4 Tips To Plan a Road Trip for Under $500
Written by
Adam Palasciano
Edited by
Daria Uhlig
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Summer is here, which means it’s a great time to take a road trip with family and friends. The not-so-great part? The cost. Road trips can be expensive, but that’s not stopping Americans from hitting the road.
Since pandemic travel restrictions were lifted, about 97% of summer trips have been by car, according to AAA. That’s up from an average of 87% over the past 5 years.
A road trip can cost just as much as a trip that involves air travel, especially if you stay in hotels every night and dine out three times per day while you’re away from home. But it is possible to save money on your trip without sacrificing fun and relaxation.
4 Tips To Take a Road Trip for Less Than $500
Here are four tips to take a road trip under $500, according to The Travel:
- Fill up your tank in states where gas is cheaper: Plan out the most fuel-efficient route ahead of time. If you’ll pass through states with lower gas taxes and can strategically plan your fill-ups, you can potentially save a a lot of money. States with lowest gas taxes include Colorado, Kansas, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Wyoming.
- Camp for free on public land: Camping is almost always cheaper than staying in any sort of hotel. The Bureau of Land Management manages public land all across the country. These lands are available for free “dispersed camping” unless otherwise noted. Dispersed camping means “a period not to exceed 14 days within a 28 consecutive day period,” per BLM’s official website.
- Find cheap campsites at state and national parks: State parks, national parks and national forests usually have campsites with fees of less than $50 per night. Some are even free to use.
- Buy an America the Beautiful pass: Taking advantage of the America the Beautiful pass is a smart idea if you’re an outdoor lover and you’re interested in taking low-cost road trips to beautiful parks. An annual pass costs $80, and the year begins on the day you purchase the pass. This allows one car entry to all federally operated recreation sites across the U.S.
As GOBankingRates reported in April, all of the nation’s 400-plus national parks have fee-free days when you can enter free of charge and just pay amenity and user fees, if applicable. Here’s the schedule for the rest of 2024:
- June 19 — Juneteenth
- August 4 — Great National Outdoors Day
- September 28 — National Public Lands Day
- November 11 — Veterans Day
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