1. Pack snacks and meals. This is the easiest of all the tips to throw together even at the last minute, but perhaps one of the biggest money savers. You know all of those convenience foods you’ve been getting on the cheap with coupons? Save them up for your car trip snacks, and make sure you don’t forget them at home! And while we do stop for some meals on our drives, I typically pack breakfast since we leave before the sun comes up. I’ve found this is the easiest meal to pack, and saves us $8-$10. Idea: fruit and granola bars. And don’t forget to pack drinks too. When we travel, I always bring bottles of water that we drink along the way instead of stopping for drinks. At about $2.99 (on sale) for a 24-pack of water, it’s much cheaper than stopping at 7-Elevens.
2. Plan your meal stops. Okay, so maybe this is where my Type-A personality colors really start to show, but if you stop for meals along your drive, you can save money by even loosely planning where you’ll eat. Just knowing what chain restaurants are common in what regions can help you track down printable coupons for those places before you leave. Just do a Google search for the restaurant name and coupons. For example, I know that Subways are pretty common all over the U.S., and I’m certain we’ll be able to find a Subway somewhere near Pittsburg (for example) for lunch. Since I know that, I’ll make sure I find a Subway coupon before our trip to take along. You could also look in Google maps and decide that, based on your departure time, you could stop in such-and-such area for lunch. Using Valpak and Redplum, you can find coupons for that area based on zip code. As long as you have a general idea of where you’ll stop for meals, you can search and print those coupons. Just remember to stick the coupons in your purse before you take off!
3. Keep Your Tires Properly Inflated. President Obama caught some flack for his tire pressure comment during his campaign, and while I’m pretty certain this tip won’t solve a national energy crisis, it will help save some money on fuel. Having your tires properly inflated can improve your gas mileage by 3 to 4%. While that may not seem like a lot, if you’re driving a long distance (like us) or have a car with not-so-hot gas mileage (like us as well), this savings could add up.
4. Take care of car maintenance before you travel. Unexpected car problems can cost big time on trips when you’re unfamiliar with mechanics, service stations, and tow companies. While not all car problems can be avoided by staying on top of routine maintenance, this is surely a precautionary step that has the potential to save. For example, on a car trip last year, we sudenly needed coolant for our car. Had we checked the fluid levels before we left, we could have bought the coolant at the reasonable price we usually pay instead of twice as much at an over-priced station. So if you’re due for an oil change or fluid fill-up, save yourself some potential problems by taking care of it before you leave.
5. Drive at night. This might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but if you can manage it, it can result in savings. First, you could very well save on gas by driving at night, since traveling at night often means less backups and slow-downs due to traffic and accidents. Being caught up in stand-still traffic during some city’s rush-hour can cost you gas (and sanity!) And if you drive while everyone sleeps, you can potentially save on meal stops too. We’re considering this for our upcoming trip. If we drive through the night, we would only be eating breakfast on the road (and a packed breakfast at that!) and then mooch lunch from family when we arrive :) , instead of the breakfast, lunch, and dinner we would need if driving throughout the day.
Car trips don’t have to cost an arm and a leg! Just like in other areas of frugality, a little planning can add up to big savings.
If you’ve found ways to save on car travel, I would love to hear your tips!
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Another thing that you can do to save on car travel is to request visitor books and tourist information from places along your destination. Often these books are filled with money saving coupons (i.e., two meals for the price of one, discounts, etc.,). If you don’t have the time to request them, stop in local hotels and pick them up (you could at least use them on the way back).
We do this every single time we visit Williamsburg even though we live less than an hour away. Combining this idea along with bringing our own food/staying at a hotel that serves a good free breakfast and using hotel points from our credit card or my husband’s travel means we make out like bandits.
You may also have a cell phone that can use GPS to locate the cheapest sources of gas along your route. And I always recommend using that travel card to get either cash back or free stays so that Mom & Dad can have a kids-free holiday sometime in January or February when hotels are really looking for business (as long as it’s not around Valentine’s Day) as a reward for the craziness of the holidays!
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