On the road again. Or maybe on the road for the first time! Have you always dreamed of taking off and traveling the U.S. by car, van camper, bike, whatever it may be? It’s completely obtainable and as much as gas may cost, there are ways you can cut down on your great American road trip. If you haven’t read last week’s post yet, you can read it HERE where I go over different places that you can camp and park overnight while on the road that won’t break your budget. Once you have an idea of different places to camp, now you can move on to planning what you want to see once you hit the open road! Of course, you can spend your money eating out at a new restaurant in every town you see and paying to visit every weird and wonderful attraction you see along the way, but there are a few tips and tricks to cut down on your spending, depending on what you want to see.
National Parks: What better way to see the beauty of the states than to attempt to visit every one of the 63 National Parks? Each park costs money to get into, but if you plan on hitting even more than one park in a year’s time then the America the Beautiful Pass is worth its weight in gold. This pass will get you into every National Park in the U.S. along with access to over 2,000 federal recreation sites. The annual pass is $80, but there are a few ways you can get it for free! If you are a veteran, disabled, or a qualified volunteer, you can get a free Annual pass or even a lifetime pass. Check out the website HERE to see if you qualify for any of the free passes! Just in case you don’t qualify for a free pass, there are several free entrance days you can always plan around to save money on the entrance fee.
Although we had to forego visiting some of the National Parks because we had our dog Meeka with us, she absolutely loved White Sands National Park!
NPS apps: The National Park Service App is one of my favorite apps for finding fun things while road-tripping. You can use it to find your favorite national parks, historic sites, monuments, hikes, landmarks, caves, waterfalls, dark sky parks, etc. The categories are endless on this app and all organized so you can find exactly what you want.
Nomadic Meet-ups: If people are your jam, then you will want to look into some of the awesome nomadic meetups all around the country. Although I have no real budget advice for these meet-ups, it is a fantastic resource to meet others who either live their lives completely on the road or are just used to traveling on the road. I’ve said it once I will always say it again; People are your best resource. Even before you hit the open road, all of these communities are extremely friendly, and you are more than welcome to go check out an event even if you don’t have a “road-ready” vehicle and just want to ask questions. Exlorevanx.com has one of the best websites to browse the list of 2024 skoolie/vanlife/nomad gathering events across the country.
Skoolie U.P. was our very first Skoolie/nomad gathering, and we loved it. We met so many amazing people, got good advice for traveling on the road, and even started a little travel caravan that we traveled with for a while around Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
Saving on Gas: One of the biggest expenses of taking a road trip is the cost of gas. If you don’t have a travel vehicle yet, consider this expense before getting one. At 9 miles per gallon, our tiny bus ate gas like crazy. Unfortunately, if you already have a gas guzzler you plan on using for a road trip, there are a few different things you can do to cut costs while fueling up. This includes bringing along other forms of transportation for side trips once you get to your final destination. Whether it be an additional car, motorbike, pedal bike, roller blades, skateboard, hoverboard, emotional support riding pony, whatever your form of transportation, if you are road-tripping with a larger vehicle, consider packing something smaller to commute with.
As far as apps go, gas Buddy is my favorite to use for looking for gas stations. Typically, if you are on a major highway, gas will be a little less expensive the further off the highway you go. For example, when we were driving across the California to Nevada border, once we crossed over into Nevada we ventured off the freeway about 3 miles and were rewarded with gas almost $1.00 cheaper than it was in California! Gas buddy will bring up gas stations along your route or nearby and show the current gas prices at each one. It would also be worth getting a gas-specific credit card or looking into credit cards that offer the most point rewards for gas. That way you will always be rewarded every time you pump.
This was us in New Mexico selling our car for scrap money because it broke down on us while driving from California to Michigan. So much for having an extra vehicle to drive around while the bus is parked! From here on out our bus was our only form of transportation!
Museums: Wherever you travel through, it is always worth looking into local museums. Some may be free while others can easily fit into your budget. The Travel Channel and National Geographic have a great list of free museums that may be along your way.
Roadside Attractions App: Another favorite app is Roadside Attractions to find weird and wonderful things along your way. Just like the NPS App, you can search different categories of things to see or search nearby to see what’s along your route.
If you are on the road long enough you will always find you’re groove and get more comfortable with your budget and what you are okay splurging on and where you would rather pinch your pennies. I hope this list was helpful when trying to find fun and cheap things to do while on the road! If you have ever taken a road trip across the U.S. please share some of your favorite sites and destinations!