
Who doesn’t love a good road trip!? Whether you are travelling abroad or just going on a trip in your own country, there is something for you here! This is my ultimate guide to planning a road trip so that your trip goes as smoothly as possible and help you save some money too!
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AVOIDS TOLLS
Plan your route. Even if you only decide last minute where you want to head off to next, make sure you take a minute to plan! Tolls and work traffic could significantly change how long it takes to get to your next destination. You don’t want to be driving further than you need to and you will save money on gas. Toll charges are sometimes added on to the end of your trip once you take the car back if you are on a rental, so be careful of hidden charges. This was something I realised last time were on a trip a little too late!
USE GAS BUDDY (OR EQUIVALENT)
This will enable you to see where the nearest gas station is and how much it is in real-time. As gas buddy is attached to your bank account you receive discounts on gas. This is a super-easy way to save money and receive some of the stress of worrying about running out of gas. I know for me, I worry massively as to where the next place we will be able to fill up is. Its such relief to have this kind of app. Remember to download these types of apps while you are planning your road trip. Less time stressing more time enjoying your road trip!

BRING A COOLER
Bring a plug-in cooler so you can keep your drinks cold and your food fresh on the road. A must for a road trip! If you are in a smaller car or have travelled abroad you can use a foiled lunch bag and zip lock bags to create the same thing. Just freeze the ziplock bags with water in or cooler packs overnight and you will be set for the day!
USE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
We have found that parking could be extremely costly in a lot of cities. When possible leave the car at motel/hostel and use the subway or bus. 9 times out of 10 it will be much cheaper to buy a day pass than paying for day parking. This will also save you time, trying to find somewhere to park can be very frustrating in a lot of city and towns as they tend to have limited resources. You may end up parking a million miles away from where you planned on going and end up paying for a taxi anyway!
AVOID FAST FOOD CHAINS
They can be very costly for a small meal and starts to add up very quickly. Try to find a diner instead where you can get a substantial meal for around the same price and won’t leave you hungry! Check for coupons online while you are waiting for your meals you never know how much you might save. When planning your road trip make sure you check out what sort of food is available around your key destinations.
BRING YOUR OWN SNACKS
We stopped off at supermarkets in the evenings before heading back to the hotel. We picked up things like big bottles of drink and packets of crisps and biscuits. These would save for longer than something like chocolate and are lightweight enough to pack for on the go. This saved us no end of money. Rather than buying the same things form curbside vendors for double the cost.
BRING A METAL BOTTLE
Lots of places will let you refill your bottles for free, from some airports to theme parks. This will not only save you a lot of money but will taste better than drinking from a plastic bottle. This will ensure to keep it cold for longer too! This is also much more environmentally friendly.
FIND OUT WHERE THE LOCALS EAT
Not only will you have the most authentic meals but it will also be a lot cheaper than mainstream chains which add a premium if they are in tourist hotspots. Locals will know where to get good deals and tasty food. Don’t be afraid to ask around when you are in gas stations or shops where the cheap diners are.
CHECK TO SEE IF YOU HAVE BREAKFAST INCLUDED
This will cut this expense out of your day and save you the hassle of locating somewhere to eat in the morning. Just make sure that you are not paying over the odds to have breakfast included to make it worth it.

USE APPS TO BOOK ACCOMMODATION
Use apps like priceline.com, booking.com or Expedia to get the best deals on motels and hotels. We used this every night, Once we knew it was about time to start heading in for the night as checked the app to see what rooms were available and close to our location. This is great because you can choose what sort of place you are looking to stay and how much you are willing to spend. We could also check out the reviews beforehand to avoid the surprise of a horrible room! This is a great way to build up points which can eventually lead to getting a free nights stay.
NATIONAL PARK PASS
If you are interested in seeing all of the amazing national parks across America you can apply for a national park pass for $80 a year which gives you entry to hundreds of parks across the country. This is definitely something to look into whichever country you are visiting if you are planning on doing a lot of hiking and exploring as it will save you a lot of money in the long run.
