Saving Money on a Driving Vacation

I recently took a short vacation.  As my destination was only eight hours away, I choose to drive.  All in all, I find driving much more economical than flying - not to mention much more relaxing and stress free!  But this trip certainly wasn't a "free ride" (haha) and there were a few things I did to save money while I was traveling to my destination.

1.) Drive instead of fly.   By driving, not only did I save on the cost of an airplane ticket, but it also meant I didn't have to splurge on a rental car once I got to my destination.  Even if I could have found  deeply discounted plane fare, I would have still had the cost of the rental car.  Bottom line?  Driving almost always wins out for cost savings!

2.) Plan your gasoline purchases.  Gas is expensive, so getting the best price is vital in saving money on a car trip.  Where I live, gas is relatively cheap so I always fill up before leaving home.  I also research gas prices along my route using tools like the Gas Buddy app.  Doing so, I discovered that one town had gas prices 25 cents per gallon lower than anyplace else along my route.  Even though I didn't need gas at that point in my journey, I made sure to top off the tank there to avoid the need to pay higher rates elsewhere.  I never, ever get gas at Travel Plaza's, as they tend to inflate the price higher than the surrounding areas (supply and demand),  Also, I pay for my gas using a credit card that currently gives 5% cash back on all gas station purchases (always paying the card off in full each month), which gives me an extra savings.

3.) Pack my lunch.  When I travel, I always pack a cooler with water, pop, sandwiches, fruit, and snacks for the trip.  While one thing I do spend money on while vacationing are meals in nice local restaurants at my destination (I refuse to cook while on vacation and I like to eat GOOD meals), I don't want to waste money on fast food meals that are unhealthy, pricey, and delay me in getting to my destination in a timely manner.  Packing my food at home before I leave is an easy way to save money.  I can eat in the car for free and on my own time schedule.  I also remember to pack a little extra of the non-perishable items to use for the journey home.

4.) Avoid toll roads.  While this is not always possible, it is worth checking out all routes to see if you can avoid some or all toll roads.  Navigational tools like TomTom GPS or Google Maps make it very easy to do this.  The drive might take longer, but if the timing is only 30-60 minutes longer is it likely worth your time to save the money you would spend on toll charges.  An added bonus, besides saving money, is that you often get to see beautiful parts of the country that you would never experience just by getting off the major expressways,

5.) Look for cool destinations en route to your final destination.  Betting from point A to point B is always the goal, but don't be so quick to get there that you forget to check out for fun adventures en route.   Back-tracking at a later time because you later decide something would be a fun attraction to see only costs you time, wear and tear on your car, and gas money.  In addition, to get the most out of any vacation you should and do all that you can!

What are YOU tips for saving money on driving vacations?  Do you prefer driving over flying?