How to Road-Trip on a Budget
Stay
If you can’t leave home without your entire closet, this life might not be for you. The best place to stay is free. Free means you might have to get your hands dirty. Whether you’re in a motor-home or sleeping in a tent, boon-docking is the way to go. Boondocking is essentially dry camping on side of the road. For those not familiar with the trailer world, dry camping means no hookups, no water, no electricity, no sewer. So, find some BLM land and camp wherever. If you want more tips for boon-docking, check out my post, What is Boondocking?.
The pro of boondocking is not only are you not in a crowded RV park or expensive hotel, but you have your pick of the best views. We’ve boondocking next to mountains and rivers that well beat out the lack of AC. Not that you can’t have AC, we use a generator to power things for shorts periods of time, but the cost of gas is too much in my opinion when that money can be used to do something really fun. But you can set your own priorities. Another con of no electricity is no water heater. But never once did I mind a cold shower after a hot hike, so if it’s the summer months, do a quick workout outside and I doubt you will either.
Food
Ok, here’s my rules: Eat-in, Buy in bulk, Wash plastic plates and utensils, Off brand is usually the same thing, and don’t be picky. Rice can go a long way with some hot dog slices and a sweet and sour sauce. Cup of Noodles are 28 cents a-piece and have great flavors like lime chicken. Otherwise, load up on fresh fruit, canned beans, canned fruit, canned veggies, canned everything. Also, eggs are the perfect breakfast protein. We took 72 eggs on our last trip. However, you’ve got to treat yourself sometimes so buy those cheap plastic popsicle makers from Walmart (97 cents) and grab a 3-liter bottle of your favorite soda and you’ll never be happier. Last month, I must’ve consumed over 100 sprite popsicles, which are even better in the hot weather I must add.
Another tip from Walmart, they sell these mini pies and cakes in cardboard boxes that fit in the palm of your hand for 50 cents each. I’m talking peach, apple, blueberry, pineapple, chocolate, salted caramel, red velvet etc… they’re so good and so cheap. Grab a vanilla ice cream to pair with the pies, or warm up the cakes and put the ice cream on top. They’re the perfect midnight treat, especially when your camping at the Walmart. They can usually be found toward the checkout lanes because they’re freshly made.
Activities
As far as the fun stuff, I’m pro National Parks. They charge around $30 per day per vehicle, but if you’re road tripping odds are you’re hitting a bunch of parks. This is when the American the Beautiful Pass pays off. This is an annual pass that admits everyone in your vehicle (max of 16 people) for a grand total of $80 for the entire year. So, if you’re going to even 3 parks, it’s a deal. Last month we hit 10 parks and saved over $200 with the pass. As for what to do in the parks, possibilities are endless, but check out my How To: National Park series if you want the details.
Travel
If you’re in some sort of trailer, your needs can be met at the National Parks. Filling up your tanks with potable water is always free, and dumping can be as well but most times costs $5. But that’s a small fee and is definitely worth it after a week or so on the road.
Regardless of what you’re staying in, you’ll be needing gas. The best way to save on gas besides driving 45 in a 70 because you’re towing a trailer – which I don’t recommend because I got pulled over in Utah for this exact crime – is to use the app Gas Buddy. It uses your location to pull up a map of all the gas stations near you, listing their prices. The prices are updated by app users and can sometimes be a couple cents off, but in my experience, the prices are correct 95% of the time. This way you can plan ahead to stop at only the cheapest options.
The last bit of advice is an app called Wifi map. If you’re doing any sort of work on the road or need to just shoot someone a message it will pull up a map showing establishments with free wifi networks such as McDonald’s, Starbucks etc… near you. This way you can save data and have access to faster internet.
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