How To: Save Money on a Road Trip

Embarking on a road trip is an exciting and excellent way to explore and soak up the sights. But, it can get expensive. With a bit of planning and smart strategies, you can enjoy the open road while keeping your budget intact. In this blog post, I’ll share valuable tips and tricks to help you save money on your road trip, from cutting down on accommodation to maximising fuel efficiency. Get ready to hit the road and make your journey a budget-friendly one!

Embarking on a road trip is an exciting adventure, but it doesn’t have to break the bank. With a bit of planning and smart strategies, you can enjoy the open road while keeping your budget intact. In this blog post, we’ll share valuable tips and tricks to help you save money on your road trip, from cutting down on accommodation and food costs to finding affordable activities and maximizing fuel efficiency. Get ready to hit the road and make your journey a budget-friendly one!

Campervan Relocation

I had never heard of campervan relocations prior to my first road trip, but it’s a fantastic way to save money on a road trip. Rental companies advertise relocations when there are too many vehicles at one location and need to be relocated to another to meet rental needs. Hence they can be rented out for so cheap, even for as little as $1 a day!

I regularly checked popular companies like Apollo and Jucy for upcoming vehicle relocations when I was in Australia. Typically rental companies only give you a few days to get to the final destination for $1 a day. This could mean you might not have the chance to actually explore the sights en route. However, you can decide to extend the dates at a higher price.

Apollo charged $100 AUD per day to extend. I extended the vehicle by 2 extra days to make sure I had enough time to see the sights without feeling rushed and spending all day driving. The total price was still considerably cheaper than paying for a regular campervan rental.

Open road

Advantages:

  • Spent a lot less than I would have if I rented a vehicle normally
  • You could get a newer vehicle. I drove from Cairns to Darwin using an Apollo campervan relocation and was given a brand-new 6-berth motorhome for $1 a day! If I had rented that at full price it would have been $6,000 AUD. Whereas I paid around $205 AUD because I extended it for 2 extra days. Big price difference!

Disadvantages:

  • There’s no guarantee there will be a campervan relocation available for the destination you’re wanting to start and end up at. I recommend regularly looking at lots of rental companies in the country you’re in to get an indication of how many relocations are available
  • If there are only big vehicles available it will cost a lot on fuel
  • The allotted time rental companies give you to relocate the vehicle isn’t long so may be rushing if you didn’t decide to extend
Motorhome

Plan Ahead

It pays to plan ahead when organising a road trip. Not only do you get better prices on vehicles when booked well in advance, you also have more options.

Be sure to look at car hire comparison sites such as Skyscanner or Kayak to make sure you’re getting the best price possible. I booked with Hertz when I was on a road trip through New Zealand and was very impressed with the service. I was given a new Suzuki Swift. It was fuel-efficient, clean and drove very smoothly.

Suzuki Swift in NZ

Camp at Free Campsites

Camping at free or cheap campsites is a great way to save money on a road trip. If you’re in a self-contained campervan – a vehicle that can function without outside resources – finding a free campsite won’t be difficult. Campsite apps such as Park4Night was extremely useful as you can find and book campsites, see prices and reviews all on one app.

Campsite with tent and car

If you’ve rented a car, opt for camping instead of paying for accommodation if you’re wanting to keep costs low. Purchase a tent, sleeping bag and blow up mattress if sleeping in your car isn’t suited to you. Not only is it fun and adventurous it could save you some cash if you’ve rented the car for long enough!

PRO TIP: You can get cheaper camping equipment from op-shops/charity shops. Or if you’ve already purchased camping equipment, look to sell on Facebook Marketplace or gumtree to get some cash back.

Fuel Prices

One of the biggest expenditures on roadtrips is fuel, especially if you’re in a big vehicle like a camper or motorhome. Therefore, you want to make sure you’re getting the best price. The best way to save some money on your road trip is to download gas apps such as Gasby or Gasbuddy. It will compare nearby fuel prices to make sure you get the best price!

New Zealand mountains

I hope this post will help you save some money on your next road trip. Let me know if there are any other points missing!

5 Comments

  1. It’s a pity you don’t have a donate button! I’d most certainly donate to this brilliant blog! I suppose for now i’ll settle for book-marking and adding your RSS feed to my Google account. I look forward to brand new updates and will talk about this blog with my Facebook group. Talk soon!

    1. Thank you so much! I hadn’t even thought about adding a donate button – but there’s one now! Thanks again 🙂

  2. Great work! This is the type of information that should be shared around the internet. Shame on Google for not positioning this post higher! Come on over and visit my site . Thanks =)

  3. whoah this blog is magnificent i love reading your posts. Keep up the good work! You know, lots of people are searching around for this info, you can aid them greatly.

  4. Good post! We will be linking to this particularly great post on our site. Keep up the great writing

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *