Top 10 Ways for a Cheap Road Trip

10. Destination: National Parks

Choosing where to go can greatly impact how much you’ll end up spending. A road trip to Manhattan? Doable, but difficult and inconvenient.
However, national parks are a great choice. Every park offers different attractions and scenery, but all of them are very affordable. A visit to one of the United States national parks will cost you $15-$20 per person or $30 per commercial vehicle (even if it’s an eight-seater minivan). Or, if you plan to visit upwards of five national parks on your trip, get an annual pass for $80.

9. Avoid Paying for Hotels

Lodging can be one of the priciest fixed expenses you will have on your trip. You can save hundreds or thousands of dollars just by avoiding hotels. However, if you happen to have a stockpile of hotel points, this will work great if you want a cheap road trip.

If the weather is warm, sleep in your car or camp outside. If you don’t want to rough it, there are always hostels or couchsurfing. The couchsurfing community is is very welcoming and encourages you to meet locals, who are great resources to finding affordable activities in the local area. Just be respectful and… not weird.

8. Free Museums

There are many free museums that welcome visitors. These don’t even have to be the ultra-specific or slightly unusual museums. Many museums offer occasional free or discounted admission throughout the week. You’ll just have to do a quick Google search to see if any museums on your route have these offerings while you are in town.