How to Save Money on a Road Trip

• Bring a cooler. This will allow you to bring meat, cheese, yogurt, fruit, and other things you just simply can't find on the road. Make sure to get an ice pack and freeze it!


• Stop at grocery stores and stock up. Get any quick, healthy food that's suitable for meals and snacks and you'll be save LOADS of money compared to a restaurant.


• Use the hotel microwave, and on occasion you can get frozen entrees, or you can microwave canned soup.


• Cut down on fast food as much as possible. Not only does the cost add up fast, but it will make you feel terrible if you eat it too often, and is generally horrible for you.

• Canned tuna
• Canned soup
• Cheese and Crackers
• Pre-cooked dinners by you in tupperware containers!
• Pre-made salads by you, also in tupperware. Put the dressing on the side so it doesn't wilt!

• Check restaurant reviews online at Zagat or simply search for the name of the town/city you are currently in plus the keyword "restaurants." You'll likely find plenty of reviews from local places to dine from assorted online critics and regular people. A quick browse with your Blackberry, iPhone or Droid will pull up the best places to eat, along with which ones are the most reasonable. Mobile phones really have changed the way that we do everything -- including how we eat!
• Use Your Cash back reward credit card. I know I'm started to sound like a broken record, but one long road trip I went on paid for a new laptop for me, so I really think you should use a cash back card!
• Don't order entrees all the time. If you something that you like on the menu from the appetizers section, go for it! Who says you can't order that as your meal? It's often cheaper, too, and you won't be stuffed. You can also try splitting meals if the restaurant allows it.
Download a tip calculator to your phone. This will allow you to figure out exactly how much you want to leave, whether it's 15%, 20%, or some other percentage (and you'll know if you're overtipping, too).
• Look for coupons at rest areas and local attractions. You can usually find plenty of coupons here for local restaurants.

• Priceline.com
  Priceline is at the front of the pack for deals on hotels and accommodations. Search by major city or search for any small town across American and internationally, as well as flights and rental cars. Often Priceline's rates stack up amongst the best.
• BedandBreakfast.com
  Staying at a B & B is a great experience, and perfect for those destinations where you really want to kick back, relax, and really get to know the town or city that you're traveling to. Often times these are the best places to stay in small resort towns.
• Check online reviews of hotels. Sometimes pictures can be deceiving and that grand hotel that you're looking at might be a photo from fifteen years ago under different owners.
• Avoid weekend stays at the most expensive places to stay. Weekend rates skyrocket at big travel destinations like Yosemite, Yellowstone, Washington DC, Orlando, Las Vegas, and New York City. Try to plan your road trip so that you are staying at these big name spots on a weekday if possible, and you'll enjoy lower rates and less crowds.

• Gas up outside the city. Gas stations in towns far away from major cities are usually cheaper than in city gas stations by far. Plan on filling up in smaller towns to save substantially.


• Don't use premium gas if you don't need it. Your owner's manual will tell you if you need premium gas. If it doesn't say that you need it, then you are just wasting your money. Some giant SUV's like the Yukon or small sports cars (but sometimes other random vehicles and foreign cars) recommend using premium.


• Use a rewards credit card if they don't charge more for using credit. Let's say you drive from Boston to Los Angeles and back, which is roughly 5970 miles. If your car gets 25 miles per gallon and holds 16 gallons, that's 400 miles per tank -- about 15 fill ups. At $3.75 per gallon, that's $900! Get 3% cash back (or sometimes higher) using your credit card and you could get $27 back on your gas purchases.

• Check gas stations for individual credit cards and rewards programs. Some gas stations offer rewards with a simple swipe card (like the grocery store) to rack up savings and rewards. Others offer cash back incentives for using their own line of credit cards. These are usually advertised right at the pump.
• Use Discover Card for extra Cash Back Bonuses. Every so often, Discover will offer a cash back bonus incentive to customers above the standard 3%. This could be 5% or higher, and often includes gas stations. Check your latest statement or call 1-800-DISCOVER for their latest deals.
• Plan on paying off your card every month. If you let the balance sit on your card, it's going to negate any potential savings you have accrued using that card, so plan on paying off the balance as soon as the bill arrives in the mail.

• Consider buying a membership. Sometimes in cities they will have discounted annual memberships which may not be all that much more than a regular ticket. If you plan on visiting tomorrow, next week, or next month, then it might be a good choice.
• Check for ticket and tour bundles. Sometimes buying tickets to more than one attraction or museum can yield some savings. The museum itself may advertise this, or you can inquire at the concierge/ticket booth.
• Check online for coupon codes. You may be able to purchase those tickets online much cheaper. Search Google for the name of the museum or attraction you plan on visiting along with the keyword "coupon" to find coupons.
• Cash Back Credit Cards. Again, save money with your cash back card to accrue points on purchases.
• Buy the National Parks Pass. This will save bundle of money and is good at most National Parks in the USA like Acadia, Everglades, Badlands, Great Smoky Mountain, Rainier, Olympic, Yellowstone, Bryce Canyon, and most others.

Metropolitan Museum of Fine Art in New York