Road Tripping 101

Spring and summer are peak road tripping seasons, and Discount Hotels is here to guide you through the process of planning and executing the perfect cross-country getaway. Thorough pre-trip planning is crucial for road tripping, as fighting the urge to be spontaneous can save you big bucks and even bigger headaches. Even though the initial idea behind road tripping is to just “wing it” and figure things out as you go, having a detailed plan for where you’ll stay, where you’ll stop for food, and where you’ll get gas can pay off in the end.

Where You’ll Stay

Road tripping is about the experience and the thrill of the open road, so there’s no need to spend a ton of cash on a hotel room, especially since you’ll simply be sleeping there for a few hours before moving on to the next city. Though you may feel like booking hotels in advance puts you on a strict schedule, think about it this way: most budget hotels only advertise their sales online and through travel booking engines, so securing a room when you arrive often means you’ll miss out on any deals. Even if that deal only saves you $10, think about how many hotels you’ll be staying at. That $10 savings can add up quickly.

Where You’ll Eat

Once again, advanced planning can really pay off when it comes to where and what you’ll eat. A great way to save some serious cash on your road trip is to sign up for daily deal emails from popular deal sites like LivingSocial a few weeks before your planned departure date in any of the cities that you know you’ll be passing through. You’re bound to encounter some sweet restaurant deals, some of which will cut your bill in half.

Where You’ll Fill Up

We don’t need to remind you how expensive gas can be. Chances are, filling up the tank will be a major expense on your road trip, so saving money here is especially important. Use a site like gasprices.mapquest.com, where you can enter in your location to view the lowest gas prices in the area, and directions for how to get there. Another option is downloading the Gas Buddy app for the cheapest gas prices while you’re on the go.