One of the best ways to take a vacation for cheap and see some spectacular scenery is to take a roadtrip. Flights and sleeping accommodations have always taken up a significant portion of my vacation budget, leaving me with little money to try local foods, enjoy excursions, and even buy memorable souvenirs. But as a midwesterner, I have learned the art of the road trip. Here are my best roadtrip tips!

I remember planning my first roadtrip with my best friend as a freshman in college. We had a paper map, fifteen pages of printed-out directions from MapQuest, and a backseat full of snacks. The plan was to make some pit stops on the 15-hour drive to a music festival, and to this day, I remember pulling up to her house after the trip, blasting Cherub and her mom telling us that we both smelled horribly.

Now, over ten years later, road trips are still one of my favorite types of adventures. I’ve road-tripped all over the United States. If you’re looking for an affordable adventure on the road, this blog post is for you.

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11 Roadtrip Tips & Tricks for the Perfect Vacation

Before we get into the tips, there are a few tools I use to plan and execute my roadtrips that I have listed below:

1. Google Maps – I use the “My Map” feature to create a list of things I want to see, places to eat, plots, campsites & hotels, and identify things I might want to do in the area. I also use Google Maps to download the areas I will be road-tripping through. This will ensure I always have navigation available with the use of offline maps.
2. Notion – Notion is a tool that I use to plan out my days for my trip. While I typically do not stick to a rigid itinerary on roadtrips, I do like to have a list of options for each day so I can pick what I’m interested in once I am there.
3. GasBuddy – Since I am trying to get the most bang for my buck, I use GasBuddy to find affordable gas prices while on the road.
4. TheDyrt – If I will primarily be camping on my roadtrip (which is typical), I will use TheDyrt to find free campsites in the area. They will point in the best direction for free dispersed camping.

Roadtrips are HIGHLY customizable, so consider giving yourself some wiggle room on your trip.

When I take a road trip, my priorities are usually geared toward seeing as much as I can in the time I have, primarily in national parks. I will plan out multiple hikes for a day and find a few different observation points on the way to each. If your priorities instead lean towards leisurely drives to a few places and spending multiple days in a single area, that is something to consider in your planning.

1. Drive instead of flying (when it makes sense)

By simply driving to your starting point, you’re already saving money on airfare and car rental fees, all while taking in the gorgeous views around you! Having the freedom to drive your own car on a trip provides more variety in what you can do in an area.

It also allows you to bring as much gear as you want without having to worry about flying with it. If you do need to fly to your starting point, here is a blog on how to fly with camping gear.

If it doesn’t make sense to drive to the starting point of your roadtrip, consider what “level” of rental car you truly need. Do you need the big SUV or would a sedan be fine? Search for affordable car rental prices here.

2. Make your own food

While transportation and hotels add up quickly, so does eating out. When away from home, people tend to eat out for every meal. Opt for making your own meals. But also remember, eating at local restaurants adds to the experience of an area; eating at a fast food restaurant does not. When I choose to spend extra money on food, I tend to look for cute coffee shops, famous local restaurants, and unique breweries.

That said, I have made a significant number of parking lot PB & J’s, and they taste delicious every time. When roadtripping, I bring a small-ish cooler with enough space for a few days’ worth of meals.

Easy on the Road Meals:

• Bagels & Cream Cheese
• Overnight Oats
• PB&J
• Falafel Wraps
• Rotisserie Chicken Sliders
• Veggies & Fruit
• Pastas (if you have a stove)

This allows you to just stop at the grocery store every few days without having to worry about food spoilage.

For adult beverage drinkers –

Opt to take a six-pack of beer on the go! I love visiting new breweries and often budget for them on my trips. However, $8 craft beers add up. Sometimes a local beer tastes just as good at a campsite.

3. Choose your sleeping accommodations carefully

Especially on a long road trip, I like to break up my sleeping accommodations between camping and hotel stays. I find that when I am doing a National Park roadtrip specifically, I will spend a few nights in the park camping, and then book a hotel in between the next park to catch up on my hours of sleep, get a hot shower, and sleep in a warm bed.

Affordable Hotels Sparingly > Cheap Hotels Regularly

I would be lying if I said I didn’t have an affinity for nice hotels! This is why I love my method of staying in a hotel every four-ish days, so I don’t have to choose between cheap hotels for longer stays. This gives me the opportunity to spend a little more on a cool, local cabin or a unique stay.

When searching for a hotel, I like to use Hotels.com for its user-friendly interface and easy way to earn a free night’s stay.

I would also personally rather car camp than stay in a crusty, dusty motel.

Dispersed Camping is the Ultimate Hack

Camping is my go-to way to road trip because it is the easiest way to significantly save money. When roadtripping, you can easily pack all of your camping gear with you. If you’re staying in a National Park, campsites are usually around $30 dollars, but there is also the possibility of dispersed camping! Dispersed camping is camping in underdeveloped areas for free.

Related Read: How to Disperse Camp

4. Bring a friend or two!

The more the merrier! Dividing up the costs of a trip between multiple people will immediately decrease the cost of gas, sleeping accommodations, groceries, etc.

