How to Budget a Road Trip So You Don’t Become Broke
CindyAre you planning a road trip anytime soon? Road trips tend to be cheaper than flying when planning a mini getaway or a long vacation. When you start planning, there are many things you start thinking about, like things to bring, expenses, people, gas, and hundreds of other things.
According to Gogo Charters, a solo travelers can spend up to $1,984, but if it's' a family trip, it can cost up to over $7,000 for one-week vacation.
Even if it’s a road trip, you sometimes have to plan ahead so you have an idea of what’s going to happen in the next couple of days.
Here are things you should think about carefully when budgeting your road trip.
1. Counting Days
The first thing you want to think about is how many days you plan on going. Is it a few days or a week? It matters because you have to pay for a place to stay. Do you want to spend more money on activities or stay in? Figuring out how many days you want to go can give you a rough estimate of the numbers.
Nothing is free in life, and an extra day you stay back is another day you have to pay for it. You want to average how much money you will be paying for each day.
2. Place to Stay
The next thing you will start looking for is a place to stay. This might be a vacation home, hotel, Airbnb, cabin, and others. Depending on where you are going, the price can fluctuate. Some places are more expensive than others. Finding a place to stay can take a while because you have to think about the safety of the locations, the reviews of the place, and whether it’s close to any main attractions.
If you have a friend who lives in a particular city, you can ask them if you could crash there for a few days. It’s better to cut your expenses in half when you can.
3. Transportation
Gas is not cheap anymore these days. If you want cheap gas, you have to go back to the past when it used to be $1 and something cents. Going on a road trip means you have to pay for gas, but the question is, how are you getting there? Are you planning on driving yourself, or are you carpooling with someone? What about bus and train options?
If you are going on a road trip by yourself, you have to pay for gas by yourself, but if you going with a group of people, you can split the gas. It all comes down to the number of people you are going with.
4. Food Expenses
Another expense is food. Food can take up the majority of your money because everyone loves to eat. When you travel somewhere new, you just want to eat all the time because food tastes different everywhere you go. You might not go back to that destination next time, so you might as well enjoy it as much as you can.
If you don’t plan to eat out a lot and plan on cooking, you must consider buying groceries for your expenses.
5. Planning Activities
Fun activities also take up the majority of your bank account. These can include skiing, swimming with dolphins, hiking, visiting museums, and visiting other attractions. Depending on what you want to do, you can spend a chunk of your money or less.
So, if you want to do something, you should also plan ahead because certain activities require reservations. Better yet, you should make an itinerary so you have everything you want to do every day.
6. Shopping
Do you plan on shopping when you are on your trip? People tend to love shopping when they are out of town. There might be a shop that a city has that your town doesn’t. If you plan on shopping, you have to consider saving some money for that. Maybe you need a souvenir or something special for yourself.
Shopping can be fun when you are out of town because you get to see cool things that you may never see before. If you plan on shopping on your road trip, you need to put this into consideration.
7. Bring Water
While on your road trip, you don’t want to be dehydrated. Sometimes, you might get too excited and forget to drink water. You want to pack enough water to keep you hydrated throughout the trip. Your body needs plenty of water to keep going.
You don’t want to waste up all your energy and wear yourself out. No one likes to be sick when returning from a nice road trip.
8. Plan Your Route
Making an itinerary is key to a successful road trip. Planning takes a while, but it gives you less stress in return. When you have a plan for the whole trip, you don’t have to worry about what to do every day. You save money, time, and energy.
When you plan out your route, you can budget everything for the T, and you don’t have to backtrack. If you tend to go on a road trip for four days, you can stay in one location for every day you are there, so you don’t have to waste gas going back and forth. That wastes a lot of gas, money, and energy.
Make Your Road Trip Fun and Successful
Now that you know what important expenses you need, you’ll surely have a successful and fun road trip. A road trip is meant to reduce stress, have fun, and let loose. When you plan everything out, you shouldn’t be too worry about things. Once you have everything in place, all that’s left is to count down until the road trip.
She started her blog, The Money Dreamer, when she realized the 9-5 job was not the lifestyle she wanted anymore. After designing for a while, she wanted a more meaningful life, which was freedom, so she decided to venture out. She took action so that she can live her dream life and decided to help people to live theirs by helping them how to save, budget, and invest.
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