Vacationing in Quarantine- Live like there’s no Tomorrow with These Pocket-friendly Road Trip Tips!

You don’t need to be living in a specific part of the world to know how severely the recent Coronavirus pandemic has affected the travel and tourism industry. But, you can’t stop yourself from enjoying life just because of some hurdles in the way, right? As such, many US families are gearing up their vehicles this summer to enjoy an on-road vacation as an alternative to air travel, which is much safer and saves you a lot of money, too.

If a road trip has been on your bucket list for a while now, and you’re thinking of finally checking it off this summer, don’t blow your budget by letting the fallacious sense of savings and security deceive you. Granted that you’re already saving money by driving, it is still vital that you keep your budget in mind, as every small outlay adds up to make a big squandering.

Deposit Photos | Most US families are getting ready for a summer of road tripping

Here are five sage road trip tips on how you can live like there’s no tomorrow on a budget during your 2020 summer road trip!

1. Secure your financial accounts

Thieves often target road trippers, trying to steal their credit card information when they suspect it the least. That’s why, to avoid this type of chicanery and to protect customers from fraud, financial companies try to take their precautionary measures a step ahead, especially when there are unusual expenditures in different states or new cities. However, this may be troublesome for you as your account may get locked. To avoid this type of situation, you can alert credit card companies and banks before leaving for your trip about all the different cities and states you’ll be visiting.

2. Pile up the food and drinks

We know how essential gas and restroom breaks are during road trips, but they can also become exorbitant when you go into the mini-mart and end up buying a lot of snacks and drinks. Even though these little purchases may seem benign, they may add up pretty quickly, especially since everything costs double at such stops. The smart alternative is to pack up food and drink items beforehand.

Deposit Photos | Try not to shop for snacks at gas station mini-marts

3. Get stingy with your gas dollars

Many people fail to notice the total amount of money they spend on fuels. You might think there’s no way around this. A car needs fuel to run on, right? But, a simple way of saving cash in this domain is figuring out stops that charge less for fuel. For example, there’s an app called GasBuddy that can locate gas stations close to you with the lowest rates.

4. Snag last-minute lodging for less

Planning hotels can be difficult when you have a set plan and route for your trip, but who says waiting until the last minute, a.k.a the day-of booking, has to be expensive? There are apps like HotelTonight that provide a list of luxury accommodations based on your location, with discounts of up to 70%!

Deposit Photos | It is vital that you keep your finances in check during your vacation

5. Mind mobile data use

On the road, your use of data will shoot up as you will be accessing maps for directions, playing music, posting on social media, and watching videos. This can slow down your plans to the speed of a snail. To avoid this, make sure you use free WiFi for things like reading restaurant reviews, updating social media posts, and checking emails. You can also download map directions and Netflix shows for kids beforehand.