I had to do some traveling last year and I figured out that I could save money if I planned ahead carefully. One of the best things you can do if you are driving cross-country is use Google Maps to check out the route you want to take. We drove about 1800 miles and spent most of that time on Interstate highways. But what was important was knowing when and where to stop for gas and food.
One of my favorite sites when driving on long trips is Gas Buddy. I use this site to find the best places to buy gas near the Interstate highways. I'll even drive a little bit out of my way if I can save 5-10 cents per gallon. Having a list of places to stop in advance saves time and money.
We also look up restaurants and see what kinds of reviews people are posting for them. We probably use TripAdvisor more than other sites. We don't worry too much about complaints on service unless we see a lot of negative reviews. We're more concerned about cleanliness, safety, affordability, and seating availability.
If we know we'll be hitting big city traffic around rush hour we either try to find a route around the city or we'll stop for dinner somewhere. That's a great idea I got from this personal time management article. Instead of sitting in traffic you just take care of some other business while the traffic works its way home. Then you get back on the road and make good time.
We once stopped to watch a new movie on a road trip because the traffic was so bad. That was a last resort because I think there was an accident or something and we just happened to be at an exit with a movie theater. So instead of sitting in a hot car going nowhere we had a nice afternoon movie experience. We were relaxed when we got back on the road.
You also want to do research on the hotels you may stay at when you are on the road. We made about 600 to 700 miles a day when we could but we still checked the hotel options before we hit town. Following the advice on this site we were able to save some money and time.
Car maintenance is another concern. If you know you are going to be traveling you may want to check out where your national tire service stores are located. We have a warranty on our tires and we have used it a couple of times to get tires fixed or replaced. I was paranoid enough that I made a list of good auto parts stores to stop at on our trip. Fortunately we did not have to use it.
If you don't have to drive around looking for stores in a strange location you'll save time and money, and that makes any emergency stops less frustrating.
Finally, if you have a shopping club membership like at Sam's or Costco you might want to time your gas stops close to their stores. You'll not only save on gas but you can grab a quick snack for less than $3 per person from their in-store cafes. Pizza, hot dogs, and pretzels are always on the menu but they also sell salads and neat desserts.
I hope that helps you on your next road trip.
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