When I added up the numbers from our last road trip I was shocked to find that we had spent over $4,000! Road trips have lots of costs, and the total can add up fast.
Road trips cost between $1,500 and $10,000 or more with an average cost of $3,750. Using credit card points and camping in low cost areas can bring the cost as low as $0.81 per person, per day. Most trips with families cost a minimum of $3,000.
I surveyed a large group of people who had recently taken a road trip. There was a HUGE range of costs.
AND a HUGE amount of judgement.
There seems to be an unspoken rule
Spending too much on a road trip makes you wrong somehow.
-Facebook Stranger
EH, I disagree. Do the trip you want with the money you got!
If you are here because you are trying to save money, I got some great tips at the bottom of the page!
How much does a road trip cost per day?
The travelers that I surveyed spent between $100 and $30,000. Most trips cost between $1000 and $4000. The $30,000 trip included international airfare to get to the US for a 7 week trip, while our frugal travelers slept in their cars in parking lots.
As a general rule, expect to spend $107 per person, per day. This figure includes gas, food, lodging and attractions. The typical 7 day road trip cost $1,737.14. The largest variable expense was food, but lodging costs can also heavily impact cost.
While the trips ranged from 3 days to 2 months, the average cost of the trip per person, per day was $99.70. The most frugal travelers spent just $12 per person per day.
While there are a lot of ways to make your trip less expensive, like packing food from home and camping, the cost of gas is out of our control.
Many experienced road trippers pointed out that road trip prices are going up fast as the cost of gas rises.
If you want to plan the most budget friendly road trip, stay closer to home.
How much does a month-long road trip cost?
Longer road trips cost less per day. I looked at 12 trips that were between 28 and 150 days.
A 2 month road trip will cost less per day, and likely cover fewer miles per day than a shorter trip. The average cost of a road trip greater than 28 days is $8,164. Longer trips that originate outside of the US are more expensive because of the added expense of airfare and rental vehicle.
The average cost per person per day was $88.52. This is $11 less than the cost per person for a seven day trip. This is likely due to a lower gas cost per day and eating from grocery stores instead of restaurants.
You can save money on your 2 month road trip by planning well in advance and taking advantage of loyalty or rewards programs offered by hotels or restaurants. Marriott is often recommended for loyalty points. They are the easiest points to get and use.
The other way to save money on a longer road trip is to travel slow and live like a local, shop at grocery stores, stay in a long term AirBnB, visit parks and playgrounds.
Traveling in the off season when possible is another great option when planning a longer road trip. Long term rentals are likely to be more available and less expensive.
One of my favorite trips in the survey was a family that traveled to Alabama for two months in the winter. They were able to vacation for less than 5k with a family!
Are road trips cheaper than flying?
Road trips are cheaper than flying, but flying will save you time. As a general rule, if you are traveling for more than 7 days and flying would necessitate renting a car, then it will be cheaper to drive. If you have a car available on the other end or the trip does not involve driving, then flying may end up being cheaper.
The surveyed average cost for a road trip in my group was $1,773 regardless of the size of the group. The average cost of a round trip airline ticket cost around $359. This is where road trips really have the upper hand. If you travel with 2 or 10 your gas costs are the same, while 5 average plane tickets will cost you $1,795. Road trips are the way to go with a family.
If you are still undecided check out this article covering the surprising way renting a car might save you money. If you want some more data this Forbes article gives a pros and cons list of sorts.
What is the cheapest vacation?
When comparing road trips to other vacations like cruises, international vacations, camping and bus tours, road trips are the most frugal.
Cost for average 7 day trip:
- Road Trip: $1,737
- Cruise: $2000 + cost of transportation to terminal
- International Vacation: $2000 + Cost of Airfare
- Camping:$1,005 + Cost of Gear
Taking a road trip vacation is the cheapest way to vacation for 7 days in the US. The average family spends $2,000 on a 7 day vacation, and this fits in well with the surveyed average road trip.
Any vacation can be made more luxurious or more frugal with the choices you make. Hotels vs Camping, meal planning, shopping, visiting attractions all add to the expense of your vacation.
Cheap Road Trips
These are my 3 best tips for saving money on a road trip:
- Pack Your Food
Those who had the most frugal trips said that they packed all or most of their food. When we travel I bring ALL THE COOLERS!
Notice the secret hack for traveling with babies? Hint: in the cupholder.
If you want to cut costs to the bare minimum, grab your hot logic (find meal ideas here), and meal plan. I plan 2 meals and 2 snacks for each of us. Breakfast at the hotel!
I like to eat out and try local places, so for my family, it is a balance. We eat a lot in the car and then splurge occasionally.
- Camp or Use Points
In my survey the families were divided on what was the higher cost, lodging or food. If you have decided to pack all the food, the next area to attack is the lodging.
There are lots of passes, Thousand Trails, Park Passes and of course, the Beuro of Land Management Land. These places can keep the cost of your lodging really low.
Traditional camping at KOA or Jellystone can be a very frugal option as well.
BUT
Nothing beats free! And if you choose a travel friendly credit card that gives you points you can spend free nights at Marriotts!
- Stay Close to Home
Finally, gas. The largest cost and an unavoidable one.
But is it?
The ONLY way to keep gas costs low is to drive fewer miles.
I love Only in Your State for finding incredible things that are right in my own backyard! I will be taking some waterfall hikes in the near future.
Staying close to home does not need to be boring.
If you need more inspiration, Within Hours is a super great way to find inspiration. You enter the hours you want to drive and your starting point and it gives you some great ideas for towns to visit.
This is like the website I never knew I needed. I have already used it to plan 3 day weekends.
I hope you are inspired! If not, try my sweet guide to going on an adventure for $100! Or check out this list of 6 (almost) Free Vacations!
SWEET! Guys, its going to be great.
