road trip
7 Tips om goedkoper op roadtrip te gaan
Planning of
Your Travel Itinerary
Today we would like to give you 7 tips to go on a cheaper road trip. We are currently on a road trip in America ourselves and find it important to be able to do this as cheaply as possible because such a trip is already expensive enough. Yet we also like comfort and don’t want to save on everything. The journey itself must be experienced pleasantly. These tips can be applied very easily by anyone and are useful for all those who want to save a little on their (future) road trip. Do you have plans to go on a road trip soon? Then you should definitely read these 7 tips!
1 Schedule
It is important to plan your road trip well in advance. It may be adventurous to prepare nothing and wait and see where you go, but it is usually not cheaper. When planning a road trip, it is best to map out your route in detail in advance. This allows you to avoid certain places that cost (a lot of) money on your route. These may include toll roads that cost you a lot of money. It’s also best to avoid paying parking lots. So your planning in advance can save you a lot of money when you’re on the road. Keep that in mind.
2 Rent a car
When you rent a car and go on a road trip with it, it is best to only rent a car to drive from place to place. Many people rent a car for the full road trip, including trips within the same city or region, but that’s not really necessary. When staying in the same place for a longer period of time, it is cheaper to travel by public transport or sometimes even by cab for short distances. You will then save not only on the cost of your rental car, but also on gasoline and any paid parking. And these costs, especially in large cities, can add up. Definitely something to consider!
3 Buy car
However, renting a car is not in all cases the cheapest solution to take a road trip. In some countries, the cost of a car is so low that it is better to buy one (used) than to rent one from a (Western) company. After your road trip, in many cases you can sell this car back for almost the same purchase price, or at least for an almost equal amount. This makes the cost of your transportation immensely low and yet you are able to get everywhere easily. This tip is an especially good option on long road trips. As such, this is one of our favorite tips for going on a cheaper road trip
4 Overnight
A road trip is usually a slightly longer journey, so it’s best to save some money on your lodging as well. The cost of your overnight stay can be high. We ourselves choose to book many of our places to stay through AirBnB. This website lets you stay in people’s homes at very different prices. So you have very cheap places to stay, but also very luxurious and expensive places. Thus, there is a place to stay on AirBnB for every budget. For those who do like more luxury and comfort, you can occasionally opt for a hotel. For example, we also book a luxury hotel every so often to completely relax. However, it is still cheaper to book a hotel once in a while and especially use it through AirBnB, than to book a hotel always and everywhere.
5 Cool box
If you are planning a road trip in a hot country, buying a cooler is a good option. This way you can still save some extra money on food and drinks. So how do you do that? It is best to buy food and drink in advance from a supermarket for a few days. In the morning before departure, you can pack a lunch with some extra drinks and snacks for the road. A cooler will not only keep your food and drinks cooler for longer but also tastier. As an addition, you can put a bag of ice in your cooler. This way, your food and drinks stay fresh even longer and your wallet doesn’t have to go upstairs at (expensive) roadside restaurants all day!
6 GPS
If you are going on a road trip for an extended period of time, it is best to purchase and carry your own GPS. Many car rental companies offer a GPS for an additional cost but buying one yourself remains the best and cheapest solution. After all, you use a GPS in your daily life as well and it is no trouble to take it with you when you travel. Don’t forget to keep your (international) maps up to date!
7 Driving behavior
Going on a cheaper road trip can also be done with your driving habits. Consequently, changing your driving habits can save money. How so? For example, by releasing your gas pedal faster at a red or amber light instead of violently pushing on your brakes just before the traffic light. As a result, you will consume less gasoline which will therefore cost you less money. Checking your tire pressure before you leave is always a good idea. Proper tire pressure can save you a lot of gasoline. Another thing to consider is that you drive at a similar pace throughout your road trip. Aggressive driving requires more gasoline and it can also be detrimental to your car. It is always best to take a road trip at a leisurely pace.
Cheaper on a road trip
Would you also like to go on a road trip soon? Then you can definitely use these 7 tips to go on a cheaper road trip! Would you like to keep your upcoming trip as inexpensive as possible? Then we have the perfect tips for you! Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and Instagram to get even more new tips. Every Tuesday you can find our best travel tips here. See you then!
save
en route
1 Avoid toll roads
The first tip is perhaps the most logical. Always try to avoid toll roads if possible. That doesn’t even have to be that hard, however, you can just enter it into your GPS. Do check how many kilometers you have to detour as a result, as it is obviously not the intention to end up paying more on fuel. So, we ourselves did this calculation when we traveled to France with our caravan and we made it to the South without entering a single toll road. We did save some money as a result. We may have been on the road four hours longer but we also saw so much more than we would have seen on toll roads. For example, you will pass by beautiful nature and nice villages where you can make a stop. And we then paid less for it.
2 The right gas stations
When planning your route, it never hurts to look up where you can get the cheapest fuel. This can differ by 10 cents per liter in many cases and sometimes even more. So it’s worth looking up anyway. Often the gas stations on the highways are also a lot more expensive than those on the regular roads. So if you really want to go far in saving money, you can also start scheduling your refueling.
3 Check the price
When renting a car, always check carefully what is included in the price. There are a few Belgian and Dutch companies where the full insurance is included in the price but there are also companies where you suddenly have to pay extra on the spot and that can sometimes be very high. For example, in America we had to pay about 16 euros per day surcharge because we were not yet 25 years old. Fortunately, we had factored this in. But suppose you don’t know this, it can be a bit of a shock. Because of this extra cost, we also always returned the car to the rental company if we stayed somewhere longer than two days. Because we didn’t really need the car in those days and so it just became an extra cost. Our road trip across America was one with many different cars… but it did save us a lot of money.
4 Make sure your car is in good shape
The last tip that can make you save on your itinerary seems logical but is often forgotten. Namely, make sure the car is in good shape. For example, make sure the car’s tire pressure is right, as it has been proven that you will consume more with flatter tires. And so there are a host of other things you’d better get checked out before you leave on a road trip. If only to avoid having a breakdown on the road and having to pay more on the road than at home. When renting a car, this is usually in order. But there is no harm in checking certain things anyway.
What do you do to save on your itinerary?
And what do you do to save on your itinerary? Do you have any additional tips for us? Be sure to let us know in the comments or on our Facebook page. Are you looking for even more tips to plan your trip as cheaply as possible? Then be sure to take a look at our Travel Tips.