Packing up and setting out on a RV trip can be the experience of a lifetime. With the open road rushing under your wheels, traveling this way gives you and your companions the opportunity to see as much or as little as you want, stopping wherever and whenever along the way. Although a RV trip can be cheaper than an all-inclusive resort or round-trip airfare and hotel, the costs can add up surprisingly fast. One way to save money during your travels is to pack a variety of food for all the different meals throughout the day.
Stopping at restaurants each day for breakfast, lunch and dinner can add up quickly. Buying the supplies for a quick breakfast, sandwiches, easy-to-make dinners, and snacks can save you hundreds of dollars. Canned vegetables, microwavable entrees and generic branded chips and pretzels can all be kept for extended amounts of time and are reasonably priced. Eating dinner on the RV for a few days can save enough money so that you can enjoy a really nice restaurant dinner somewhere along your journey without having to worry about spending way too much money.
You can also save money by parking a little bit further from attractions to avoid parking costs. Some parking lots can cost upwards of $30 when other parking lots a few blocks away, or on street parking spots, are free. If you have stopped in a safe town with a nice climate, you are better off parking and walking rather than spending money on parking that you could be spending on souvenirs, dinner or even gas to get you to your next destination. If you plan on stopping at a lot of popular attractions during your travels, this tactic can save hundreds of dollars throughout the course of your trip.
When making pit stops throughout your trip, it’s really easy to get into the habit of buying something at every town, city or attraction. It’s understandable to want a take-home item from each place you get to experience, but this can also cost a lot of money and these things can take up a lot of space in the RV. To preserve your wallet and the precious, limited space in your RV, set a budget for each stop or decide to buy one type of small item at each destination. For example, $5 can actually go pretty far at a gift shop and will get you a souvenir from 20 different places for only $100. Ideas for small trinkets you could purchase along the way include postcards, key chains or magnets.
All together, these tactics can help you spend less money during your RV trip while still having fun and experiencing all that traveling have to offer. RV vacations don’t have to cost thousands of dollars. When planned and executed correctly, these trips can be cost-effective and way more fun than your typical flight and resort type of getaway.