It doesn’t matter when or where you’re going, road trips are just fun! But they can also be very expensive. There’s gas, lodging, food, and any number of extras to pay for. While gas and lodging prices are pretty much set in stone, food is one area that you can save serious money on. No matter if you’re going by yourself, with a friend, or with the whole family, the below tips will help you save some money and eat for cheap on your next road trip!
Plan Ahead
To save money on your road trip always plan ahead. Know how long you’re going to be gone, how many meals you’ll need to eat, and jot down an estimate on the amount of money that you have to spend on food. Simply creating a budget for yourself is a major step in eating on the cheap while on a road trip.
Stock Up
Before you head out, stock up big time on snack foods and liquids. You can save quite a bundle of money shopping at your local grocery store for snacks instead of stopping at a gas station minimart every time that you’re hungry or thirsty. A good stash of road trip snacks usually includes plenty of water, chips, trail mix, jerky, and the like. Basically, anything that won’t go bad quickly will do the trick.
Bring A Cooler
Eating out for every meal also burns through the money quickly on a road trip. A good idea for most people is to pack foods for breakfasts and lunches and then head somewhere cheap for a hot dinner. Breakfasts are easiest with milk and cereal or fresh fruit. Lunches are a little bit trickier but sandwiches are reasonably easy to make on the go. Bring a small cooler along to keep your fixings cold!
Avoid Fast Foods
As mentioned above, it never hurts to stop in somewhere for a meal once a day. Many people find if they try to totally eliminate eating out on a road trip that they just lose it halfway through the trip and start to eat out for every meal! For this reason, it is good to include “nights out” as you go along and let yourself be satisfied. Shy away from drive-throughs and fast food chains though and instead score cheap deals at diners and truck stops. Better yet, get away from the highway and drive into town. Food is usually much cheaper away from the hustle and bustle of other travelers.
All in all, it really isn’t too hard to have a road trip on the cheap. Hopefully, the tips above will help you do so and let you use some of the money that you saved on food for some fun and memorable activities!
