Below are eight tips to help you save money on your next family road trip. I hope you find some of them useful.
I cannot tell you how excited I am for spring to get here; not only will the weather be warmer, but we will also go on our yearly vacation.ย Which typically means that in the middle of March, my husband and I rent a car from Enterprise, load up the kids, and head out for a weekโs stay in Florida.ย Itโs our yearly vacation, and my husband and I are already talking about ways to save money on a family road trip.ย
It might sound crazy, but I love road trips with my family. ย Sure, they can get a little stressful, but we try to plan for those stressful times by having games to play or things for the kids to do. ย Saving money on our family road trip isย extremelyย important to us; the more money we save, the more we are able to spend on our vacation. ย If you are looking for ways to save money on your family road trip, here are a few that work for us.ย
Eight Tips To Save Money On Your Family Road Trip
Plan Your Family Road Trip a Little Earlier
Sure we probably should wait and go in theย summer, but weย try toย beat the rush and the heat.ย The summer months are hard for my son with cerebral palsy. Itโs not never a good idea to plan anything where Bud will be in the summer heat for any length of time.ย Hey, and the kids love that they get pulled out of school for a road trip to Florida.ย Itโs also a great way to save money.ย Have you ever noticed that gas and everything else go up during the summer months?ย If you are looking for ways to save money on your family road trip, you might consider pulling the kids out of school for a week and having some fun.ย Itโs saved us tons of money.
Take Snacks
I donโt think we would be able to afford a family vacation if we didnโt take snacks with us.ย Feeding everyone breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks can get costly, and before you know it, you are only feeding your family junk food.ย Take along some healthy snacks, maybe something easy for lunch, and maybe a cooler with water.ย
Rewards
I am huge when it comes to using rewards.ย I have rewards on almost everything, from my credit card to my rental car.ย Itโs nice to earn rewards on something you are planning on doing anyway.ย You might not have enough rewards to use until your next vacation, but I think of it as a savings account.ย I mean, who doesnโt want to earn rewards on everything from their gas to their car rental?
Get Gas Before You Leave
Fuel up the night before.ย Itโs been my experience that once you start traveling, gas tends to go up, especially when you hit those towns that live for tourism.ย
Plan Your Trip
Be sure to plan your trip so you donโt get stuck in traffic along the way.ย One year, we ended up stuck on the freeway in Dallas during rush hour.ย Needless to say, we didnโt plan our trip, lol.ย In the end, we used more gas, and it put us way behind schedule.ย Now we plan to avoid the big cities during rush hour.
GPS
I am not sure about other rental places, but I know when you choose Enterprise, you can have GPS included in our car.ย Which can save you money in the long run.ย I have learned that even though my husband says we donโt need it, we do.ย Sure, we travel often, but having GPS has saved us time and money.ย By not getting lost, we save on gas, and we can also avoid tolls.
Stop Where Itโs Free
We always plan our trips from start to finish, and with four kids, you almost have to. ย Since we pack things to eat, we plan to stop for lunch at a park or somewhere it’s free to park and let the kids play.ย Whether you are stopping for a day of fun or just to eat lunch at the park, there are plenty of things you can do for free.ย We have always enjoyed stopping at parks along the way, normally in the smaller towns, so the kids can play a little and get rid of some of their energy.
Choose the Right Rental Car Company
If you are planning on renting a car for your family road trip, you may want to consider doing so with Enterprise or a car rental company you trust.
I hope you found a few of these tips useful to help save you money on your next family road trip.
23 comments
Early preparation for a family road trip really is essential. Knowing exactly where you are driving is a very big plus. Nobody likes traffic jams. My son lives in Texas and has found alternate routes to every place he goes. I have used Enterprise Car Rental also and would recommend their business to anyone. Happy travels.
Thank you so much Sandra! Love comment, and it makes me happy to know you have had good experiances with Enterprise Car Rental as well. They are all we have where I live lol, lucky for us they are awesome!
these are some great tips –I lkr the g.p.s.
LOL, it saves us gas.. I mean my husband knows where we are going ALL the time and everything but you know lol
I have used Enterprise in the past and I always found them to be reliable and helpful. I too try to prepare in advance for any road trip. It really does make a big difference, Thanks for all these tips.
Don’t book a car longer than needed and return it early, you will most likely get a penalty. And never return it later than you say; chances are, you’ll have to pay for an extra day plus penalties!
My partner and I have a cooler bag from Whole Foods so we have pick up groceries along the route and keep them cool in it. It’s not quite as effective as a full cooler long-term, but it takes up way less space. The one time my friend used Enterprise on a trip I went on, it was great.
I’m always looking for great travel tips. Thank you for sharing these tips! I love your blog!
When we are on long trips and the kids are getting antsy we will go to a grocery store and pick up buns, deli meats, fruit, cut up veggies, etc… and go to a park for a picnic. The extra time it takes for shopping and letting the kids play is well worth the saved headache of fighting and complaining!
These are some great tips. I never thought of taking snacks.
Thank you for your great tips. I always travel really early in the morning that way my son sleep most of the travel.
I remember family road trips quite fondly! I am getting ready to go to a bermuda hotel spa resort for a week with my family and I think some of your tips can be applied here as well. Thank you for sharing!
wow someone sure had done there homework , these are are definitely great tips for an awesome road trip, something my hubby and i are planning in april, , but good to know info thanks for share @tisonlyme143
These are all great tips. Basically whatever you can bring from home or buy before you leave bring it, try to do as little shopping as possible en route. Thank you for this great post.
Thank you for the info. could always use tips to save money
i agree – taking snacks saves a TON of money!!
and you eat less crap!
We are heading out on a roadtrip in June for a friend’s wedding. We are on a super tight budget! Thanks for the tips!
Great tips! I cannot agree more with the GPS one – it has saved us miles, money, and heartache!
Great tips, Thanks!
I ALSO LIKE PLAN YOUR TRIP,BUT ALL OF THESE SOUND GOOD…………..
These are some great tips thank you very much.
These are great tips! ~ wondering how you find places to eat for free? That’s cool! We’ve done some things ahead of time, like purchasing a few groupon restaurant deals from the town we were planning on going to, but then didn’t end up making it to that town ~ a little bit of a wash, but sometimes you just can’t plan for some things on the road, as hard as you try.
Great tips…I think I’m about due for a road trip!