TripHip - Travel Tips and Advice for Traveling on a Budget

So we’ve covered the basics of getting there-planning a route and not cramming the car, but there are so many more car travel tips to discuss. Keeping the kids occupied, what to pack, when to get gas, and so many other topics are also important when traveling by car.

When my family and I traveled cross-country from Cleveland, Ohio to Grand Canyon, Arizona, we discovered a wealth of helpful information. Luggage carriers that go on top of your vehicle help save space. We were able to fit a cooler, all of our clothing, a small grill, our blankets and pillows, a three-room tent, and more in ours. In hindsight, it makes sense to keep the cooler in the car. It was too difficult to undo everything to get the cooler during our trip.

Speaking of coolers, packing one is a great way to save time and money. Rather than stopping every time someone in the group is hungry, packing a cooler allows for eating as you go. Pack lunch meats, bread, hot dogs, hamburgers, soda, water, chips, and other snacks. You won’t have to stop as much and you won’t be spending a fortune on fast food. Do the math; if you spend $20 on fast food, three times a day, on a three day trip, you have spent $180. If you pack a cooler to last the same amount of time, you can spend as low as $60.

You can bring a charcoal grill, but you don’t have too. Many road stops along the way will have grills. If you plan on using this method of cooking, bring charcoal and lighter fluid. I recommend using a small camping grill that uses propane. Small propane canisters only cost a few dollars at Home Depot and the grill is compact. Easier still, just pack food items that don’t need cooked. In addition to lunch meat, you can pack rotisserie chicken, which is already cooked, Vienna sausages, spam, tuna, and numerous other options.