This frees up more funds for what you’d like to do on your trip and also breaks up a long drive between divers. However, make sure you actually like your travel companions because you will be spending lots of time with them in a small space.

Apps are available, like SplitWise, that can easily divide up the cost of the trip.

The easiest way to vacation on a budget is to vacation with friends!

5. Site see for free (or at a discount)

For National Park-based trips, buying an America the Beautiful pass will save you the most money in the long run. The pass is $80, but it provides access to every National Park, National Forest, and Monument for an entire year without any additional costs. Paying for a single-day park admission can cost $35+. So if you’re planning on traveling to multiple parks throughout the year, this is the way to go.

Example: For a Glacier-Yellowstone-Teton Roadtrip, the day pass per vehicle is $35 for each park. Even if you visit each park once and pay the day pass fee, you will still spend $105.

Another option is to plan your trip around free-admission days at parks and museums. These days can be found on the webpages of the different locations you might want to visit. If there are no free days, they could also offer discounted rates for educators, students, military personnel, or seniors. It doesn’t hurt to ask when purchasing your ticket! As an educator myself, I regularly ask if there is a teacher discount.

If you plan your trip on Roadtrippers.com, they can also provide amazing recommendations for free sightseeingstops, landmarks, overlooks, etc.

6. Travel in off-season

Visiting National Parks, especially in the summer, can be a madhouse. The easiest way to cut costs is by travelling outside of the summer months. In addition to avoiding traffic jams, you also avoid surge pricing.

In April 2022, I stayed in a beautiful cabin outside of Yellowstone National Park. The daily rate was $200 lower than the busy-season rates. Cheaper rates in the off-season can be seen in car rental companies, flights, guided tours, and hotel accommodations.

7. Skip (or limit) guided tours

If I am being honest, I am a sucker for a good guided tour. But they should be done sparingly and with purpose. As an avid hiker, I don’t need a guided tour of a hike or a wilderness safari if I can see it on my own.

When picking a guided tour, I consider the following:

• Can I SAFELY do this on my own?
• Will it add to my overall experience of the area?
• Is the time commitment to the tour worth it?

When traveling in the US, I find most of my tours on GetYourGuide.

8. Cleanliness & organization are KEY to sanity

No one likes a messy car, and you’d be surprised how quickly a car can go from spotless to filthy in a 24-hour period.

Everything should be kept separately. Clean clothes stay in your duffle bag, and dirty clothes go in a plastic bag. I love the plastic bag method because you can find a hotel that has laundry facilities and just dump it in there.

Camping gear gets kept in a designated camping bin. No exceptions. I keep my camping gear in the Gregory Alpaca Gear Box, which makes packing easy and my gear closet organized.

At service stations, take a minute to throw away any and all garbage. Do this again at the next gas station.

9. Fill up at half tank

Road trips tend to take you into the middle of nowhere, and the last thing you want to happen is to be stuck on the side of the road with a completely empty gas tank.

My dad used to refer to the gas light as the “idiot light” in a not-so-nice way. After spending my fair share of rolling up to service stations with just fumes in my gas tank, I finally understand.

This also gives you time for a potty break, ensure you have good tire pressure, and wash off your windshield.

Note: Avoid streaky, dirty-looking photos out of the car window by washing them at the gas station. Promise.

10. Stop when you see something interesting

My top road trip is, and some of my favorite memories on roadtrips have been stopping at the weird roadside attraction.

Interestingly enough, two of my favorite roadside attractions that I’ve stopped at have been dinosour related. One was Prehistoric Gardens on my Oregon Coast Roadtrip, and one was Moab Giants on my Utah Roadtrip.

It is always worth turning around to stop at some quirky thing on the roadside.

11. Triple-check your packing list

This might seem like common sense (or overkill), but forgetting things on your trip is a surefire way to spend unneccessary fund. I get it, we’ve all forgotten a charger, but what about hiking boots or a rain jacket? Worst case scenario you have to purchase something at a convenience store on the way. But these sorts of things really add up. Plus, if you’re purchasing things that you forgot, it means you now own two.

It is a good idea to write yourself a list of everything you plan on doing and what you need to do it, the type of weather you might encounter, and make your list from there.

For a roadtrip, some items you might want to bring that could be overlooked:

1. Jumper cables
2. First aid kit
3. Reusable water bottle
4. Field guides to help identify wild animals

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You might also like…

• Oregon Coast Epic Road Trip
• Glacier – Yellowstone – Grand Teton Summer Road Trip
• Essential Camping Gear Guide
• Essential Car Camping Gear Guide
• Ultimate Guide to Flying with Camping Gear
• What is Dispersed Camping?

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Pack it up

There is nothing quite like the open road, music blasting, and gorgeous views all around you. A successful road trip is really what you make of it. The road trip tips in this guide work for me, but your adventure and priorities could look much different.

Truly, the best way to plan the perfect road trip is to understand that the plan is always flexible. Make an extra stop, ask a local for their recommendation, and leave a place early if you do not enjoy it.

You will spend a lot of time making quick stops. Take it all in and enjoy it.