When planning a road trip the biggest cost is gas, followed by lodging! There are lots of options that you can try out to save a buncha money or have a new experience on your next road trip.
There are a lot of really interesting and comfortable places to stay when on a road trip, do not limit yourself to hotels!
Instead of staying in hotels travelers can choose lodging that adds to the trip. Interesting lodging options for road trips like renting an RV, Home swapping, trading farm work for lodging, or staying in a Monastery will add to the experience and often save you money.
Monastery
This might not have come up first in your trip research, but there are a lot of monastery or other spiritual retreat centers that offer lodging.
Some monasteries have single rooms to rent and some are more hostel style. You will want to read up on the details of each of these places so you know what to expect.
Some offer meals and some do not, some offer one on one spiritual direction, some have prayer services for you to attend and some are very rural while some are right in the city.
Finding monasteries that offer lodging in the United States is a bit tricky and I find that searching for ‘Spiritual Retreats” in your destination city is the best way to find them.
My family have really enjoyed our stays in local monasteries.
Campground
This is a classic road trip option, but I am not talking about tent camping!
When you are in a pinch for overnight lodging consider camping in your car at a campground. The advantage of a campground over a rest stop or walmart parking lot is the bathrooms, showers and other campground amenities.
While campground prices are rising, you can still book a campsite for less than $50 in most places and if you are camping in your car you will appreciate the shower and any other entertainment options that are available.
Places like KOA and Jellystone also have loyalty programs that you can take advantage of if you are planning a longer trip.
My young kids still talk often about Jellystone, they have very affordable family cabins that were a great fit for a longer stay for my family. There are a few things you will want to plan for if you are camping with a toddler, you can find my tips and a quick meal plan for camping with a toddler here.
If you are just not sure if camping or more traditional lodging is right for your family check out this post that will help you decide.
Farm Travel
You could trade some farm labor for free lodging if you are traveling in the right season!
If you are planning a summer road trip head over to the World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms USA and see what organic farms are looking for help. There may be an opportunity that is just right for your trip.
This is an incredible community where you can learn about sustainable farming and connect with nature in a meaningful and unique way.
The participating farms give a description of the opportunity and the responsibilities. The hosts also list the ideal length of a volunteer’s stay, so it is simple to find a good fit.
There is an annual membership fee that must be paid to participate in the WWOOF program.
This is not a good choice for a last minute overnight, but a very cool way to have a meaningful trip.
RV Rental
Gas prices too high to take your RV on your road trip? Interested to try out RV travel?
You can rent an RV on Outdoorsy in your destination and still enjoy the comfort of having your own self contained accommodations without having to lug the thing hundreds of miles.
If you want to drive an RV on your road trip, you can rent an RV in your hometown and drive it on your trip.
RV rentals are pretty expensive, often more expensive than a hotel room, so this is a great idea for a special treat on a long trip, or to try before you buy.
This is the best way to travel if you like to have everything you need with you at all times.
There are membership sites you can join to find free spots to park your RV if you are an experienced RV-er. These spots usually do not offer hookups, so you will want to be familiar with all the skills you will need to boondock.
If this will be your first time with a camper, stay at a campground or RV park where there will be plenty of people to show you how to empty the black tank and help you back up.
HipCamp
If you are looking at traditional campgrounds and RV parks and are not finding what you want, try HipCamp.
HipCamp is like AirBnB for camping. There are lots of gorgeous Yurts and wall tents that are available on HipCamp, and these will save you over a hotel.
HipCamp is also a great place to find a place to car camp, there are plenty of places available for $25 where you can park and sleep or pitch a tent.
The beauty of HipCamp is the variety of offerings. There are cottages, cabins, tiny houses, open fields, rv hookups, farms and I even found some treehouses for our road trips!
I would choose HipCamp to find unique affordable lodging. These are the places you will remember staying.
Stay with Friends
The best way to keep costs low, is to keep them free.
When planning a road trip, consider spending a few nights with some friends or family.
This is not only going to cut down on costs it is also going to give you a local guide! This is one of the many ways you can reduce stress on vacation, you can read about the other ways here.
If you plan to stay with friends or family, be sure to communicate your needs clearly, we all know Ben Franklin’s famous quote, “Guests, like fish, begin to smell after three days.”
Sleep in your Car
We discussed sleeping in your car at campsites, but you can also car camp in Walmart parking lots, some rest stops and even in neighborhoods if you feel comfortable.
You can simply equip your car for comfortable sleeping. You can do this pretty simply with:
- Extra blankets and pillows
- A car fan
- A windshield shade
- Secure locks
This might not make for many comfortable nights, but occasionally it can work.
Consider taking turns driving and sleeping so that you do not have to park to sleep, which might not feel secure.
We have this platform in the back of our van that I built following a tutorial on REI. We have not used it for sleeping yet, but it is proving very helpful in transporting my husband’s telescope.
Amanda is a YouTube friend who converted her MiniVan with no tools and no building. She is currently adventuring in it and has made a lot of updates, but here is her original build.
If you want to try another product there are air mattresses designed for your car, truck bed, or back seat. I would suggest you avoid Intex which we bought and popped immediately! Next time we’re gonna get this one.
If there is one mistake I have made on trips it’s skimping on bedding. Bring all the bedding, spend all the money on bedding, there is nothing like good sleep!
Air BnB
AirBnB is a site where private people and businesses list their homes, rooms, cabins, or other type of lodging for rent directly to customers.
AirBnB is pretty well known at this time and it is a great way to find interesting or less expensive lodging.
This is particularly good when you have a very large group or long term stays. Renting a whole house with a kitchen and a washer and dryer will make a long trip less expensive.
Home Exchange
If you are looking to live like a local when you arrive in your destination, consider a Home Exchange.
You pay an annual membership and you can do home exchanges as often as you would like for 365 days.
Now, as the name implies, you will be exchanging your home for someone else’s, so this is only an option for homeowners, but it does kinda add a level of trust with the host.
Planning a Trip Without Hotels
If you hope to avoid hotels on your road trip it is important that you plan well in advance. Many of the options above require longer stays and must be booked in advance.
Before you start planning, I really think you should read this post with the 6 things you need to do to make your vacation as low stress as possible. I want your vacation to be full of fun and relationship building memories, and there are some important tips there.
If you are not a natural planner, you could use my annual vacation budgeting worksheet here. This will help you make a plan for the whole year of vacations and keep you on track to save for them.
Once you have your budget and your dates, choose your destination, and look for interesting lodging.
There is a pretty good consensus among road trippers that you want to drive no more than 500 miles a day, so don’t forget to plan on road lodging.
Avoiding hotels can really make your trip much more meaningful and will make the trip more fun! I encourage you to have that attitude of adventure when you hit the road.
It is going to be great mama.