WHEN PLANNING LOOK IN TO CITY PASSES
If you are looking to stay in one place for a couple of days, check out buying a city pass beforehand. If you are planning of doing lots of touristy things they can be very expensive, with a city pass you will get these discounted.
CHECK GETYOURGUIDE.COM
Driving through a town and not sure what there is to do there? Check out getyourguide.com. Tickets may not necessarily cheaper but it will give you a great insight as to what there is to do in that town and if they have availability that day. Definitely worth keeping an eye on what they have going on and you might get a bargain if they want to fill slots on certain excursions. Check out the link below for some ideas!
WHEN PLANNING YOUR ROAD TRIP THINK ABOUT YOUR BUDGET
This is so important when planning your road trip. You don’t want to get 5 days into a 14-day trip and have overspent leaving yourself short. Have a rough idea of how much you want to spend on food a day, how much you want to spend on entertainment a day and how much to save to buy souvenirs. This will ensure you don’t get into a sticky situation and leave you from being disappointed. There is nothing worse than getting home and saying I wish we could have done…
BRING PORTABLE CHARGERS AND MOBILE PHONE CAR CHARGER
Nobody likes to run out of battery. Bringing portable chargers are great as you can pop them in your bag and charge as you go, perfect for long days outside! We love them as we can keep GoPro batteries as well as our phones charges on the go. With an in-car double USB charger, you can keep things charged as you drive. Now you don’t have to worry about charging them overnight. If you are using your phone for GPS while driving this is perfect as it can be plugged into the mains ensuring you don’t get a flat battery while trying to follow the SatNav!
ALWAYS CHECK FOR FREE THINGS TO DO
Some of the best things in life really are free! While we were on our road trip some of the free things that we did turned out to be some of the best things. Every city or town will have tons of things to do that are free. Some places even have free entry days in the month. A example of this is Paris has free entry to their museums on the first Sunday of every month.
AVOID TRAVELLING IN PEAK SEASON
This can be a tricky one as sometimes it can be hard to avoid. However when planning your road trip, check out the school holidays and crowd planners. Especially for big tourist attractions that you might be heading to on your trip before hand. This will give you can get an idea of what the crowds and queues will be like. Booking off peak season is cheaper too!

WHEN YOU PARK DROP A PIN ON YOUR MAPS
Now you won’t forget where you parked. Some city the streets can look very similar and can become hard to navigate especially when it started to get dark. Drop a pin on your maps to stop you forgetting where you parked! This will also show you the quickest way back from your location to the car and avoid unnecessary walking.
HAND SANITISER AND FIRST AID KIT
I never travel without hand sanitiser. When we rented our car we made sure to clean the steering wheel and door handles to avoid picking up any nasty germs. This is also a live saver if you are eating in the car. I hate eating a bag of crisps and then not being able to wash my hands. Bring a basic first aid kit. If you are travelling around you never know when you might need a plaster or some headache pills. You don’t want to be stuck on the road for several hours without having access to some. I always keep a main kit in the car and then a smaller kit in my bag as blisters are the worst when you are in the middle of a desert!
I hope that some of these tips have been helpful and will ensure you have the smoothest road trip possible! If there are any tips you guys think I have missed, let me know in the comments below! Safe travels.
Don’t forget to pin this for later!
Useful tips!:)
These are great tips for planning a road trip. We always use Gas Buddy when we travel by car, but don’t avoid the toll roads. My husband likes to save time, even if it costs money. Good idea to mark the place where you parked.
Glad you enjoyed the tips! Gas buddy is so great! Definitely worth the download
Whenever we do our road trips, we prefer renting a car. On the contrary, we find it more cheaper and comfortable. The places we visit are usually outside the city so the parking fees are always low, and toll fees are reasonable.
We also bring our own first-aid kit! We never know when unexpected cases happen.
Renting is definitely a good option. We had so much fun the last time we did this! Hmm this is true I suppose it depends where you are heading! And you never know when you will need that first aid kit!
Great suggestions! Lovely blog and interesting topics! Well done 🙂
Thank you so much! I’m glad you enjoyed
We love road trips and these are some great tips for going out for a road trip. Gas Buddy sounds like a great option, but sadly this is not available in our country. Need to find out its equivalent for our country. Taking the portable and car phone chargers are so important. Thanks for sharing the tips.
Yes definitely look for the alternative it’s such a life saver!! I’m glad it helped!
Great tips here! I always use public trans and city pass when available. They save you so much money. There are several sites you mentioned that I’ll have to check out this summer for family vacay.
I know I couldn’t believe how much we saved with the last city pass we bought! I hope they help with your next trip!
Awesome tips on planning a road trip. This has me so ready to get out and travel again! Great article.
This is a great post with excellent info!!! Thanks for sharing things that I would not have thought of. I am pinning this for future use (I need a road trip)!!!
Thank you so much! and everyone needs a good Road Trip, especially when this is all over 😀
Thanks for sharing!! I am planning a road trip soon!
Now that we are itching to get out a road trip is probably the best way to go on a vacation or break. The tips are very useful, and I like the apps recommendations. Great post because is super informative and it can actually gives you hopes that you can be doing a road trip soon (and planned it well)
I’m glad you liked my post! We did our first abroad road trip last year and was the best thing we ever did!
I hope I will do more road trips as it gives you possibility to see more.
Thanks for all the tips..
Super useful tips! I will for sure be looking at the National Parks pass once we are out of quarantine!
I love a good road trip! Thank you for the tips!
What a fantastic post with so many useful hints and tips! Will certainly be using these when planning future road trips! Thanks lovely – Tori (www.ohsot.co.uk) 🌻
This post is golden!!
I honestly wasn’t a big fan of a road trip, but after COVID-19, I found myself longing to drive with my girls doing multiple stops.
Thanks for sharing!! This post is beneficial!
xoxo,
Widster
This list is really helpful! The last time I did a road trip with family, we rented an apartment and we cooked our own breakfast. That can save quite a lot, too!
Gas buddy does sounds like a great idea but I guess in India we do not have it yet. Also I love road trips and I feel as a single woman traveler it is also vital to keep safety device something like a paper spray or probably a rod just for self protection. And also, budget is highly important because you need to keep some additional cash in case of emergency.
I bet there is an alternative or something similar! Oh yes definitely need something for protection good Point!
This is an ultimate list to pack for solo female traveler! Here in India we don’t have gas buddy access, but I keep paper spray with me, and I loved idea of using refillable water bottles. Apart from this I keep my phone charges, so power bank is must. Also I take care that before sitting into a cab, I take picture of its nameplate and then send it to my family back home once I sit inside, so they can trace out if any thing happen to me.
Great points! I think a lot of people overlook the value of free activities wherever they are headed. That or they assume that because they are free, they are a waste of time… However, many of our favourite adventures and experiences didn’t cost us a dime! It’s 110% worth looking into before you head out.
Yes this is so true! People think free things are always to busy or rubbish but they are really good a lot of the time and end up surprising you! I’m glad you enjoyed this post!
Lots of great tips in here! Especially about keeping in mind what locals do as you are not only supporting local spots, you are getting the true experience in each place 🙂
Thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed the post! Yes got to make the most of your time there :)!
I have fallen in love with road trips after last year during summer when we visited Europe. They are not only cheaper compared to air travel but also gives a very good feel of experiencing the countryside. Your tips are nice which I would keep in mind whenever we travel next. Would come handy.
They really are such a different type of holiday and really give you such a sense of freedom, I’m glad you enjoyed the post 🙂
I absolutely love road trips and I take them in Romania, my country, or wherever I go! Even if I am not traveling to another location by car, I always take a day to do a road trip 😁 thank you for sharing these r useful tips, they definitely save you money, time and hassle and leave to enjoy what you really want to enjoy!
I am glad you enjoyed this post. It’s definitely a very different experience traveling by car! What’s not to love!
I love road trips and therefore your post is very helpful in planning it. Avoiding tolls is a great idea. You are correct that some cities are confusing and marking the parking with pin on map saves our time and also not getting us lost. Thanks for sharing all tips.
I am glad you enjoyed this post! Cities are so expensive for parking it’s crazy!
Bringing snacks and avoiding fast food are such good ideas! I’ve heard that road trips are really going to pick up after COVID. I really hope so! I’m itching to go on one!
I can imagine! Lots of people will want to travel fast and cheap after the pandemic so this will definitely mean a rise in road trips! I am also itching to get out on the road🚘
We love road trips. And you have given such excellent tips. We never thought of having a cooler during our trips. Now I must consider one. Gas buddy is another new and helpful suggestion.
A cooler is such a must! I wish we had known about this sooner too! Would have saved so much money! Glad you enjoyed this post
[…] I can’t wait to see what excursions we book next time we go and I hope this has given you some insight into the fun things Marmaris has in store! If there are any excursions you would suggest for our next trip, Let us know in the comments below! I hope you enjoyed our 7 days in Turkey trip! don’t forget to check out my last post : Ultimate Road trip guide […]
These are truly helpful tips. I agree with you about the importance of planning our route. I also like the idea of bring our own snacks especially if we are unfamiliar with the place.
I always go on road trips and I love it! I feel like this is my new way of traveling now – I spent most of my formative years backpacking and taking busses. Back then, things were so expensive for me as a young girl but now that I am older, renting cars work well for me. I love that I can stop any time and can explore whatever place I want. I recently did a 2-week roadtrip in Colombia and another 20 days in Mexico!
Wow that sounds amazing! I can’t wait to read all about your travels! Road trips are just the best! So many good memories!
Great information. I’m really itching to get on the road.
Thank you! me too, hopefully soon, we will keep our fingers crossed
hi
well you have covered almost everything which could have been included and definitely this will vary from region to region and country to country. In india for example a lot of these might not be applicable but then this is definitely a good checklist to refer to when stating a road trip thanks for the article
I am glad you enjoyed the article! thanks for stopping by!
Can’t wait to hit the road again after this lockdown. Great tips 🙂
Me too! thanks!
This is an awesome post with great tips. I have traveled quite a bit and these details can make all the difference. There are some ones I haven’t tried that I will on my next trip.
Glad you enjoyed the post and there were some useful tips in here:)
I love traveling, and road trips are so much fun.
Glad you enjoyed the post
You’ve included so many useful tips. My husband and I are thinking of planning a cross-country road trip. We must be out of our minds! I especially love the idea of packing a cooler so that you can have some healthy food on hand at all times. We never do fast food so that would be so helpful!
I never thought of taking disinfectants with me on the trips, but after the coronavirus problem we will probably all do it.
Thats very true! I never travel anywhere without it! Everyone laughed at me for keeping a massive bottle of it in my car door, until coronavirus hit!
This tips will be so helpful for when I’m going to plan my roadtrip! Finding this article is the perfect timing as I’m planning one for this summer!
Aw thank you! Im glad you enjoyed the post!:) save for later 😉
I love road trips! There have been several times I’ve remembered about a City Pass too late. Thanks for the reminder!
No worries! hope you remember for next time 😉
Thank you for the tips! Definitely planning a road trip after when travelling is possible again 🙂
Glad you enjoyed them! Me too 🙂
This is really good advice! We go on road trips often and follow many of these tips!
Glad you enjoyed the post!
[…] An essential for any traveller. I always have my reusable bottle with me, whether I’m on my way to work or travelling abroad. It fits in the pocket of my backpack (listed above) and I’m ready for the day! These are eco friendly and keep your drinks hot /cold for up to 24 hours! Lots of airports now have places to fill your bottles up. You will be saving money at the same time as the environment. I also wrote about these in my ultimate road trip guide. […]
Really great tips! I especially like the one reminding you to place a pin where you parked, I lose my car just in the grocery store parking lot so I’d definitely lose it somewhere unfamiliar without that trick lol! Thanks for sharing <3
Awesome tips! Thank you for sharing. We love to just jump in the truck and take a weekend road trip. Some of these tips will be helpful!
Glad you enjoyed this post! I hope there were some helpful tips for your next trip!
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